Co-production in action: The Women’s Advisory Network

On 17 February 2026, members of the Agenda Alliance team and the Women’s Advisory Network (WAN) travelled from across the country to Manchester. This was the first time the WAN have met in person, marking the first step in our plans to further integrate the WAN in our strategic direction, and campaigning priorities.

What is the WAN?

The WAN are a group of women with lived experience of multiple unmet needs, who meet with each other and members of our team regularly. They support and guide Agenda Alliance in our mission to improve systems for women facing multiple unmet needs and campaign for change.

Previously, the WAN created a Charter, where they agreed to examine and share their perspectives on:

• The isolation that women with multiple unmet needs face when they’re excluded and rejected from services.
• Ways of ending the ‘cycle of harm’ so that other women don’t have to experience what they have been through, with a view to stop younger generations from needless trauma and harm.
• The impact of not accessing mental health support when you need it - either because you’re ‘not eligible’ or because you’re kept on waiting lists for months.

Reimagining the WAN

Co-production is an ever-evolving process, meaning the WAN itself is evolving. The WAN published its Charter in 2024, and two years on, we know that its approach may need a refresh. In this session, our discussions focused on reimagining the WAN, and co-designing its future. We discussed:

• What the WAN could be like if we had unlimited time and money
• How best to convene and communicate between the WAN
• How to ensure the WAN is accessible, such as the benefits of online vs. In-person working, and barriers and enablers of each approach

Campaign co-design 

Agenda Alliance’s campaign direction and priorities are shaped by the WAN. In this session, we wanted to begin thinking about campaign focuses for the next year. As a group, we looked at examples of wider campaigns, to discuss what we liked and didn’t like, what was impactful, and what the focus should be for our own campaign.

Want to find out more about the WAN, or interested in getting involved yourself?

Find out more here.