Our approach
All effective engagement rests on three critical factors:
- doing it for the right reasons
- involving the right people and
- using the right methods.
To get it right we:
- work closely with the sponsoring organisation to ensure the goals are realistic and the results will be usable
- undertake careful stakeholder analysis and track contacts using CitizenBase
- use our experience to judge the methods most appropriate to the circumstances.
Our principles
The work we do is important and we take our responsibilities seriously. We always aim to abide by the following principles:
Impartiality - we never take positions on the issues
Integrity - we do not undertake work on issues where we feel we cannot be impartial
Transparency - we believe that individuals who participate in an engagement process have a right to see what other participants think
Auditability - we keep meticulous records of participation at every stage
Feedback - we believe that once people have participated in a consultation process they should receive regular feedback on how their input has contributed
Inclusivity - we encourage the participation of all stakeholders who have an interest in or who would be affected by a specific decision, including 'hard to reach' groups, such as young people and minorities
Accessibility - we ensure people are not excluded from engagement through barriers of language, culture or ability. All our websites are constructed to allow partially sighted or blind people to use them. We comply with the W3C's WAI guidelines to at least AA and often to AAA standard. See the W3C site (opens in new tab/window) for further information.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
DECC Low Carbon Communities Challenge
A two-year project testing ways to cut emissions at the community level.
FEATURED TOOLS
Dialogue Designer is a free tool which offers guidance in choosing the best engagement process for any given task.
