The following Community Engagement Toolkit is designed to aid you and your team with planning, preparation and delivery for your community engagement project.
In summary, the toolkit will help you to:
• Determine which projects are appropriate for community engagement
• Develop a community engagement plan
• Implement a community engagement plan
• Evaluate your community engagement upon completion
• Close the loop with participants and the community on your community engagement.
This Toolkit is to be used in conjunction with the Community Engagement Strategy for engagement planning, governed under the Community Engagement Policy. You may reproduce this Toolkit and its respective components in a separate document to allow for more freedom with writing space.
Name of Project
Project Description
Project aim/s and objectives. Strive to make these measurable and where possible, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
Key Staff Involved (including departments)
Estimated Budget
Start Date
End Date
What are your key messages to the community?
Matter/Project history – is this something that the community is already aware of? Has community engagement been conducted before?
Who will make the final decision for the project/matter?
What are the negotiables and non-negotiables for this matter/project? I.e., what does the community have influence over? What is already set and can’t be changed?
NEGOTIABLES
What the community can influence
NON-NEGOTIABLES
What the community cannot influence and why
Using the Level of Impact Matrix located on the following page, what would the level of impact for this project be?
The Level of Impact Matrix is a modified version of the International Association for Public Participation’s (IAP2) Community Engagement Spectrum, providing staff with an easy and effective way of determining the depth of community engagement required for their projects.
Project managers and teams are to simply determine the impact of their project or matter on the community and relevant stakeholders.
There are 4 Levels:
LEVEL 1
Lower Impact Local
The project or matter has a low impact and only affects those in a specific area of the Local Government Area (LGA).
LEVEL 2
Lower Impact LGA
LEVEL 3
The project or matter has a low impact and affects the entire Hills Shire LGA.
High Impact Local
LEVEL 4
The project or matter has a high impact and only affects a specific area of the LGA.
High Impact LGA
The project or matter has a high impact and affects the entire Hills Shire LGA.
The matrix provides a list of suggested engagement methods/activities that can be used and are labelled as either optional, preferable, or essential. It is important to note that project managers and teams are not limited to what is listed – if a more effective and efficient method is discovered, they are more than welcome to explore and use it.
The Level of Impact Matrix is available on the next page.
We will keep the community informed
We will listen to and acknowledge the community’s concerns and aspirations
We will work with the community to ensure that their concerns and aspirations are directly reflected in the alternatives developed
We will look to the community for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and will incorporate their advice and recommendations into our decisions as much as possible
IAP2 Spectrum of Engagement – based off the previous question, what levels of the engagement spectrum (Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, Empower) will be included for this engagement process?
Stakeholder identification – list the stakeholders in the table below.
INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS (I.e., Within Council)
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS (Community Groups, Residents, Schools, Local Businesses, Organisations, etc)
Stakeholder impact interest analysis. Identify the stakeholders who will be impacted the most and have the highest interest.
HIGH IMPACT, LOW INTEREST
HIGH INTEREST, HIGH IMPACT
LOW IMPACT, LOW INTEREST
HIGH INTEREST, LOW IMPACT
What are the potential risks or concerns for this engagement process? Is the matter/project potentially controversial? Are there expected negative reactions from certain stakeholders? The table below may be used to help, starting with the highest risks/concerns at the top.
How will you update the community during engagement?
E.g. Inclusion of appropriate engagement updates in Council Reports, social media, updated fact sheets/FAQs on consultation pages.
How will you update the community after engagement?
E.g. Council Report, email, social media, report uploaded to consultation page on website.
List the community engagement methods/activities you and your team will conduct. Whilst completing the table, keep the following in mind:
• The method must encourage participation, be easily accessible and inclusive.
• What are the key message/s your want to get across ? What would the community/key stakeholders want to know?
• What potential misinterpretations, if any, can occur? I.e. the wrong message being received by participants.
• How can the effectiveness and reach of the method be measured?
• Be clear about the constraints of the project/matter to participants and the influence their involvement has.
E.g. Website – Have Your Say Page/Latest Information
Inform & Consult
Shire-wide or anyone with computer/ internet access.
Online
28 Days, from 30 June – 28 July E.g. Online Services Officer E.g. Misinterpretation of issue being exhibited.
Complete the table below to breakdown the associated costs with each engagement method/activity you will be using. Please refer to the Indicative Costs and Resourcing section located on page 15 to help you get a basic idea.
