CiP Information Pack - Communities in Partnership

CiP Information Pack

CiP Information Pack - Communities in Partnership

Communities in Partnership

April 2009 – September 2010

Memorandum of Understanding Development

A need was identified by the Communities in Partnership (CIP) committee to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to be implemented between the Neighbourhood House, Community Learning Centres and Disability Services.

The Memorandum of Understanding defines terms and conditions which the Neighbourhood Houses, Community Learning Centres and Disability Services shall implement to form an understanding of mutual respect and values.

The Memorandum of Understanding

acknowledges the developing partnerships between Neighbourhood Houses, Community Learning Centres and Disability Services with in the City of Casey area.
provides a basis for further partnership and collaboration development
documents and articulates shared vision, values and commitments
shall create further opportunities for people with disabilities to access services and activities
does not reduce the signatories opportunity to participate in any other activities or relationships
is a working, flexible document which may be redeveloped as needs indicate

Outcomes

Projected outcomes of the Memorandum of Understanding are:

the opportunity to maximise existing partnerships
to develop partnerships which are driven by sharing of skills, knowledge, planning and resources to enhance the experiences of people with disabilities
establish and continue open and clear communication methods between the partners
to enable all parties to effectively administer their respective services and support their staff, tutors and volunteers
to effectively increase access for clients into the wider community by supporting disability services.

At the CIP meeting held on the 2nd of September the Memorandum was adopted by the committee and shall be implemented as needed by the sectors.

The Next Step Forum

The CIP action plan identified the need, under objective four, to hold a forum to catalyst further relationship development, increase communication between sectors and enhance and foster new partnerships.

Forum attendance was represented by Disability Services, Neighbourhood Houses, Community Learning Centres, People with Disabilities, Advocacy Workers, Administration Staff, Volunteers, Tutors, Management for all services, Committee members and City of Casey Representatives. This demonstrates a broad and wide ranging cross section of the community.

The evaluation data gathered as a whole is very favorable in all areas, with combined scores in the level five and six ranges, up to 97%.

Comments from the participants to support this finding;

I FOUND THE FORUM EXTREMELY HELPFUL AS I LEARNT MORE ABOUT OTHER ORGANISATIONS AND MORE ON THE WAY THEY ALL OPERATE AND THEIR NEEDS

WELL DONE! I BELIEVE THAT SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES WILL DEVELOP FROM THE COMMUNITIES IN PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

HAVE MORE FORUMS LIKE THIS - GREAT DAY

Outcomes

As a direct result of The Next Step Forum new partnerships and open channels of communication have been developed and sustained, across all sectors and inclusive of the City of Casey Metro Access team.

Communities in Partnership Committee

Regular meetings have been held with committee members. Currently actively recruiting members to encourage continued support of the project and replace members who have moved on. Members of the committee cover all sectors and other interested parties in the community inclusion of people with disabilities, from Metro Access, Disability Service providers, Department of Human Services, Public Library Service, Department of Planning and Community Development, and Neighbourhood House. The committee is open to all areas of the community for input and involvement.

The committee is active in it’s’ passion and drive pursuing the goals and outcomes as identified in the 2008 action plan.

Outcomes pertaining to the committee membership

Increased participation from a broader range of community and government bodies as committee members.
Increased open and direct communication between all sectors and involved parties.

Training

Following the initial survey period, The Next Step Forum and face to face interviews, disability awareness training has occurred for Neighbourhood House and Community Learning Centre staff and management.

A training package is currently being developed to train tutors within the Neighbourhood House sector to increase their understanding and implementation of;

Expected outcomes for students
Flexibility
Understanding
Participation
Duty of care
Recognition of when to speak up if there are concerns
Feedback for client / disability service
What is best for all
Different approaches
Understanding different learning styles
Skills audit of client
What true inclusion is

Website

http://www.caseyconnect.net.au/cip/

The website for Communities in Partnership has now been developed and is online under the auspice of ‘Casey Connect’. Regular maintenance of the site shall now be carried out by the project worker to reduce costs of outsourcing.

The website is a tool which may be accessed by all community members, providing news and information on community services, facilities, upcoming events, disability services etc.

The website also has direct links to all Disability Services, Neighbourhood Houses and Community Learning Centres within the City of Casey area.

In the future the website shall include a ‘network chat’ facility, where by community and committee members shall have the opportunity to ‘chat’ which each other online. This shall facilitate the ability for community members to gain real time feed back to their questions.

Logo Development

A competition through Neighbourhood Houses and disability services was held to develop a logo design to represent the committee and project. The standard of work was high, with the preferred logo launched at ‘The Next Step’ forum and on all web pages and used on letter head from the project worker.

The CIP is now identifiable through the logo;

International Day of People with Disabilities

The committee shall hold a celebration and showcase of the relationships and opportunities people with disabilities and NH have developed within the Casey area. The event shall be held during the first week of December. The showcase shall highlight what inclusion and community is, what the role of NH is in this capacity, and explores the activities, classes and opportunities which are available through NH and CLC to all people, all communities, all abilities.

The outcomes shall be;

Acceptance of people with disabilities across all areas of the Neighbourhood House network
Increased opportunity for people with disabilities to access areas of interest
Increased opportunities for people with disabilities to make informed choices regarding their needs, interests and goals
The opportunity to maximise existing partnerships
To develop partnerships which are driven by sharing of skills, knowledge, planning and resources to enhance the experiences of people with disabilities
Establish and continue open and clear communication methods between the partners
To effectively increase access for people with disabilities into the wider community by supporting disability services.

Communication

Through the Project worker a continued and valid port of information has been established. Having a dedicated project worker is a viable channel to which relevant and important information regarding the sectors and the wider community can be dispersed.

Ordinarily the differing sectors are unable to access all information due to time constraints and other outside influences, however through the project worker; open lines of communication are developed and have evolved into sustainable relationships.

Outcomes

Increased community volunteer opportunities
Increased access to facilities
Increased awareness of people with disabilities
Increased understanding of challenges faced by people with disabilities
Increase sustainable partnerships between sectors

In Conclusion

Through the project worker all outcomes of the Communities in Partnership project have been able to be achieved without over burdening the already stretched time constraints experienced by both the Neighbourhood House / Community Learning Centres and Disability Services. Those involved in the developments to date have done so on their own undertaking.

Enthusiasm and commitment from the Communities in Partnership committee remains elevated with increased membership foreseeable. Through the committees dedication to the project and to the genuine inclusion of people with disabilities in the City of Casey community the project shall continue to succeed.

To date, the project is on target for completion of the expected outcomes and goals of the Changing Days Funding Initiative of 2008 / 09. The implementation of the action plan and the aims and objectives has been successful, with continuing developments forecast for the remainder of the contract.

Throughout the remainder of the project, informal and formal consultation and interviews shall continue, in all of NH / CLC, Disability Services and people with disabilities. By continuing interaction by the project worker we shall enable existing partnerships to be validated and strengthened, encourage more partnerships to be formed, identify areas of need and importantly areas of success.

Report a problem with this page

Translate this page (beta)