Research and consultation quality assurance process

We are committed to improving consultation with the public and communities in Lambeth and have established a set of standards to guide the various consultation activities across the council.

Our research and consultation standards

We will:

• Provide, at appropriate locations, basic information about services and advice on where to get more information. This will be supplemented where necessary to assist participation in research or consultation.
• Be clear about the purpose of, and timetable for, research and consultation.
• Explain why we are undertaking the research or consultation project and how we intend to use the results.
• Actively listen to the views of the community and stakeholders fully before decisions are made.
• Show evidence of involving the hard to reach groups and listen to their concerns.
• Use appropriate techniques to ensure that the project is meaningful.
• Provide feedback to the community on what they have told us during the research or consultation and the effect the results have had on our decisions.
• Share information with other relevant departments and partners to ensure maximum impact of the views of local people on services.
• Evaluate our research and consultation exercises to test whether the standards have been met.

These standards guide a quality assurance process for research and consultation that council staff must follow. The process will promote consistency in consulting the community, ensure that we maintain high standards and put in place a mechanism to help us to learn from these activities. For more information about the quality assurance process contact consultation@lambeth.gov.uk