Community Engagement Framework and Toolkit
A practical guide to engaging migrant & refugee communities
Why engagement matters
Engaging migrant and refugee communities is essential for successful settlement in Australia. Community engagement fosters trust, inclusion, and collaboration, enabling communities to shape the services that impact their lives.
Our Community Engagement Framework is built on the foundation of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum, a widely recognised model guiding public participation from Inform to Empower. While the IAP2 model provides a strong, adaptable structure for general engagement, we’ve tailored it to meet the unique needs of migrant and refugee communities. By integrating cultural responsiveness, relationship-building, and capacity support, our framework ensures meaningful, community-led outcomes that go beyond traditional decision-making.
How this framework fills the gap
The IAP2 model offers a valuable starting point for engagement, but its broad applicability can leave gaps when addressing the specific challenges faced by migrant and refugee communities. Our Community Engagement Framework fills these gaps by adapting and enhancing established approaches with:
- Accountability and Transparency: Embedding mechanisms like feedback loops and clear reporting to ensure communities have a sustained voice and trust in the process.
- Cultural Depth: Prioritising cultural humility and inclusivity as core principles to respect diverse traditions and voices within communities.
- Relationship Focus: Emphasising ongoing, two-way partnerships over one-off consultations to build trust and collaboration.
- Capacity Building: Supporting communities with resources and training to enable self-agency, not just participation.
- Practical Application: Offering a toolkit to operationalise engagement effectively.
This framework goes beyond decision-making to support long-term success, fostering self-agency and enabling communities to drive their own solutions.
Who it’s for
This framework is designed for anyone working with migrant and refugee communities, including:
- Settlement Services: Enhance culturally appropriate, community-centred service delivery.
- Multicultural Organisations: Partner with communities and advocate for systemic change.
- Local Community Groups & Leaders: Co-design solutions that address community-specific needs.
- Frontline Service Providers: Use practical tools to engage effectively and inclusively.
- Policymakers and Community Leaders: Gain insights into fostering genuine collaboration and community involvement.
Whether working directly with communities or developing policies that impact them, this framework equips users with tools and strategies for sustainable and meaningful engagement.