Community engagement and social inclusion have gained increasing prominence as key considerations in the development of projects and policies at all levels of government.

However, the practitioners who execute these projects are often faced with the need to balance the bureaucracy of planning and project guidelines with increasing community expectations. Successfully maintaining this balance is essential in creating a responsive, insightful and coordinated government approach to issues and people management.

This two-day conference will identify and explore solutions to the challenges currently facing those involved with community engagement and social inclusion in the public sector. Delegates will obtain information on how to:

• Understand how political ideologies shape the development of community engagement and social inclusion initiatives
• Cultivate relationships with key community groups to facilitate improved collaboration opportunities
• Improve citizen participation at all stages of the engagement process
• Select appropriate channels to reach target segments of the community
• Qualify successes to provide a platform for future development