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Editor's Notes

• #2: Good morning and welcome to today’s session: Foundations for Success –Introduction and overview My name is Tim Flynn and I am: Senior Policy Officer, working with the Foundations for Success team for almost 2 years I have had a key role in developing the guide I am a Murri man from the Yagera mob which for those that are unfamiliar is the Brisbane area. Today I am assisted by Milka Trifunovic (Tra-Fun-A-Vic) who will be working behind the scenes to assist anyone who may have technical or other issues/concerns
• #3: Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country There is often some confusion about the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country.What is the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country? A Welcome to Country is a formal welcome onto Aboriginal Land given by an elder or person of that land.An Acknowledgement of Country is a statement of recognition of the traditional owners of the land. An Acknowledgement of Country can be given by any person, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
• #4: The purpose of the Guide is to influence practice. The ideas and principles contained within the guide are met to provoke thinking, increase understanding and lead to better decision making for organisations and Aboriginal people and communities. The guide recognises the need to balance the ideas and concepts against your organisation’s policies and procedures. Using the guide in your day to day business will allow your organisation to strengthen social housing outcomes for all social housing tenancies, including Aboriginal people and communities.
• #5: Today – we’ll talk about…..
• #6: Does anyone have any questions before we move on?
• #7: Part 1 When we developed the Guide it became clear that there were a number of principles for working with Aboriginal clients that are broadly recognised across all forms of service delivery. These are: Flexible approaches to working with clients Accessible and culturally appropriate service delivery Responsive and timely service delivery and support to address issues before escalation Holistic service delivery responding to diverse issues and needs Participatory and client focused approaches�� These principles ensure a focus on family and client centred outcomes. Cultural competency from senior management to frontline staff. And engagement with community to build trust and develop effective local solutions. Part 2 is about how do use part 1 in practical terms back at the office
• #8: Todays session focuses on Part 2 –How to apply the principles across all of the tenancy phases i.e. from the first 30 seconds of contact to the last 30 seconds
• #11: What Aboriginal people told us made a difference: How sensitive staff were in addressing social/cultural needs Where offices displayed artworks, flags or posters these were identified as welcoming and more likely to be culturally sensitive to Aboriginal needs Staff capacity to treat Aboriginal people with respect and dignity and willingness to ‘listen to their stories’ Orgainsational cultural is led from senior managers (top down). If valued by executives then this method of working becomes part of ‘business as usual’ at the operational level The aim when dealing with Aboriginal people is to overcome historical barriers and REMEMBER: If they are unsure give them the confidence to ‘ASK’
• #12: What your organisation can do to help make Aboriginal people feel welcome and supported: Display and have as part of a service delivery expectation: Posters Artwork Statement of Commitments Service Culture Statements Engage with local Community elders and participate in local ceremonies and celebrations i.e. NAIDOC, Sorry Day The aim when dealing with Aboriginal people is to overcome historical barriers and REMEMBER: If they are unsure give them the confidence to ‘ASK’
• #13: Question: Please raise your hand if your office could be considered welcoming or safe? Hint: Does it display artwork, flags, pictures, staff wear name tags, have Aboriginal staff at the counter? Pause: We have ?? People in the virtual room with their hand up indicating ??% on the call are currently dealing with Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people who feel safe and welcomed are more likely to engage, trust and ask for help from organisations.
• #14: Effective and creative communication approach Housing providers need to know how to interact with local Aboriginal groups to better understand the multiple obligations faced by Aboriginal people that impact on a housing application an the pre allocation process. Some Aboriginal people remain fearful of government agencies and still struggle to ask for help. Assertive Outreach –When you go out to the person rather than waiting for them to come to you e.g. visiting at home, community centres, having a ‘yarn’ on a regular basis to an Aboriginal organisation, using ‘informal community’ connections Social housing providers will need to be aware of the cultural sensitivities when dealing with Aboriginal clients and families who are asking for assistance. For this reason it is important the client feels safe requesting assistance or support.
• #18: In this first section of the learning session, we’re going to take a look a some helpful strategies during application and pre-allocation phases. Developing an effective and creative communication model Working with the client to identify and engage support Support plans that are strengths-focused, well understood, agreed between housing and support providers, and responsive to clients needs Collaborating with individuals, family, communities and service partners to deliver improved social housing outcomes Shared decision-making, underpinned by the PFCA practice model Support plans that create a believable vision for the client
• #19: Tenancy breakdown is usually underscored by risk factors Factors to consider when assessing support needs for a social housing tenant: Clients transferring from out of the area who may lack social supports Larger families Undiagnosed or unsupported mental health, disability or other complex needs A history of being targeted by others, such as being often robbed Long or repeated periods of homelessness Poor tenancy history, including tenancy debts or no previous experience as a tenant IMPORTANT: Aboriginal people do not often think of themselves as being ‘homeless’ when they are staying at ‘aunties’ or relatives QUESTION: What are some other risk factors you’ve seen, that are not listed here. Please chat through.
