<<

A Framework for Community

Engagement

DISCUSSION PAPER

August 2012

Community Development Division Department of Premier and

Contents

INTRODUCTION...... 4 A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR ...... 5 EXISTING POLICIES AND RESOURCES...... 6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT ...... 9 OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT ...... 11 A TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ..... 11 DEFINING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ...... 13 LEVELS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ...... 15 DECIDING WHEN AND HOW TO ENGAGE...... 20 MANAGING EXPECTATIONS AND ISSUES...... 21 PRINCIPLES, STANDARDS AND VALUES ...... 23 EVALUATION ...... 27 WHERE TO FROM HERE? ...... 27 APPENDIX 1 ...... 28 APPENDIX 2 ...... 32 APPENDIX 3 ...... 35

CONSULTATION PROCESS The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC), through its Community Development Division (CDD), has developed this Discussion Paper to initiate engagement and collaboration with agencies on the development of a community engagement framework.

The Discussion Paper has three main purposes:

1. to inform agencies that DPAC through CDD is developing a whole-of-State government Framework to guide community engagement activities and practices; 2. to enable agencies to have the opportunity to identify their requirements (in terms of resources and tools required), stakeholders and contribute to the development of the Framework; and 3. to encourage agencies to reflect on their current community engagement practices, consider their current practices and identify areas of their business that would benefit from increasing the level of community participation in decision making. There are questions throughout the Paper that can be used as a prompt to guide agencies in considering certain aspects of the project scope and product content. It is not required that all questions are answered. Agencies are also encouraged to provide additional information should they believe it will add value to the development of the Framework.

This project refers to whole-of-government, as whole-of-State Government to ensure that

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community and stakeholders are clear about the scope of this project and its application.

Comments and submissions can be emailed to Amy Murphy ([email protected]), Policy Analyst, CDD, DPAC by 14 September 2012.

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INTRODUCTION Over the last decade there has been a move toward more in-depth participation and inclusiveness in government decision making. From the governance and partnerships models of the late 1990s and mid-2000s, governments in and overseas are now trending towards greater transparency, wider public engagement and multi-level collaboration to inform their decision making.1

Increasingly, stronger, more participatory communities and a healthy democracy are driven by active and robust community engagement.2 Involving communities in decision making is crucial to the perceived legitimacy and accountability of government, the quality of policy development and success in service delivery.3

In Australia and across the world, pressure to increase participation in decision making is being driven by:4

 demands for transparency and openness;  dissatisfaction among some communities with existing community engagement approaches;  dissatisfaction with uncoordinated engagement activities.5  the realisation that government does not have the expertise, resources or influence to solve all issues;  increasing interest in seeing more citizen opinions and values reflected in government policies and decisions;  the erosion of trust and confidence in governments;  the changing nature of community and non-government organisations;  changes brought about by technology which are providing opportunities for fast and direct communication between citizens and public official;  the opportunity for productivity gains made by identifying how to work with citizens to enhance support for, and mitigate any potential negative impacts, of new initiatives;  the dependency government has on stakeholders to deliver; and

1 The Allen Consulting Group, 2011, Towards Participation 3.0: Stakeholder Engagement in the Public Sector p.12 2 http://communityengagementpolicy.com 3 http://communityengagementpolicy.com/overview/ 4 The Allen Consulting Group, 2011, pp.18-20, Involve, 2005, People and Participation: How to put citizens are the heart of decision making p.20 Cavaye, J.M., 2004, Governance and Community Engagement – The Australian Experience In Participatory Governance: Planning Conflict Mediation and Public Decision Making in Civil Society. W.R. Lovan; M. Murray and R. Shaffer (Eds) pp. 85-102 Ashgate Publishing UK. 5 Involve, 2005, pp.20-25

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 the rise of individual and private forms of political activism based on personal preferences that are influenced by rising levels of wealth and education and the decline of more collective forms of activism (eg political parties and unions). This form of activism can exacerbate the power and social inequalities between groups, with some commentators arguing that it has ‘sapped the spirit of compromise from politics.’6

A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR TASMANIA Tasmania is not immune to these factors. In response, the Premier, Lara Giddings MP, has endorsed the development of a whole-of-State government Community Engagement Framework for Tasmania (the Framework) to provide agencies with a guide to effectively engage with communities on the decisions that affect them and to create better outcomes for all Tasmanians.

The Government and State Servants already engage with individuals, consumers, organisations and communities through a range of mechanisms, for many purposes.7 However, the development of the Framework will enable the Tasmanian Government to set its policy position and standard for community engagement, enable consistency of engagement practices across agencies and improve the coordination of existing practices. It may also encourage agencies to engage more widely in the development of priorities and strategic planning.8

The Framework will be based on best practice from Australia and overseas and will be a practitioner’s guide for undertaking community engagement (links to some examples of these models are included in Appendix 1 and examples from Tasmanian Government agencies are included in Appendix 2). The Framework will help to determine whether to engage, at what level, who with, when, where and how. It will include the resources and tools to help identify stakeholders and issues, define techniques, define the capability to effectively conduct and manage engagement, determine implementation action and assist with evaluation.

As part of the Framework development, agencies are invited to contribute their expertise and knowledge on engaging with specific communities, groups and issues to ensure the Framework is specific to the Tasmanian context. It is envisaged that the Framework will also include information that enables engagement activities to include people who are hard to reach as well as enabling engagement activities to be tailored to a particular community or issue that may be place-based or cohort specific. This includes information on how to engage with Aboriginal Tasmanians, children and young people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, people with disability and older Tasmanians.

