Fundamentals of Community Engagement: Principles, Strategies and Opportunities

Overview

Community engagement is about involving communities in decision-making processes, which is critical in the successful development of acceptable policies and sustainable
decisions.

This half-day workshop is designed for staff who need to understand the basics of engaging with the community when it is required under legislation, and where community
input can contribute to sustainable decision-making.

Training is contemporary and relevant, referencing the SA Government’s Better Together Principles of Engagement handbook and other resources and case studies. The principles
are based on the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) model and provide a community engagement framework.

Key Learnings

• Understanding the Better Together Principles of Engagement: why, when, and how we engage

• Introducing the IAP2 Spectrum of community engagement

• Planning and implementing community engagement – exploring contemporary and relevant case studies to consider how you could use them in your work

• Legislative requirements in relation to government decision-making

• Invitation to be part of the community of practice; meeting and networking with others in government

Resources

The training will reference the Better Together Principles of Engagement handbook, which can be downloaded here. A copy of this handbook will be provided to participants, in addition to other handouts and resources.

Target Audience

South Australian government public servants who plan, implement and evaluate community engagement activations – online and in-person. Participants are often from
communications, community engagement, projects and planning teams.