Community Inclusion Standard Best Practice Guide

Step 3: Identifying decision-makers

Projects should aim to engage with diverse voices, broadly representative of their community, to take part in consensual participation that has been shaped with communities and is built upon a relationship of trust and power-sharing.

Step 3: Identifying decision-makers
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Identify decision-makers and build in legitimacy

Projects should aim to engage with diverse voices, broadly representative of their community, to take part in consensual participation that has been shaped with communities and is built upon a relationship of trust and power-sharing.
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Local representative structures (such as land management trusts, community councils, etc.) should be utilised alongside appropriate resourcing for inclusive engagement.

Questions for Project Leads

  • Who is required to “sign-off” on the decisions being made throughout the project?
  • How can communities meaningfully feed into the decision-making process?
  • What governance structures appropriate to the community should be in place to ensure communities continueto be or are involved as decision-makersthroughout the project’s lifetime?
  • Are there a range of perspectives and insights being represented through the process? 
  • Will the community trust a process led by the project delivery team or will the outcome be considered biased? 
  • Can the delivery team support effective and neutral deliberation with the community or should an external agency be brought in to facilitate? 

Useful Resources

Suggested Actions

  • Create a diagram detailing the decision-making process, highlighting which groups feed into an evidence base and which individuals/organisations are required to sign-off on recommendations
  • Utilise community engagement methods which are appropriate to the timescales provided. For example, if time is not available for meaningful co-production due to short funding periods, short land sale deadlines, etc., look to focus groups/consultation
  • Be transparent with decision-making processes. Disclose relevant financial decisions which may affect communities, this may include private investment contracts including specific criteria with regards to land management.
  • Identify whether a neutral facilitator should be brought in.
  • Consider building Community Benefits Agreements into contractual clauses, ensuring a legal obligation and established roles and responsibilities for sustainability and longevity of community benefit.
  • Share progress reports regularly: what has been done with the community, how have the outputs been utilised, and what other information has been relied on to make decisions?

Example Evidencing Measures

  • Diagrams of decision-making processes
  • Sharing how decisions are communicated with the community
  • Minutes from community meetings
  • Breakdown of internal and community governance structures, how they will work together to make decisions

Community Inclusion Standard Best Practice Guide by Nature Finance Certification Alliance is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

COMMUNITY INCLUSION STANDARD BEST PRACTICE GUIDE

Now address imbalance through equitable and inclusive design

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