CSIA has had a successful year with a lot of growth as we delivered our program of works, activities and events to advance the Community Services Industry.

In celebrating five years of the organisation we acknowledge the support of our Foundation Members who have been integral to enabling the organisation to develop and thrive.

In this blog we reflect on the extraordinary amount of work achieved in the past 12 months across our key program areas of workforce, policy, commissioning and Industry excellence.

You can take a deeper dive across what we achieved and what’s in store for the next 12 months in our Annual Plan 2019.

Building our connection

In 2019, we began work with a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to advance our ability to develop connections, build deep relationships and move towards strong partnerships.

Over two days the CSIA team participated in an engaging, thought-provoking Cultural Intelligence workshop with Aunty Wendy Watego, Aunty Nicole Watego-Gilsenan and Vicki Scott from the STARS Institute of Learning and Leadership.

A key priority in this work has been building our cultural capacity as we move through the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We will keep you updated on the progress of our RAP over the year ahead.

Taking a position on key Industry issues

In partnership with Industry and government, CSIA continued to provide a platform to develop innovative solutions to influence the business environment through our policy influence program.

Through the Community Services Reform Council we developed the Value of Community Services: an Industry-led paper to change the conversation around our value. This work was the catalyst for more than 450 conversations about value across our networks and those of the Reform Council.

We also created space for Industry-led conversations on key issues and developed policy review, inquiries and reform submissions to help shape a better business environment for Industry.

Commissioning for Outcomes

Commissioning for Outcomes provides a framework to support changes to investment approaches across Industry. In 2019 we partnered with Industry and government to work on demonstration projects in the Intensive Foster Care Program, Specialist Homelessness Services Program and place-based initiatives.

Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) Investment

CSIA partnered with the SHS sector and the Department of Housing and Public Works (DHPW) to look at the current state of investment flow and work towards a future state that achieves better outcomes for people.

The Current and Future State Report for homelessness investment, a comprehensive 50-page report with the findings, recommendations and resources from this first phase of the project, was delivered to government.

The report is informed by data collected from interviews with 37 service providers, 18 DHPW contract managers and eight DHPW policy and program officers, case studies, academic research, workshops and an analysis of current investment flow.

Place-Based

CSIA is working with Logan Together to understand system and service integration within the organisation. Interviews and a workshop informed the Current and Future State Report.

Intensive Foster Care

CSIA partnered with 16 Industry service providers and the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women to develop an Industry-led program logic for the Intensive Foster Care service stream. Through more than 20 discovery interviews, three workshops with Industry and government and development of a Theory of Change, this work has achieved consensus between Industry and government towards positive change.

CSIA is working with government towards the next phase of work in this project.

Industry Development and Excellence

In 2019 CSIA focused on system-level responses and the development of resources and tools to advance the business of Industry.

Business Maturity Scorecard

One of the recommendations from the Laying Foundations report was to digitise the Business Maturity Scorecard so Industry could use it to continue to build their capability. CSIA engaged 64 community service organisations in partnership with the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) to deliver the free, easy to use online tool.

Over time we will be able to review the data collected and build an Industry level picture for organisations to benchmark against and fill the gaps with new tools, resources and innovations.

You can register, take the short questionnaire and receive your report in just 20 minutes to support your planning. To advance the business of your organisation head to the Business Maturity Scorecard today.

Excellence Framework for Child Safe Organisations

CSIA, in partnership with QFCC, developed the Excellence Framework for Child Safe Organisations. The Framework provides a comprehensive approach for organisations to improve their effectiveness in keeping children more than safe.

During the year, CSIA engaged with 125 community services organisations and government departments in the development process, distributed 1000 resource booklets across Queensland and presented about the Framework at five national conferences.

Inclusion Ready

CSIA continued to deliver the Inclusion Ready project in partnership with the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors to raise awareness and engagement in the social and economic inclusion of people with disability.

In 2019 Inclusion Ready highlights were:

  • 28 workshops across 17 regions of Queensland to help organisations understand the scope and opportunities the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grants bring
  • 130 attendees at the Inclusion Ready Summit that had eight people with disabilities leading the conversations
  • The first Industry Roundtable where 19 participants discussed employment of people with disability in Industry
  • Three regional Inclusion Readiness Projects in Mount Isa, Atherton and Hervey Bay
  • 56 organisations participating in Stories of Change to Theories of Change workshops to develop inclusive projects.

Resilience and Business Continuity Planning

CSIA is working in partnership with Industry and the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors to build capacity in times of disaster. To support this work CSIA established two peer-to-peer network pilots and 12 workshops across the state.

Workforce for the Future

Workforce is the largest asset of the Community Services Industry and is predicted to have significant growth in the future.

WorkAbility Queensland

The WorkAbility Queensland consortium with National Disability Services and Queensland Council of Social Service focuses on growing and developing the NDIS workforce.

The consortium completed the three-year regional NDIS workforce planning and development project and went on to deliver the NDIS Workforce Research project and the NDIS Training and Skills Support Strategy.

Boosting the Local Care Workforce

CSIA is a partner in the national Boosting the Local Care Workforce (BLCW) program along with Ernst & Young and First Peoples Disability Network supported by the Department of Social Services. This national program supports workforce growth and Industry development in the disability and aged care sectors.

In 2019 through our part in the project CSIA delivered:

  • Direct engagement with more than 600 organisations on a range of workforce and market issues
  • Transition Assistance Funding to 55 successful organisations
  • More than 25 case studies, stories and fliers to support workforce growth.

Vocational Education and Training Industry Advice

In partnership with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, CSIA is managing an Industry engagement project to provide strategic advice on the implementation of the vocational education and training system for our Industry.

In the past 12 months CSIA has:

  • Provided government with five formal advice reports with Industry consultation, advice and feedback
  • Provided feedback and advice to government around Industry views on six other training related issues.

2020 is shaping up to be an even bigger year. We are excited about the partnerships, collaborations and projects to come.

Through these we will continue to explore new ways of doing business to advance the Industry to meet future needs, requirements, reforms and challenges.