The Spectrum of Participation

Welcome to the home of the Spectrum of Participation

The Spectrum of Participation is a tool which describes the different ways that organisations can interact with people with lived experience. It serves to clarify how each of those interactions can offer different degrees of influence on decision-making. The Spectrum moves between doing “TO” people and doing “WITH” people, and each element has its own distinct purpose and value. Each type of interaction is useful in different circumstances.

Enabling the meaningful input of people with lived experience requires clarity of roles and relationships. This means it’s vital that organisations understand and can identify how much influence people will have within a decision-making process. This website gives you the tools and information to support that understanding. These resources are freely available to download and use.