Sucessful engagement: Brown and Issacs "6 Cs"

Brown and Issacs (1994) have developed the "6 Cs" model for guide the development of a successful community engagement process:

• Capability - the members are capable of dialogue
• Commitment - mutual benefit beyond self interest is created or demonstrated
• Contribution - members volunteer and there is an environment that encourages participation
• Continuity - members share or rotate roles and, as members move on, there is a transition process that sustains and maintains the community corporate memory
• Collaboration - reliable interdependence, members have a clear vision and an environment of sharing and trust
• Conscience - embody or invoke guiding principles/ethics of service, trust and respect that are expressed in the actions of the community

These 6 Cs may also be used as filters to measure the functionality of a community or participant group.

(Reproduced from the Effective engagement toolkit, Victorian Government Department of Sustainability)