An Introduction to Relational Service Design - free to attend session delivered online via Zoom.
Many public services are designed to help people with clear, stable needs. And for these transactional problems such as registering a birth, paying a fine, replacing a bin, that design works well.But that same model is often applied to people facing complex challenges: overlapping issues of debt, trauma, housing instability, poor mental health or caring responsibilities. When services respond to these needs with linear plans, rigid pathways or isolated assessments, it doesn’t just fail - it often makes things worse.What’s needed in these situations is a different kind of help - and a different kind of service.
Relational service design recognises that when problems are complex, the route to progress can’t be mapped out in advance.
It’s not about delivering a perfect plan, but creating the conditions for skilled helpers to build trust, test ideas with people and adapt based on what’s learned. It’s about designing services that can respond to variation, uncertainty and change - and do so in ways that are human, consistent and sustainable.
Join us for a practical, interactive webinar on how to design more relational services.
This webinar introduces the core ideas and practices of relational service design. It’s rooted in real-world examples from across the UK and draws on the work we’ve done with councils, community partners and public service teams. We’ll also share tools and insights from our forthcoming book.
Who the session is for: Leaders, commissioners, policy professionals — and anyone involved in shaping or delivering public services.
What you’ll get from the session:
- Key principles behind relational service design
- Case studies showing what it looks like in practice
- Simple, practical ways to get started
- An interactive space to ask questions, reflect and share challenges
