Community Engagement Resources

The following are extracts from various local government community engagement policies.

 

Definition of Community Engagement

Gympie Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2013)

Council defines community engagement as: An ongoing, open dialogue with our community to identify issues and opportunities, exchange views, and assist with planning and informed decision making.

Mackay Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

For the purposes of this policy, community engagement can be defined as "any process that involves the public in decision-making, and that uses public input to make better decisions".

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Statement of council's commitment to community engagement

Flinders Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

The Flinders Shire Council believes that fostering democratic representation, social inclusion and meaningful community engagement greatly assists in the delivery of high quality local government.

The Council is committed to achieving inclusive and effective community engagement, and will develop and adhere to a Community Engagement Framework to guide the Council’s efforts to enhance the planning and delivery of the Council’s services and programs.

Gympie Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2013)

The Policy supports ongoing and interactive relationships between Council and its community enabling people to be informed about local and regional issues, contribute ideas and help identify solutions.

Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2013)

Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council is committed to undertaking robust and comprehensive engagement with its community to facilitate a dialogue between the Council and its community on key decisions and projects and in particular the strategic planning and community planning processes.

Council will also work with the community to identify the most appropriate and effective engagement methods in order to continually improve the relationships between all parties and ensure that the strategic plan and community plan reflect the majority community views.

City of Fremantle: Community Engagement Framework (2010)

As per the mission statement...the City is committed to being effective, progressive and actively engaging with the community. Community engagement enables the City to achieve this mission and meet its various statutory and policy requirements.

Mackay Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

This policy confirms the commitment of Mackay Regional Council to ensuring that community engagement forms an integral component of informed decision-making and as such aims to ensure that as many people as possible who are affected by decisions of Council have the opportunity to be consulted about their needs and concerns prior to decisions being made.

Warringah Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

Warringah Council recognises that community engagement and participation processes are a vital part of local democracy. Effective engagement is good business practice and critical to good government. For this reason Council is committed to engaging with the Warringah community.

This policy does not prevent Council from engaging with the community in addition to any statutory requirements providing that any legal timeframes are met Community engagement is about involving the community in decisions which affect them. It is critical in the successful development and implementation of acceptable policies and decisions and for improving services by being responsive to the needs of the community.

Community engagement does not necessarily mean achieving consensus. However it does involve seeking broad informed agreement and the best possible solution for Council and the community.

Blackall-Tambo Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

PURPOSE

Blackhall-Tambo Regional Council holds itself open and accountable for the delivery of a diverse range of services, projects and planning which affect the quality of life and wellbeing of the community whilst meeting all legislative requirements.  Council makes decisions that affect the community and recognises the value of an informed and engaged community who are encouraged to contribute to the decision making process.

Council is committed to initiating, providing and maintaining meaningful opportunities for engagement with all stakeholders whilst encouraging a partnership that truly values and recognises teamwork.

POLICY STATEMENT

Council is committed to undertaking comprehensive community engagement to promote and encourage communication between the Council and the community.  OT increase trust and confidence, Council will engage the community on decisions relating to facilities, programs, strategic plans, service plans and projects that have the potential  to impact on the health, safety or well-being of community members.

Council will work with communities to identify and build upon the most effective engagement  methods in order to encourage a partnership that is focused on mutual respect whilst working in unison to achieve identified goals  and positive outcomes.

Community consultation will be a consideration of Council.

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Principles guiding community engagement

Central Desert Shire Council: Community Engagement Strategy and Policy (2011)

The Central Desert Shire Council has identified as a specific Strategic Objective to establish “High standards of communication, transparency and openness”. This Community Engagement Strategy aims to support this strategic objective and make the Shire’s Community Engagement activities more effective by ensuring:

  • Effective and respectful communication and engagement with all stakeholders
  • Residents and stakeholders are meaningfully involved in shire planning
  • Residents receive support to give feedback that informs ongoing improvement of service delivery
  • A responsive organisation that values and supports linguistic and cultural diversity
  • Residents and other stakeholders are aware of the shire's activities and achievements
  • Constituents understand how to access representation and receive support to do so
  • Staff and stakeholders understand and respond to constituents' aspirations and concerns
  • Strong collaborative relationships between elected members, staff and external stakeholders
  • Staff have the information and support required for effective team work.
     

All activities in this plan will observe the following principles:

  • Communication and engagement are a two-way street and everybody's business
  • Communication and engagement are not an afterthought but an integral part of shire planning
  • Our communication and engagement activities will meet the diverse linguistic, cultural, educational needs and community development aspirations of our residents
  • Our communications will be clear, open, truthful and respectful of all target audiences.
     

Burke Shire Council: Community Engagement Strategy (2010)

Burke Shire Council is committed to meaningful community engagement. In order to meet this commitment to the community, Council has adopted the following guiding principles:-

  • Social Justice – All parts of the community should have an equal opportunity for input
  • Creating the right debate – Burke Shire resident will be informed. Council will inform and educate the community on the key issues, options and choices facing Burke Shire
  • Community input is valued – Council is open to all ideas and values all contributions. All input will be considered and acknowledged
  • Engage Creatively – We will engage the community creatively to maximise the value and range of community feedback.
     