Strengthening community engagement practices is also seen as strengthening:9

6 Marc Dunkelman (2011) cited in The Allen Consulting Group, 201, p.12 7 See Appendix 1 for examples of Tasmanian Government community engagement strategies and practices. 8 For instance the South Australian Strategic Plan Community Engagement Board was established to provide advice on the nature and extent of community involvement in implementing 's Strategic Plan. http://www.sa.gov.au/government/entity/1721 9 Involve, 2005, p.20

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1. Governance: democratic legitimacy, accountability and stimulating active citizenship. 2. Social cohesion and social justice by building relationships, ownership, social capital, equity and empowerment. 3. Quality of services: more efficient and better services, especially public services, that meet real needs and reflect community values; and 4. Capacity building and learning for individuals and organisations to provide a baseline for future growth and development.

EXISTING POLICIES AND RESOURCES

Tasmanian Government Communications Policy The Tasmanian Government Communications Policy (the Communications Policy) aims to ensure effective communication between the Tasmanian Government and the people of Tasmania. The Cabinet-approved policy was first developed in 2003 to ensure that Tasmanians could participate actively and meaningfully in the democratic process. It was updated in 2009-10 to reflect the rapidly changing communication environment.

Community engagement is firmly within the scope of the Communications Policy. Specifically, the policy defines communications as including interaction and engagement with the public including the use of collaborative communication channels. 10 It asserts that:

‘It is the policy of the Tasmanian Government that all its communications activities encourage public engagement through the provision of information and consultation. The Government has a responsibility to ensure that accurate and relevant information about its policies, programs and services is disseminated or made available to the public in a timely manner. Government should also engage openly and responsively by seeking and considering public input and feedback when establishing priorities and planning or reviewing its activities.’

The Communications Policy is managed by the Communications and Marketing Unit in DPAC, and it is the role of agency communications managers – or their equivalents – to ensure adherence to the policy while coordinating and supporting effective communication by their agency. The communications procedures and methods covered by the Policy, including advertising, publications, public events and websites, are commonly utilised in community engagement. Therefore, agency communications staff should be relied upon to support engagement activities as part of the communications function.11

The Communications Policy is supported by a range of related guidelines and resources, such as the Tasmanian Government Style Guide and Logo Policy, to assist agencies in meeting the requirements of the Communications Policy and delivering best practice communications. It is envisaged that the Framework will be a discrete resource to support agencies undertake community engagement activities that will similarly support the Communications Policy. It may be

10 Tasmanian Government, Communications Policy, Second Edition, September 2010 p. 4 11 Ibid, p.7

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beneficial to expand the understanding of community engagement within the Communications Policy to view it as both as an outcome as well as a communications activity.

Questions Many of the mechanisms and tools used to engage with communities are communications methods and techniques governed by the Communications Policy. How should the Framework reference or relate to the Tasmanian Government Communications Policy? How have/could your agency’s communications staff support engagement efforts?

Your Care, Your Say Significant work has already been undertaken in this area by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the Your Care, Your Say: Consumer, Carer and Community Engagement project and the consequent Strategic Framework and Action Plan.

Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines Pre-2008 the Department of Arts, Tourism and the Environment developed the Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines, which provide an overview of community and a framework to engage around Parks and Wildlife Services.

Both of these projects provide a strong foundation for the development of the Framework.

Collaboration: A Tasmanian Government Approach DPAC’s Collaboration: A Tasmanian Government Approach will inform the development of the Framework in terms of how we work across agencies. The Collaboration paper aims to promote better collaboration with agencies by giving an overview of various theories and methodologies for successful collaboration.

Working together effectively across Tasmanian Government agencies is a key internal challenge faced by the Tasmanian State Service that ultimately affects the way we engage with the Tasmanian community.

Questions Who are your stakeholders and what are the main issues that they face?

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What are your business unit’s requirements around community engagement?

What policies or procedures – either at an agency or whole-of- State government level - currently impact on the way in which you engage with your stakeholders?

What community engagement activities have worked particularly well?

What are the most consistent barriers and challenges in undertaking engagement activities?

Can you think of any ways that your business unit’s knowledge, experience and networks can help to support community engagement activities undertaken by other agencies?

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT The development of the Framework is being coordinated by CDD, DPAC.

DPAC recognises that each agency has its own requirements, processes, procedures, corporate knowledge, experience and stakeholder relationships that influence its community engagement practices.

It is important that relevant information, resources and expertise are shared with other agencies to maximise the outcomes of community engagement activities that are undertaken.

An interdepartmental steering committee (IDC) has been convened to support the development and coordination of the Framework. The IDC members are listed are included in Appendix 3. The IDC, project coordination and resulting resources will be supported and maintained by CDD.

Project scope Consistent with other frameworks developed in Australia and overseas, it is envisaged the Framework will:

 provide the principles underlying engagement  provide the objectives for engagement  provide definitions of terminology and specified concepts  provide information on techniques for engagement  provide guidance and specify responsibilities for engagement across divisions, groups, branches and agencies  establish minimum standards for organisations’ capacity and capability to conduct stakeholder engagement  guide the development of the rationale and/or business case for engagement and the desired outcomes  provide options for ongoing engagement with stakeholders  provide processes and structures to capture and disseminate information from engagement activities with stakeholders, that can be processed and shared effectively within and with other agencies  provide a framework to evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement activities undertaken  provide mechanisms to evaluate, monitor and learn from undertaking community engagement.

