7 CONCLUSIONS
7.1 This part of the project, on the capacity of disability organisations to engage with public authorities, aimed to investigate the level and type of influence disability organisations had on public authorities, their capacity to engage and how this could be improved.
7.2 All disability organisations involved in the research try to influence public authorities in one way or another. The level and type of influence that disability organisations had varied according to the size and nature of the organisation, their resources and their function. However, they all try to influence aspects of public policy development and implementation.
7.3 Disability organisations' capacity to engage also varies. The two main factors that affect their capacity to influence are, firstly, those to do with their own organisation and, secondly, those to do with the public authorities with which they are trying to engage.
7.4 Factors within disability organisations that impact on their capacity to engage are for example, their level of funding, their reputation and credibility, the skills of their staff, management and leadership and the relationships and networks that they have created.
7.5 Similarly, there are attributes and practices on the part of public authorities that can help disability organisations efforts to engage. These include commitment throughout the organisation and deploying good engagement practices and skills.
7.6 Although there is published guidance on good engagement practice - the National Standards for Community Engagement - there was a very low level of awareness of these among disability organisations. This means that their capacity to challenge poor practice against the standards is limited. Despite this, however, there were a number of examples of good engagement practice cited by disability organisations that did adhere to the standards.
7.7 Disability organisations made a number of suggestions about how their capacity to engage could be enhanced, including more support and resources from public authorities, increased disability equality training and better communication. Disability organisations thought that public authorities should:
- provide more disability equality training and awareness-raising to public body staff
- provide training to disability organisations in lobbying and communication skills
- provide assistance and support to disability organisations to enhance their capacity to engage through volunteer recruitment, awareness-raising activities, advocacy and office costs
- resource forums and networks of disabled organisations and ensure public body staff attend
- improve communications with disability organisations by providing more regular opportunities for contact, improving clarity and brevity of consultation documents, and providing feedback.