Statement of Intent 2005 - Communities, Hapu and Iwi
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High Level Outcome
Communities, hapu and iwi are able to determine and achieve their vital and unique social, economic and cultural goals for the betterment of New Zealand.
Context
The role and significance of communities
Communities make an enormous contribution to the social wellbeing of individuals, families and whanau. They provide support; maintain cultural practices, norms, and values; and often partner with government agencies in planning and delivering social services.
A well-functioning community has strong human, economic, and social capital. Social capital, or the networks and shared values within the community, contribute to economic growth and social development. Social capital also fosters participation in decision making, and communities’ engagement in the policy development and service delivery that affects them.
Working with and investing in communities
The community and voluntary sector is very diverse, and the definition of ‘community’ can include geographic communities and communities of interest. The Government’s engagement with the community sector needs to accommodate this diversity. Although good progress has been made in how Government engages with communities, there is still significant work to be done on how Government can better invest in, support and strengthen communities.
A number of recent developments are changing the way government agencies work with community organisations and with local government. In particular, the Local Government Act 2002 provides many opportunities for central and local government to work much more closely together to plan for and achieve positive outcomes for communities. Along with the establishment of the Charities Commission, government is working with the community and voluntary sector to explore mechanisms for strengthening their relationship and building the capacity of the sector.
Our role
The Ministry contributes to strong and self-determining communities, hapu and iwi by providing:
- leadership and co-ordination of government support for community-based social services
- policy advice on strengthening communities
- support for government departments to strengthen their relationship with community, voluntary, and Maori organisations
- community labour market development
- partnerships with local government and community-based organisations to meet local needs
- support for local community planning processes.
Our Offices for Disability Issues, Senior Citizens and the Community and Voluntary Sector provide advocacy and policy advice to the Government on their population group. They also work to ensure that government agencies are responsive to their population group in the planning and delivery of their policies and services.
Our focus for the next three years
Our work over the next three years will focus on enhancing government agencies’ relationships with the community and voluntary sector, helping the community and voluntary sector to build its capability, and ensuring that community-based services are consistent, effective, and accessible.
Family and Community Services
The establishment of Family and Community Services (FACS) in 2004 has enabled the Ministry to take a lead in strengthening and co-ordinating services for New Zealand’s communities. Initiatives that FACS is responsible for include:
- Local Services Mapping (LSM), previously the responsibility of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYF), working with local government and communities to plan for the delivery of services to meet communities’ social needs
- an online National Directory of services for families and communities, and pilot a family and community services helpline
- programmes to support community-based initiatives, such as the Community Initiatives Fund which provides support for outstanding community leaders undertaking social development projects
- the administration of the Stronger Communities Action Fund
- Heartland Services, providing one-stop-shop access to government and community services through more than 30 Heartland Service Centres nationwide.
Funding administration for community programmes
Following the 2003 Baseline Review of CYF, funding and administration responsibility for a number of community programmes are to be transferred to FACS on 1 July 2005. The Ministry will focus on ensuring a smooth transition for providers.
Strengthening community-based social service providers
In consultation with Te Puni Kökiri, the Ministry is leading the interagency funding project Funding for Outcomes. Funding for Outcomes aims to develop good processes for integrated contracts, reducing the transaction and compliance costs for organisations with multiple contracts.
We will continue to lead various projects to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of community-based services, including:
- exploring the ways in which we can support the non-government sector to build the organisational capability of its members
- providing community-led approaches, through the SKIP (Strategies with Kids: Information for Parents) programme, to support families to raise their children in a positive way
- working with refugee and migrant communities in Christchurch, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Napier/Hastings, and Nelson to improve the responsiveness of social services to the needs of their communities.
Seeing results
We want to see the following results from our work for communities, hapu and iwi:
- central and local government and communities, iwi and hapu work together to achieve shared goals
- community organisations, hapu and iwi participate in decision making about policies and service delivery for their members
- New Zealanders are active in their communities
- strong and resilient communities, hapu and iwi that can meet their members’ needs
- economic activities contribute to sustainable communities
- people have access to effective government services in their communities.
Each of our contributing outcomes is about achieving these results, and ultimately achieving our high-level outcome. As with all our outcomes, the contributing outcomes overlap and support each other.
