Research Bulletin 2

This morning I was able to create a (very rough, very tentative) first draft of the third sector research. Some interesting key themes are emerging although they will need a lot of revision and will likely be added to substantially;

• Third sector organisations, being neither public nor private are uniquely placed to establish a rapport with communities. However, third sector organisations need to be adequately supported in order to bring members of the community to an engagement setting. 

• The research data suggest the third sector approach is successful in  bringing together these actors and setting an agenda for future development. 

• Regardless of who is leading planning engagement, it is clear that best practice requires developed ‘soft skills’ or social acumen on the part of the facilitation staff.  

II would hope that the coming month would add to the interview component of the

rresearch further and allow me to provide a lot more detail in time!