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Resources and tools The Framework will include the policy position for the Tasmanian Government on community engagement as well as providing resources and tools to support community engagement activities.

The resources and tools included in the Framework may include:

 cohort specific information;  an online community engagement register which acts as a coordination point for agencies to record where, when and why they are undertaking community engagement in order to avoid duplication and maximise resources  an online portal to inform and engage Tasmanians on a range of State initiatives and issues  the ‘how to’ information and templates required to undertake and manage the various stages of the community engagement process  information on the range of engagement techniques and how to use them;12  other resources determined through the consultation process. CDD will maintain the Framework’s resources and tools and will provide agencies with information and support around their community engagement activities. If determined appropriate, information sessions will be delivered to business units across agencies by CDD.

Additional to the resources that the Framework produces, it will be necessary to ensure that the Tasmanian Government and agencies recognise the human and financial resources required to effectively undertake community engagement activities. This may involve educating and improving the capacity of staff to undertake community engagement. Consequently, this could be reflected in Statements of Duty.

Questions What engagement resources and tools do you already utilise and how do you access them?

Are there any other useful tools or resources that should be included in the Framework?

How would you see a community engagement register benefitting your work?

12 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 2009, Your Say, Your Care Guide to Engagement Techniques outlines 54 engagement techniques.

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT The following diagram provides an overview of what may be included in the Framework. Each section of this diagram will be explained in greater detail.

A TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Policy position

Practitioners guide (tools and Community Engagement online resources): resource:

 definitions  community noticeboard  objectives  submissions

 principles  surveys  processes  social media  techniques  links  templates  notifications.

 minimum standards for

stakeholder engagement  evaluation framework.  existing/specific frameworks

What is a ‘community’? A community is a group of people who share something in common.

It may be location, interests, culture, language, beliefs, values or traditions. Individuals can be members of many communities.

Communities can also identify and form around issues. These issues may magnify the homogeneity or diversity of community members. These factors may result in the identification and adoption of different methods and techniques when undertaking engagement. For instance, some traditional, rural based communities may respond better to town meetings, while young people in that area may be better engaged through social media.

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Benefits of community engagement Community engagement recognises that good ideas are generated through a variety of interconnecting processes.13 Undertaking community engagement activities to inform decision making has the following benefits: 14

 achieving negotiated outcomes;  better policy development and service delivery:  building constituency support;  greater support for policy implementation;  identifying community perceptions about an issue;  identifying what will work in reality and what will not;  increasing community capacity by promoting awareness and enabling communities to develop their own solutions;  mutual learning;  promoting consensus;  providing avenues for dialogue with key stakeholders and interest groups, citizens and communities;  providing feedback/evaluation on existing policies;  raising citizen and community awareness about an issue;  speeding up the government processes and decision making if it works to avoid legal disputes or conflict;  tapping into new ideas and expertise;  testing options or proposals; and  verifying government information or thinking about an issue (market testing). However, it is important to get community engagement practices right. Getting it wrong can mean that good initiatives fail, requiring considerable resources to regroup and regain community confidence. Bad engagement practices can create mistrust, waste people’s time and money, can undermine future attempts at community engagement and can be worse than no practice at all.15

13 Department of Arts, Tourism and the Environment (DEDTA) 2008 Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines, p. 3 14 Involve, 2005, p.22 and Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC), 2010, Collaboration: A Tasmanian Government Approach 15 Involve, 2005, p.12

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DEFINING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The definition of community engagement included in the Framework will need to reflect the shift towards inclusive decision making and may specify the level of interaction between government and communities. The suggested definition is: Community engagement is the process of communicating and working with communities to achieve effective government and governance. Depending on the issue, engagement may be ongoing or one-off. The level of engagement may vary from sharing and providing information (one-way), consulting and involving (two-way) to collaborating and empowering communities (co-production). Other Tasmanian Government agencies have existing definitions of community engagement that are more specific to their core business, for instance DHHS defines community engagement as: a broad range of activities and techniques that aid and inform dialogue among consumers, community and government, and encourage participants to share ideas and options and undertake collaborative decision making’16 The then Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment defined it as:

mutual communication, deliberation and cooperation that occurs between government and citizens. It allows citizens and government to participate mutually in the formulation of policy and the provision of government services.17

The Department of Education, in regard to its Child and Family Centres, defines community engagement as: Community engagement covers the many ways that parents/carers, government and non-government service providers, communities and individuals can connect and interact in developing and implementing policies, programs, services and projects. It is an open, inclusive and accountable process involving a wide variety of departmental and community interactions, including information sharing, consultation and, where appropriate, active participation in decision-making processes.18 Definitions from other jurisdictions include: Community engagement refers to the connections between governments, citizens and communities on a range of policy, program and service issues. It encompasses a wide variety of government–community interactions ranging from information sharing to community consultation and, in some instances, active participation in government decision making processes ().19 Community engagement is about involving the community in decision making processes. It is critical in the development and implementation of acceptable policies and decisions in government, non- government organisations, the private sector and the community (South ).20

16 DHHS, 2009, Your Care, Your Say Consumer and Community Engagement Strategic Framework and Action Plan p.14 17 DEDTA, 2008, Statement of Intent 18Department of Education (DoE) Child and Family Centres, About Community Engagement 19 Queensland Government, 2011, Engaging Queenslanders: an introduction to community engagement p. 5 20 South Australian Department for Communities, 2009, Community Engagement Directions Statement

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Questions Is the suggested definition adequate for adoption by the Tasmanian Government?

