IN THIS ISSUE
The Human Services Advisory Committee (HSAC)
This is the first edition of E-News
which will be disseminated by the Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project and
Council of Social Service of NSW on behalf of the HSAC. The aim of
E-News is to ensure that interested members of the Redfern-Waterloo community
and service providers are kept informed of current events relating to the
development of the Human Services Plan for the area.
The Human
Services Advisory Committee (HSAC)
The HSAC advises the Minister
with responsibility for Redfern-Waterloo on human services in the area.
The Committees role and purpose is to:
Provide
advice to the Minister on the human services system in Redfern and Waterloo
and the most effective means of achieving outcomes for service users and the
community
Ensure
integrated human services planning- Foster
and support the development of local community based solutions to identified
areas of concern as appropriate
Serve
as a forum for raising community concerns
Support
the capacity of service providers to achieve positive outcomes for service
users and community members
Conduct
research and manage projects, as required or approved by the Minister
Provide
advice to the Minister on the social outcomes to be pursued in the
Redfern-Waterloo Plan and its specific strategies
Provide
advice on other matters referred to it by the Minister.
Whilst adopting a broad advisory
role in relation to human services, the first project of the HSAC is to
develop part one of the Human Services Plan, 2005-2006. The HSAC began
this work on 3 March 2005.
Details about the HSAC’s first
meeting are outlined below.
The complete terms of reference for
the HSAC are available on the Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project’s
website: www.redfernwaterloo.nsw.gov.au
On 1
July 2005, the Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project is merging with
the Redfern-Waterloo Authority. As a result of this amalgamation,
processes have been streamlined and the HSAC has replaced the Human Services
Implementation Working Group which was to be established to oversight the
development of the Human Services Plan. These initial appointments will
be for 6 months. The RWA will shortly be advertising for additional
community representatives for the HSAC.
Community representatives for
the HSAC were selected, following a public call for Expressions of
Interest (EOI). Representatives were selected on the basis of selection
criteria outlined in the EOI by a panel consisting of two community members and
the co-chairs of the HSAC.
The 17-member HSAC is
co-chaired by Mr Michael Ramsey of the Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project and
Mr Gary Moore of the Council of Social Service of NSW. In all,
the HSAC has three representatives of services users and the Redfern-Waterloo
community, seven members from the NSW State Government, two representatives of
Commonwealth Government, three representatives of the non-government sector,
and one from the City of Sydney Council.
Members are:
Mr
John Becker
NSW Government
representative (Department of Housing)
Ms
Helen Campbell
Non-government
representative
Ms
Mabel
Chang
Community/service
user representative (interim appointee)
Ms Janelle
Chapman NSW Government representative
(Department of Community Services)
Mr
Paul Cramer
Commonwealth
Government representative
Ms Monica
Barone
Local Government
representative
Ms Gay Horsburgh
NSW Government representative
(Department of Health)
Mr Colin
Kay
Commonwealth
Government representative
Dr Phil
Lambert
NSW Government
representative (Department of Education and Training)
Ms Shirley Lomas
Community/service
user representative
Mr Gary Moore (co-chair)
Non-government
representative
Mr Aldo
Pennini
NSW Government
representative (Redfern-Waterloo Authority)
Mr Michael
Ramsey(co-chair) NSW Government representative
(Premiers
Department)
Ms
Lynette
Stewart
Community/service
user representative
Mr Carlo
Svagelli
NSW Government
representative (Department of Aboriginal Affairs)
Mr Rob Welsh
Non-government representative
The Human Services Plan is being
developed in two stages.
Part one of the plan will focus on
youth services, services for Aboriginal people, family and childrens services
(including domestic and family violence), and health services (particularly
mental health, drug and alcohol and dual diagnosis).
Time limited cluster groups will be
established in each of these service areas to develop action plans, which will
be incorporated into the plan.
The Redfern-Waterloo Partnership
Project hosted the first two meetings of the HSAC on 3 March and 15
March 2005. At the meeting, members discussed the following key
issues:
- Principles
for working together and for the Human Services Plan - The terms
of reference for the Committee - The
findings of the human services review and the need for the human services
system to change - Linkages
between the broad social outcomes identified through the human services
planning process and the development of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan - The
framework for the Human Services Plan - Membership,
role and purpose of the cluster groups - Upcoming
workshops on integrated services, delivery, community outcomes and measuring
performance and results - Communicating
with the community about the development of the plan - Confidentiality
of information shared between members - Evaluating
the Human Services Plan; and - The
closure of Redfern Local Court.
The next meeting of the HSAC will be
held on 7 April 2005.
To ensure that the Human Services
Plan meets the needs of the local community, a community outcomes workshop will
be held on 4 April 2004 at 10 am and
repeated again at 6 pm at the PCYC, 638 Elizabeth
Street, Redfern.
The purpose of the workshop will be to identify the outcomes that
community members want achieved through the Plan. See www.redfernwaterloo.nsw.gov.au
for more details.
Samantha Nolan
Senior Project Manager
Redfern/Waterloo
Partnership Project
(ph) 9698 0911
(fax) 8243 9466