Inclusive engagement: creating places that enhance quality of life

Guest blog by Melissa Lacide.

Inclusive engagement is central to creating homes and neighbourhoods that support people’s quality of life. This principle guided my recent webinar with members of the Housing Diversity Network, where we explored the importance of meaningful consultation and engagement and shared some practical tools developed by the Quality of Life Foundation along with our case studies.

As a charity working across the UK, the Quality of Life Foundation advocates for homes and neighbourhoods that provide the foundation for a happy, healthy life. Too often, this isn’t the reality. Homes may lack proper insulation, neighbourhoods might be disconnected from essential services, or green spaces and social infrastructure may be insufficient. These shortcomings significantly impact health and wellbeing.

Our work focuses on turning this around by helping organisations like housing associations, local authorities, and developers to better understand and address what residents need from the places they live. We combine evidence-based research using our Framework with community engagement to advocate for changes that improve quality of life.

Facing challenges in social housing
The social housing sector faces pressures from regulatory reforms, economic challenges, and heightened scrutiny on resident satisfaction. These challenges also offer an opportunity to prioritise meaningful, long-term outcomes.

Effective community engagement is key. It helps providers understand residents’ diverse needs, deliver value for money, and build trust. Involving residents in decision-making fosters ownership, connection, and lasting success.

Supporting meaningful engagement with the Quality of Life Code of Practice
At the Quality of Life Foundation, we have developed tools and resources to help practitioners and organisations design and deliver effective consultation and engagement activities. Central to this is our Quality of Life Framework and Code of Practice Principles for Community Consultation and Engagement.

The Quality of Life Framework outlines six themes – control, health equity, connection to nature, a sense of wonder, ease of getting around, and connected communities – that are essential to creating neighbourhoods where people can thrive. These themes provide a clear, evidence-based structure for understanding what matters to residents and designing, building and managing places that meet their needs. The Framework themes are a great way to engage residents and community stakeholders in conversations about quality of life.

The Code of Practice focuses on the practicalities of consultation and engagement. It sets out eight principles that help practitioners and organisations embed good practice, from being transparent and inclusive to demonstrating impact and publishing feedback. These principles are not just a checklist – they offer a way to reflect on and improve how you engage with residents and community stakeholders.

Tools to guide your inclusive consultation and engagement efforts
Our Inclusive Engagement Toolkit supports the Code of Practice by providing a step-by-step guide to effective consultation and engagement. It outlines seven steps, from understanding your context and reaching out to stakeholders to co-creating solutions and ensuring continued conversations.

These tools are designed to help practitioners and organisations like yours build on what you already do well. Whether you’re redeveloping existing places or shaping new ones, the framework, principles, and toolkit provide a robust structure for engaging residents and communities meaningfully.

For example, you can use our free Code of Practice self-assessment tool to evaluate your current practices or plan future strategies. It helps you identify areas for improvement in consultation and engagement, understand what good standards look like and what excellent standards would need to be. You can also refer to case studies to learn from others about their good practice consultation and engagement journeys.

Why it matters
Good engagement isn’t just about ticking a box – it’s about building relationships and creating places where people feel they belong. By involving residents in shaping their neighbourhoods, you can help foster a sense of control, connection, and wellbeing that benefits everyone.

Take the first step
I encourage everyone working in consultation and engagement within social housing to explore our tools and resources. Start by signing up for our Quality of Life Code of Practice and using our free self-assessment tool to evaluate your current engagement practices.

Inclusive engagement is not just a regulatory requirement – it’s a powerful approach for creating better places and stronger communities. By prioritising residents’ voices, we can work together to build neighbourhoods that truly enhance quality of life.

For more information, visit the Quality of Life Foundation’s website and take the first step towards enhancing your consultation and engagement practices.

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Melissa Lacide
Senior Engagement Officer
Quality of Life Foundation