Consultation
Process
The consultation process being used for Phase 2 of the Human
Services Plan seems to be more about how to control input that to get a genuine
and open expression of what local services and residents think and need. The
consultation process for the Partnership Project and RWA’s Human Services Plan
Phase 1 had flaws that have been documented, but was reasonably extensive. This
does not mean Phase 2 should have an inadequate consultation process. A
different group of people and concerns are being considered in Phase 2 – aged
people, people with disabilities, homeless people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders (ATSI) over 45 years and people from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds (CALD).
The language in the invitation letter to attend the
consultations, gives the impression that the process is about controlling
input, rather than seeking useful input. There are also a couple of terms that
demonstrate either a lack of understanding of the existing service system or a
determination to operate independently. Either way, they introduce a barrier to
consultation. Please note the use of the term ‘migrant’ has a particular use in
multicultural programs and is not in present usage when referring to people
from a multicultural background. The term ‘culturally and linguistically
diverse’ (CALD) is the accepted one.
The biggest concern about consultation is the lack of input
from consumers. Local residents, who are aged, have a disability, are
culturally and linguistically diverse, or homeless and are the people least
able to advocate for themselves. The RWA should demonstrate the good practice it
requires from local services and make an additional effort to ensure these
disadvantaged residents have adequate input. Community service providers take
additional and special measures to ensure they have input from consumers. This
includes:
- Providing
transport - Organising
carers to accompany them - Making
the information clear - Providing
translations - Going
to where they are, rather than expecting them to access a formal process.
This lack of adequate support for disadvantaged people to
have input into an RWA consultation was also raised at the Built Environment
Consultation. The lack of consideration and effort to get input from these
disadvantaged people, compromises any findings from the consultations. It also
points to a tendency of government and the RWA towards a policy of not engaging
with consumers. The lack of a strong and representative consumers voice on the
Human Services Advisory Committee confirms that approach.
As is common practise in government consultations, the
amount of time offered to the community to provide input is inadequate. Just
because the practise is widespread, does not make it acceptable. The total span
of time for consultation is usually sufficient, but the response time offered
to the community is usually squeezed into a few weeks. This demonstrates either
a lack of understanding that community processes are inherently slower, or that
good quality community response is not valued. Adequate time should be factored
into the process from the beginning. In this case community services in the
area would have liked to bring consumers together, but we did not have time.
Late distribution of
resource material
Finally the hold up of the distribution of the background
papers has added to the firm impression that the intention is to keep the
process tight and controlled. We suspect that we are going through the process
so the consultation ‘box’ can be ticked, while government officers make the
decisions behind closed doors.
Changing the Service System
Local community services in Redfern and Waterloo find it difficult to understand why
the RWA wants to change existing services that work hard in a difficult
environment and provide services valued by the local people. We have found a
concept from the theory of Place Management that the RWA Human Services reform
is based on that may offer an explanation. The Smith Family Research and
Advocacy Briefing Paper – From Welfare to Place Management: Challenges and
Developments for Service Delivery in the Community Sector by Vanessa Green
and Gianni Zappela says that the Place Management model sets out to “dismantle
the current system of service delivery by adopting a radically different
approach – a shift from inputs to outcomes. The place manager defines the
outcomes of the place and then buys in the services needed to translate those
outcomes into action”. Stewart Weekes 1998 – 3-5.
Are the RWA plans then,
not about helping local services do a better job, but about changing the
current system, no matter whether it is a working well or not. This would help
explain why the RWA is not making a large effort to find out what local
services are currently doing, but are happy to decide what should happen
internally and impose the new system. This would also explain the apparent lack
of deep interest in consultation results.
Do more with no more
The NSW government has made a decision not to “buy in” any
additional services for Redfern and Waterloo,
but to re-organise existing ones or make them do more with no more resources.
