The Department of Communities is working to progress priority initiatives to improve our ways of working and achieve positive outcomes for Aboriginal people, families, and communities in WA.
This includes a genuine commitment to improve the way the Department of Communities empowers and works in partnership with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to deliver services for Aboriginal children, families and communities.
This is being achieved through progressing the Department of Communities Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Strategy 2022-2032 via Implementation Plan One: A Call-to-Action 2022 -2024.
Background
Department of Communities Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Strategy 2022-2032
The Department of Communities ACCO Strategy responds to the need to improve the way that the Department of Communities procures and delivers services to Aboriginal children, families, and communities, while supporting the empowerment of ACCOs through creating opportunities to deliver place based culturally appropriate services across WA.
Launched in August 2022, the ACCO Strategy 2022-2032 was developed by the Department of Communities in partnership with representatives from the ACCO Sector across Western Australia to improve the way Communities commission services.
A Project Working Group led this process, which comprised representatives from 11 ACCOs across WA along with Department of Communities staff and representatives from the Department of Finance.
The Department of Communities is implementing the ACCO Strategy across multiple stages to ensure ways of working are continuously evaluated and responsive to the needs of Aboriginal children, families, and communities.
The following six action items were identified as the priority focus for the first stage of implementation:
- Action 1: Conduct a Strengths and Opportunities Analysis of The WA ACCO Sector to inform the Department of Communities ACCO Strategy’s implementation, monitoring and evaluation across Communities.
- Action 2: Co-design and implement an ACCO Strategy Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
- Action 3: Establish an Aboriginal shared decision-making body in Communities to oversee the implementation of the Strategy.
- Action 4: Develop an Aboriginal Engagement Framework that commits the Department of Communities to culturally informed engagement with Aboriginal children, families, and communities.
- Action 5: Develop a Department of Communities ACCO Commissioning Framework to strengthen the ACCO sector and support sustainable economic and socio-economic development.
- Action 6: Co-design Implementation Plan Two.
State-wide Forum
You are invited to register your interest to attend a state-wide forum to inform the development of key action items of the Department of Communities Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Strategy Implementation Plan One: A Call-to-Action 2022 -2024.
The actions of Implementation Plan One: A Call-to-Action 2022 – 2024 are about creating strong foundations upon which to build generational reform and support further development and transition of services to ACCOs.
The state-wide forum aims to bring together Aboriginal people with diverse knowledge and experiences, across all regions of Western Australia, to inform the development of the following three actions of the Department of Communities ACCO Strategy Implementation Plan One.
- Action 1: Conduct a Strengths and Opportunities Analysis of The WA ACCO Sector to inform the Department of Communities ACCO Strategy’s implementation, monitoring and evaluation across Communities.
- Action 4: Develop an Aboriginal Engagement Framework that commits the Department of Communities to culturally informed engagement with Aboriginal children, families, and communities.
- Action 5: Develop a Department of Communities ACCO Commissioning Framework to strengthen the ACCO sector and support sustainable economic and socio-economic development.
The forum will provide a platform for Aboriginal stakeholders to present place-based insights and considerations that will inform the above, and potentially other action items from the Implementation Plan.
Forum information
- Date and time: Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 April 2024
- Venue: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided
- Please note this event is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants only
- Please note that this is an in-person event only – The Department will organise and fund flights and accommodation for regionally based participants
- Capacity is capped at 50 participants
- Forum participants will be remunerated for their attendance
- Public Transport and Parking
- Getting to the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre - PCEC
Registration and selection process
A registration and selection process is required as capacity is capped to a limited number of participants. Attendees will be selected by the Department of Communities, based on written responses in the below Registration of Interest (RoI) form, with consideration given to the need for balanced representation from diverse groups across the State.
Subject to the level of interest received, further opportunities to inform this work may be available following the forum.
Applicants will be required to briefly outline their knowledge, experience and understandings in relation to the following topics:
- Place-based, culturally informed engagement with Aboriginal children, families, and communities
- The strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and barriers of local ACCOs
- Ways that Communities can better engage ACCOs to increase the number of ACCOs it commissions to support sustainable economic and socio-economic development opportunities for the ACCO Sector.
The registration of interest and selection process is outlined below:
- Complete and submit Registration of Interest Form (ROI):
To be eligible you must complete the ROI Form addressing all of the details and the criteria for your application to be considered. - Communities will assess all of the ROI Forms received:
All ROI Forms will be assessed based on a balanced representation from across the state to attend the Forum. - Communities will formally notify you of the outcome of your ROI:
Formal notification will be sent to your address as provided in your application.
Who can apply?
The forum welcomes involvement from Aboriginal people throughout the state. Participants attending the forum will have the opportunity to provide insights and advice on what culturally informed engagement with Aboriginal children, families and communities looks like, provide insight regarding how Communities can better engage with ACCOs to increase the number of ACCOs commissioned by the Department of Communities, and provide feedback on partnership building with to better deliver services to Aboriginal children, families, and communities.
This may include, but is not limited to, the following types of stakeholders:
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
- Elders and Leaders
- Governance Groups
- Local Community Groups
- Aboriginal People with Lived experience
- Aboriginal Community Representatives
- Young People
Registrations of Interest are now closed.
