Section 4 - The engagement process
“If people feel respected, then you feel like, you get the feeling like some people really want to help you and then there’s other people who don’t give a s**t about you.” 18 year-old young person
This section contains detailed and practical steps outlining the processes involved in undertaking meaningful consultation and engagement with Aboriginal children and young people for a specific project or target community.
The Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Participation Guidelines for Involving Children and Young People23 describe the participation of children and young people through four stages. These stages are outlined below, click on the links for more information on each stage.
Stage 1 - Planning to involve Aboriginal children and young people
This stage requires you to understand your organisation or agency and the community you intend to engage in to inform the development of an internal/draft project scope.
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Stage 2 - Preparing to involve Aboriginal children and young people
This stage requires you to engage with the community you intend to target to check your previous assessment and inform the development of your internal/draft project scope.
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Stage 3 - Doing it – Involving Aboriginal children and young people
This stage requires you to think about your communication and continue to test your processes as you begin to actively engage with Aboriginal children and young people.
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Stage 4 - Following up with Aboriginal children and young people
This stage requires you to provide feedback to and receive feedback from the Aboriginal children and young people you have engaged with, to ensure that you accurately reflect and incorporate the information provided by participants during the activity, to inform your participants and their community and to further develop your practice for next time.
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More information about participation from the Commissioner for Children and Young People
References:
23. Commissioner for Children and Young People WA 2021, Participation Guidelines, <https://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/media/4602/ccyp-participation-guidelines-2021-web4.pdf>