Public engagement and consultation can help place public views at the heart of policy and enable communities to assist in shaping services. It can also promote public legitimacy, involving people in difficult choices about priority setting.
At the heart of what we do are good principles of citizen engagement – involving a range of people in a process, enabling them to consider and learn about the issues at hand, and providing engaging ways to make trade-offs about complex decisions. Our research can also empower and motivate people to respond to the challenges they face locally.
We are particularly proud of our work with the Department of Education – building parent views into policy making and enabling parents to become agents for change to strengthen their local communities.
We have a wealth of experience in public engagement and consultation with clients across Whitehall and beyond. Our recent experience includes:
- Work for the Ministry of Justice examining rights and responsibilities in relation to employment, health and education
- A major programme of public engagement for the Food Standards Agency looking at the balance of responsibilities between the government, industry and consumers in relation to diet and food
- Community engagement work investigating options and funding of adult informal learning
- Work for the Department of Transport building the perspectives of different road use groups into their 10 year road safety strategy
- A consultation for the Darzi review on the future of primary care services, the role of patient choice and service delivery options
- A study for the Home Office engaging residents to discuss options and responsibilities around neighbourhood policing and crime fighting partnerships.