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The capacity and self-reliance of communities, iwi and hapu and their organisations are enhanced
Strong and resilient communities provide essential support for individuals and their families to be independent and productive, enabling their own development and the development of others. Much of this work is done by community-based organisations.
The Ministry’s Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector will continue to help build the capacity of community organisations by:
- maintaining and enhancing the two good practice websites targeting government agencies’ funding practices and community participation processes
- working in partnership with non-government organisations (NGOs) and Family and Community Services (FACS) within the Ministry to create resources to support capacity development within community and voluntary organisations
- providing advice to the Department of Internal Affairs (as the department responsible for the Charities Commission) on the establishment of the Charities Commission.
Local Services Mapping (LSM) will provide a community-wide approach to improving services for families and communities, including enhancing capacity and capability within communities. LSM involves local and central governments working with communities to determine how services can be managed to better meet local needs. Regional teams will continue working closely with communities to learn how services can be better aligned, funded and delivered. By 2006, the Ministry will be managing LSM in 25 areas across New Zealand.
Funding programmes with a focus on community development include:
- funding to support the development of community-based services for refugees and migrants, a whole-of-government initiative that involves:
- working with migrant and refugee communities to identify their needs
- improving the response of community-based services to these needs
- ensuring refugee and migrant groups can access appropriate social services
- the NGO Study Awards, supporting staff from non-government organisations undertaking study towards a social work degree. The awards recognise that NGOs have limited resources to support staff in study, and that we need to increase the qualifications base among community-based workers.
- the Community Initiatives Fund which supports innovative community development projects led by outstanding community leaders. We administer the Fund according to clear project guidelines and funding criteria.
- the SKIP (Strategies with Kids: Information for Parents) community initiatives fund, which provides funding to a wide range of community-based organisations to support families to raise their children in a positive way.
The Department of Labour’s community labour market development function has also been transferred to the Ministry of Social Development. This function aims to assist disadvantaged communities and groups to recognise and develop their own labour market initiatives and to use their assets to create employment opportunities that lead to self sufficiency and contribute to the local economy. Grants are only available to legally incorporated non-profit entities and communities. This function strengthens our employment role in the regions, enables us to work closely with employers and increases our understanding of local labour market conditions.
The FACS National Directory provides easy online access to a wide range of family and community services, programmes and resources. FACS will continue to develop the directory to ensure it is comprehensive and up to date. Over the coming year, FACS will also explore setting up a families and community services helpline to improve community access to information, services and advice.
The Government’s Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship, released in 2001, committed government agencies and the community sector to work together to address concerns about funding arrangements, effectiveness, compliance costs and related matters.
The Funding for Outcomes project seeks to integrate contracts held between community/Maori organisations and government agencies into a single agreement. The project promotes better co-ordination between government agencies, better integration of services to clients with multiple needs, and better-targeted funding to achieve outcomes. Regionally-based contract advisors are working with 24 government agencies and 20 organisations.
Community organisations, hapu and iwi have a strong voice in decision making about policies and services that impact on their wellbeing
Strong communities involve families, whanau, and individuals in their planning and decision making, leading to policies and services that are right for the community.
Strategies that promote New Zealanders’ participation in their communities, and in local and central government decision making, include:
- Opportunity for All New Zealanders.
- The New Zealand Disability Strategy.
- The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy.
- New Zealand’s Agenda for Children.
The Ministry developed or significantly contributed to all of these strategies, and will continue to implement and monitor progress.
We have also worked closely with non-government and community-based organisations in establishing and supporting the direction of the FACS National Advisory Council. The Council has set out a strategic framework and priorities for responses to families that gives weight to community-based actions.
Under the Local Government Act 2002, local authorities have a responsibility to work with communities to identify the social, economic, cultural and environmental outcomes the community desires. The Ministry’s strong regional presence and capability makes us ideally placed to support local authorities in this work, specifically by:
- co-ordinating social sector agencies’ input into the process
- advising on and helping with consultation processes, when appropriate
- helping local authorities to communicate through our extensive regional networks and to build on our established relationships
- providing relevant regional information, where available.
We report annually to the Department of Internal Affairs on our involvement in the community planning process, and we are producing a Best Practice Guide for staff assisting local governments with the community outcome planning process. We see a strong alignment between this process and our social development work.