Flinders Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

The Flinders Shire Council Community Engagement Policy is based upon the following principles:

  • Providing inclusive opportunities for informed community involvement in Council's decision making.
  • Ensuring that all groups in the community are provided with opportunities to engage with Council.
  • Providing culturally appropriate processes to encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to engage with Council.
  • Achieving meaningful community engagement using an engagement policy and framework.
  • Fostering a Council-wide culture of community engagement.
     

Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

  • Council recognises that it is the body representing the community and it needs to be aware of, and respond to, the needs and wishes of the whole community.
  • Council recognises that community engagement is vital to the democratic process and contributes to building a balanced, healthy community.
  • Community engagement contains the core elements of information, consultation and active participation
  • Council wishes to be as transparent as possible to the community and to make the community aware of its actions and decisions.
  • Council will apply the core elements of community engagement, where appropriate, to facilitate meaningful community involvement in the decision-making process.
     

District Council of Elliston: Public Consultation Policy (2007)

This policy is underpinned by the following principles, which are believed to be central to effective public consultation. This Council will:

  • Identify potential stakeholders in each specific circumstance;
  • Ensure information is easily understood and accessible to identify stakeholders, and include contact details for obtaining further information in all communication;
  • Define the framework of the consultation process for each specific topic;
  • Listen and respond to community views in a balanced way, taking into account all submissions whatsoever;
  • Promote Council decision-making which is open, transparent, responsive and accountable to the community;
  • Keep records and provide feedback about the reasons for decisions, where relevant;
  • Review and evaluate its public consultation policy to ensure on-going improvement in the way it involves the community and its statutory decision making process.
     

Sunshine Coast Regional Council: Community Engagement Framework (2009)

Council has decided to take a principle based approach to its community engagement activities. This approach provides consistency, cohesion and facilitates the alignment of our performance reporting requirements under the new Queensland Local Government Bill (2009). Each principle seeks to clarify the purpose of why Council engages with the community and guide how that engagement occurs.

These principles are:-

  • timeliness: council will engage with its community in ways that are timely, open to all, easily understood and not overly bureaucratic or resource intensive.
  • information and feedback: the community has the right to be well informed on issues and receive feedback from council on how its input has been used to inform council decisions.
  • mutual respect: council’s goal is one of inclusive involvement. All voices matter, all opinions are valued and considered.
  • action learning: council is committed to the development of innovative engagement approaches, learning from each engagement experience, and using such learning to improve our approaches to engagement.
  • foresight: council engages with its community not only to learn about and respond to present needs, but also to gain a better understanding of our communities’ perspective on emerging issues that may affect our preferred future.
     

Gympie Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2013)

Council views the following principles as important for the success of its community engagement activities:-

  • inclusiveness: an inclusive process takes into account that communities are diverse and that diversity is an asset.
  • appropriateness: engagement methods are selected and utilised based on their practicality and relevance. Engagement methods should be easily understood, and not overly bureaucratic or resource intensive.
  • reaching out: Council will utilise various engagement methods to seek and tap into the significant knowledge and expertise residing within the community.
  • cost effectiveness: Council will utilise engagement methods and activities to enhance present and future planning and decision making, while making sure that Council gets value for the cost of any engagement process.
  • mutual respect: Council will require respectful behaviour from all participants acknowledging differing points of view and contributions.
  • communication: Council will ensure information and feedback is provided in a timely fashion.
  • recognition: Council recognises that information and processes may already be available that could contribute to new community engagement activities.
     

City of Fremantle: Community Engagement Framework (2010)

  • Quantity: Ensuring there is no duplication of effort and community/stakeholders are not avoided nor over engaged.
  • Influence: The level of influence given to community/stakeholder views is commensurate with the risk/impacts under consideration.
  • Timing: The commencement of any engagement initiative ensures community/stakeholders are given sufficient time to consider the matter at hand and provide meaningful feedback.
  • Diversity: Every effort is made to ensure the breadth of the community has had an opportunity to be informed and to participate to the level of influence identified.
  • Quality: Techniques and process are used that engender high quality discussion, feedback and where possible deliberation.
  • Communication: The outcomes/decisions of any given engagement process and the impact of the feedback received is communicated to community/stakeholders in a timely manner.
     

Mackay Regional Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

  1. That Council will provide genuine opportunities for informed community engagement in decision-making in a framework of local democracy
  2. That community engagement forms an integral part of the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and services
  3. That Council will adopt open, accountable processes through which individuals and groups can exchange views and influence policy or decision-making.
  4. That there is transparency and accountability in the process which is open, two-way and ongoing
  5. That opportunities will be provided to encourage increased access by Aboriginal people, Torres Strait and South Sea Islanders and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to discussions about council initiatives which are likely to impact upon them
  6. That the day to day operations and administration of the Council shall reflect the philosophical objectives of this policy
     

Carpentaria Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2012)

Council endorses the following community engagement principles from the International Association for Public Participation Australasia:

  • Integrity – when there is openness and honesty about the scope and purpose of the engagement;
  • Inclusion – when there is an opportunity for a diverse range of values and perspectives to be freely and fairly expressed and heard;
  • Deliberation – when there is sufficient and credible information for dialogue, choice and decisions, and when there is space to weigh options, develop common understanding and to appreciate respective roles and responsibilities;
  • Influence – when people have input in deciding how they participate, when polices and services reflect their involvement and when their impact is apparent.
     

