What is family engagement and why do we do it?

C4C Bendigo advocate for all families to have a right to participate in decision making about their own lives.

We believe that services and organisations have a responsibility to create engagement opportunities that are not limited by age, ability, ethnicity or personal circumstances. When organisations commence engagement from this understanding, the outcomes for families and organisations will be beneficial for all.

We define family to include birth, blended, kinship, foster and adopted adults and children. Families may live together or in separate homes, however all have a link that ties them together as a family. We recognise that there are many types of families with unique beliefs, customs and makeups and that it is important to be respectful and inclusive of all.

Family engagement is the process of an ongoing and evolving partnership between organisations and families, which aims to recognise and respond to the needs and desires of families in service provision. It includes problem solving and decision making with input from families assisting to make decisions and can occur with varied levels of participation.

International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is a peak body for the community and stakeholder engagement sector

IAP2 have created a Spectrum of Public Participation which can be used with family engagement.

The Spectrum shows that differing levels of participation are legitimate depending on the goals, time frames, resources and levels of impact of the decision to be made. The five levels of IAP2 public participation are: Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate and Empower.