Working Together in Strengthening Rural Communities

An early initiative of the Western Regional Co-ordination Program which led to the establishment of the communitybuilders website.

This is a case study of an early initiative which is now completed.

A Community Building Kit originated as a result of this Forum but further consultation with communities led to an online resource - the communitybuilders website.

Over two days in September 1998, more than 130 people from towns of Western New South Wales met in Dubbo to share their knowledge, forge new alliances and find new ways to build stronger, safer communities.

The Forum was a rare and significant opportunity - bringing together country mayors, Aboriginal leaders, business people and community representatives to work through common problems and devise solutions. Senior Government officials, including heads of departments, also took part to listen, learn and respond.

Of the many conclusions drawn at the Forum, one of the most significant was that the complex social problems being experienced in Western NSW communities were inextricably linked. This conclusion called upon government agencies and communities to work together to identify and implement sustainable solutions.

This case study examines the background to the Forum, discusses the progress in implementing outcomes from the Forum and looks at lessons learnt from the approach.

BACKGROUND

The Forum concept was developed through the Regional Co-ordination Program, led by the NSW Premier's Department, to develop responses to community crime and safety issues and social problems being experienced in communities across Western NSW. It reflected the need for the development of whole of government-whole of community approaches to addressing these issues.

A "forum" mode of response to these issues was chosen because:

• it enabled intensive, outcome focussed and time limited analysis of complex issues across multiple localities, while enhancing networks and collaborative multi-agency approaches; and
• it sent a clear signal to communities and their local councils that the State Government was serious in its commitment to addressing the concerns of communities.

PRE FORUM PREPARATION

The Forum was more than a single event. It was informed by a series of visits, by members of the Council on Crime Prevention, to towns in Western NSW. The Council visited Wellington, Bourke, Walgett, Gilgandra, Wilcannia and Wentworth. They also talked with community representatives from Narromine, Dubbo, Brewarrina, Moree, Coonamble and Warren.

These visits confirmed the enthusiasm of communities in Western NSW to develop effective responses to concerns that challenge their well-being. There was a clear recognition that communities need to be fully involved in the development of solutions in partnership with Government. The visits collected information on key issues and successful initiatives. There was a striking similarity in the issues that most concerned communities. These became the central themes for the Forum:

• Unemployment
• Substance Abuse
• Family Breakdown
• Government Services ¨ Relationships between Police and the Community
• School Absenteeism
• Youth Services
• Other issues included: cross-cultural issues and domestic violence

FORUM OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Forum included:

• The development of a shared, strategic approach to the socio-economic problems faced by Western NSW communities;
• The development of short, medium and long-term actions which could be implemented by Western communities in partnership with Government agencies;
• The enhancement of productive and collaborative relationships between Aboriginal organisations, Government agencies and Local Government;
• Development of agreed commitment between communities and State Government agencies with respect to responses, in particular communities; and
• Formation of a representative group from the Forum to drive the strategies and provide ongoing feedback on implementation.

FORUM PARTICIPANTS

The Forum brought together a broad range of participants including:

• The Premier
• The Minister for Local Government
• The Minister for Regional Development and Rural Affairs
• The Directors-General of the Departments of Health, Education and Training, Aboriginal Affairs, Community Services, Premier's and the Assistant Commissioner of the NSW Police Service
• 12 Mayors and Local Council General Managers
• Aboriginal Community representatives
• Community groups; and
• Regional and central office staff from Government Departments

FORUM AGENDA AND FORMAT

The Forum began with addresses by the Premier and Ministers. The Premier, in his addressed, announced funding for the following initiatives which were identified in the pre-Forum focus:

• Taking Down the Mesh, Bourke
• Big hArt , Walgett
• Reconciliation: Travelling Workshops
• Parenting Skills
• Wilcannia Weir Project
• A Community Building Kit

In the work groups and plenary sessions that followed, attention was focussed on:

• Outlining the dimensions of the themes identified in the pre-Forum tour by the Council on Crime Prevention
• Listing desired outcomes
• Identifying actions which could be implemented by local communities in partnership with government; and
• Defining elements of a framework to implement these actions.