In addition to processes for the non-indigenous community, Council is committed to providing processes that are appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, in order for them to participate in and contribute to community engagement in a meaningful way.

Broome Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2012)

  • All relevant stakeholders must be identified.
  • Non-resident landowners must be included.
  • Vulnerable groups must be considered and catered for (ie people with disability, non-English speaking people, disengaged young people )
  • Officers will use the Community Engagement Matrix to decide on the best level of engagement e.g. information, consultation, involve, collaborate.
  • Engagement process will allow stakeholders adequate time to respond to issues.
  • Engagement should be established at the early stages of a project or initiative and before implementation.
  • Where a decision is made by Council that is contrary to formally and directly expressed views gained through the engagement, the minutes should reflect the reasons for the contradictory decision.
  • Engagement initiatives will be reviewed twice a year by Council at their Concept Forums.
     

Warringah Council: Community Engagement Policy (2011)

The following principles will underpin Warringah Council's approach to community engagement. Warringah Council will:

1. Be open and inclusive

  • Recognises community participation as a right of all citizens and an integral component of informed decision-making;
  • Creates, supports and promotes opportunities for the community to actively participate in decision making
  • Encourages involvement from a wide cross-section of the community using engagement processes that are accessible and inclusive 
  • Operates under the key value of openness and is committed to ensuring that the community is well informed about Council’s service delivery, planning and decisionmaking processes;.
     

2. Create mutual trust and respect and be accountable

  • Treats all participants in the engagement process with respect and dignity.
  • Approaches engagement from an impartial perspective, free from bias toward any stakeholder involved in the process.
  • Is accountable, accessible and ethical in all dealings with the community .
     

3. Engage early and be clear

  • Seeks early engagement and regularly involves the community in decision making
  • Communicates clearly the objectives of the engagement process and provide community members with all available and relevant information as part of the consultation engagement process to ensure informed discussion;
  • Communicates the parameters of the engagement process to participants from the outset, including legislative requirements, Council’s sphere of influence, conflicting community views, policy frameworks and context, budget constraints etc.
  • Acknowledges that planning is a critical process to deliver successful outcomes and is committed to developing and implementing community engagement plans.
     

4. Consideration and feedback

  • Is committed to demonstrating that we have considered all community contributions and relevant data, prior to making any decisions that affect the local community;
  • Is committed to providing participants with feedback at key stages throughout the project and upon completion and how community input influenced the decision.
     

5. Skills and Resources

  • Endeavours to ensure that sufficient timeframes and adequate resources are allocated to engagement processes;
  • Co-ordinates its community engagement processes where possible to optimise resources, ensure efficiency and avoid duplication;
  • Recognises the skills required to undertake community engagement, and will provide staff with opportunities for further skill development and training.
     

Institute for Local Government (California): Principles of Local Government Public Engagement (2012)

  1. Inclusive Planning: The planning and design of a public engagement process includes input from appropriate local officials as well as from members of intended participant communities.
  2. Transparency: There is clarity and transparency about public engagement process sponsorship, purpose, design, and how decision makers will use the process results. 
  3. Authentic Intent: A primary purpose of the public engagement process is to generate public views and ideas to help shape local government action or policy, rather than persuade residents to accept a decision that has already been made.
  4. Breadth of Participation: The public engagement process includes people and viewpoints that are broadly reflective of the local agency’s population of affected residents. 
  5. Informed Participation: Participants in the public engagement process have information and/or access to expertise consistent with the work that sponsors and conveners ask them to do.
  6. Accessible Participation: Public engagement processes are broadly accessible in terms of location, time, and language, and support the engagement of residents with disabilities 
  7. Appropriate Process: The public engagement process utilizes one or more discussion formats that are responsive to the needs of identified participant groups, and encourages full, authentic, effective and equitable participation consistent with process purposes. This may include relationships with existing community forums.
  8. Authentic Use of Information Received: The ideas, preferences, and/or recommendations contributed by the public are documented and seriously considered by decision makers.
  9. Feedback to Participants: Local officials communicate ultimate decisions back to process participants and the broader public, with a description of how the public input was considered and used.
  10. Evaluation: Sponsors and participants evaluate each public engagement process with the collected feedback and learning shared broadly and applied to future engagement efforts.
     

Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council: Community Engagement Policy (2013)

  1. That Council will provide genuine opportunities for informed community engagement in decision-making in a framework of local democracy.
  2. That community engagement forms an integral part of the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and services.
  3. That Council will adopt open, accountable processes through which individuals and groups can exchange views and influence policy or decision-making.
  4. That there is transparency and accountability in the process which is open, two-way and ongoing.
  5. That opportunity will be provided to community members around discussions about council initiatives which are likely to impact upon them.
  6. That the day to day operations and administration of the Council shall reflect the philosophical objectives of this policy

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