If not, what other elements should this definition include?

Is the differentiation between stakeholders and community clear enough?

Stakeholder engagement At this point it is important to distinguish between stakeholder engagement and community engagement. Stakeholders, for the purposes of this project, are defined as those who are formally affected by an issue or decision, for example:21

 professionals in the field  community and voluntary organisations and their representatives  campaign groups and campaigners  regulatory or enforcement agencies  members of industry or the business community  scientists and researchers  elected officials  community representatives  other government agencies. Depending on the issue or time and resource constraints, it is often entirely appropriate for government to rely on identified and traditional stakeholders as their target audience for engagement. However, there is a risk that some stakeholders are, or are perceived to be, more relevant to decision making or information gathering processes or are given disproportionate influence than those stakeholders viewed as less critical or too difficult to reach.

Stakeholder groups may also operate as silos, with their views being subject only to likeminded interests. Ensuring the voices of stakeholders are heard across sectors may help to create more informed, inclusive and integrated approaches to achieving government outputs.

There is no doubt that stakeholder identification, management and analysis is vital in undertaking any community engagement activity, however, it is also important to note that a reliance on parties that have formal interests may not service the community when it comes to programs and policies that impact at the local level or services that target the most disadvantaged.

21 People and Participation.net http://www.peopleandparticipation.net/display/Involve/Home

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LEVELS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The levels of engagement are often represented as a ‘ladder’ and range from ‘low levels of engagement that offer little opportunity for consumer input, through to high levels that offer elements of consumer control or partnership.’ 22 The following table is based on the International Association for Public Participation Australasia’s (IAP2) continuum of community engagement outcomes and techniques.

Inform Consult Involve Collaborate Empower

Public participation goal

To provide the To obtain public To work directly To partner with To place final public with feedback on with the public the public in each decision making balanced, analysis, throughout the aspect of the in the hands of objective alternatives process to decision, including the public. information to and/or decisions. ensure that the development assist them in public concerns of alternatives understanding and aspirations and the the problem, are consistently identification of alternative understood and the preferred opportunities considered. solution. and/or solutions.

Promise to the community

We will keep you We will keep you We will work We will look to We will informed. informed, listen with you to you for advice implement what to and ensure that your and innovation in you decide. acknowledge concerns and formulating concerns and aspirations are solutions and aspirations and directly reflected incorporate your provide feedback in the alternatives advice and on how public developed and recommendations input influenced provide feedback into the decisions the decision. on how public to the maximum input influenced extent possible. the decision.

22 Gregory, J (2007) Conceptualising consumer engagement: A review of the literature, Australian Institute of Health Policy Studies February 2007 p.17 http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:j5XIC3yfFL8J:scholar.google.com/+IAP2+engagement+continuum+out comes+and+techniques&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_vis=1

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Examples23

Websites, fact Targeted mail Facilitated Partnerships, Citizen juries, co- sheets, letters, out, community workshops, committees, production, media releases, feedback, online forums, meetings, meetings, grant participatory signage and social surveys, Ideas and issue funding, reference strategic planning. media. submissions, identification. groups. community meetings.

Questions According to the IAP2 continuum, what levels of engagement do you undertake?

What process and/or factors help you determine the appropriate level of engagement?

Engaging online The use of new internet-based tools, technologies and approaches that emphasise online collaboration and sharing among users have transformed the web into a powerful open platform of collaboration, engagement, co-production and participation between citizens and government.24

There is scope within this project to include the development of interactive online tools or web portal to inform and engage Tasmanians on a range of State initiatives and issues. An online resource would aim to inform Tasmanians of the opportunities available to them to have their say on the issues, projects, services and programs that affect their lives and may extend to providing channels for engagement, such as forums, surveys and polls.

 Engaging with stakeholders online has a number of benefits including:  maximising efficiency by reducing administrative burdens  enabling individuals to receive information through their own enquiry  enabling opportunities for innovation  strengthening accountability and transparency and fostering public trust by providing more accessible information  making public policy more open and inclusive  facilitating the development of networks  encouraging flexible connections  enabling engagement with transient audiences  achieving a broader reach of the community.

23 Examples are provided from Adelaide City Council Engagement Framework. 24 Victorian Government, Department of Health - Social Media Action Plan - Part 1: Policy, 2010, http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/victorian-government-resources/website-practice-victoria/web-2-0-victoria/department-of-health- social-media-action-plan-part-1-policy.html

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It should be noted that not everyone in the Tasmanian community has equitable access to technology, and some community members who may be unskilled, intimidated by or reluctant to adopt web based engagement opportunities. Online engagement faces drawbacks and cultural resistance from some sectors of the community due to perceptions and unknown factors, such as:

 its rapidly changing and evolving nature;  inability to accurately identify and realise benefits;  lack of understanding, skills and knowledge of best practices; and  risks of unintended consequences. There are, however, successful examples of how online engagement has been used. For instance, the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) Government Time to Talk website25 includes a range of features that engage the Canberra community in the development and delivery of government policies, programs, public works and services. Time to Talk provides an opportunity for people to have their say online on local issues. The website provides a variety of ways to engage, including:

 posting a comment  sending in a submission  participating in a discussion  completing a survey  using Twitter. It also contains other features, including:

 a community noticeboard that displays a calendar of important community engagement events and activities  a soap box that allows you to comment on topical issues  links to information on development applications, road closures, and ACT Government events  an eNewlsletter that provides information on progress with significant community engagements.

