The Australian Government Department of Human Services (the department) partnered with the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) to test a way of engaging and collaborating with the community and stakeholders.

The Co-Design Community Engagement prototype was a research project to test and gather information on how to improve such engagements in the future. It is one of the ways the department is exploring how we can work with the community to involve customers in the design of our products and services. The project does not necessarily represent an agreed position or direction for future community engagement.

The project occurred across regional and urban sites in Victoria and aimed to provide the department with the opportunity to better understand the needs within the community and then to work together to identify local solutions to local issues. The project explored how the department can join with other levels of government and non-government organisations to deliver better services to the community and individuals, and how to test public engagement as a model for co-design of services at the strategic planning level.