Developing Throughcare in the ACT an innovative partnership Simon Rosenberg & Melanie Saballa

1. Developing Throughcare in the ACT an innovative partnershipSimon Rosenberg & Melanie Saballa 1 Chief Minister & Cabinet Directorate

2. Community Sector View Simon Rosenberg Chief Executive Officer, Northside Community Service

3. Three ways to “do” policy • Consultation • Advocacy • Partnership • - Throughcare as a case study

4. 1. Policy by Consultation • Govt identifies a policy issue • Govt develops a draft policy paper for consultation; seeks reaction through forums, submissions • Community sector organises its response • Govt accepts, adapts or ignores sector input • Govt provides feedback on the outcomes – sometimes!

5. 2. Policy by Advocacy • Community sector identifies unmet needs • Sector does research, consults internally on the issues and solutions • Position developed to present to govt, media • Govt accepts, adapts or ignores sector views

6. 3. Policy by Partnership – “co-design” • Community sector – or govt – identifies unmet needs • Sector approaches govt – or vice versa – to work on issues and solutions • Positions developed; may be joint, separate or both, but with common aims • Govt and sector maintain their accountabilities, but work together as far as possible; eg constraints of Cabinet process • Ideally, a final policy position emerges that has govt and sector ownership

7. Community Integration Governance Group (CIGG) • 2009: Problem identified: - new ACT prison with rehab and human rights aims, but no planning or coordination of throughcare to help prevent reoffending • Seen as whole-of-govt and whole-of-community (WoG/WoC) problem • CIGG developed initial policy position on Throughcare, with explicit aim to work with govt on developing the policy, not just discussing service implementation • ACT Government responded cautiously but positively 7

8. CIGG achievements • Participation of all relevant sectors - credibility • CIGG members agreed to act strategically - not as organisational representatives • Comprehensive submission to Prison Review. • Cabinet agreement to development of Throughcare Policy collaboratively between ACT Govt and CIGG. • Opportunity to brief Cabinet • Cabinet signed off on new policy November 2011 • Joint implementation now underway

9. What made it work? • Trust and openness • Role clarity • Accountability • ‘Selling’ the value of the community sector’s input • Patience • The Partnership evolved slowly and carefully; seen as genuine 9

10. What are the risks? • Confidentiality breaches • Co-option • Role confusion • Delay • Changes to Govt funding commitments 10

11. What are the benefits? • Better informed policy; better programs • community sector input at an earlier stage means implementation issues get clearer consideration • Particularly useful for ‘wicked problems’ – where WoG/WoC joined up approach is needed • Greater understanding of each other’s positions and constraints • Enhanced trust & respect; basis for further joint work • A practical expression of the Social Compact

12. Throughcare for Offenders A social policy partnership Melanie Saballa Senior Manager, Social Policy and Implementation ACT Chief Minister and Cabinet Directorate

13. Parameters & Context • Policy responses to enduring challenges • Co-design and co-production • 2011 Hawke Report - ACT One Government • Community engagement

14. Policy history • Community Inclusion Board activities focus on prisoners and their families- inclusion agenda • September 2008, Alexander Maconochie Centre opened • Mid-2009 Policy Forum requested CMD map ACT Government Throughcare services (Late 2009 CIGG formed) • Policy Forum considered a paper in March 2010. Sought further analysis of available data and research on co-ordination of services across the Throughcare continuum • Concept meeting with Corrective Services and CIGG in August 2010, CMD invited & offer to coordinate • Three fora (CIGG, ACT Govt, combined), Policy Forum- follow up saw five recommendations evolve.

15. Testing the policy path Commonly the 4th step after considerable work by government Cabinet process Essentially brings the consultation forward- expand from engagement to co-design of policy options

16. Primary Prevention Acute Forensic Secure Specialist Youth General Private Dental Mental Community Private Adult Public Managed Social Transport Legal Health Residential Alcohol and drugs Crisis Effectiveness Housing Community Tenancy advice Education & training Governance Transitional Inclusion Expectations , biases and stereotypes Cohesion Individual Gateways (yr 10, 12) Mentors Literacy Employment Friends VET, PD Community services Case manager Income Family Job services Skills, training Centrelink Advocacy AMC employment manager and programs Cultural Budgeting and financial literacy Child & family Needs

17. Throughcare policy • Options paper- Seeing it through – options for improving offender outcomes in the community • Set of principles and key elements • Governance structures • Reporting requirements

18. Outcomes • Policy Forum paper yielded across Govt. buy in • Cabinet agreed to an extended model of Throughcare • 2012-13 Budget- 2 year Throughcare pilot (coordination unit and brokerage funding) • Reference Group maintained and Governance Group established • Lessons feeding other processes

19. Enablers • Community sector voluntary participation and leadership • Line agency desire for the change, but limited capacity to lead across government change • Leaders with a tolerance for novel design, approaches to policy and uncertainty • Committed teams and people • Governance structures to support innovation and enable process • Geography and scale

20. Risks and challenges • Momentum over time • Maintaining engagement (Government officers, decision makers and community sector) • Focus (big groups, diversity of views) • Deliverables- uncertainty of outcomes

21. Lessons For Government • Co-design of policy-across agencies and sectors • Expanded thinking - no one entity has the answers • Building commitment • Currency of goodwill • Not just $$ resources

22. Thank you Simon Rosenberg simon.rosenberg@northside.asn.au www.northside.asn.au Melanie Saballa melanie.saballa@act.gov.au http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/