RWA Human Services

BACKGROUND

In 2004, the Redfern-Waterloo Partnership
Project (RWPP) commissioned a Review of
Human Services within the Redfern and Waterloo
areas. The main findings of the review where
that:

• the human services system needs to
  be reformed and reshaped at the local
  level to achieve improved outcomes for
  the community and clients
• changes must be made to build a more
  integrated service system and more collaborative
  approaches to service provision
• significant improvements are required
  in relationships between services.

One of the recommendations of the review
was that the RWPP facilitate the development
of a human services plan and, subsequently,
the human services advisory committee has
been established with representatives from
government, non-government, community and
service users.

To commence the planning process, two community
workshops were held in April 2004. The aims
of the workshops were to:

• identify human service outcomes for
  Redfern-Waterloo
• develop draft quality of life indicators,
  which will form the basis for ongoing
  evaluation of the human services plan.

A parallel process of community consultation
was also undertaken with service providers
and community representatives in April and
May of 2005. Formed into cluster groups
corresponding with the four priority areas
for 2005/06 young people; families and children;
Aboriginal people andHealth, a series of
workshops were held to identify gaps in
services, duplication of services and areas
where service improvement was needed and
poor communication.

Directions that emerged from the consultation
process are aimed at securing community-wide
benefits. They are identified as:

• greater community involvement in planning
  and decision-making about local services
• increased accountability and reporting
  to the community from all human services,
  government and non-government
• equity of access to services
• improved coordination among the local
  services
• politicians and senior managers with
  responsibility for services experiencing
  local issues by coming to Redfern-Waterloo
• community meetings to be widely promoted
  (through letter drops and word-of-mouth)
  and held in accessible venues (such as
  schools).

In summary the following are the key themes
that emerged from the consultations and
provided the basis for a detailed consideration
of ‘quality of life indicators’ that could
be used to track progress toward the community
results outlined above.

• Healthy, well educated children and
  young people who have a positive outlook.
  More specifically, the participants wanted
  children and young people who:
  • are respected (‘allowed to be children’)
  • are healthy and active (‘drug-clean’,
    involved in sports, participating
    in associations, clubs and community
    activities)
  • have a positive, confident outlook
    on life (trusting, happy, ‘open
    to the opportunities available to
    them’, prepared to work, respectful
    of their parents, ‘set their
    own goals’)
  • are well educated and have the skills
    to gain employment (’job ready’,
    computer literate)
• Safe families that are supportive, self-sustaining
  and participating actively in the community.
  More specifically, the participants wanted
  families that are:
  • safe and happy ð diverse (age,
    background, race, culture, socio-economic
    status, language)
  • supportive and stable (ie have access
    to extended families, networks and
    neighbours)
  • inclusive and open to others
  • community-minded
  • self-sustaining rather than welfare-dependent.
• A safe Redfern-Waterloo community that
  is positive and welcoming. More specifically,
  the participants wanted a community that:
  • is safe and welcoming (‘less fearful’)
  • provides a sense of community (‘easier
    to be good’, ‘stable and united’,
    self-sustaining)
  • is drug and crime-free
  • provides opportunities for people
    to move around and interact
  • has a positive image (‘not of interest
    to the media!’)
  • is accepting of diversity (‘not
    just tolerant of diversity’)

Human Services Ministerial
Advisory Committee

In 2004 an Interim Human
Services Committee was established with
community members, representatives from
the three tiers of government and from the
non-government sector. Following the formation
of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority on 17
January 2005, Minister Frank Sartor announced
that he was establishing three Ministerial
Advisory Committees. The Human Services
Ministerial Advisory Committee will consider
human services and health issues affecting
Redfern and Waterloo.

Membership

Human
Services Fact Sheets:

Human Services Report for
Redfern-Waterloo  (pdf ~1.2mb) http://www.redfernwaterloo.com.au/other/human_services_report.pd
Inquiry into Issues relating to
Redfern-Waterloo (pdf ~) http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/77220A893AEA0E16CA256F6C00098A80

Cluster Group Reports

Aboriginal Cluster Group (pdf
~214kb) http://www.redfernwaterloo.com.au/other/aboriginal_cluster.pdf
Health Cluster Group (pdf ~264kb) http://www.redfernwaterloo.com.au/other/health_cluster.pdf
Families and Children Cluster Group
(pdf ~323kb) http://www.redfernwaterloo.com.au/other/family_cluster.pdf
Youth Cluster Group (pdf ~176kb)  http://www.redfernwaterloo.com.au/other/youth_clusters.pdf