Stronger Communities Action Fund
The funding and administration of the Stronger Communities Action Fund (SCAF) will transfer from CYF to the Ministry in July 2005. SCAF was established as a four-year pilot in Budget 2000, and in Budget 2004 was extended to 30 June 2006. SCAF is testing devolved funding processes for community development. It aims to increase the strength and capacity of communities, and to support them to identify and address their own needs. SCAF initiatives include parenting programmes, after-school programmes, employment seminars, and alternatives to violence workshops.
Transfer of community-based contracts
The responsibility for the administration of contracts with some 152 community-based service providers will transfer from CYF to FACS in July 2005. The Government considers these providers’ services ‘fit’ better with the Ministry’s work than with CYF’s. Among the services to be funded are those providing budget advice, education and information; elder abuse prevention services; and funding for some social services ‘umbrella’ groups.
We will work to ensure that the transition is smooth for providers, that providers can continue providing their services in a ‘business as usual’ fashion, and that the community has input into the development of services we are now responsible for funding.
Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector
The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector also contributes to community organisations, hapu and iwi having a strong voice in decision making, through supporting the relationship between government and the community and voluntary sector. During 2005/2006, the Office will develop and facilitate a series of interactive workshops and seminars across government agencies, sharing experiences of ‘what works’ and best practice in managing and strengthening relationships with the sector.
Access to and the effectiveness of government services in communities is improved
Access to government services can be difficult for people living in remote or rural parts of the country. The Ministry has a presence in over 170 locations throughout New Zealand. This geographic reach, combined with our high visibility, makes us an ideal base for providing more co-ordinated and accessible government services.
In some cases we use our physical premises as a base; in others, we can use our infrastructure and networks to help other government agencies improve local access to services.
FACS will continue to administer the Heartland Services initiative, which provides one-stop-shop access to government services in remote or rural areas. There are now 30 rural Heartland Service Centres across New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands, and two urban centres. The urban Heartland Service Centres are trialling integrated services for target population groups such as young people at risk. Heartland Outreach services involve regular co-ordinated visits to isolated areas by government workers.
A 2004 evaluation of Heartland Services found access to government agencies has improved in Heartland areas, collaboration among agencies has improved, and support for voluntary groups has increased in some areas.
We are working to address effectiveness issues that have arisen from funding administration. The effect of multiple-funding contracts and compliance with government funding programmes has long been identified as a key issue for community organisations. The Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship committed government agencies and the community sector to work together to address concerns about funding arrangements, effectiveness, compliance costs and related matters.
The Family Funding Violence Circuit Breaker (FVFCB) aims to improve co-ordination and alignment of government funding process and reduce compliance costs for family violence funding providers. FACS will continue to lead the FVCB initiative, which covers 15 regions across New Zealand and involves funding teams from five central government agencies.
Research and evaluation
Our research and evaluation identifies what works well in building communities’ capability and in improving the way central government engages with communities. Significant research to inform future policy and service development includes the following:
- Defining Community Needs research aims to develop a practical understanding of how ‘community’ and ‘community need’ is understood in regional New Zealand.
- Funding for Outcomes evaluation aims to determine whether the Funding for Outcomes pilot is reducing transaction and compliance costs for funders and providers, and whether such joined-up funding enhances the provision of holistic and wrap-around services.
- Heartland Services evaluation has evaluated the effectiveness of Heartland Services in improving support for voluntary groups in service centre areas, access to government services for rural people in service centre areas, and interagency collaboration to aid access to government services for rural communities. The findings of the evaluation will inform our development of future Heartland Services.
Managing Our Capabilities
The establishment of Family and Community Services, our new Regional Policy Group, Work and Income’s increased regional social development leadership focus and our new community labour market development function will significantly build our capability to achieve better outcomes for communities, hapu and iwi. Over the next three years, we will also continue to:
- develop the capacity of the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector
- develop our staff’s capability to engage effectively with local government, iwi, Maori and community organisations
- strengthen our community-focused research and policy development capabilities.
Monitoring Progress
Outcome indicators
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Indicators - Community Organisations and Participation |
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Indicator |
Current |
Trend |
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Percentage of New Zealanders aged 12 years and over who spent some time doing unpaid work for people or organisations outside their homes |
59% |
No trend available |
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Percentage of adults who belong to community organisations or groups |
70% |
No trend available |
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Source: The Social Report 2003 |
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