• #21: Clients require different levels of support It is really valuable to identify support needs before a client is housed
• #22: Resistance to engaging support. When a household is struggling, a tenant’s willingness to engage support is critical. Client participation and a strengths-based approach enable the person to remain at the centre of service provision, help drive the process, and agree to shared responsibilities. After you find out who is receiving support, identify if it is enough? Is it doing what it's was meant to deliver? Ask if the client is happy to engage with ONLY Aboriginal services or also involve mainstream? Be aware that some Aboriginal people may not answer or avoid questions or challenge persons they perceive as ‘people in authority’ Remember issues such as ‘cultural Shame’
• #23: Language to avoid: “I’m with the government, I’m here to help” A Person centered model involves the person and family working together to find an approach and solution. Make sure family and cultural obligations are taken into account and balanced appropriately with your business obligations Recognise and design a response that takes into account the role an Aboriginal person has within their family, community and culture
• #25: Thinking back to the case study. The question for social housing providers is really about problem solving. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS PART OF A PERSON AND FAMILY CENTRED APPROACH: What were we trying to achieve if anything Did we meet the challenges that the client bought us? Did we actually achieve a good business outcome in $$$ or Did we achieve any real housing outcome ? Could we of work more flexibly? CULTURAL AWARENESS AND COMPETENCY THOUGHTS: Did the staff in Shelly’s case have the skills or supports to use policies and procedures in a flexible way or Were they under pressure to meet business KPIs?
• #26: A Person and Family Centred Approach (PCFA) aims to put the individual and family at the centre of every decision. It empowers them to be genuine partners in their housing outcome. It is about building relationships, trust and mutual respect which can then lead to improved expertise, understanding and commitment. A PCFA approach is characterised by: A focus on strengths, risks, wants and needs Participation in strengths based planning that focuses on long term solutions/goals Empowers people to make choices affecting their lives Enables people to exercise choice in service delivery and life decisions. A PCFA approach can be applied in relation to developing support plans and managing tenancy issues.
• #29: Often, significant time has passed between the application and offer Support needs are not always established during the application stage; or they may have changed by the time an offer is made A pre-offer review to confirm a client’s housing and support needs could be helpful; especially if there is 12 months or so between application and offer A pre-offer review could be held as an applicant approaches the top of the waiting list and could reduce the number of activities during the allocation stage REALITY CHECK: Resources are tight as a minimum identify and target the more vulnerable households What cultural things if any need to be considered?
• #30: An applicant’s support needs should be reviewed prior to the allocation of a property Housing providers should ensure an agreed support plan is in place that includes a written case plan and clients should be involved in the discussion about a property to take into account their family and cultural needs Significant effort and clear communication is required to ensure tenants understand their rights and responsibilities and have supports in place at the commencement of the tenancy QUESTIONS: Why are family and cultural needs important? What are some family and kinship obligations? How do you balance between business and family?
• #31: Housing providers should ensure an agreed support plan is in place that includes a written case plan and clients should be involved in the discussion about a property to take into account their family and cultural needs QUESTION: What do you think the important elements of a case plan are? Please chat these through.
• #34: The number of rights and responsibilities is extensive and can be a real communications challenge, especially for a new client with complex needs Sign ups is not necessarily the best time to explain these rights and responsibilities. Can be very overwhelming for a person. FEEDBACK: We give or new tenants so much information at ‘sign-up’ that I thought we should be giving them a shopping trolley to carry all of the stuff out” Keep the message simple; there are things we have to do/non negotiable Think about opportunities that can be had to –reinforce the message about tenants rights and responsibilities Creative ways to share this information: a DVD in the client’s welcome pack or playing in the housing provider’s office community outreach and events Early home visit, first meeting with client after they’ve settled into their home Within first 6 weeks then as often as required REMEMBER: If they are unsure give them the confidence to ‘ASK’
• #35: Aboriginal people may not be aware of what is expected of them Aboriginal people may not always raise an objection to a decision even when based on incorrect or incomplete information Data shows that Aboriginal rates of appeal are low, we don’t engage in dispute resolution processes easily Teams/staff and organisations need to encourage Aboriginal people to appeal if they disagree with a decision TAAS or other advocacy services can provide assistance and knowledge for Aboriginal people. Advocates are NOT the enemy. A strong referral mechanism needs to be developed and implemented within organisations
• #36: Today’s session focuses on key organisational building blocks that support the delivery of Foundations for Success across the tenancy life cycle. Flexible and responsive policies and procedures Team structures designed for working with vulnerable households Importance of Aboriginal staff Culturally competent workforce – senior management to client service staff Participation – engagement with community and a person/family centred approach Recognition that a balance between pressures of business accountability and person centered outcomes need to be clear
• #37: Approach: Tim – to intro Using the Chat room. Renee to reinforce and read out comments. Tim to make comment on the comments.
• #38: Aboriginal workers are critical to service delivery to Aboriginal clients/communities, they staff have a strong understanding of culture and connection to community and the importance of local context. Workers face significant challenges in frontline roles and require the support and understanding of other staff, including senior management Aboriginal workers provide a key role in working with vulnerable clients. Staff and Specialists may be in high demand and tools may be needed to effectively manage workload demands such as a Specialist Referral Form (screen shot of form over page?) Where an Aboriginal worker or Specialist is not available, housing providers should contact the Aboriginal Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services (ATAAS). ATAAS provides proactive and culturally sensitive services which help to support Aboriginal families and engage with communities. ATAAS can be contacted on Tenants NSW website to find local Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services. Advocate services are NOT the enemy. They can and do help achieve and work with the client for a common goal. If we make mistakes then we need to rectify that error. If the clients needs assistance to ‘tell their story’ then this should be considered an important step in the development of trust with an organisation.
