Public participation occurs when a government agency asks for public input, uses specific types of meetings or tools to get that input, and then uses the input to make decisions that affect those who have a stake in the outcome.
Public participation is about partnerships, relationships, community.
Public participation is not a process with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it is a process that, once started, becomes a way of life or management tool that underlies all of the activities of a particular DHW program. Community engagement is different from Public Participation. An example would be the Building Stronger Families program in the Division of Family and Children's Services, where DHW funded 78 projects to develop community based services for children and families vulnerable to child abuse and neglect. In community engagement, DHW supports the communities and their projects with resources, personnel, advice, and so on.