Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Community & Local Indicators

Geoffrey Woolcock

NatStats08MelbourneThursday, November 20, 2008

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Community Indicators – Key Questions- How can community indicators link to global

initiatives?- How local should local indicators be?- What are the links between headline or outcome

indicators and detailed data need to develop policy responses?

- Is standardisation a necessary objective?- How might we get long term commitment from key

partners - what is the long term value proposition?

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Measuring Social Progress: Policy Context  National debates dominated by economic and some human capital

indicators

Limited national agreement on national measures of social wellbeing

Endless debates about social capital not resonating with public policy makers

Evidence (political/policy/research) that the ideas matter and the determinants of wellbeing and prosperity are interdependent

Importance of communities, climate change

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Other Relevant Examples in Australia  Australian Unity Wellbeing Index

Social Inclusion measuresOnyx & Bullen Social Capital ScoresCommunity Capacity Building IndicesHealthy Communities, Healthy CitiesChild Friendly Communities/CitiesWACOSS Social Sustainability IndicesIndices of Social Disadvantage (SEIFA, Vinson)

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Community Indicators Queensland (CIQ)  Stakeholder Analysis:

Goals Gain an understanding of the value of the various Community

Wellbeing Indicators to each agency, and those that are important to present on the CIQ website Gain an understanding of the challenges identified as being

associated with providing data to the CIQ website

To ascertain how agencies envisage CIQ best working

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Community Indicators Queensland (CIQ)

 PartnersFollowing a program of briefing sessions and round table meetings, stakeholders actively involved in, development are: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), Queensland Treasury Queensland Health Environmental Protection Agency Department of Communities (including OATSIP) Arts Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet Local Government Association Queensland & a number of individual Councils

from across the state Queensland Council of Social Services EIDOS IBM Ltd

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Community Indicators Queensland (CIQ)  Progress

In 2008, partly supported by internal grant funding, IBM conducted a business and technical analysis and its report details the primary data sources that would populate the CIQ and the technical connections that would facilitate development A formal Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Ross

Homel, and Indicators Working group, chaired by A/Prof Geoff Woolcock, have been established to progress phased development of this statewide initiative, including securing financial sustainability. For Phase 1, a submission to the Queensland Smart Futures

scheme will be made in 2009.

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Utility of Social Capital

Hence, a clear distinction between participation levels, social capital and community functioning.

Getting people participating in a wide range of community activities can lay the foundations for the emergence of SC where SC is identified as social linkages that are functional for getting things done in the community, problems addressed and needs met.

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Who was surveyed?

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Local Govt & Social Capital Action Research Project (LGSCARP) 2002-2004

LGSCARP objectives

1. Identification and documentation of the role, and potential role, of Queensland Local Governments in building communities and building social capital;

2. Provide clear policy direction for Queensland Local Governments to take up or continue undertaking the work of building social capital; and

3. Through undertaking tasks above, continuing to strategically inform Queensland Local Government Corporate Planning Processes.

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

SIP GoodnaDoing What We Know We Should: Reflections on the Goodna Service Integration Project (SIP) 2000-2003

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

By & Between:·          Community Leaders & Members·          Elected Representatives·          Frontline Staff·          Senior Govt. Representatives·          Other Similar Projects    

Via:·          Forums·          Targeted Workshops·          Shared Projects·          Goodna Office  That:

·          Engages & involves·          Harnesses & optimises energy, goodwill & investment·          Maximises flexibility & responsiveness·          Supports service·          integration 

LEARNING By:·          Community leaders & members·          Regional & Area Managers(& equivalent) from 3 tiers of Govt.·          Frontline staff from Govt. & Non-Govt. Agencies

Via:·          Graduate Certificate in Social Science (Interprofessional Leadership) UQI·          Action research projectseg. School pool & Peace Builder expansion

That:·          Builds capacity·          Maximises innovation·          Builds on best practice  

MEASUREMENT & MODELLING

By:·          SIP team·          Queensland Treasury·          Goodna stakeholders  

Via:·          Measurement of baselines·          Negotiation of indicators·          Data collection·          Place modelling·          Causality modelling·          Management for outcomes modelling·          Action research·          External evaluation  

That:·          Understands the present·          Enhances prevention through intervention·          Measures outcomes·          Drives collaboration·          Predicts future outcomes  

Respect, trust & co-operation

through renewable relationships & social

structures  

VISIONWorking better

together forsustainable community well-being in

Goodna 

  

Encourages stakeholder participation in

identifying & monitoring indicators of community

well-being  

Learning supports measurement, modelling & scenario testing that

informs learning

Sustainable community well-being = balance of social, economic & environmental aspects of life DIAGRAM 4

THE GOODNA SERVICE INTEGRATION PROJECT (SIP) – TOOLS

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

Doing What We Know We Should: Reflections on the Goodna Service Integration Project (SIP) 2000-2003

Communities for Children NGO Forum, Adelaide, March 1, 2006

Dr Geoffrey Woolcock, The University of Queensland

Urban Research Program www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp

 John Stuart Mill (1850s)

"Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness.“

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4809828.stm