The site takes a case management approach to community engagement. This means that the public remains informed of the progress and outcomes of a consultation throughout its duration.

Social media Social media is an important method for engagement and can be used as part of a comprehensive engagement strategy. Social media can provide a way to:26

25 Australian Capital Territory Government, Time to Talk website http://timetotalk.act.gov.au/ 26 QLD Government, Tools for Engagement http://www.qld.gov.au/web/community-engagement/tools/

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 monitor the issues that are becoming topical in the community  gauge public sentiment about particular issues  respond to misinformation about the government’s position on an issue  raise awareness about opportunities to influence government decision making on an issue  encourage responses through official channels.

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In its Department of Health Social Media Action Plan, the Victorian Government identifies that social media has the potential to act as:

 a two-way mechanism to encourage feedback and comment  a listening mechanism to improve our understanding of staff or public attitudes towards particular topics  a tool to share information and consult with specific communities on current or planned policies, programs or services  a way to communicate internally through the creation of staff communities for knowledge sharing, professional and personal collaboration, professional development, team building and more  a tool to share highly targeted information, for example media releases to journalists, recipes to subscribers, policy information to health professionals  a way of fostering debate on a topic or issue without necessarily participating eg. providing a platform for funded agencies to use  an innovative way of delivering or supporting direct services such as self-help programs, health advice services and more.27

Questions How have you used online technologies for community engagement?

What kind of online functionality would be useful to you in your engagement activities?

What barriers are there to online engagement?

What advantages and disadvantages do you see to online engagement?

Do you think that coordinating engagement opportunities through an online engagement portal would useful? Can you identify any limitations/opportunities?

27 Victorian Government, Department of Health - Social Media Action Plan

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DECIDING WHEN AND HOW TO ENGAGE It is imperative that as a government, we engage for the right reasons and use the appropriate mechanisms.

The Framework will provide information on whether community engagement is appropriate and, if so, at what stage stakeholders and community should be involved and how information collected through engagement activities can be included in the decision making process.

It is important to note that not all policy issues provide the opportunity for broad community consultation or active participation. It is important to carefully consider the level of community engagement required (as included in the IAP2 example on p.15). A decision may:

 be the clear responsibility of government  involve legislative responsibilities  involve confidential or commercial information  depend on immediate resolution.28 Community engagement can create frustration if apparently clear decisions are clouded through perceived unnecessary discussion.29 In other cases, a government’s policy agenda or prior commitments require specific decisions, or only require the input of stakeholders with specific expertise.30

It should also be noted that community engagement is not a substitute for effective leadership. Effective and meaningful engagement requires leadership to create an environment where meaningful and legitimate community engagement can successfully improve outcomes for the community. A decision to engage with the community to inform decision making must balance government’s responsibility to get the job done.

Questions How does your business unit decide whether or not to engage?

What kind of advice/approvals do you require as part of this decision?

28 DEDTA, 2008, Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines, p. 4 29 Involve, 2005, p.22 30 Queensland Government, Engagement in Government Policy http://www.qld.gov.au/web/community-engagement/guides- factsheets/business-government/government-policy.html

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MANAGING EXPECTATIONS AND ISSUES Community engagement can be enormously beneficial to governments and communities but it is not without its costs. Creating policy solutions through the engagement process involves compromises and trade-offs that balance community interest as a whole and enable budget priorities to be set.31 Communities need an opportunity to meet and discuss issues with each other and with government to develop innovative solutions, share their experiences, expand their understanding around issues and develop empathy with competing stakeholders. Therefore, it is government’s role to empower communities to set their own direction, begin to arrive at their own solutions and take responsibility for their lives.

The Tasmanian Government understands that managing expectations is an important part of the engagement process. Individuals and community members need to understand the constraints of an issue and the limits to their input.32 Communities and individuals need to know whether they are contributing to the development of possible solutions, helping to choose between a set of options, providing their own opinions for scoping or researching processes or making minor changes to a pre-determined position.33

It is also important to clearly outline the aims, priorities and principles of engagement, and clarify the context, how activities will be organised, the resources available and the definition of key terms.34 Providing feedback at the end of this process is vital, so that community influence or disappointment can be acknowledged and both governments and communities can move on.

Governments too, need to manage their own expectations in terms of how successful and constructive the engagement process is and whether the advice and information garnered is representative of the community or able to influence the decision making process.

It is important for government to anticipate, monitor and manage issues arising within communities. This may be the purpose for engaging with communities, or may relate to issues arising out of community engagement activities. Effective communication is an integral part of issues management, due to the potential for an unmanaged issue to negatively impact on government’s reputation, its ability to deliver services and its stakeholder relationships.35

31 ACT Government , 2011, Engaging Canberrans: A Guide to Community Engagement, p. 6 32 DHHS, 2009, Your Care, Your Say Consumer and Community Engagement Strategic Framework and Action Plan p.12 33 Ibid 34 Ibid p.14 35 DPAC, 2010, Tasmanian Government Communications Policy p.17

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Risks and costs Risks and costs to be considered when undertaking community engagement include:

 creating a collaborative ‘ruse’: where engagement is undertaken to ‘sell’ decisions that have been made elsewhere or previously by agencies, so that the outcomes may not be truly collaborative36  accountability can be undermined if the process becomes a scapegoat when the negotiated outcome causes problems37  conflicts among participants  consultation fatigue  higher administrative burdens and cost of engagement activities  difficulty in some cases to reach a resolution that is supported by all parties, delaying implementation  special interest groups hijacking the process. For example, where engagement approaches depend on stakeholders being willing and able to recognise and express their intentions, ‘the process remains vulnerable to be swayed by articulate or eloquent minority groups.’38

Questions What other benefits, costs or risks can you identify or have you encountered during the engagement process?

