Enhancing consumer participation in the design, delivery, review and governance of
services will improve service quality, engagement and satisfaction. The next step is to
identify good consumer participation practices from across human services and tailor these
for use within the specialist homelessness sector (SHS).
Goal actions
Actions relating to this goal include:
Articulate good practice in consumer participation for community services and the current barriers to consumer participation.
Identify strategies, resources and processes to enhance consumer participation across the SHS.
Identify the resources needed for consumers to effectively participate at all levels.
Develop a SHS Consumer Participation Guide to help organisations include the lived experience in service design, quality improvement, governance, and service delivery.
Goal deliverables
Deliverable relating to this goal include:
Update summary of research and practice related to consumer participation.
Produce a discussion paper identifying SHS good practice in consumer participation, including the distinct strategies required for particular cohorts (e.g., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse people, LGBTIQ+ people).
Propose a model for implementation in the SHS.
Goal progress
Work has commenced on this goal. Progress includes:
A discussion paper identifying SHS good practice in consumer participation is being drafted. The paper provides:
an overview of what consumer participation is
updated research and literature
detail on the challenges implementing consumer participation and strategies to overcome these barriers
good practice examples of meaningful consumer participation in the SHS
a brief history of consumer participation in the SHS
some key questions to consider to inform the development of a consumer participation strategy for the SHS.
A training module exploring a consumer’s perspective of person-centred practice has been developed and delivered. CHP PESP members will co-deliver the training.