The TasCOSS Annual Report outlines achievements in 2017/2018 and points to future activity in our six Key Strategic Areas: 1 2 3 4 5 6
COMMUNICATION
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COMMUNICATION PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY INNOVATION COMMUNITY SECTOR DEVELOPMENT A QUALITY, LEARNING ORGANISATION
Our Strategic Aim
Ensuring public discussion about Tasmanians who are impacted by inequality and disadvantage is respectful, compassionate and constructive.
For Our Members
TasCOSS communicates with Members through a wide variety of channels, from social media to meetings and networking events, ensuring you can connect with what interests you.
For Our Communities
We take policy priorities to Tasmanian communities, undertaking consultation, one-on-one interviews and highlighting issues in the media to keep discussions about an equitable Tasmania top-of-mind. TasCOSS strives to communicate clearly and often with our Members, supporters, stakeholders, funding bodies, government and Tasmanians in general. We communicate carefully, challenging the standard narratives that can divide our communities rather than bring them together. We support discussion of low income Tasmanians as people with dreams, hopes and aspirations for a better future. We bring these principles to all our communication activity including day-to-day interactions with Members and the general public.
The new TasCOSS website was unveiled in mid 2017. It augments TasCOSS’s popular Vault and How To Libraries that are full of decades of TasCOSS policy and research. We also introduced Member-only benefits including access to Jobs Australia SCHCADS pay tables, event and jobs listings and more. The fortnightly TasCOSS Enews gives Members and supporters a look at what’s going on in the sector, the latest advocacy and policy happenings and ensures you have your finger on the pulse of our vibrant industry. Free listings are available to TasCOSS Members, just send an email to comms@tascoss.org.au TasCOSS has a lively presence on Facebook, sharing Member achievements, notices and articles of interest. Like @TasCOSS now to join in. And if you don’t want to drop in or sign on, you can find TasCOSS in the daily media, commenting on policy, providing opinions on a long-term Vision for Tasmania and working toward a prosperous and compassionate future we can all share. Missing out? Contact Manager Communications & Advocacy Nic McBride (nic@tascoss.org.au)
Our Strategic Aim
Public policy that values and respects the diversity of Tasmanians and makes a real and lasting difference to the lives of people who are marginalised.
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PUBLIC POLICY
For Our Members
ADVOCACY
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TasCOSS brings the voices of our Members around the State together as a unified, creative and evidence-based influence on our government’s policy and decision-makers.
For Our Communities
TasCOSS’s policy analysts get out and around the State talking to CEOs, workers, consumers and government representatives about the reality of life in our State and the vision they have for the future. TasCOSS provides expert advice and amplifies our Members’ voices on numerous committees and networks including Anti-Poverty Week, Family Violence Consultative Group, Housing Supply Project Working Group, Rethink Mental Health and Rethink Ageing Committees, Tasmanian Digital Inclusion Working Groups, Early Years Education and many more. We also work with the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) to support and inform its policy and campaign work. The Raise the Rate campaign to increase Newstart and other payments to a
Our Strategic Aim
Governments are held to account for the way they integrate human rights issues into their consultation processes, policy approaches and budget allocations.
For Our Members
Together with our Members we work to influence decision and policy makers on the issues that matter to our sector and Tasmanians.
For Our Communities
We work to build new approaches to entrenched issues, influencing and supporting government to change legislation and improve services and systems in Tasmania. In 2017/2018, TasCOSS and its Members continued to advocate for equality among Tasmanians, for our State’s economic growth to be harnessed for the benefit of all and for human rights to sit at the heart of all decision-making. TasCOSS presented its vision to Transform Tasmania during the 2018 State Election Campaign. Sitting at the heart of this is the need for our State to recognise all of our communities’ assets and to value and measure success in all of these areas alongside economic outcomes.
