Community Response Forums Six Month Summary

The 14 Community Response Model Forums have provided their first substantive sixth-month reports to the Minister for Social Development and Employment as at 30 September 2011. 

These outline actions they have taken and recommendations going forward for their area.

Four common themes have been identified from the 14 Forum Reports across the country:

• strengthening community collaboration and leadership
• engaging people on the ground to improve accessibility
• better contracting and joint planning
• developing common outcomes and measures.

Many forums have recommended further work to explore issues they identified, such as:

• a perceived lack of coherence and connectedness of local services
• building strong local networks and encouraging collaboration
• community responsiveness to family needs.

To this end, three CRM Forums have proposed the short term engagement of strategic brokers to build these community connections and create an integrated service delivery model.  These recommendations have been approved on the basis that they can be implemented within a 12 to 18 month timeframe. 

The Minister of Social Development  has also agreed that an evaluation of these initiatives to engage strategic brokers, be commissioned and funded from the QS&I Fund (Research and Evaluation).

Several forums favour the development of community social services hubs, whether they be in schools, health centres, community houses, or ‘virtual’ arrangements.  There are five QS&I proposals to investigate the feasibility of, or to establish, social services hubs and the associated joined up provision of mobile, outreach services. These proposals are predominantly from rural communities. 

It is expected that if hubs were established, they would require some ongoing funding.  It has been agreed that:

• an overall feasibility study be conducted by MSD, and funded under the QS&I Fund, on the value of appropriating funding dedicated to community hubs, the demand for which could be significant
• the five proposals to undertake feasibility studies of joined up local service delivery, which include community hubs and mobile outreach services, proceed.  The findings of these local studies will inform the overall study.

There is a common view that MSD/FACS contracts should reinforce the importance of providers to work in a joined up manner and more collaboratively within the communities in which they operate.  FACS will introduce this into all new contracts.

A full summary of the findings and next steps is available online via the Ministry of Social Development website here.  Individual reports will be made available over the next few weeks.