A fundamental strategy at the Forum was to have the participants focus upon solutions and not spend their collective energies arguing the point with regard to what the problems were. Subsequently, an important part of the agenda focussed upon the provision of information and presentations on successful initiatives which had been, or were being, put in place in particular communities:

• Dubbo Youth Council
• Together for Under Fives and Families (TUFF), Coonamble
• Street Beat Program, Bourke
• Blue Reelers, Wilcannia
• Adopt-a-Cop Program, Brewarrina
• M.E.R.C.Y. Camps, Goodooga; and
• Big hArt.

OUTCOMES - RESULTS

Following the Forum, the Implementation Steering Group chaired by the Minister for Local Government, was formed to ensure maintenance of momentum from the Forum, as well as assisting communities to identify and implement effective initiatives at the local level. Since the Forum, the Implementation Steering Group has been actively involved in ensuring that information and initiatives are shared between the key stakeholders: Local Government, Community Groups and State Government Agencies.

Excellent progress has been made with the implementation of the six initiatives announced by the Premier at the Forum:

• Taking Down the Mesh, Bourke - completed
• Big hArt, Walgett - completed
• Reconciliation: Travelling Road Show - completed
• Community Building Kit - completed and ongoing
• Parenting Skills - incorporated into the Families First Program; and
• Wilcannia Weir - currently subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment Study.

Outcomes from the Forum can be broken into two components:

1. Immediate

• The Minister for Local Government wrote to the 12 participant Local Councils and strongly encouraged them to convene community meetings to develop actions at the local level.
• The Director-General, Department of Education and Training, developed strategies to accommodate alternative education programs which most effectively meet the needs of children and parents living in towns across Western NSW.
• The Department of Education and Training worked with local businesses in towns to establish traineeships with an employment outcome.
• The Premier asked the Minister for Regional Development and Rural Affairs to determine how the Department of State and Regional Development might more actively drive employment opportunities in Western NSW; especially in smaller towns through local industries and investment.
• The Premier announced that there is a new requirement for senior agency staff to demonstrate a co-ordinated, multi-agency approach to service delivery.
• The NSW Police Service agreed to work with communities to extend successful crime prevention and youth focussed initiatives to other Western NSW towns.
• Western NSW Regional Managers of State Government Departments developed and adopted strategies aimed at working with local communities to achieve outcomes identified at the Forum.

2. Ongoing

Overall, the Forum has led to:

• enhanced levels of co-operation between State Government agencies and Local Government;
• strong leadership by local government in facilitating initiatives at the local level;
• excellent support and involvement of the Aboriginal Community and Aboriginal organisations; and
• improved co-operation between and co-ordination of State Government agencies.

Sustainable solutions to the complex problems being experienced by communities in Western NSW will take some time to achieve. However, there is considerable evidence that Local Government and State Government agencies have put in place a range of positive initiatives which address the key outcomes identified at the Forum.

These include:

