In-house Training

This course shares best practice in pre-consultation activities, equipping participants to undertake the full range of preparatory activities required to conduct an effective and robust public consultation process. The course shares best practice approaches and demonstrates effective ways to secure meaningful engagement of citizens and stakeholder organisations in the pre-consultation phase.

What topics will you cover?
– An introduction to public consultation
– Stakeholder identification and analysis
– Pre-consultation engagement
– Best practice options development
– Scoping a public consultation

What will you achieve? An understanding of….
… the role of appropriate pre-consultation activities in delivering a robust public consultation
… the critical role effective stakeholder identification and analysis
… approaches for involving stakeholders in options development
… the institute’s consultation mandate and its benefits

Who is this course for?
This course is for communications and engagement professionals and organisational leaders. The content is as relevant for those who are new to public consultation as it is for those who are experienced and looking to increase their skills.

CPD Credits
30

The course demonstrates effective ways to engage with citizens and stakeholder organisations during a contentious public consultation, using a fully worked example of proposals affecting thousands of people and local communities. To help participants to deliver a robust dialogue plan that can withstand external scrutiny.

What topics will you cover?
– Planning a consultation
– Planning consultation documents
– Managing a consultation
– Managing consultation analysis

What will you achieve? An understanding of….
… The legal requirements for public consultation
… Approaches and methods for consulting stakeholders
… How to construct a best practice consultation document
… How to identify and manage risks in a public consultation
… How to manage analysis and report outputs

Who is this course for?
This course will benefit communications and engagement professionals and organisational leaders who are involved in consulting the public. The content is as relevant for those who are new to public consultation as it is for those who are experienced and looking to increase their skills.

CPD Credits
30

Engagement with communities is critical for both public and private organisations if they wish to gain, build, and maintain community understanding and support for their activities. But what do we mean when we talk about community engagement? How do we go about planning it to make sure it is meaningful?

Delivered over two consecutive morning sessions, this course is essential for those who want to ensure their community engagement activities are meaningful, build mutual understanding, trust and reciprocity with communities to meet your project’s objectives.

What topics will you cover?
– Concepts of community engagement and definitions
– The importance of defining community engagement objectives, purpose and outcomes
– Overview of best practice engagement techniques
– Practical tools and planning guides
– The importance and practicalities of reporting and feedback

What will you achieve? An understanding of…
… theory and practice
… how engagement fits into consultation
… practical tools and guidance

Who is this course for?
Entry level practitioners who would like a general introduction to community engagement. Practitioners who would like to refresh their knowledge.

CPD Credits
25

Online consultation has become more important over the past 15 years and has become an expectation in the Covid and post-Covid world. This places new obligations on those conducting consultations. But it also creates a range of new opportunities. This course examines the case for digital consultation, and how to deliver an effective consultation using the available tools and will give you the confidence to run effective online and digital consultations. We also discuss the opportunities and requirements associated with hybrid consultations.

What topics will you cover?
– How to use the latest tools in online consultation
– What you can be expected to do to keep your consultations legal
– How to manage hybrid consultations, especially given how Covid has changed practice and expectations
– How to make the case for better online consultation

What will you achieve? An understanding of….
… the opportunities and expectations associated with digital consultation
… identifying the appropriate tools for your consultation
… the various requirements for online and digital consultation
… working with others who are delivering digital and online consultations

Who is this course for?
Anyone with responsibility for consultation, or who is delivering consultation activity and who needs to keep up to date with the cutting edge best practice in online and hybrid consultation.

CPD Credits
25

Public bodies have never been more vulnerable to legal challenge. This comprehensive, regularly-updated course covers all aspects of the Law of Consultation and draws upon 160 plus judicial reviews as Judges have increasingly intervened on behalf of consultees. Participants have the use of specially-prepared case notes to highlight key messages from the cases discussed in the course and the subject-matter is entertainingly delivered by focusing on relevant issues and challenges faced by consultation professionals in all sectors.

What topics will you cover?
– Avoiding obvious pitfalls
– Legal principles through real case-law and relevant examples of legal challenges
– Strengthening participants’ knowledge of best practice as developed in recent Court decisions
– Helping participants identify when to seek formal legal advice

What will you achieve? An understanding of…
… statutory requirements to consult
… the doctrine of legitimate expectation
… the legal enforceability of guidelines
… the Gunning Principles – and the need for a fifth
… cases on the lawfulness of single options
… legal challenges and the process of judicial review

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who has to organise a public consultation that might prove controversial. This includes civil servants, local government officers, NHS Managers or staff from any public body that must consult. Although aimed primarily at a lay audience, it is also suitable for legal teams, Senior operational Directors, policy-makers and even political decision-makers (e.g. Council Cabinet members).

CPD Credits
30

A one-day course that aims to provide a definition of co-production within the context of consultation and engagement and explore its broad principles. We will also look at practical applications of a range of methods.

What topics will you cover?
The course is broken into two main sections:

Context and theory covering:
The principles of co-production in the context of consultation and engagement
The areas in which coproduction is most appropriately applied in the change management timeline
The requirements for changed relations in adopting coproduction solutions
Asset based methods in consultation and engagement
Differentiating co-design and co-production
The practice of co-production in the context of consultation and engagement
An introduction to a range of methods that can support co-production
Exploration of practical examples of the application of the techniques in developing a co-productive environment
What will you achieve? An understanding of….
… the key elements required to build a co-productive environment
… the shift towards shared power and decision making
… the key ways in which working together in a co-productive environment can help avoid some of the most obvious pitfalls in consultation
… practical application of engagement techniques to build social capital and deliver improved outcomes
… the importance of measurement of outcomes from co-production

Who is this course for?
The course is aimed as an introduction to the outline principles of co-production to enable practitioners to begin their journey towards effective co-production in an environment of shared power and decision-making.

CPD Credits
25

This interactive course will provide an overview of ten of the best online and in-person techniques to engage and involve the public in continuous engagement and consultation. It will help you to evaluate which method is best suited for different audiences at different stages of the process and develop an appropriate engagement plan. It goes beyond traditional online surveys and focus groups and may give you new tools to add to your toolbox.

What topics will you cover?
– How to consider the needs of the seldom online and seldom heard
– Different methods of open and closed dialogue and deliberation
– Some of the different online tools available
– New ways of creating an environment of participation

What will you achieve? An understanding of…
… what smart engagement is
… a variety of smart engagement techniques
… how to strengthen your confidence in designing and implementing an engagement plan

Who is this course for?
Anyone wishing to engage or consult with their stakeholders to seek feedback or inform decision making.

CPD Credits
25

Consultors know that they have a Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to meet and campaign groups and lawyers know that it is often the Achilles heel of the consultation process. This course will address the methods and practicalities of undertaking an Equality Impact Assessment, help you to consider whether it fulfils the requirements of the duty and how to make sure decision-makers meet their roles and responsibilities.

What topics will you cover?
– Case Law and Statute, what it means for how an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) should be undertaken
– The data needed to undertake a thorough EqIA and identify potential implications for people with protected characteristics
– How to test your assumptions and listen to people with protected characteristics
– How to report your findings and consider mitigations
– How to inform decision making
– Understanding the Equality Act 2010 as it relates to engagement and consultation and the Public Sector Equality Duty

What will you achieve? An understanding of….
… the PSED and Duties
… thinking about what good approaches and methods look like, in Equality Analysis and Impact Assessments
… strengthening your confidence in undertaking Equality Analysis and writing Impact Assessments

Who is this course for?
This course is aimed at consultors who need to meet the public sector equality duty or consider the potential impact of transformational change.

CPD Credits
30