There are many ways to involve consumers to help plan, design, deliver, measure and evaluate services. All have value and are suitable for different purposes.
If you understand what you want to achieve, then it is easier to determine the level of engagement and the mechanism you will use. The best partnerships often use a combination of approaches from one-off or short-lived activities (e.g. surveys/focus groups), to long-term (e.g. consumer representatives on steering committee).
Refer to the partnerships foundation to determine the most effective level of engagement for your project.
Learn more about methods of engagement.
If you are considering co-design, you may like to watch our Introduction to co-design video.