• Employment/Unemployment
  • Employment of 5-6 Aboriginal Trainees by Dubbo City Council;
  • Inclusion of an analysis of employment in Narromine Council's social plan;
  • Local Government support of Work for the Dole programs in Narromine, Wellington, Bourke and the Barwon-Darling Alliance group of Councils;
  • Council support for Community Development Employment Programs in Narromine, Gilgandra, Wilcannia, Wellington, Moree and Dubbo;
  • Moree Plains Shire Council commenced an Aboriginal Employment Strategy employing 8 participants;
  • Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers developed an Aboriginal Employment Strategy;
  • Local businesses at Bourke have developed 12 positions for trainees over the next three years;
  • The Department of State and Regional Development has provided: assistance to communities through the Main Streets program; direct assistance to firms to establish or expand; and support to the Back o' Bourke project which has the potential for 150 jobs;
  • The Western Institute of TAFE has provided significant training support to a range of employment programs across Western NSW;
  • The Department of Housing has generated a number of employment opportunities for tenants through their community renewal program; and
  • Other agencies have been able to provide additional employment opportunities through new initiatives, such as: the Orana Juvenile Justice Centre, the 2nd Choice Facility at Brewarrina and a range of traineeship positions.
• Provision of Government Services
  • Area Health Services have progressed the development of Multi-purpose Service Centres across the Western area;
  • New inter-agency groups have been established at Narromine and Brewarrina;
  • The Government Access Centre continues to operate successfully at Gilgandra;
  • The Moree Place Management program continues its focus upon community development issues;
  • The 2nd Chance Correctional Facility is now operational at Brewarrina;
  • In Central Darling Shire, agencies have continued their support for the Co-ordinated Care Trial. As well, there has been a focus upon establishing Rural Transaction Centres at Ivanhoe, White Cliffs, Wilcannia and Menindee;
  • The DLWC Native Vegetation Unit will be relocated to Wellington;
  • An Internet Centre is to be opened in Walgett in April 2001;
  • The Western Regional Co-ordination Management Group (Regional Managers of State Government Agencies) has commenced a significant level of whole of government support to communities in Brewarrina and West Dubbo;
  • The Walgett Community of Schools project continues to better address the educational needs within that community;
  • The Western RCMG has adopted a major focus upon the issue of "Recruitment and Retention" of agency staff to rural and remote communities; and
  • State Government agencies have provided co-ordinated support to the West Dubbo Community, particularly through the provision of services from a vacant Department of Housing property.
• Youth Services
  • Youth Council established at Narromine while Bourke and Wellington are attempting to establish Youth Councils. The Dubbo Youth Council continues to provide youth leadership in Dubbo;
  • Youth in Bourke made a significant contribution to the development of a mural, which depicts the history of Bourke, as a part of the Taking Down the Mesh project;
  • Youth in West Dubbo have participated in the creation of mural paintings on fences in the West Dubbo Housing estate;
  • Aboriginal youth in Walgett participated in the very successful Big hArt project culminating in the production of a film titled "Hurt";
  • State Government agencies have continued to support the Maari Ma youth project in serving the needs of youth in Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee and Ivanhoe;
  • The M.E.R.C.Y. Camp at Goodooga made a positive impact upon a large number of Aboriginal youth who participated;
  • Bourke Shire Council sponsored three Aboriginal youths to attend the World Indigenous Peoples Conference in New Zealand in 1999; and
  • State Government agencies have continued to support a range of Vacation Care Programs, after school activities and sporting programs across Western NSW.
• Substance Abuse
  • The Premier's Department appointed a Project Manager, Community Drug Action Strategy to work with communities in the Western Region to establish appropriate responses at the local level. A draft Drugs and Community Action Strategy Regional Plan has now been prepared;
  • Dubbo City Council has formed a Community Safety Committee. One of its charters is to address drug related issues in Dubbo;
  • Wellington Shire Council has been working with the Project Manager, CDAS to develop the Wellington Local Drug Diversion Initiative;
  • Moree Plains Shire Council has formed a Crime Prevention and Safety Group to develop strategies to address drug issues;
  • In Central Darling Shire the Department of Sport and Recreation has conducted a range of sporting programs as diversionary strategies;
  • The Far West Area Health Service has established new positions of Drug and Alcohol Advisers at Broken Hill, Bourke and Dareton; and
  • Brewarrina Central School and Wellington High School have participated in a program titled "Healing Time" to reduce drug abuse in their communities.
• School Absenteeism
  • The Street Beat program, which is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and Training, the NSW Police Service and local government, has operated effectively in Bourke, Dubbo, Moree, Wellington and Brewarrina;
  • Operation Roll Call, conducted jointly by the Department of Education and Training and the NSW Police Service, has had a positive impact upon school absenteeism in a number of Western towns;
  • The Narromine (Centacare Project) Youth Support Program has made a positive impact upon school attendance through its linkages with TAFE in providing additional vocational opportunities through school;
  • In Walgett, the Walgett Community of Schools Project has also had a positive impact upon school attendance through its focus on making school more relevant to students in Walgett; and
  • In Dubbo, the Department of Sport and Recreation, the Dubbo PCYC and the Department of Education and Training have conducted a successful Non-attendees Breakfast and Sport Program which targets students who are suspended or not attending school.
• Family Breakdown
  • Bourke Family Support Program established;
  • The Orana Far West Area of the Department of Community Services has contracted with Burnside to purchase 12 intensive family support packages;
  • The Department of Community Services has conducted its "Linking Women with Safety Program" at Warren, Coonamble and Gilgandra;
  • The Families First Program is being, or has been, rolled out in: the Macquarie Area Health Service area, the Far West Area Health Service area and at Moree;
  • The Department of Juvenile Justice has conducted a number of "Parenting Skills" Workshops for parents of juvenile offenders; and
  • Throughout the Darling River Area Command (NSW Police Service), "Time-Out Facility for Adult Males" establishments are being used as places for violent partners to reflect on their actions.
• Relationships between Police and the Community
  • Most communities now report an improved relationship between their local police service and the community;
  • Walgett Shire Council has been actively involved with Walgett Police in producing a monthly community newsletter; and
  • NSW Police Service has been involved in a range of community based projects in co-operation with other State Government agencies including: Adopt-a-Cop, Street Beat, Blue Reelers and sporting activities such as the Police versus Youth Cricket Day at Gilgandra.
• Other Issues
  • Since the Premier's Forum, each of the 12 participant Local Councils have produced a Social Plan for their community;
  • Nine of the 12 Councils have developed or are currently drafting Local Crime Prevention Plans; and
  • Surveillance cameras have been installed in the main streets of Bourke and Walgett and are being considered by Dubbo City Council.

