Building Capacity & Engaging Communities in Social Inclusion Initiatives

1. Building Capacity & Engaging Communities in Social Inclusion Initiatives • Julia Butler

2. Dead for a year!!!!!! 64-year-old Sydney man’s body discovered in his Department of Housing apartment a year after he died…

3. Imagine… A community where everyone was included regardless of their age or level of frailty. A community where loneliness, isolation or depression are no longer common issues for older people. A community where everyone values the wisdom and contribution of older people

4. Do you think this man would have gone unnoticed if he was an included member of the community?

5. Introductions… Julia Butler Project manager of Building Belonging Celebrating Inclusive Communities Learning & Development Project Officer UnitingCare Community Options

6. Government response to Death The Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot has proposed a national protocol for community care providers to reduce the number of older people dying alone at home without anyone knowing.

7. Government response to Death The announcement came at the first meeting of the Ministerial Conference on Ageing, which was established by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in March this year.

8. Government response to Death Mrs Elliot’s proposal comes after the NSW Coroner reported finding decomposed or decomposing bodies on almost 300 occasions in 2006 and 283 times last year.

9. Decline in family support structures The Minister said a decline in family support structures means that community care providers have to look at innovative ways of promoting social engagement.

10. Decline in family support structures “Providers of these services play an important role in ensuring that any unexpected changes in a client’s circumstances are identified early and appropriate action is taken,” she said.

11. Governments Vision The Australian Government’s vision of a socially inclusive society is one in which all Australians feel valued and have the opportunity to participate fully in the life of our society.

12. Building Belonging Project: Context • 2008 • The Federal Government committed to a greater focus on positive and active ageing – as part of its social inclusion and reducing social isolation agenda. • Uniting Care Australia set aside $200,000 from a Commonwealth grant of $400,000 which has been provided to Uniting Care Australia to initiate projects that address social inclusion of older people. • One of eight projects within Uniting Care agencies

13. The UnitingCare Network The UnitingCare network operates throughout Australia. UnitingCare is one of the largest providers of community services in Australia, providing services to more than 2 million Australians each year. The network employs 35,000 staff and 24,000 volunteers nationally. Without this incredible network , individual passion and generosity of time and knowledge, the project would not have been successful.

14. About UnitingCare Community Options UnitingCare Community Options is a Victorian community service organisation that works with people of all ages and abilities. We provide a range of services to older people, people with disabilities, and the informal carers that support them. Our staff have been assisting people in Melbourne’s east since 1987 when we launched our first pilot for older people with dementia still living in the community. We use a person-centred, strengths-based approach We are auspiced by the Uniting Church and belong to the national UnitingCare network.

15. UnitingCare Community Options Services • Our Vision: A Good Life for All • Support 3266 participants and carers. • Services include: • Information, case management, care coordination and respite • Emergency, short or long term support • Linking people to community.

16. The Project Celebrating Inclusive Communities

17. Building Belonging Project: Rationale Project Vision to build the capacity of local leaders across the entire Uniting Care network to develop projects that will address issues of social exclusion among older people.

18. Building Belonging Project: Rationale Anticipated Benefits: • Build capacity and leadership development at the local level • Create a network of skilled practitioners in a common methodology ie asset based community development • Build a peer support network that can be used to facilitate education of other peers • Foster the development of a wide range of local projects across the nation to address examples of social exclusion

19. Cosy Club A story about connecting people with their gifts

21. Every single person has capacities, abilities, gifts and ideas, and living a good life depends on whether those capacities can be used, abilities expressed, gifts given and ideas shared.

22. Building Belonging Project: Action • Attending ABCD conference in Newcastle • Developed a training package • Using a skilled and trained ABCD practitioner (Aged Focus) • Ted Smeaton of Inspiring Communities www.inspiringcommunities.com • Established through the Uniting Church a network of supporters who assisted with the promotion of the project at a local level • Built connections with Church and agencies at state level and used these also to facilitate promotion of the training • Conducted 16 two-day workshops • Across Australia: NSW, QLD, WA, SA, Victoria • 215 participants

23. Building Belonging Project: Approach Our Approach Adapting and refining the internationally recognised community development approach known as Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Training community leaders – individuals in congregations and agencies – in this approach Encouraging its use in Australian communities who wanted to engage more with the older people living in those communities.

