Open Government - public participation strategy: advice

Overview of action plans

Here we set out an action plan in the short, medium and long-term. For these things to happen there needs to be a concerted effort within government to recognise the needs of citizens and to drive the policy forward with senior acknowledgement and commitment, as well as investment. It cannot continue to be done on an ad-hoc basis, it is currently clear that there is little collaboration or consistent support.

Short term

• Review existing data and evidence, ensure that it is easily accessible and practice transparency as a matter of course.
• Close feedback loop participation, go back to communities and highlight what impact their participation has had, to keep them involved and show their value.
• Create specific interface points for small community groups / leaders to be able to feed in what they are hearing about concerns for compliance or non-compliant behaviour patterns to help inform policy and messaging, including communities of interest and identity.
• Build on what is already underway by plugging into existing community networks (for example disability networks, faith groups, migrant support groups etc) who are already finding ways to keep discussions open with their members to host these conversations.
• Ask community representatives and networks to facilitate a conversation and highlight important information.
• Simplify policy language.
• Ensure public know there will be no negative outcomes of asking for help, for example refugee or asylum seekers without residency, who are often unwilling to give their address to any organisation and therefore aren’t eligible for government and non-government help and support.
• Include people from diverse backgrounds in the debate on TV, radio and in publications so that communities feel represented and build trust
• Ask veterans of engagement about the results of their efforts. Use the feedback to build evaluation criteria in the engagement process, to learn from the engagements and inform subsequent participation, and achieve better outcomes in the communities.
• Consider where barriers were removed from local authorities and community groups and decide whether it is necessary to reintroduce them.

Medium Term

• Reimagine what ‘good’ participation looks like. Not everyone has time to commit to CAs, PB and consultation. Participation needs to go to the people. Do it on their terms and recognise that those living in the most vulnerable or precarious positions cannot engage – create a society where they can.
• Those developing policy, need to be well versed and trained in effective and accessible participation methods – that are tailored to communities
• Create a network of places where engagement happens to emphasise the place-based approach in a systemic way. But:
  • Build the capacity for meaningful engagement by supporting communities that are already organised. Communities support other communities - horizontal rather than vertical. Peer to peer, horizontal and transferable learning. Shifting community participation and public engagement.
  • Funding requires control from the locale, the needs and the best ways to get resources to people differs and therefore need different approaches depending on transport links, population, community. Co-create solutions with these groups.
• Local authorities should share good practice, especially effective partnerships and coproduction.
• Do not take advantage of communities and volunteers, where it is possible, provide payment and incentives. Ensure funding opportunities create jobs.
• Signposts how participants can use their skills moving forward, ie in their communities, set up their own processes, or continue in a policy shaping role.

Long term

• Articulate a vision for where Scotland will be in 5 - 10 years in the Programme for Government and explore the steps to get there; the points where blocks need to be removed; who needs buy in at different points in the trajectory; key places to input; and the success criteria.
• Invest in a Centre for Participatory Democracy or equivalent to provide consistent and ongoing research, guidance, training, standard setting and advice. This would be supported by the government but is ultimately outwith their control.
• Embed participatory and engagement processes. Work with media and other information outlets to ensure that wider population understand purpose, format and responsibilities of members.
• Foster genuine partnerships and make it easier for these partnerships to be set up and maintained, encourage it through funding applications – including partnerships between volunteers and public sector, they can complement one another rather than replace.
• Relinquish control from the centre: trust the public, third sector and local authorities to do more. It is more flexible and responsive from there.
• An ongoing governance review will help to identify how decision-making processes and powers can be devolved much more locally to be able to then respond to local need and the people who populate those local places
• Increase funding for local and hyperlocal groups so that they can continue to do the work they have done during the crisis. They will then be well placed when the next crisis hits.
• Greater training and development in running/commissioning participation and engagement exercises for policy makers would result in higher quality engagement.
• Investing in long-term funding, high quality training for community development and ensuring that information from the participatory processes reaches parliament and government.
• Articulate and publish an exit plan for dealing with the mental health pandemic which is an inevitable consequence of this pandemic.
• A cross party agreement on long term plans for funding plans for health, climate stability and tackling poverty
• Wider conversations have to be had around 4-day weeks and Universal Basic Income in order to carve out the type of society which we are calling for. Trust is created in a society where people can live and work in a dignified and fair way.