• #39: Question – informal communication channels – e.g. community member to “run” into client.
• #40: Housing providers may not have adequate resources to conduct ‘settling in’ visits, or regular property inspections While visits are beneficial they may not immediately bring to the attention of staff any risks, dangers or issues that the client may have Skilled and culturally appropriate staff help build trust and engagement and can be important in overcoming issues that the client may be having Build and maintain good relationships with tenants and communities Conduct tenancy ‘settling in’ visits within the first 6 weeks of a tenancy commencement Intervene early and engage with support where required to redress issues such as unpaid rent, property care Ensure client outcomes are a priority in tenancy management Understand that when organistations work using a client centered approach that outcomes may take a long time and be resource intensive IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER: Build respectful and trusting relationships Take the time to listen to their stories Be honest, don’t over promise and under deliver Follow-up on things when you said you would (CSO phone call even if you don’t yet have an answer)
• #42: Social housing tenancies for a number of reasons many positive some for negative reasons. Despite our best efforts to stabilise a tenancy it still may be necessary to evict tenants. What we need to do is ensure that ALL actions have been taken to stabilise the tenancy. The development of checklists, exit development plans or clear business processes can remind staff about the need to ensure that both an organisation policy and procedures have been covered if an eviction is to take place. A tenancy should only be sustained for as long as the clients need remains. Helping households transition into other forms of housing is a new challenge for social housing. Products that can assist with moving or rental products could be developed and can been seen as a helpful incentive. Procedures to evict must a last resort Develop transition plans facing eviction and if possible identify and refer to supports, engaging with a Specialist homelessness service may be an option Where other housing products are a suitable option, develop products that can assist clients transition out of social housing
• #43: The TTR is structured around 12 CORE reasons - FACS will use 28 sub-reasons The 23 Where Next Housed (WNH) options can be grouped under 12 headings Sub-reasons have multiple purposes: Can provide more detailed monitoring for large portfolios Can be varied across time or across providers without disrupting longitudinal or cross-provider comparisons Can assist staff chose the correct Core reason Careful design of a code means that administrative data can both: assist in the day-to-day management of service delivery, AND be a reliable source of evidence for monitoring, evaluation, and service improvement purposes Cross-provider and cross-jurisdictional TTC comparisons will inform the bigger picture CHPs Unit record reporting of the termination codes (the TTR and WNH) will be available from 1 July 2015 6 month lead-in time for providers to adapt. All providers will need to be reporting the codes by 1st January 2016
• #45: Thinking back to the case study. The question for social housing providers is really about problem solving. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS PART OF A PERSON AND FAMILY CENTRED APPROACH: What were we trying to achieve if anything Did we meet the challenges that the family bought us? Did we actually achieve a good business outcome in $$$ or Achieve any real housing outcome ? Could staff used a more flexible approach? Could we of better used our policies and procedures to achieve a better outcome for this family and the housing, provider? CULTURAL AWARENESS AND COMPETENCY THOUGHTS: Did the staff in this case have the skills or supports to use policies and procedures in a flexible way or Were they under pressure to meet business KPIs?
• #46: Positive relationships build on respect and trust between the client and housing provider are important success factors + Home visits are a good way to engage tenants, identify issues and preventing problems that may arise Skilled staff that can identify early warning signs, can demonstrate cultural understanding and can work with clients are important factors in a families success Housing providers having policies and procedures that clearly identify a person centered method of working can ensure that referrals and supports such as Specialist Homelessness Services can help to support families at risk
• #47: Successful outcomes can lead to genuine change for Aboriginal people and communities: These are just a few examples: Empowers us to draw on our cultural strength Builds confidence to work towards better outcomes Builds resilience when things “get tough” Develops stronger economic outcomes Builds great independence Less reliance on governments Points from previous slide: Overcoming the challenges of systemic disadvantage can lead to genuine change for Aboriginal people and communities Change will empower them to draw on their cultural strength and confidence to work through future challenges Using the guide will build knowledge, respect and understanding of the issues that have historical impacted Aboriginal people and communities It will embed in organisations confidence to co-design service delivery models that lead to better outcomes for Aboriginal people
• #49: Thank you for you time and I hope that I have given you some ideas that you can take-away and use in your office.
• #53: Mention – Saint George’s Aboriginal Service Agreement Statement of commitment to Aboriginal people.
• #54: Thanks for being involved in today’s session. We’d really like to know what you thought about it – please complete the feedback form which you’ll get at the close of the session. Today’s we have hopefully raised your awareness about best practice princes about working with Aboriginal people and communities. This is the start of a change journey. We now need to bring about new ways of working, in your local area, to break the cycle of Aboriginal homelessness. I will now handover to Milka for the final slide