24. But what about small congregations & communities • Came from a reaction to not being able to conduct workshops for very small groups in remote places • Creation of ABCD DVD- first of its kind

25. A story: The wise woman Introduction to ABCD

27. Meaningful and lasting community change always originates from within, and local residents in that community are the best experts on how to activate that change. Meaningful and lasting community change always originates from within, and local residents in that community are the best experts on how to activate that change.

28. Building Belonging Project: ABCD methodology • Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is an approach to community development which seeks to identify and develop existing strengths (assets) in the community. • This approach challenges the traditional approach of solving urban problems which focus on funding service providers and agencies to respond to deficiencies in communities. • These community assets include: • the skills of local residents • the power of local associations • the resources of private, public and non-profit institutions • the physical and economic resources of local places. • These form the building blocks for community-based projects to address local needs.

29. Visionaries of ABCDInstitute The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) is co-directed by John L. McKnight, director of community studies at Institute of Policy research,Northwestern University, and John P. Kretzmann, an IPR senior research associate.

30. Visionaries of ABCDInstitute Kretzmann and McKnight demonstrated that community assets are key building blocks in sustainable urban and rural community revitalization efforts. They revitalised the age old methods of buildings communities by looking at skills, talents & assets. Glass half empty or the glass half full Communities have Deficiencies and needs Individuals & Communities have skills and talents

31. Building Belonging Project: Participants • 20% were from Uniting Church congregations • 38% were community workers • 26% were aged care workers • 20% came from a range of other organisation and roles, such as, GP networks, local government, retirement village, pastoral care, management • 54% aged 51 to 74 years, another 2% 75 years plus • 42% aged 26 to 50 • 8% spoke a language other than English • 74% were female, 26% male

32. Building Belonging Project: Impact • To measure the effect of this training we devised an evaluation process that collected information before, immediately after and some 3-6 months post the training. • Based on the following • Participants knowledge base • Participants attitudes • Capacity building • Initiating change • Projects

33. Building Belonging Project: Impact • 1. Participants’ Knowledge Base • reinforced ideas they already had on the issues covered, • provided new information to use in their communities. • For those au fait with ABCD, built on concepts and principles • validated and reinforced knowledge they had gained intuitively and consolidated into a framework • provided inspiration • provided completely new knowledge and ways of thinking

34. Physical Space Individuals My Community Local Economy Associations Institutions Stories A simple Assets Map

35. A Personal Assets Map GIFTS OF THE HEAD GIFTS OF THE HANDS GIFTS OF THE HEART

36. Building Belonging Project: Impact • 2. Participants’ Attitudes • majority (98%) agreed that ‘the social isolation of older people is an important issue in Australia’. • more participants came to see the issues of the social isolation as less complex and difficult for their organisation to handle (42% - 57%) • more participants felt empowered (42% - 53%) • greater recognition of the value of informal responses (45% to 70%) • recognition of the value of strengths-based approaches and an increasing belief in their ability to apply this approach to social isolation (45% - 78%)

37. Building Belonging Project: Impact • 3. Capacity Building • Greater insight and knowledge • Connections and networking • Motivation and inspiration • Reinforcement of previous ideas or knowledge • Skills in applying a strength-based approach • Positive strategies and skills regarding managing staff and facilitating aged care programs • “I saw different strategies for facilitating my staff to get more relevant activity programs underway in the community”. • “[I now] better understand the … different ways of working through concerns that people may have - [i.e.] looking at things from a different angle.”

38. Building Belonging Project: Impact • 4. Initiating Change • 57% have begun to implement ideas from the workshop in their communities.

39. Building Belonging Project: Impact • 5. Projects • Choirs • Events based around meal • Gardening groups • Discussion groups based on topics or issues of interest • Training courses • Networking

40. Farming Pine Trees: A story about listening Balnarring Community

42. Learning Conversations

43. Building Belonging Project • Sustaining the energy • Interactive DVD and training handbook • Train the Trainer program • Linking the DVD to Youtube Google: youtube: UCA older people • Linking into the ABCD community in Australia http://abcdasiapacific.ning.com

44. Go to the people Live among them Learn from them Love them Start with what they know Build on what they have But of the best leaders when their task is done The people will remark “We have it done it ourselves”’. (Lao Tze) What we focus on becomes our reality. If we focus on what is wrong or what is missing, we tend to see everything through that filter or frame.

45. emmanuel.gauci@ucco.org.au julia.butler@ucco.org.au http://abcdasiapacific.ning.com