How have/can you manage or counter these risks and costs?

36 DPAC, 2010, Collaboration: A Tasmanian Government Approach 37 Involve, 2005 p.24 38 Sunstein, 2006, cited in the Allen Consulting Group, 2011, p.74

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PRINCIPLES, STANDARDS AND VALUES It is important that sound principles are adopted in the design and application of the Framework to create an environment that supports effective community engagement.39

DHHS’s Your Care, Your Say project outlines that the following factors for consideration when undertaking engagement:

 equal opportunity to participate  leadership and advocacy from the top  flexibility in approach to respond to the needs of different groups  a process for reporting how the consumer input influenced decisions  evaluation of outcomes and communication of the lessons learned.  Effective engagement also demands the following:  clear values and beliefs that underpin consumer engagement;  clear purpose of specific engagement activities;  clear engagement processes. Make sure everyone is aware of these, understands them and has realistic expectations of them;  doing it skilfully. Training staff, consumers and community members in general principles and processes, and use of people with specialist expertise where necessary; and  being open to everyone learning through the process. Other principles adopted through the Your Care, Your Say project included:

 collaboration  fairness  openness  honesty  respect  responsiveness  supportiveness  taking responsibility  sharing information  building trust  being willing to learn.40

39DHHS, 2009, Your Care, Your Say Consumer and Community Engagement Consultation paper p.8 40DHHS, 2009, Your Care, Your Say Consumer and Community Engagement Strategic Framework and Action Plan.

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During the consultation phase of the Your Care, Your Say project, it adopted the following principles

 Trust based on productive working relationships and mutual agreement about processes.  Respect for each other and our contributions.  Openness and willingness to consider the views of others.

Frameworks from overseas and around Australia have drawn from the following list of principles: 41 42

 accessibility  learning and development  accountability  making a difference  adequate resources  monitoring and evaluation  clear connection to decision  mutual obligation (responsibility within making communities to consider differences of  collaboration opinion)   commitment practicality   communication provides feedback to participants   discernment (selection of strategic appropriate participants)  supportive  equality  respect (for people’s opinions and time)  fairness  timeliness and flexibility  honesty  transparency  inclusivity  trust.  integrity

These principles may also be reflected as value statements. Examples follow from the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIPWE)’s Parks and Wildlife Service’s (PWS) Engaging the Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines and the Scottish Government’s National Standards for Community Engagement.

41Twyfords report to the Chief ’s Department “Improving Community Engagement” 28 July 2010 p. 34 http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/147173/improving-community-engagement.pdf 42 Geoff Woolcock, University of Queensland, and Valerie Brown, Australian National University Principles of community engagement: from the literatures on natural resource management, local community development, human services and sustainability http://www.uq.edu.au/boilerhouse/docs/WoolcockBrown2005.pdf

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Questions What other factors do you consider when undertaking engagement?

Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service’s Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines The community engagement approach adopted by the Tasmanian PWS is based on the following principles and practices as core business:

Inclusive practices Acknowledging and incorporating the diversity of ideas and interests that exist within the Tasmanian community

Valuing local knowledge Tapping local knowledge and expert opinions in the community so that information is enriched and deliberations better informed.

Mutual respect Together with the community, exploring, encouraging, listening to and respecting different viewpoints, values and beliefs so that a way forward can be identified

Mutual trust Together with the community, trusting in the community’s capacity and willingness to constructively contribute, and the Parks and Wildlife commitment to provide opportunities for this to occur

Mutual responsibility Recognising a shared responsibility for managing and conserving Tasmania’s Reserved and public land.

Acting with integrity Observing ethical principles of conduct, responding with consistency and reliability, enabling more transparent processes and interactions, and sharing information.

Creating opportunities Providing innovative ways to actively engage Tasmanians in policy development, decision-making, planning and action

Flexible practices Adopting flexible and adaptable processes that are responsive to a variety of circumstances

Creating links and Building long term relationships with interested networks of individuals networks and groups

Building capacity Improving the skills and practices of staff and the community and their capacity to work effectively together

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Scottish National Standards for Community Engagement The following example of principles reflected as value statements is provided by the Scottish Government’s National Standards for Community Engagement. These Standards were developed in conjunction with over 500 people from communities and agencies throughout Scotland. They are a practical tool to help improve the experience of all participants involved in community engagement.43

Involvement We will identify and involve the people and organisations who have an interest in the focus of the engagement

Support We will identify and overcome any barriers to involvement

Planning We will gather evidence of the needs and available resources and use this evidence to agree the purpose, scope and timescale of the engagement and the actions to be taken

Methods We will agree and use methods of engagement that are fit for purpose

Working together We will agree and use clear procedures that enable the participants to work with one another effectively and efficiently

Sharing information We will ensure that necessary information is communicated between the participants

Working with others We will work effectively with others with an interest in the engagement

Improvement We will develop actively the skills, knowledge and confidence of all the participants

Feedback We will feed back the results of the engagement to the wider community and agencies affected

Monitoring and We will monitor and evaluate whether the engagement achieves its evaluation purposes and meets the national standards for community engagement

43 The Scottish Government Community Engagement and Empowerment http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built- Environment/regeneration/engage

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Questions What principles or values does your organisation apply to its engagement?

