Health Engagement Learning Platform: The HELP Toolkit: A practical resource supporting consumer engagement in health policy-making

The Health Engagement Learning Platform (HELP) Toolkit is a supplementary resource developed to support the implementation of the National Consumer Engagement Strategy for Health and Wellbeing (the Strategy) and inform consumer engagement activities undertaken by policymakers across a variety of settings. The primary target audience of this Toolkit is policy-makers, however, it can also be used as a resource by consumers and consumer organisations to help inform their expectations of what good practice engagement should look like.

This Toolkit provides evidence and experience-based, practical guidance to assist with designing, implementing and evaluating consumer engagement activities in health policy development. This includes an overview of common engagement methods relevant to health policy-making, the essential characteristics of effective engagement and detailed checklists to support implementation of the Good Practice Guidelines and engagement Fundamentals identified in this Toolkit and associated Strategy. A range of engagement methods and approaches are described, to allow for consumer engagement processes that can be tailored to the specific circumstances, needs and preferences of different communities and population groups.