The Royal Commission is the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. It has the lead role in ensuring that Wales’s archaeological, built and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally.
The Commission’s public engagement activity focuses on increasing appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the historic environment of Wales.
It demonstrates the relevance of the National Monuments Record of Wales to all communities in Wales, and showcases the exciting and ground-breaking results from our programmes of recording and discovery work.
The range of activities seek as wide a reach as possible, provide information that is interesting and relevant, and offer opportunities for engagement and participation with the organisation and sector at a deeper level.
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The Public Engagement Activities Policy operates within the context of the Royal Commission’s Royal Warrant and is aligned with Welsh Government priorities and broader sector-wide policies.
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Public engagement work and promotion of the Royal Commission is carried out by all staff across the Commission as part of their core duties. One of the main assets in our engagement activity is the dedication, enthusiasm and expertise of staff.
Commissioners promote the functions and services of the Royal Commission and consider matters of strategy, assess proposals, oversee implementation and review outcomes.
The principal role of the Public Engagement Team is to plan and oversee the day-to-day implementation of the public engagement programme across the whole organisation, as well as to lead, co-ordinate and support a range of activities.
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Public engagement considerations lie at the core of annual Operational Plans and project planning. We allocate resources that target a wide range of geographical areas and a variety of communities, and we reflect the work of the Commission as a whole.
Whenever appropriate we will seek opportunities to develop projects in partnership with other organisations. Experience has shown that productive partnerships encourage stronger outcomes.
Our Welsh Language Policy (2017-19) sets out our commitment to treat the Welsh and English languages equally, and how we will comply with our Welsh Language Standards Compliance Notice. We will continue to seek opportunities to increase engagement with the Welsh-language community, and assist with development of resources to bring specialist terminology in Welsh to a wider audience.
Public engagement activities are informed by our Equality and Diversity Policy to ensure activities and information are accessible to individuals and communities on a level footing. We will continue to seek opportunities to widen our relevance to different communities in Wales.
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We recognise that effective audience engagement requires an approach that utilises a variety of different but complementary methods. Activities and outputs must meet the highest standards, whatever their format, and be scalable to ensure the best use of available resources.
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i) Outreach Activities
We demonstrate the relevance of the Commission’s work and collections to individuals and communities across Wales, and we seek to include locally relevant material wherever possible. Outreach activities will typically be short-term interventions within a community, such as a stand at an event, an exhibition, or a talk to a local society.
ii) Community engagement
More in-depth engagement activities involve working with a community over a longer period, and we will seek to use funded project work to undertake this more resource intensive work.
iii) Educational activities
We are committed to supporting developing skills for all learners. We will continue to bring our resources and services to the attention of the formal education sector, working in partnership whenever possible to support the Welsh Government’s commitment to raise achievements in education, e.g. by creating resources to support the National Curriculum in Wales.
iv) Electronic media
Most of our information is now gathered in electronic format, and the techniques we employ, including 3D modelling and remote sensing, are often engaging. We should seek to use these outputs directly in engagement wherever possible.
v) Online resources
We make our material and information available free online, using our website, Coflein, and social media channels. We are also a lead partner in the People’s Collection Wales project.
vi) Publications
We have a strong reputation for producing well-illustrated and authoritative publications. Our publication programme is aimed at disseminating authoritative information about our projects and collections.
vii) Broadcast and media
Our work often leads to stories that are newsworthy. We issue press releases and invitations to events, and make media outlets aware of our work through our blogs and social media outlets.
We will identify ways to improve our public engagement activities by asking our users and acting on feedback. We will do this through online surveys, targeted user surveys, and event-based feedback forms. We will also analyse what aspects of our engagement work well, which areas we can improve, and how our activities match the expectations of our users.
We will regularly review the latest communications techniques and technology as they develop to ensure effective engagement with our users.
Key Performance Indicators and actions for our public engagement activities will be outlined each year in the Commission’s Operational Plan, which is available on the Commission’s website.
This policy will be reviewed every two years. The next review will be in 2020.
Mae’r polisi hwn hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg | This policy is also available in Welsh.
 | This document is available under the Open Government Licence. |
