Community participation in decision making:
The deliberative engagement approach

We know that one of the key enablers of social cohesion and connected communities is voice and influence. 

Across Australia, trust in government is declining, engagement fatigue is real, and many communities do not feel they have a meaningful voice or influence in the decisions that shape their lives. At the same time, people are being asked to respond to increasingly complex issues – and there is a clear appetite for more meaningful ways to participate in decision making.

This CREDucation publication explores how deliberative engagement can respond to that challenge.

Developed as an accompanying guide to CRED’s CREDucation webinar Deliberative engagement: principles, practice and real-world lessons, this guide is intended as a practical companion for practitioners, offering insights into how deliberative engagement works on the ground.

It draws on real examples from CRED’s work and reflects the voices and experiences of practitioners who design, facilitate and deliver deliberative processes in real-world contexts.

This guide offers peer-to-peer lessons:

• what works in practice
• what to consider when designing deliberative engagement
• how to prepare organisations for deliberation
• and how to support communities to participate meaningfully regardless of their background or confidence level.

Webinar speakers featured in this guide include:

• Jen Guice, Executive Director, Engagement, CRED
• Prue Foreman, Corporate Strategy and Engagement Manager, Inner West Council
• Peta Collins, Senior Advisor, Collaboration and Community, Digital Health CRC and;
• Yvette Andrews, Manager of City Engagement, City of Sydney