Thanks to everyone who contributed to our last internal engagement process for the Policy and Strategy – we were getting your feedback on a draft Statement of Commitment and engagement Values' and Principles.

We've now developed a draft Policy and Strategy which will be going to Council for adoption, so they will be public, and internal facing.

These documents are attached in the Document Library for your review.

At this stage I'm looking for any suggestions, gaps or issues. Once I've collated your feedback and made any necessary changes, both documents will go to ELT for their feedback, then Council for endorsement for exhibition (aiming for August Council), where I'll also be running more staff engagement to ensure these include actions and responsibilities that are realistic for us to achieve.

The aim is for these documents to be adopted in October.

Also, I've reviewed and slightly updated our Community Engagement Guidelines. These are also available in the Document Library. I am keen to get any feedback you have on the use of these since their creation in 2017.

Please fill out the survey below with your feedback.

Prefer to tell me 'in person'? Let me know and I'll organise a time to meet with you individually or as a group in Teams (Note: I've cancelled the planned Thursday 4 June workshop)

Any questions? Contact me via Teams or libby.mackenzie@waverley.nsw.gov.au


Please check which of the actions, as outlined on pgs 12–14 of the Strategy, that you think are the most important to implement. Required
Under 'Roles and Responsibilities' (pgs 11–12) there are a number of staff responsibilities listed. Please indicate your level of support on each (these are summarised, for the full details please refer to the Policy) Required
Very Supportive
Somewhat Supportive
Somewhat Unsupportive
Very Unsupportive
Definitely agree
Somewhat agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Neither supportive nor unsupportive
All open, LGA-wide community engagement activities that are not targeted at closed groups should be approved by Council, or the Executive Leadership Team, or an individual Director prior to being undertaken.
A risk assessment should be completed as part of the community engagement planning process.
Where possible, results of all community engagement activities will be made available to relevant stakeholders (internal and external)
Results of all open, LGA-wide community engagement activities are to be reported to Council, ELT, or an Executive Manager. A Community Engagement Summary Report will be published on Council’s website
Staff who live in Waverley can provide public feedback in a personal capacity, however professional feedback and expert advice operating as their role in Council will be built into the internal engagement process, and not through the Have Your Say Waverley community-facing project page
We will endeavour to not engage the community between 20 December and 10 January. When it is not possible to avoid this period, the consultation period will be extended to a longer-than-usual time (eg. commences in November or closes at the end of January)
How supportive are you of our Statement of Committment to Community Engagement? Required
Very Supportive
Somewhat Supportive
Very Unsupportive
Somewhat Unsupportive
Neither supportive nor unsupportive
Somewhat Unsupportive
Council will engage with the community in an inclusive, transparent and accountable way, to make fair and equitable decisions that reflect the needs of the community.
How supportive are you of the Engagement Values to underpin our committment to Community Engagement? Required
Very Supportive
Somewhat Supportive
Somewhat Unsupportive
Very Unsupportive
This isn't important to me
1. We are committed to ensuring those who are impacted by, or have an interest in, a decision or initiative of Council will have fair and equitable access to participating in the decision-making process.
2. We will carefully consider the needs and interests of all stakeholders, including Council.
3. We will make every effort to notify and enable the involvement of all stakeholders affected by or interested in a decision.
4. The level of influence of stakeholders will be appropriate for the nature, complexity and level of impact of the decision being made.
5. We will provide all relevant information to ensure the community can participate in engagement activities in a meaningful way.
6. We will report back to participants on how their input affected the final decision or outcome being considered.
How supportive are you of the Engagement Principles, which will guide and shape our engagement activities? Required
Very Supportive
Somewhat Supportive
Somewhat Unsupportive
Very Supportive
This isn't important to me
1. Build relationships: We will engage in an honest, open and respectful way to build strong relationships and trust within our community.
2. Right to be involved: We believe that our community members have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them.
3. Build capacity: We will work to build the capacity and opportunity for our whole community to genuinely participate in decisions.
4. Clarity of purpose: We will engage with our community with clarity around what the project/initiative/decision is and what the purpose of the engagement process is.
5. Accessible and inclusive: Information and engagement activities will be offered in a range of accessible formats to enable fair and equal access to participation.
6. Timely: We will engage early enough for participation to be meaningful. We will provide enough time for the community to provide input. Engagement timelines will be considered from inception of the project and built into the project timeline and project plan.
7. Tailored: We will use a range of engagement and communication methods that suit the purpose of the project and reach the key stakeholders.
8. Strategic: We will collaborate across Council to ensure our engagement activities are approached in a strategic way to avoid duplication and inefficiencies. We will be conscious of the time of year and other consultation projects when planning our engagement.
9. Transparent and accountable: We will be open with information the community needs to be able to participate meaningfully and communicate how community input influenced the outcome.
Have you used the Engagement Guidelines to plan an engagement project? Required
Were you aware we have Community Engagement Guidelines? Required
Would you be interested in being a part of an internal engagement group – to collaborate on key projects, share learnings and build internal knowledge and involvement in projects? Required

General

Engagement Strategy

Engagement Policy

Our Engagement Framework in Practice

Values and Principles

The survey form is now closed. Thanks for your contributions.