Case Study Help on Queensland Government Community Services Development

Case Study 8.2

QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY SERVICES DEVELOPMENT

The 1990s was a period in which the Queensland Government initiated a comprehensive partnership approach between government and the non-government sector to identify and respond to community needs. The approach was premised on social justice principles that there should be equal access for all Queenslanders to appropriate services, and that the formal service responses should be contextually relevant and contribute to strengthening the community concerned. There was also an acceptance that there was a knowledge base and skill set that was necessary for successful community services development in order to ensure that activities strengthened the community.

The most important and defining feature of the CSD approach was that there was an interactive loop between the key processes of planning, funding, resourcing, monitoring and evaluation, and policy development. To implement this approach in an integrated way demanded considerable levels of reform within government and trusting relationships with the non-government sector, communities, and other levels of government.

Because of the necessity to link these elements, CSD practice was complex, dynamic, and continually evolving. It was developmental in that there was iteration between each element. The processes of working together were valued, and government consistently asked for feedback about how the processes could be improved. There were some remarkably innovative service initiatives under this program including ‘across program funding’ (combining funds from different state and commonwealth funding programs to enable community directed service development) and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childcare services. What was important to the success of CSD was the consistency in government CSD policy and practice over almost a decade

CRITICAL REFLECTION

1. In critically evaluating CSD what do you think might have been underlying tensions that are not spelt out in this case study?
2. What do you think might have been the important non-government roles in developing and supporting CSD?
3. What might be some of the ethical issues for the non-government sector in acting with government?
4. Do you think this type of government involvement in service development is appropriate?
5. What do you think might be some of the reasons that CSD is no longer practised in its original format?
6. What is your view about the link between on-the ground service delivery and influencing policy?