PROGRAM ANALYSIS

Overall, the Forum has proved to have been an effective mechanism to stimulate enthusiasm and commitment to a co-operative approach in addressing the evident complex problems and issues facing communities in Western NSW.

• Strengths and Innovations- the Forum itself and the integrated service initiatives it produced exhibit the following strengths:
  • A common commitment from all the key stakeholders to working together.
  • Community ownership and commitment to developing solutions at the local level.
  • Creation of an environment more able to address the core problems rather than one in which short-term solutions focussing upon symptoms are initiated.
  • Linkages between Government agencies and Aboriginal organisations have been strengthened.
  • Conscious effort to improve communication on a regular and ongoing basis.
    
• Weaknesses, Constraints and Solutions
  • The breadth and complexity of issues facing the communities of Western NSW.
  • Escalating regional socio-economic pressures.
  • A need to improve service access in the face of constraints of distance and dispersal.
  • Multiple jurisdictions: Federal, State and Local governments (and the non-government community sector) all have mandates to steer key segments of the service "system".
  • Lessons and "good practice" need increased mainstreaming within regional agencies.

Critical Success Factors

• Pre-Forum activities promoted ownership by communities and agencies of responses to problems; the Forum was then able to focus on joint action and solutions rather than debate on process and responsibilities per se.
• Strong commitment from the Premier, Government, CEO's of Agencies and Local Government.
• Broad representation.
• Establishment and maintenance of good communication networks.

Lessons and Recommendations

The Forum enabled the generation of a large number of multi-agency and community driven initiatives within a short time frame. Given the resource intensive (albeit time limited) nature of the exercise, there are limits to the application of the format across regional NSW.

The Forum yields the following lessons in relation to the design of integrated responses to community issues:

• Clear objectives and strategy are needed to focus limited agency and community resources;
• Intensive pre-Forum preparation was essential to:
  • develop a focused and manageable agenda;
  • engage participants in advance in reflecting on priorities and responses to issues; and
  • lay the foundation for a process that was biased towards action and productive partnerships.
• Collaborative and focused inter-agency regional management is required to:
  • define issues that require integrated responses;
  • design initiatives; and
  • ensure timely and effective implementation.
• Issues assessment and project design should reflect and build on community and agency strengths as well as deficits.

For further information

Contact	:	The Regional Coordinator
Address	:	Suite 2 Ground Floor 167 Brisbane Street DUBBO 2830
Phone	:	02 6884 7403
Fax	:	02 6884 7405