Plan

Introduction

Planning for consumer participation is no different from planning other activities. Planning should always aim to be a collaborative exercise between consumers and service professionals.

In Australia, the majority of consumer participation initiatives that have been documented have been led by services. However, this is not the only model nor, indeed, necessarily the best model. For an example of a consumer organisation initiated consumer participation project in an acute hospital setting see The Essential U&I resource listed below.

The most powerful contribution to [organisational] change that this work had to make was by consumers- the intended ultimate beneficiaries of the service system - to the extent to which they took (and were not blocked from taking) the lead. And further, this was in active collaboration with some insightful and resolute staff who were committed to making (and letting) this happen." (The Essential U & I p. ix)

If the initiative for consumer participation is coming from a service, perhaps in response to new policy directions or because of specific funding for a consumer participation program, it is important that the planning process be informed by consumer experience. This might not be in the form of a consumer representative on a committee. There are many other ways to involve consumers. Those involved in the planning exercise need to seek advice from consumer organisations, read consumer perspective accounts of past projects and have thought about the values base that informs the practice of the organisation.

The Planning Cycle

Figure 1: Planning for consumer participation is no different from planning for other activities.

Involving consumers early in the process is essential helps services to develop appropriate policies, ensure the right issues are addressed from the beginning and that the strategies used are feasible. Planning and negotiating about different purposes, methods, investments and expectations should happen at the beginning of the process, not when things go off the rails. (p.6 Improving Health Services through Consumer Participation: a resource guide for organisations referred to hereafter in this section as (IHS))

Developing A Consumer Participation Plan

A consumer participation plan should include -

• a description of the issue or problem you are addressing
• your objectives
• the participants you wish to involve
• strategies you have chosen and key issues for implementation
• timelines
• budget and personnel required
• an evaluation plan
• how the project will be documented so you can promote your efforts and share lessons learned.

If you are coming to consumer participation from the point of view of a service organisation, part of the planning process will be for your organisation to assess its capacity for change, and in particular, attitudes to consumer participation that exist within the organisation. Practical Tools are available to help you with this process of assessment and reflection - see the Evaluate Section of this website - but for now you can concentrate on tools for assessing organisational capacity, and capacity building generally.

After you have established the current status of the organisation and its capacity for change, you can make plans for the future. For example, you can develop a financial plan for how the organisation will implement strategies to overcome constraints to consumer participation.

Consumers and carers can participate in planning at varying levels, in a variety of ways depending on their passion, comfort levels, the issues they see as priorities and of course the culture of the organisation they want to get involved with.

An ortganisation's planning decisions often include consideration of current budget, evidence-based data, long term and short term wins, implementation, costs and benefits, risks and change management.

Issues and specific resources are introduced in the How Section of this website.