This document
from the Effective Interventions Unit in Scotland provides
a rationale for engagement. This is useful to anyone trying
to argue why engagement strategies are beneficial and worth
researching and implementing. A continuum
of engagement is also illustrated that describes different
levels of engagement. Sixteen principles
of community engagement are listed following three headings:
Planning, Commitment and Inclusiveness. They were designed
for organizations that are trying to engage communities rather
than communities hoping to engage themselves. Nonetheless,
the principles are adaptable for local action and community
use.
A number of community engagement techniques
are described. They are helpful to anyone interested in different
ways of applying community engagement. Each technique is described
individually. A summary table is also available that concisely
presents the techniques discussed in the document.
This is a guide for examining the principles
and implementation of community engagement. While document
focuses on community engagement applications for drug misuse
in Scotland, its contents are useful for anyone interested
in developing, designing, implementing, and/or evaluating
community engagement.
Chapter 2 provides the reader with a description
of key concepts of community engagement including ‘community’
and ‘engagement’. It also outlines a continuum
of engagement and describes some rationale for using engagement.
Chapter 3 discusses principles of effective
engagement. The Effective Interventions Unit developed them
from its literature review on community engagement. Sixteen
principles are listed under three headings: Planning, Commitment,
and Inclusiveness.
Current practices for community engagement
use by Scotland’s Drug Action Teams are described in
Chapter 4. In Chapter 5 methods of community engagement are
described. This includes descriptions of community engagement
techniques, their strengths, weaknesses, examples of them
being used and the materials required to use them.
The document ends with recommendations for
conducing community engagement. It suggests that a variety
of approaches should be used and that the techniques be evaluated
periodically to ensure intended objectives are being met.
It also recommends that an assessment be completed on the
community engagement process to determine how it could be
improved.
Source: Effective Interventions Unit. Effective
Engagement: a Guide to Principles and Practice. Edinburgh,
Scotland: Effective Interventions Unit, January 2002.
Full source available at: http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/
goodpractice/EIU_commeng.pdf
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