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Local Matters - is a framework for Community Enagement produced by Cumbria Councy Council.
Choosing Your Approach
There is no single 'right' consultation method that will work for any given circumstance. All sorts of conditions influence which methods give you useful information, and there are no guarantees that just because one method worked well once it will do so again. But here are some general common-sense messages that will help you choose your approach.
The most important tip is not to rely on just one method. Using more than one method increases the chances of a better response - both in terms of quality and quantity. Be prepared, though, for what you will do if different methods come up with different results. Be aware that there isn't a single 'user's view', and consensus between all users is highly unlikely.
Knowing something about the people you want to consult helps you choose the most suitable methods (Table 1). The following section gives some general advice on which methods to try, and why. It can be useful to use one method to help development of another; for example a focus group to consider the design of a questionnaire. But if you want to link methods in this way, make sure that you are talking to the same audiences: the focus group would need to be representative of the people you actually wanted to reach with the questionnaire, or their views would be less relevant.
Think about the type of response that you are likely to get from different groups. Be prepared for differing responses from people who are expert in your service or area, and those who are less familiar with it. Decide how you are going to weight views. Whose opinions are most important? Can you please everybody? How are you going to explain what decisions you have taken to different people?
Table 1:
| Target Group | Consultation Method and why |
| ~ Frequent and regular users | ~ Postal and face to face |
| ~ Individuals and special interest groups who know about your service | ~ Draft documents for comment because consultees are already aware of the issues and (probably) interested and don't need detailed additional information. |
| ~ Staff | ~ |
| ~ Infrequent users | ~ Meetings |
| ~ Potential users | ~ Open days |
| ~ Broad interest groups | ~ Discussions because they need information before they are able to respond. |
| ~ Non-users |
Things to consider when undertaking consultation/community engagement activity:
Why are you doing it?
What is the main reason for wanting to engage with or consult the community? The ‘inputs’ received from the exercise should be used to improve the ‘outputs’ (i.e. have a direct impact on the service or policy).
What is it about?
Is the exercise statutory/non statutory? Why has this particular piece of work been chosen?
Who needs to be involved?
Check the list of stakeholders and ensure that all people who have an interest are given the opportunity to participate in the exercise.
When should you to do it?
Will it be beneficial to consult at a very early stage (i.e. the design/implementation of a service or policy)? If the decision is taken not to engage the community until a later stage, what factors were considered when this decision was made?
How long will it take?
Sufficient time needs to be given to ensure that the process is not rushed. If changes to the service or policy need to be implemented by a certain date, then the exercise needs to be planned and prepared well in advance.
What will happen to the responses?
All responses need to be considered. A decision by the policy-makers not to go with the wishes of the majority must be justified, giving an honest and valid explanation why this has happened.
What methods will be used?
The method adopted must be suitable to meet the needs of the initiative, and also the participants. If there is an identified training need, this should be examined.
Using more than one method increases the chances of a better response, in terms of quality and quantity. Be prepared for what you will do if different methods have different results. Be aware that there isn’t a single ‘User’s View’, and consensus between all participants is highly unlikely.
How will the results be reported back?
Success can be measured by several factors. All groups involved in an issue should believe that they were properly engaged and consulted. There should be evidence to demonstrate that views were gathered and listened to, even when it was decided to pursue an alternative option, and explain why the activity has reached its conclusion. Participation rates and the quality of responses are also good measures for success.
How and when will the exercise be evaluated?
Evaluating the effectiveness of your activity is vital and should not be left to the end of the process. It will be much easier to do if it has been included in the initial planning. If planning has been done correctly, and success and failure criteria have been identified and how they will be measured, then the evaluation process should be straightforward.