Community Solutions: Overview

The Community Solutions & Crime Prevention Strategy aims to provide an innovative multi agency response to social issues affecting targeted priority communities, particularly crime prevention.

The Strategy has the following objectives:

1. To reduce crime and anti social behaviour and increase community safety.
2. To improve health and community resilience (including reduced drug and alcohol abuse).
3. To improve educational and employment opportunities.
4. To improve local coordination and infrastructure.
5. To improve agency coordination and information sharing.

This initiative covers regional and rural NSW as well as metropolitan areas.

Resources

A $50 million Community Solutions Fund has been established to assist with the development and implementation of community development and crime prevention initiatives.

The Government recognises that many agencies and communities are already leading innovative and effective responses to the crime and social issues. The Strategy depends on leveraging community outcomes by aligning existing initiatives.

Current Status

Packages of crime prevention initiatives have been developed in 21 locations. In some areas across the State a number of Place Management projects exist, and Community Solutions funding has been used to extend these in a further 6 priority locations (a package of initiatives and a place management extension was approved for Canterbury-Bankstown).

In addition to the 26 locations, the Community Solutions Fund has also resourced 7 specific crime prevention projects. These projects also target priority locations.

Principles underlying the Strategy

1. Targeted – the strategy is location/place focussed.
2. Local Engagement – community, NGOs, local government and key State government agencies work together to develop local solutions to local issues affecting the community/location. In some locations, the Commonwealth and business sector are also involved.
3. Responsive and Sustainable – focus on short term deliverables and immediate improvements in the area of crime prevention, which align to the development of longer term plans addressing social exclusion.
4. Partnerships – there is an integrated government approach to sharing information on needs of locations, best practice and developing innovative responses to issues affecting locations.
5. Consolidation – the strategy builds on and consolidates community strengths, existing partnership approaches and government initiatives.

Strategy

The Strategy:

1. Focusses on priority issues affecting the specific location.
2. Has regard for the assets and strengths specific communities – leaders, networks, facilities etc
3. Responds to short, medium and longer-term goals.
4. Is proactive as well as reactive (i.e. not just responses to crises).
5. Employs a mix of immediate, early intervention and other preventative strategies.
6. Aligns key policies, programs, services and initiatives (especially those with a locality, ‘place’ and/or coordinating focus).

Approach

The operational core of the strategy consists of:

1. The identification of priority locations by:
   • collating and comparing locality based crime and related data.
   • mapping current and relevant services and community capacity.
2. The promotion of initiatives that:
   • target, the specific needs and capacities of specific locations.
   • articulate desired results.
   • are informed by our knowledge of "what works and what doesn't".
   • gain maximum leverage by reshaping or boosting existing initiatives.
3. Flexibility to accommodate changing circumstances across the state, as reflected in the operational information provided by relevant agencies.

Community Solutions & Crime Prevention Working Group

The Working Group oversees the implementation of the strategy, requiring a new approach to improve outcomes and to ensure the coordination and alignment of existing initiatives in crime prevention related areas. Agencies provide statewide line agency information on locations, existing services and initiatives.

The Working Group consists of:

1. Attorney General's Department
2. Department of Aboriginal Affairs
3. Department of Community Services
4. Department of Education and Training
5. Department of Housing
6. Department of Juvenile Justice
7. Department of Local Government
8. Department of Sport & Recreation
9. Department of Transport
10. NSW Department of Health
11. NSW Police
12. The Cabinet Office
13. Premier's Dept.

The Working Group reports to the Cabinet Standing Committee on Justice, Community Solutions and Crime Prevention on the progress of the Strategy and other matters.

For further information contact:

Melissa D'Agostino
Senior Project Manager, Community Solutions
Communities Division
Department of Community Services
1 Farrer Place,  Sydney  2000
phone:  02 9716 2840
email: melissa.d'agostino@community.nsw.gov.au