The National Consumer Engagement Strategy for Health and Wellbeing is an Australian Government initiative created to guide and support consumer and community participation in all areas of health policy-making, from development to evaluation. Its primary audience is policy-makers within both government and non-government organisations.
The strategy’s purpose is to strengthen partnerships and build trust between consumers and policy-makers, ultimately leading to improved health and wellbeing outcomes. It is structured around three core objectives, five “Consumer Engagement Fundamentals,” and ten “Good Practice Guidelines”. The fundamentals stipulate that engagement must be purposeful, inclusive, respectful, transparent, and collaborative. The guidelines provide practical steps, such as building relational partnerships, seeking diverse participation, and engaging with humility and empathy.
A key focus is co-design, where consumers are actively involved in designing policy solutions from the outset. The strategy is supported by the Health Engagement Learning Platform (HELP) Toolkit, a supplementary resource offering practical guidance and checklists to help policy-makers implement the framework effectively.
