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Below is an example of what the standards could look like.
General engagement standards
The Australian Public Service will be expected to:
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Choose the right approach
Ensure you have chosen the right engagement approach for the problem at hand.
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Define the objectives and plan
Clearly define the objectives and engagement plan before the process is launched.
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Manage expectations
Ensure you are honest about what is on the table. That is, what is yet to be decided and what has already been decided.
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Choose the right people for the job
Ensure participants with suitable expertise, skills and knowledge are being engaged for the problem at hand.
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Be transparent about the process
Explain the objectives and process to participants at the outset.
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Provide sufficient information
Ensure information that is essential to participants’ roles is made available to them.
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Provide opportunities to be heard
Ensure the voices that get heard are not just the loudest ones.
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Understand all views
Ensure the views presented are fairly considered at the decision-making stage.
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Close the loop
Explain how participants’ contributions were taken into account.
In addition to the generic standards described above, there are specific standards that need to be met depending on your engagement approach. For this purpose, we combined deliberative and collaborative engagement approaches. Both require open dialogue to bring participants into the decision-making process — whether a little bit or a lot — and sharing information or consultation does not.
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Share
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Consult
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Deliberate or Collaborate
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Specific Standards
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Is guided by general engagement standards
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Decision has already been made
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Intention is to share information after the fact to inform the public about changes or new initiatives
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Information shared should be concise, user-friendly and comprehensive
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It should be clear to the reader of the information that the intention is to merely share information
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Is guided general engagement standards
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Gives participants an opportunity to present their views to decision-makers, provide evidence and arguments in support of them, and reply to opposing views
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Decision-makers are duty- bound to assess these positions on their merits, but they are not obliged to accept or act on them
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Decision-makers are required to provide the rationale for their decisions
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Is guided by general engagement standards
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The engagement plan sets boundaries for how far and in what way citizens and/or stakeholders will participate in decision-making
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The process begins by giving participants an opportunity to present their views to decision- makers, provide evidence and arguments in support of them, and reply to opposing views
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Once views have been presented, participants engage in deliberative discussions about the best solutions, subject to the boundaries and rules set by the plan
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These participants are duty- bound to assess different options on their merits and adjust their views accordingly
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Government must be willing to trust the process to deliver recommendations it could work with
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Level of evidence required
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Typically sharing information will involve facts arranged to convey meaning to describe an event, new initiative or changes to an existing process.
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Ideally this will involve a combination of quantitative data or analysis to support narrative or lived experience.
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For more complex problems, a hybrid approach is highly recommended. The narrative or lived experience of participants must be grounded in evidence and facts.
For example, a narrative-building exercise through “town hall” type meeting needs to be combined with policy analysis undertaken by a working group.
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Promise to the Public
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We will keep you informed
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We will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.
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We will look to you for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible subject to the boundaries and rules set by the engagement plan
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Posted by yoyo April 20, 2018 at 11:32
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