Stakeholder engagement: Ensuring accountability and creating success

Health in All Policies engages a variety of stakeholders, such as community members, policy experts, advocates, academics, members of the private sector, and funders. Robust stakeholder engagement is essential for ensuring that the work is responsive to community needs and evidence informed, and for garnering valuable information necessary to create meaningful and impactful change. While there are many strategies and processes for stakeholder engagement generally, there are a number of specific concepts to consider when doing collaborative, policy work.

This presentation will give an overview of the importance of stakeholder engagement and briefly describe a range of approaches. The presenter will share the ladder of community participation as one model. Through small and large group discussions, participants will have an opportunity to consider how to engage both public health professionals and non-traditional health allies. Additional discussion will focus on opportunities and barriers to engagement, who to engage, including at what level in the organization, and will explore the benefits of engaging stakeholders. This presentation will also include a concluding section where participants are able to identify and discuss next steps they hope to take in their own communities.