One of the ways government can improve is by listening to and working with service partners and communities more closely. The revised DFC Community Engagement Charter and Community Engagement Guide and the newly developed Community Engagement Directions Statement outline how we intend to do this.
What is community engagement?
Community engagement is about involving everybody in making decisions which affect them. We aim to improve services by being responsive to the needs of communities and helping people to find their own solutions to local problems.
DFC’s vision for community engagement
DFC wants South Australians to be more actively involved in decision making processes for the Department which will result in changes that will benefit their communities.
Benefits of community engagement
- It increases opportunities for DFC to work closely with communities and stakeholders
- Common issues can be dealt with
- A bigger range of solutions can be developed because of more input by different groups of people
- It offers everybody more opportunities to participate in decisions that impact upon their lives, what happens in their communities and the services that Government provide.
Our approach
We have adopted seven principles for engaging with communities:
- Innovation
- Enable people to have a say
- Inclusion
- Mutual trust and respect
- Accountability
- Create opportunity
- Be clear and engage early
Community engagement involves seeking broad agreement and the best possible solution for DFC and the community.
There are different levels that you can engage with people. This ranges from inform (one way communication whereby feedback is not sought), through to empower (people are enabled to make decisions, and are able to manage and implement change). Different situations require the use of different levels of engagement.
- Inform
- Consult
- Involve
- Collaborate
- Empower
When to use community engagement
Many decisions will be better if greater community engagement occurs. Not all decisions can involve consultation or collaboration for reasons such as confidentiality, inter-governmental agreements or urgency.
It is important to be clear at the beginning about what the aim of the engagement is. And it is important to make sure that feedback is provided at the end.
Where do we want to get to?
We will integrate community engagement principles and best practice into our core business. By doing this, we can make more informed decisions, create effective policies, and deliver higher quality services. We aim to:
- Improve DFC’s community engagement practice, processes and tools
- Improve the coordination of engagement activities
- Increase opportunities for everyone to actively participate in shaping their future
- Improve access to resources and the skills and knowledge to solve problems locally
How will we know if we are getting it right?
- Community perception will improve
- South Australians will be offered a range of opportunities to take part in DFC decision making
- Communities will raise issues of importance and can be confident that input is valued
- Community engagement activities will be well coordinated
- Policies, programs and service decisions will better reflect the diversity of community views and needs
Documents