The Victorian Department of Health website states that the “Doing it with us not for us policy grew from the Victorian Government’s commitment to involving people in decision making about health care services and the need for a strategic policy to guide the process.” This commitment shows in the quality of this policy and the depth of consumer and community involvement in developing it.
The document covers well referenced discussions of what participation is, reasons for doing it, types of participation and principles of participation. It serves as both a valuable resource for health services and consumers in developing engagement/participation programs and as a model for frameworks and policies.