Public, community and stakeholder participation advisor


As well as designing and running participatory processes, I have spent quite a bit of time advising on policy and change to support better engagement. Some examples are given below.

For how I’m starting to apply this to my arts practice, see here


Sustainable Participation? Mapping out and reflecting on the field of public dialogue on science and technology by Dr Jason Chilvers. Contributor. 2010. Also A Decade of Learning about Publics, Participation and Climate Change: Institutionalising Reflexivity? by Helen Pallet and Jason Chilvers. 2013

·      Typology for Public Engagement. Science for All/Department of Business, Industry and Skills. 2010.

·       Organisational Learning and Change for Public Engagement: Review and Recommendations for Science for All. 2010.

·     Low Carbon Communities Challenge. Sciencewise-ERC Dialogue and Engagement Specialist for this community participation programme in 20 communities in England and Wales. Designed to enable learning between national and local initiatives for climate change mitigation. For Sciencewise-ERC/ DECC. 2010

·       Evaluation of the use of Working with Others – Building Trust for the Shaldon Flood Risk Project. Includes cost-benefit analysis of various approaches to community engagement. Environment Agency. 2009

·       Resilience and sustainable development. A discussion paper and online discussion. For SDC. 2009.

·     Green Deal Advisory Panel (formerly Household Energy Management Panel). Member of this high level panel, established to advice DECC on the delivery work relating to household energy management, including the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy (HESS). 2009-12

·     Development of national climate change narratives, advising on use of communications strategies and public dialogue for SDC, IPPR and Green Alliance. 2009.

·     What’s next for public engagement? Advice on future directions and conceptual frameworks for communications, behaviour change and conflict resolution for Sciencewise-ERC, UK Sustainable Development Commission, Welsh Assembly Government and Defra. 2009.

·     Methodology for assessing and responding to organisational capacity for participation and engagement. Resulted in the development of the ‘Departmental Dialogue Index’ for Sciencewise-ERC. 2008 -9.

·     Community Engagement Advisor, Community Adaptation Planning guidance. With Collingwood Environmental Planning, for Scott Wilson and Defra. 2008 – 9.

·     The Big Energy Shift. Sciencewise Dialogue and Engagement Specialist for this public participation programme (England and Wales) to inform national policy. For Sciencewise-ERC/DECC. 2008.

·     Engagement in a new department. Various informal discussions and advice to DECC, to inform how engagement is managed in the new department. 2008

·     National Framework for Greater Citizen Engagement discussion paper. Advisor to MOJ. 2008.

·     Deliberative public engagement in decision-making. Advisor/contributor to Involve/NCC. 2007-8.

·     Adaptation planning/future flooding. Advisor to Defra/Environment Agency on an ongoing basis, including for SD6 programme of Making Space for Water, national discussion of adaptation policy and delivery of major piece of research around mainstreaming participation and partnership working to improve institutional and social responses to flooding (IISRF). 2006 - 2013.

·     An assessment of community engagement and community development approaches including the collaborative methodology and community champions. Member of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) PDG, evaluating the cost effectiveness of public participation on health outcomes. 2006 – 8.

·     Energy white paper consultation. Advisor to BERR (DECC). 2007

·     UK Sustainable Development Strategy consultation. Advisor to Defra. 2005

·     People and participation. Facilitator and advisor to Involve. 2004 -5.

·     Lonely Citizens: Citizen involvement in public policy. Advisor to IPPR. 2004