Engaging Communities

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland Michael Hogan Assistant
Director-General, Strategic Policy Department of
Communities
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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
Engaging Communities the CE agenda in Queensland

• Community engagement is an explicit Qld Govt
  commitment, articulated in its third term
  Delivering Responsive Government priority
• Integrated multi-level agenda encompassing
  Community Cabinets, regional Parliament,
  Ministerial Regional Community Forums,
  e-democracy, etc
• Championed by Premier
• Response to global / local imperatives
• low levels of trust, confidence connectedness
  with govt
• Increasing community expectations / past poor
  experiences
• new technologies
• changing nature of communities role of
  governments.

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
Engaging Queenslanders Improving community
engagement across the Queensland Public Sector

• Community Engagement Improvement Strategy (CEIS)
  2 yr Cabinet-endorsed public sector capacity
  development strategy (Nov 02-04)
• Multi-faceted change program relating to
  competencies, cultures, systems processes
• Initially led by Department of the Premier and
  Cabinet now Department of Communities, assisted
  by a cross-agency team
• Public sector agency role to address embed
  engagement within policy, procedures practice
• Working with agencies to review effectiveness and
  outcomes of Strategy and to propose future
  priorities to Cabinet
• Adopted in Public Service Charter vision.

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
CEIS guides tools

• 4 Engaging Queenslanders guides (eg. Community
  Engagement in the Business of Govt) published
  (hard copy online)
• 2003 State of Engagement report published
• 3 guides in preparation
• CE methods techniques
• Evaluating Communiuty Engagement
• Working with Indigenous Communities
• Get involved communications theme materials
• Information via www.qld.gov.au
  www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
CEIS competencies, training awards

• Draft National CE Competencies finalised for ANTA
  approval inclusion in Public Sector Training
  Package
• CE Recruitment Performance Mgt Checklist on
  OPSME website
• Managing Community Engagement Learning Program
  developed with DIR Open Learning. 15 workshops
  will be available online via GOLD.
• CE Training Calender at www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au
  /calender
• CE identified as one of five key themes in
  OPSME's Realising the Vision The Future Qld
  Public Sector 2003
• CE a category in Premier's Annual Awards for
  Excellence in Public Service
• 7 CE Showcases featuring 29 case studies 500
  participants
• E-democracy training for participating agencies

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
CEIS in public sector systems and processes

• Agencies now required to report community
  engagement initiatives as part of annual report
  to Govt.
• Department of the Premier and Cabinets Policy
  Handbook revised updating consultation /
  engagement sections
• online ConsultQld e-democracy tool now mainstream
  method
• Work with Qld Treasury to report on community
  engagement impacts and initiatives within the
  Managing for Outcomes framework and the
  Priorities in Progress report to Govt.
• revamped Regional Managers Coordination Networks
  to facilitate service integration coordination
  as well as engagement alignment
• Smart Service Qld facilitating engaging services
  online counter

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures in
Queensland
Embedding engagement within the Dept. of
Communities Disability Services Qld

• new Dep'tal portfolio arrangements commitment
  to model good practice
• goal to embed community engagement principles
  practices within policy, programs, services
  corporate systems in DoC
• engaged approx 300 staff in 10 Regions central
  office to identify current good engagement
  practice, emerging priorities, support needs
• draft Action Plan developed
• Client Service Charter to be developed
• DSQ outsourced engagement processes to DoC
• new Regional Disability Councils / annual
  conference / funding priorities

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Engaging Communities
Future Public Sector Capabilities Cultures
United Nations / Qld conference on Engaging
Communities in Brisbane, August 2005

• Inaugural international conference on CE
  practice, policy theory
• Expect 1000 representatives of international
  agencies, governments, private sector, tertiary
  sector, community groups, academics
  practitioners
• Learning legacy benefits
• Launched by Premier UN senior officials on 24
  August 2004
• 'Call for Papers Presentations' and
  'Sponsorship Prospectus' now open
• Go to www.engagedcommunities2005.org for more
  information register your interest

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Questions? For further information
www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au