Often, much of the work connected to service user involvement centres around service user groups.

It's important that these groups are arranged flexibly to meet the needs of the people who attend them, that they are a safe space for people to come and share their thoughts and experiences, and that incentives are provided for people to attend the group.

It's also important that the people attending these groups are able to see the changes that they are making to local services and that they know they are being listened to and taken seriously.

Have a look at our barriers checklist to see if you're ready to create really meaningful service user inclusion with your service user groups.

Examples of existing service user groups for you to look at include:

• Liverpool Supporting People Forum
• Bolton Young Person's Housing Scheme
• Bolton Community Experts Panel
• Torbay Service User Group
• North West Service User Forum