Primary care social services benefit from several methodologies to provide assistance to citizens according to the needs identified and any necessary diagnosis.

This article portrays a community work experience in a specific area of Barcelona –the northern area of Nou Barris– which has distinctive characteristics. In this area, networking and interdepartmental collaboration among services have been inherent advantages, allowing for a more comprehensive social intervention to be delivered. As a result of this commitment, the Local Community Plan was set up with the aim of bringing together the efforts of professionals, services, organisations and residents, all working towards improving the wellbeing of the people in the area.

With the arrival of new residents from other countries, the impact on services, organisations and the local area was taken into consideration. This led to the need to set up a forum for reflection, participation and action, resulting in the formation of the Immigrants’ Board, in which a professional from the social services centre participated. This situation also highlighted the need for the centre’s work team to endorse this initiative as a practical alternative for their daily practice. Lastly, this article aims to offer a practical perspective on the opportunity that may be provided by a citizen participation process since it allows for a collective perspective and a different approach to social needs.