Engaging Communities and Service Users

Billie Oliver is Associate Professor in Integrated Children and Young People's Services at the University of the West of England, UK. Billie has worked in community and voluntary sector settings and is a qualified youth worker. Her research interests include participatory community engagement, social policy, integrated practice and professional identity. Bob Pitt is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England, UK. His professional background is in community and adult education and community work. He teaches on social work and public health programmes. Bob's main area of research interest is participation of adult learners in post-compulsory education.

"This book offers a significant contribution to our critical understanding of community engagement and the challenge of developing new democratic ways of working with people and communities." - Terry Barber, Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Social Work and Community Education, University of Dundee, UK "This is a user-friendly and engaging text which brings together the key policy strands and theoretical discussions relating to user involvement in an accessible manner." Lisa Goodson, Lecturer in the School of Social Policy, Institute of Applied Social Studies, University of Birmingham and author of Community Research for Participation: from Theory to Method, Policy Press "This is an accessible and well-crafted book that is relevant as an applied text for under-graduate and post-graduate students in the health, welfare and social care fields." - Debby Lynch, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Human Services, University of Queensland, Australia "The book works well as a 'how to' guide to engaging in participatory practice for undergraduate students and professionals across social work and health care." - Catherine Forde, Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Ireland

• PART I: CONTEXT1. Engaging with Communities and Service Users: Introduction and Definitions2. The Policy ContextPART II: THEMES3. Encouraging Association4. Activating Citizenship5. Releasing Capacity6. Exploring BoundariesPART III: METHODS7. Supporting Engagement through Advocacy and Mentoring8. Learning through Conversations9. Evaluating Engagement and Participation10. Emergent Landscapes.