Even more about community engagement and consultation
Even more about community engagement and consultation…
There are different levels of engagement for people. It can range from being consulted over a proposed course of action, to determining the allocation of resources of a project or being involved in the delivery of a service. Depending on the objectives, the issue and the community to be engaged with, some approaches might be more suitable than others.
Communities can mean different things to different people. For those who carry responsibility for public services, engaging with the community means ensuring that everyone in their local area is given the opportunity to comment on the services provided for them and on the organisation’s priorities.
It also means involving them in major decisions that will improve their quality of life. This is meant to be a two-way process, with organisations benefiting from the imagination and energy of local people. Community engagement can involve individuals, voluntary and community organisations and public sector bodies working together to address local issues.
A community consists of a number of communities, be they based on ethnicity, gender, age, disability, location, etc. Each community will have different wants and needs that have to be balanced.
It is possible to engage with communities in a variety of different ways. But it is important to understand which type of engagement it is that particular citizens or communities prefer and be able to use them in a way that benefits residents, the community and the organisation.