In the coming weeks, opportunities for sharing your experience of the pandemic will be available through this website. In the meantime, the Evaluation’s intended approach to consultation is outlined below.

Envisaged Approach to Consultation and Engagement

Consultation will be undertaken in a phased and inclusive manner, aligned to the work stage of the Evaluation. Engagement will be approached with sensitivity and empathy, with an openness to diverse viewpoints.

The Evaluation is keen to understand the experiences of different cohorts, across Irish society. Achieving this will include wide-spread consultation, to capture lived experiences of the pandemic, including economic, social, public health and human rights considerations. This will be followed by targeted opportunities for individuals and representatives to provide more detailed contributions. This mixed approach seeks to maximise participation.

Key themes and insights from consultations will be made available on the Evaluation’s website in a phased way, to give the process greater validity.

Share your experience

Overall consultation will seek to incorporate: 

Public consultation to capture wide-spread accounts of lived experiences
Separate stream to hear the experiences of children and young people
Submissions sought from specific individuals, cohorts or their representatives
Private or group sessions as appropriate to gain deeper insights into lived experience for specific cohorts, such as experiences relating to long-term residential care facilities, experiences of the chronically ill and their carers
Publicly streamed events to allow for wide-ranging discussions with key decision-makers and/or expert panellists on emerging topics
Opportunity for follow up private sessions with key decision-makers for deeper information gathering and the probing of submitted materials.