What do you view as the most important principles for community engagement and why?

How should the principles, values and standards for the Framework be determined?

EVALUATION While there will be resources included within the Framework to help evaluate community engagement activities, it will be equally important to ensure that the Tasmanian Government is able to evaluate how effectively it engages with the community as a whole.

The effectiveness of the Framework, in terms of how it influences decision making or supports or complements existing policies and capabilities within agencies, at some stage, will need to be measured. This measurement must include qualitative evidence as well as quantitative data.

Questions How do you review or evaluate your community engagement activities?

How do you think the effectiveness of the Framework should be evaluated?

How can we agree to measure outcomes delivered either through engagement practices or through the utilisation of the Framework?

WHERE TO FROM HERE? The IDC will also be responsible for developing the Framework and have contributed to this Discussion Paper:

Receiving agency feedback on this Discussion Paper is the first step in the engagement process for the development of this Framework. We ask you to consider the questions asked.

Engaging with the Tasmanian community will also be an important step in the development of this Framework and how this occurs will be determined by the IDC.

All enquiries about the discussion paper and the development of the Framework can be forwarded to Amy Murphy, Policy Analyst, CDD, by email [email protected] or by telephone on 6232 7052.

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APPENDIX 1

Question for IDC members Does your agency have an example of community engagement practices that you would like to include in the Discussion Paper?

Example of Community Engagement – Tasmania INFORM Reciprocal Transport Arrangements for Seniors Card Holders – Community Development Division, Department of Premier and Cabinet On 1 January 2009 a commitment to a national system of recognising interstate Seniors Card holders for the purpose of accessing public transport ‘concessions’ was announced by then Tasmanian Minister for Transport. This meant that Tasmanians visiting the mainland would have access to a range of transport discounts/concessions.

This policy shift was determined by the Australian Government’s Federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, and was not subject to a community engagement process.

A communications strategy to inform seniors of their national wide benefits was implemented to inform older persons of these changes, including:

 media releases from both State and Federal Ministers  ‘what’s new’ alert on Seniors Bureau website  detailed information provided on Seniors Card website for cardholders  newsletters circulated by the Council on the Ageing (Tasmania)  Seniors Bureau staff shared information at a range of network forums  promotion through the Seniors Card Directory and other networks. CONSULT Museums Accreditation Program Survey – , Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts Community collections account for the largest proportion of institutions in the museums and galleries sector and therefore engagement with these largely volunteer managed groups is essential for the continued advancement of the collections sector in Tasmania.

Arts Tasmania undertook a statewide survey to determine whether the implementation of an accreditation program for collections would produce benefits such as quality assurance in museums management, engagement of external stakeholders, prudent financial management and governance and an improved and varied visitor experience.

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There were 141 surveys were distributed statewide in March and April 2012. Fifty-six written replies were received, and these were enumerated and the resulting data has been provided to a statewide reference group.

INVOLVE Community Conversations – Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts The Department, in partnership with regional local government bodies and Regional Development Australia – Tasmania, has concluded comprehensive community engagement in developing the Regional Economic Development Plans. 38 community conversations were held over a four week period during March and April: 8 in the North West region, 14 in the Northern region and 16 in the Southern region.

These community conversations were well attended, with almost 700 people attending. Whilst the findings are currently being collated and analysed, some common themes have been identified, including participants’:

1. acceptance of change and the need to look positively to the future 2. expressed need for the three levels of government to work together more than in the past 3. knowledge that their communities had to become more resilient 4. support of the need to develop an entrepreneurial environment in which to build their future communities.

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Engagement with individual enterprises and clients, business leaders and peak bodies; Australian Government agencies, other state agencies and local government bodies; and thought leaders is continuing.

COLLABORATE AND EMPOWER Child and Family Centres: Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Premier and Cabinet In 2008, it was announced that up to 30 Child and Family Centres (CFCs) would be built in Tasmania over the next four years to:

 support families with the health, wellbeing care and education of children  work within the philosophy that there is no ‘wrong door’; only telling your story once  offer an integrated suite of high quality programs and services for children and families  provide local (tailored) programs for families with young children. 44 From the outset, the Early Years Strategy Interdepartmental Committee (EYSIDC) had oversight of the project and the project team. It was recognised that a critical challenge was to ensure that the centres provided community appropriate services that were used by all sections of the community. One way to achieve this was to encourage each community to ‘own’ the CFC and see it as a place for them and their children.

Utilising data, mapping tools and local knowledge, a multi-stage process was used to identify locations for the centres and determine the actual CFC site in each community.

 Key factors underpinning the selection of locations were the level of disadvantage, supported by projected population growth, the number of 0-4 year olds in the immediate area; data from the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation’s report Outcomes in the Early Years: The State of Tasmania’s Young Children 2009 and findings from the social inclusion consultations.  Selection of broad locations is informed by the area directors of DHHS, the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Police and Emergency Management in order to gain an insight into the relative needs of the shortlisted locations. The Early Years Strategy IDC then made recommendations to the Premier.  Following the announcements of the communities, Local Enabling Groups (LEGs) were convened in each location. These typically consisted of representatives from State and local government; non-government service deliverers; school principals, neighbourhood houses and parents (see attached Information Sheet 4). Each LEG was chaired by a senior member of either DOE or DHHS.

