Staff Participate+ Survey
Participate+ has been up-and-running for almost 8 months.
In order to assess its performance to date we are undertaking a review of its use by both staff and members of the public.
Your feedback about the platform will be invaluable in helping us to understand how well it is working and to determine if any changes are required.
Thankyou for your participation!
If you have any queries, contact us at communitypartnership@falkirk.gov.uk
Phases
Results
A report providing the results of the survey is provided below.
We intend to use these results, along with the results of the public survey, to inform further Communications about Participate+; to inform and improve future training sessions and support resources; and to work to resolve any issues that have been raised.
P+ staff user testing - Survey Report
Which Service do you work for?
Which division/team do you work in?
Respondents are from a diverse range of divisions and teams within the organization, including Social Work Adult Services, Falkirk HSCP, Community Planning, Service School Improvement Team, Additional Support Needs, Communities, Early Years, Strategy, Development and Community Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Invest Falkirk, and Governance/HR Reward. There is representation from both service-oriented teams such as social work and education, as well as strategic and support teams like marketing and governance. This indicates a broad spectrum of staff involvement in the 'Staff Participate+ Survey' from various facets of the organization.
How difficult or easy have you found it to use Participate+?
6 - Very easy
1 - Very difficult
If you have found any of the platform's features difficult to use, please provide further detail below.
Respondents have indicated a few challenges with the platform's usability. A common issue is the complexity and volume of information, which makes it difficult to remember how to use certain features or navigate the platform. Infrequent use contributes to this problem, as users forget how to perform tasks. Some respondents have not used all features yet, which affects their ability to fully assess the platform's ease of use There is a call for further training, especially in newer areas such as AI. Suggestions for improvements include creating shortcuts, like a desktop icon, for easier access, and enhancing the logical flow of the platform, such as reducing the need for constant saving.
Are you aware of all of the engagement methods that Participate+ provides?
Which of the platform's engagement methods have you used?
When undertaking your engagement on the platform, did you also engage with people offline?
Have you shared feedback/results with participants in your project(s)?
Other responses were predominantly 'not yet', with one respondent saying they will be sharing the results internally to inform their Service Plan.
Have you used the flexible registration feature?
There was only one Other response to this question - 'not used yet but have completed one'
Please share any public/participant feedback you've received for your projects on Participate+
There were no responses to this question.
Have you found Participate+ more or less effective than Citizen Space?
The 5 Other responses all advised that participants had not used CitizenSpace (and one had not used Participate+ either).
Is there anything further you'd like to add about your experience of using Participate+?
Respondents appreciate the support from the Community Partnership team when using Participate+. The platform is generally considered user-friendly and easy to navigate, with some respondents expressing confidence that their proficiency will improve with more use. There are suggestions for improvements, such as adding more versatile question formats to surveys, including ranking choices. One respondent sees potential for Participate+ to be used for gathering feedback on Scottish Government consultations to form collective responses. Comparisons with other systems like Citizen Space indicate a belief that while Participate+ is currently less convenient for reporting, it has the potential to become a better option in time. Some respondents are looking forward to using the platform more as it develops and they become more familiar with it, while one respondent is unsure about their experience.
Have you taken part in the champions' training?
If you'd like to receive the champions' training, please provide your email address below.
4 responses were received.
Have you used the Community Engagement Planning Tool?
If you answered yes to the last question - please provide any feedback you have about the planning tool below.
There were 2 responses - one advising that they had found the tool very useful, recommending it, and requesting that it be made available electronically. The other said they had only used the tool during training and for Community Choices voting.
Have you faced any particular challenges when planning, delivering or evaluating your community engagement?
There were 2 responses - one saying they'd found the Comms team slow to provide support for their project; and the other saying timelines had changed for their project but it was easy to adapt this on P+.
Have you used external consultants recently, or in the past, to undertake community engagement on behalf of the Council?
If you answered yes to the last question, can you provide further details?
2 responses - both relating to a lack of in-house resources, one only for big projects. One response advised that they had received seed funding for the project.