Use engagement to improve the evidence
Administrative records describe what services can see. Community engagement can reveal barriers to access, informal sources of support and needs that do not fit existing referral categories. It can also challenge the assumptions used to interpret statistical patterns.
Be clear about what participants can influence. Seeking views on a fixed proposal is different from jointly defining assessment questions. Do not describe consultation as co-production when communities have no meaningful role in shaping the work.
Participation is not a prevalence estimate
Engagement can identify important needs without establishing how common they are. Report recruitment routes and gaps, distinguish lived experience from population estimates, and do not treat the loudest or most frequent contribution as the only priority.
Full briefing
Get the complete briefing
The full version includes the practical framework, the questions to ask and where to start. Request it and we will send it to you, free of charge.
Inside the full briefing
- Engage at more than one stage
- Design participation around who is missing
- Make interpretation and prioritisation transparent
- Questions for assessment leads
- Where to start