Please complete and sign the following checklist to forward to the Community Engagement Team. After the community engagement activities are conducted, please complete the evaluation steps in Section 4. A copy of this community engagement plan and your evaluation is to be provided to the Community Engagement Team.
You have read and understand The Hills Shire Council Community Engagement Policy & Strategy.
The project/matter scope and community engagement purpose are clearly defined along with any limitations to the process.
All relevant stakeholders have been identified and the appropriate engagement methods to maximise their participation have been incorporated into the plan. Note: Please attach any drafts of advertisements, fliers, questionnaires, etc.
The decision-making process is clear and communication of the decisions and outcomes to participants is well-defined. Required resources have been identified and appropriate funding has been calculated. YOUR DETAILS
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM REVIEW (If level 3 or level 4 on the Level of Impact Matrix)
Community engagement is an ever-changing and fluid process. It is therefore important that we strive to find ways to improves our engagement processes.
This will be achieved through post-engagement evaluation. Complete your basic evaluation process by checking if the Community Engagement Principles were met:
Were the objectives of the community engagement process all met? If not, which ones were not and why?
Was there enough time to conduct your engagement process?
Was the information and data collected during the engagement process useful in the outcome/decision?
For more detailed evaluation, the following sample questions may also be used:
Were any there any unexpected limitations/roadblocks for any of the engagement activities?
Which engagement method/activity had the most participation and which collected the most data? I.e., which engagement method was most useful?
Was the budget adequate? Were there any unexpected expenses?
Did you feel adequately equipped and prepared for the community engagement process? Are there any opportunities or areas that can be investigated for further training?
If you and your team have any other evaluation questions or ideas for improvement, please include this as part of your evaluation.
The table below lists some indicative costs and resources required for some of the suggested engagement methods. A rule of thumb is that the further along the IAP2 Engagement Spectrum, the more time and resources are required for engagement activities.
Again, you are not limited to what is suggested and are encouraged to explore other methods and activities where appropriate.
IAP2 Level Indicative Items Required (in addition to inhouse staff)
• Postage
• Printing
• Specialist graphic design
• The greater the volume of postage, the higher the cost –consider using private delivery rather than AU Post
• Weigh up printing needs carefully so that it is targeted at those who need it (i.e., those without internet access)
• Consider electronic mail outs wherever possible
• Graphic design should be budgeted at a professional hourly rate it external
• Postage
• Printing
• Design
• Translation
• Venue/catering/IT
• Facilitation
• Communications materials
• Design
• Translation
• Printing
INVOLVE
• Venue/Catering/IT
• Facilitation
• Site tour facilitation and potential transport
Same as above with the addition of:
• Allow for external facilitation fee of workshops/info sessions by a consultant
• Venue/Catering/IT support
• Translation services if and where needed
As above with the addition of:
• Allow for external facilitation fee for a more complex and detailed minimum 2-hour workshop. Approximately 5-10 hours facilitation time. Conducted by a consultant.
• Promotion and marketing can be done more frugally using local networks and social media.
• Site tour facilitation and potential transport may need to be budgeted, including disability support.
• Extensive communications materials and printing
• External design and facilitation
• External recruitment of participants (for citizen jury)
• Venue/catering/IT
• Guest/technical speaker
• Site tour facilitation and transport
• Many hours of meetings
• Stipend to participants
• Videoing/recording
• Graphic facilitation
• This level of engagement is frequently outsourced to bring in expertise and provide Council with an additional level of independence. Budgets range anywhere from $30,000 (minimum) and upwards for co-design. This does not include staff time.
• A citizen jury method following good practice will be independently designed, delivered, and evaluated. Budgets range from $50,000 (minimum) to over $200,000. Not including staff time.
• Recruitment of the citizen jury is generally in addition to the above and can range from $5,000 - $15,000.
• Additional costs may also include translators, childcare, disability/carer support.
• Stipends for a citizen jury can run anywhere between $200 –$1,000 per person.
• Some external speakers will charge a speaking fee.
• Graphic facilitation – hourly rates to create presentations and relevant graphics.
• Video recordings are also very useful to record the process and should be contracted. Allow between $15,000$20,000.