livable level began in Tasmania with ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie talking to Tasmanians about their experiences surviving on Newstart. We also took part in ACOSS policy networks, including Community Sector Policy, Tax & Social Security, Income Support & Employment, Housing and Transport. TasCOSS calls on its Members to provide input, raise new ideas and contribute to submissions to legislative and budget processes. In the past 12 months we held consultations, one-on-one conversations and teleconferences to inform more than 15 submissions to economics inquiries, the NDIS Code of Conduct, TasWater ownership, Justice Bail Reform, TasNetworks pricing and Federal Climate Change Policies. TasCOSS continued its broad involvement across the Child Safety System Redesign including consultations with service providers to ensure the voice of those with lived experience is included in the process. Particular areas of attention include feedback on the draft Child and Youth Wellbeing Outcomes Framework and the Children’s Commissioner Out of Home Care Monitoring Plan as well as input into the design of the Children’s Advice and Referral Service. Want to get more involved in policy development? Have an opinion on an issue you believe is a priority? Contact TasCOSS Manager Policy, Dr Charlie Burton (charlie@tascoss.org.au)
We also worked side-by-side with Members and the wider community to advocate for: cost of living analysis to accompany all legislation; prioritising of public housing waiting lists; targeted and evidence-based approaches to easing the housing crisis in southern Tasmania; same sex marriage; removing pokies from our communities; changes to education legislation to benefit families and children aged 0-3; community-led solutions to employment and educational attainment; equitable access to life-saving meningococcal vaccines; and digital equity for all Tasmanians.
Energy Advocacy & Research Project Energy Consumers Australia contracts TasCOSS to undertake advocacy and research in relation to electricity and gas. This year, TasCOSS provided representation on nine national and State consultative committees and networks.
TasCOSS State Budget Briefing One of our most popular annual advocacy events is the TasCOSS State Budget Briefing presented to Members and supporters just two hours after the Budget is tabled. The Minister for Human Services joins us for a lively Q&A and Members can attend at no cost. If you haven’t joined us for this event in the past, make 2019 the year you do. Watch for invitations and pre-Budget news at tascoss.org.au and subscribe to the TasCOSS Enews for updates.
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Our Strategic Aim
Tasmania leads the country in the way we bring together the community sector, communities, governments and business to achieve community innovation.
INNOVATION
For Our Members
Collaboration is one of our sector’s major strengths—we’re always looking for opportunities to share our sector’s expertise, ideas and influence to create meaningful change.
For Our Communities
We can work towards greater equality across our State by working together and trying new things that evidence tells us may produce better results for Tasmanians. 2017/2018 was a time of great innovation and increased collaborations for TasCOSS and its Members. Among the most notable projects this year are:
Community Innovation & Investment Project A partnership between TasCOSS, Tasmanian communities, Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) and the Tasmanian Government. This flagship employment project takes an innovative and challenging collaborative approach that enables community voice and community change. The project aims to develop employment solutions in communities through relationship building, conversations and shared decisionmaking. It is in the consultation stage with the Derwent Valley and South East regions and earlier stages in the Break O’Day region and the West Coast.
Health Literacy TasCOSS works with organisations delivering health and community services to improve the way they speak, write and act, and make it as easy as possible for people to get the information they need about their own health.
Health Justice Project The Health Justice Project works to create partnerships that will bring legal services into health settings. In partnership with Health Justice Australia, it aims to support collaboration between lawyers and health workers to better identify and respond to the legal needs that can undermine people’s health.
NDIS Expert Panel Project The NDIS Expert Panel Project worked to increase the number and scale of organisations providing services to NDIS participants, emphasising small providers, particularly in the North and North-West. In 2017/2018 TasCOSS established an expert panel, developed a funding application process for disability service providers, promoted the fund and conducted four grant rounds to give expert support to NDIS providers.
Derwent Valley Transport Action Plan This project explored access to transport to improve social outcomes for people in the Derwent Valley. A co-design approach was used to work with more than 250 community members who all had some part in designing a transport action plan for the Derwent Valley community by the Derwent Valley community..