44Tasmanian Department of Education Who is leading and managing the CFC Project? http://www.education.tas.gov.au/childandfamily/contacts/state

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 While the concept of the Enabling Group was initially borrowed from the South Australian Children’s Centres, its application in Tasmania appears to have had a much greater impact on the project’s development/rollout. Almost all South Australian Children’s Centres are on school sites pre-determining their location with little community input, and the parent advisory and Enabling Groups were separate groups.  In Tasmania, the LEGs, including the parent representatives, were set up before the first sod was even turned with the intent that they would contribute to the site selection, design, operation and objectives of CFC.

The role of the LEGs continues after site selection to provide ongoing input on the centre design, types of services provided, assessment of local needs, centre governance and act as champions for the CFCs.

Role of the LEGs The roles and responsibilities of the LEGs were to:  Provide leadership to develop a strategic direction for the establishment of a CFC that builds on the strengths and responds to the needs of the local community.  Lead and monitor mechanisms for community consultation and participation in the planning, establishment and operation of the CFC.  Develop a plan for existing services; current and planned service provision and facility requirements and that defines the vision and direction of the CFC.  Communicate the vision, operating principles, strategic direction and progress with the broad network of community members and stakeholders.  Work with and provide advice to the steering committees of the EYSIDC.  Provide advice to the EYSIDC on how CFCs can meet local needs, including service provision, cost sharing, facility development, funding and resource management.  Support the establishment of a sustainable CFC over the long term, including the development of appropriate local governance arrangements.

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APPENDIX 2 Australia Whole-of-government frameworks Australian Capital Territory

 Community Engagement and Time to Talk website http://timetotalk.act.gov.au/home/ Queensland

 Community Engagement in Queensland https://www.qld.gov.au/web/community-engagement/community-engagement-qld/

Agency specific frameworks/guides South Australia

 Department for Communities and Social Inclusion http://www.dcsi.sa.gov.au/pub/default.aspx?tabid=246

Tasmania

 Department of Health and Human Services, Your Say, Your Care http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/pophealth/your_care_your_say  Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment , Engaging the Tasmanian Community Framework and Procedural Guidelines, 2008.

Victoria

 Victorian eGovernment resource for community engagement http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/trends-and-issues/community-engagement.html

 Victorian Government – Department of Sustainability and Environment http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/effective-engagement/introduction-to-engagement

Western Australia

 WA Health Consumer Carer and Community Engagement Framework www.health.wa.gov.au/hrit/docs/.../WA_Health_Consumer_Apr07.pdf

Overseas models Canada

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 Canadian Policy Research Network, 2008, Handbook on Citizen Engagement: Beyond Consultation, www.cprn.org

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Scotland

 National Standards for Community Engagement http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/engage

United Kingdom (Leeds)

 Leeds City Council community Engagement Policy 2006 http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/Internet2007/2008/48/community%20engagement%20policy. pdf

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APPENDIX 3 Chair

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Mr Greg Johannes Ms Suzie Jacobson Manager, Corporate Affairs Deputy Secretary (Policy) Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Department of Premier and Cabinet Resources Level 7, 15 Murray Street, , 7000 Level 10, , Hobart, 7001 GPO Box 123, Hobart 7001 GPO Box 936 Hobart, 7001 Ph: (03) 6270 5487 Email: [email protected] Ph: (03) 6233 2652

List of IDC members Email: [email protected] Mr Bronte Price Ms Beth Warren Director Regional Development Business Support Services and Internal Communications Office of the Secretary Department of Economic Development, Department of Justice Tourism and the Arts Level 14 Trafalgar Building St John Street, Launceston, 7250 110 Collins Street Hobart, 7000 Ph: (03) 6336 2891 Ph (03) 6233 7537 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ms Sue Kennedy Commander Anthony Cerritelli Manager Services, Further Executive Support Education and Training Department of Police and Emergency Department of Education Management 75 Murray Street, Hobart, 7000 47 Liverpool Street, Hobart, 7001 GPO Box 169, Hobart, 7001 GPO Box 308C, Hobart, 7001 Ph: (03) 6233 7985 Ph (03) 6230 2888 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Mr Nick Evans Ms Deborah Leisser Director Community Development Division Department of Premier and Cabinet Director Strategy, Program Development Level 8, 144 Macquarie Street and Evaluation GPO Box 123, Hobart 7001 Children and Youth Services Ph: (03) 6232 7050 Department of Health and Human Services Email: [email protected]

Level 3/99 Bathurst St, Hobart, 7001 Ms Mandy Denby GPO Box 125 Hobart, 7001 Manager Strategic Communications and Ph: 03) 6233 4719 Marketing

Email: [email protected] Department of Premier and Cabinet

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Level 7, 15 Murray Street, Hobart, 7000 Department of Primary Industries, Parks, GPO Box 123, Hobart 7001 Water and Environment Ph: (03) 6270 5474 1 Franklin Wharf Email: [email protected] GPO Box 44, Hobart, 7001 Ph (03) 62 33 4597 Mr Brett Noble Email: [email protected] Director Policy and Projects Group

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