Di Gursansky and participants in the 'Elder-friendly communities' project. Image courtesy of Yorke Peninsula Country Times Kadina. |
Community capacity building and development
This strand of the SPRG's research program focuses on both urban and rural
communities in Australia, India and Vietnam. It explores the structures
through which community capacity can be enhanced, and the nature of the
partnerships involved between local government and communities, and within
Indigenous communities.
Current research
Exploring new opportunities for local government to facilitate
innovative partnership options that link social, economic and employment
development
ARC Linkage Project 2006–2008. E Carson & L Kerr
Partner organisation: City of Salisbury
This project seeks to formulate an expanded role for Australian local
government in light of OECD debates on localism in the formation of
partnerships for economic, employment and social development. It will
redress the under-utilisation of local government's specific knowledge and
resources that could facilitate economic, employment and social development,
particularly in disadvantaged communities. In addition to the theoretical
and practical knowledge gained regarding localism and partnerships, which
has immediate community benefit, it is expected that the project's outcomes
will have the potential to be transferable to other local government
jurisdictions in Australia and hence be of national benefit.
Indigenous mental health in remote communities: applying a contextual model
of community research and intervention
ARC Discovery project 2008–2010. D Tedmanson (with Guerin, Guerin and Clark)
This project will make an international advance in understanding Indigenous
mental health that will be of interest to many groups around the world. The
main national benefit will flow from contextual knowledge on
how to improve mental health for remote Indigenous communities that also
allows strengthening of communities and their economic and social
enterprises. We will also build capacity in the communities for research
skills, documentation skills, and writing skills. The types of contextual
information collected will provide recommendations to mental health service
providers about how to incorporate local forms of knowledge when dealing
with issues of well-being.
Social and cultural factors in Indigenous enterprise management and
governance
ARC Linkage 2007–2008. D Tedmanson (with Banerjee & Muirhead)
Collaborating/partner organisations: UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide, Pukatja Community Council, Turkey Bore and Tjutjunpiri
Community, Anilalya Homelands Council.
Elder-friendly communities
D Gursansky. An ongoing collaborative partnership (since 2003) between the
University of South Australia, SA Dept of Family and Community Services,
Council on the Ageing, Aged Care and Housing Group, Department of Veteran
Affairs, City of West Torrens and Metropolitan Domiciliary Care.
The primary aim of this project is to assess the needs of older citizens and
their family caregivers in four communities in western metropolitan
Adelaide, and work with them in developing strategies for increasing
community capacity. The secondary aim is to promote and market this model
and process of community capacity building across local government in South
Australia.
Facilitating development of the Aboriginal family care advisory model in the
Families SA Southern Country Region
D Tedmanson with Hans Pieters (Flinders University). Funded by Families SA,
2007–08.
CRC: Desert knowledge: demand-responsive services
D Tedmanson
Evaulative review of the substance misuse and community resilience
project
D Tedmanson with Dr Pauline Guerin (Flinders University) and Syd Sparrow (David Unaipon
College of Indigenous Education and Research)
Grannies Group, Kera Yerlo, 2008.
Completed projects
Communities, trust, governance and partnerships: the role of local
government in community management and development in areas of social
disadvantage
ARC Linkage 2004–2007. H Cameron& L Kerr
In the current social policy
environment, partnerships between institutions, government and community are
increasingly being encouraged as one way of addressing social problems. If
public consultation continues to mean that government sets agendas, asks for
the public's opinion and then, after acknowledging these insubstantially,
proceeds to make final decisions, public participation will be only a dream.
Many people are excluded from even this limited existing opportunity for
engagement which further limits whose voice is heard on community issues.
Consequently resources and services do not always benefit everyone, meet the
needs of the people they are planned for, nor have an impact on the issues
they aim to address. This study raises questions about the effectiveness of
existing consultation methods and describes ways to create two-way dialogue
with local government and the community to address the unmet needs of
citizens. It also explores some alternative ways to identify those who do
not use existing services and how this may address social problems such as
unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.
Alternate care/fostering/adoption for Indigenous communities
Category 2. D Tedmanson
Managing Well
Managing Well was established in 2000 as a partnership between the
University of South Australia and the Department of Human Services to
provide professional development for managers and directors of Indigenous
organisations in South Australia.
Managers and directors of Indigenous organisations face complex issues
necessitating high-level leadership, management and organisational development
skills. These issues pose significant challenges for managers wishing to access
relevant professional development, skills training and vocational or higher
education learning – whilst coping with demanding professional, community and
personal pressures. In response to these issues, extensive consultation was
undertaken with leaders of Indigenous community-based organisations funded by
the Department of Human Services.
The consultations revealed the following training and development needs: cultural planning, organisational development, management skills enhancement
and career development. As a result, Managing Well developed a range of services
to meet the stated training needs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous
managers.
Reports
Gursansky D & Feist H (2005) West Adelaide: a place to call home. Final report of the West Adelaide elder friendly communities project, School of Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia. (PDF 1.22 MB)
Kerr L, Savelsberg H, Sparrow S & Tedmanson D (2001)
Experiences and perceptions of
volunteering in Indigenous and non-English-speaking background communities,
Social Policy Research Group, University of South Australia, Magill. (PDF
452 kb)
Publications
Goddard J (2006) 'Third sector in partnership arrangements: navigating new waters or treading water?' ANZ Third Sector Review Conference, Adelaide, 26-28 November.
Cameron H & Clark A (2006) 'Local government, partnerships and public participation – uncharted territory?' Governments & Communities in Partnership: From Theory to Practice, Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne, 25–27 September.
Carson E & Kerr L (2006) 'Evaluating government–third sector partnerships in Australia' in M Considine (ed), Governments and communities in partnership, Conference Proceedings, University of Melbourne, 25–27 September.
Carson E & Kerr L (2006) 'The looming workforce crisis in the community services sector' in M Hannan (ed), The constraints to full employment, Conference Proceedings, Centre of Full Employment and Equity, University of Newcastle.