Primary Health Tasmania (PHT) Health and Communities Project TasCOSS worked with PHT and the leadership groups formed as part of its Integrating Primary Health Care in Communities Project in Clarence and Brighton. TasCOSS worked with Brighton Council to provide support in governance, project management, community development and evaluation. The Brighton Care Collective works together to help people in Brighton get the health services they need. In Clarence TasCOSS is an active member of the leadership group working to implement the Help to Health Project that includes ‘The Right Place, ‘It’s OK to Ask’, Help to Health Friends and Community Health Information Sessions. Want to know more? Contact TasCOSS on (03) 6231 0755.
Our Strategic Aim
COMMUNITY SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
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Community sector organisations continuously improve to respond to client needs.
For Our Members
TasCOSS works to keep Members informed, trained and up-to-date with the latest changes and requirements in our dynamic sector.
For Our Communities
TasCOSS provides a central body for the Government to work with to improve community services for Tasmanians.
Community Sector Industry Plan In 2017/2018 TasCOSS worked with Members and the State Government to establish funding and a framework for development of a Community Services Industry Plan that will take our sector into the next decade and beyond. This plan will be industry-led with input from Members, supporters, government and consumers. Watch for more information and make sure you get to have your say.
Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) TasCOSS continued its work with CHSP providers this year, supporting them to build organisational capacity including developing fee structures and embedding wellness and reablement.
We also worked with DHHS-funded organisations and CHSP providers in the North and North West to develop an outcomes focus to support a wellness and reablement approach, ensure business sustainability and service improvement. Twenty hours of free specialist support in the form of individualised coaching/mentoring was provided to 15 CHSP organisations on a first come, first served basis.
Member Services & Training The TasCOSS Helpdesk answered more than 2500 Member and community enquiries about all aspects of our sector. The TasCOSS How To Library holds more than 80 How To guides that provide support for capacity development, outcomes measurement, Board recruitment and roles as well as many other useful topics. The TasCOSS Training Calendar continued to grow this year with new offerings including a Sector Development Network, our extremely popular Women in Leadership Communities of Practice, the TasCOSS Leadership Series, Governance Workshops and State Election related forums in all five electorates. TasCOSS continues to manage the sectorfunded Findhelptas online service directory. Funded collaboratively by 10 community sector organisations, the directory now has 881 unique programs/services listed in more than 1800 locations around the State. Missing out on the benefits of TasCOSS Membership? Contact Manager Community Sector Development Simone Zell (simone@tascoss.org.au)
Our Strategic Aim
A QUALITY LEARNING ORGANISATION
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TasCOSS is an employer of choice with a vibrant leadership culture, quality governance, strong management systems and a focus on learning.
Our Members
TasCOSS Members benefit from the high standards to which TasCOSS holds itself and its team members.
Our Community
TasCOSS provides an example of a flexible, open and compassionate workplace that models values-based management practices.
TasCOSS ended 2017/2018 with a new management structure, a robust Member Plan and continuously improving finance, IT and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in place. These measures provide Members with increased efficiency, organisation-wide understanding of queries and increased benefits to be rolled out during 2018/2019. In mid-2017 TasCOSS moved offices from its home of 20 years, the McDougall Building, Battery Point, into the heart of Hobart’s CBD (Level 3, 86 Murray St). There’s no excuse not to drop in and say ‘hello’ if you’re in Hobart. We have meeting rooms you can book and use for small events and we’d love to see you.
TasCOSS Organisational Structure
CEO
Manager Policy
Manager Communications & Advocacy
Manager Strategic Partnerships & Projects
Manager Community Sector Development
Policy staff
Admin & Communications staff
Project staff
Sector Development staff
TasCOSS is the peak body for Tasmania’s community service sector. Tasmania’s 10,000-strong community service workers are part of the fastest growing industry sector in the State. Together we represent more than 4% of employed Tasmanians. We are there, in your community, caring for Tasmanian families, friends and neighbours in all corners of our State.
TasCOSS works to challenge and change the systems, behaviours and attitudes that create poverty, inequality and exclusion. We work within our sector and throughout our State to gather evidence, consult with communities, listen to our Members and develop innovative and evidence-based policy solutions. TasCOSS and its Members work to ensure human rights, integrity and compassion are central to all government policy-making and legislative change. Join us at tascoss.org.au