To achieve this result, services would have to leave some work they are doing
and pick up the work that is required by the RWA. Either that or do more work
with no more money. If services change what they do, there will be some other
necessary activity not undertaken and services not wholly in Redfern and Waterloo would have to
split their projects. Government also falsely believes that if services were
more efficient they could do lots more work. This is a claim, not a proven
fact. Services are not so incompetent that if we are restructured, co-ordinated
and make back-office savings, we will be able to meet the huge unmet needs in
Redfern and Waterloo.
Existing Contracts
All existing HACC services have been monitored and validated
–some very recently under the new Integrated Monitoring Framework. Other
services have monitoring, service specifications and quality imposed by their
funding body. Is the RWA saying the funding bodies have got it wrong? The RWA
process would have to relieve services from their existing contracts with their
funding bodies, so how can they drop their present activities and take up new
ones required by the RWA?
Services are flat out
and full
There is no spare capacity in any community services in
Redfern and Waterloo.
Services that cover a wider area than Redfern/Waterloo find resources being
pulled into the locality due to high need. A large number of identified
problems such as access, co-operation, case management, lack of flexibility,
ethno specific support and Dementia are the result of services having no spare capacity
and stretching existing resources to meet the most needy people. The capacity
to do more intervention, prevention, innovation and flexible service provision
are hampered by insufficient resources.
National and State
Issues
Many of the problems besetting services in Redfern/Waterloo
are a result of service design, interface with other sectors and government
departments, as well as inadequate funding over a long period of time. The
ACOSS study Indicators for Capacity Building of the Community Sector Services
show the pressures on community services are national. They are not the
fault of community services in Redfern and Waterloo.
Government services
Many of the services needed in Redfern and Waterloo are government services, especially
health and housing as well as police, children’s services, transport and legal.
Improving the delivery of direct government services and their integration with
community services would make a real difference and would be a sensible use of
the RWA’s authority. Government departments could also make improvements in
their planning of services and administration of grants, especially DADHC
getting new money out and DIMIA’s use of data to assess needs.
Lack of knowledge and
appreciation of community services
The HACC service system that provides services to frail aged
people and people with disabilities is well developed and fairly complex. Many
of the actions in the Issues Paper recommend work that has already been
attempted over many years. A period of familiarisation by the RWA of existing
services would have been beneficial. Many of the actions are the province of
huge national and statewide programs and the capacity of local services and the
RWA that covers two suburbs to change this is limited. Many of the actions proposed
are dependant on and impacted on by other issues like new housing initiatives,
mental health funding, transport and drug and alcohol.
The RWA demonstrates a poor concept of community
development, including concepts such as:
- Open
communication - Respectful
consultation - Empowerment
of disadvantaged people - Assisting
people to seek solutions to their problems - Action
–based research - Power
to -not power over
RWA Issues Paper
changes
The welfare issues that the RWA has identified are largely
correct. They require serious, long-term, well-funded actions to make a
difference. Many of the actions identified by the RWA in the Issues Paper are
not sufficiently rigorous to have an impact on problems and are often about
service design, rather than practical on-the-ground actions eg .
The 10 issues chosen to highlight in the paper are not the
only or main issues. ‘Better Service Delivery’ is the same name as an existing
IT project and is very confusing. Can it be changed to ‘Provision of Services’.
Dementia support needs to be placed with service delivery as most organisations
and actions are common. Intergenerational issues are not a major issue and
could be placed with Social Isolation.
Suggesting action that are already happening, show a lack of
knowledge of the aged and disability service system and how it is implemented
in Redfern and Waterloo.
Many action items are attempting to fix problems that are either a structural
problem within a service type that many people have been trying to fix for some
time or are already being worked on. It is annoying that the RWA has listed an
action plan that we are already doing. Either the RWA does not know about it or
thinks we are not doing it properly. If the proposed actions refer to some
service providers, not all, this should be stated in the paper.
Mapping existing services
If the RWA/Partnership Project t had carried out a mapping
of services and resources in the area as initially promised, the RWA would have
a better idea of the service system and gaps in service, plus what is needed to
improve outcomes.