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Sector development Leading and advocating for the sector Following the summer of natural disasters we engaged with organisations across the state to ensure sector and community experiences and learnings were incorporated into our submission to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and a special supplementary budget submission to the Queensland Government (see page 6) QCOSS staff join a national pay equity rally in Brisbane on June 8, 2011. Photo courtesy Australian Services Union. QCOSS effectiveness 2010-11 Representing sector issues to government QCOSS Member and Stakeholder Survey 2011 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 Visitors to community door 2008-09* 2009-10 2010-11 *The figures for 2008-09 have been extrapolated from 12,575 actual visits over the five months QCOSS was managing the website. We conducted a survey of the community sector’s experiences of contract management and a report was submitted to the Department of Communities to inform their internal review of these processes. We participated in consultation on the One Funding System for Better Services Bill, a significant reform impacting on the funding relationship between the sector and all government departments. We were successful in ensuring the principles of the Queensland Compact were subsequently embedded in the principles of the Bill. Supporting the sector and building capacity Usage of the Community Door website continued to grow, with an 89 per cent increase in visitors to the site. The new Network Spaces social networking platform drew more than 800 users, allowing networks in the sector to store documents, calendars, photo galleries and provide information about and discuss issues affecting them. Through a literature review the Local, Diverse, Strong project examined the relationship between organisational size and outcomes for clients and the community. The review informs ongoing work on sustainability and organisational effectiveness. In partnership with the Australian Council of Social Service we continued to advocate for equal pay at the national level and for funding to match. QCOSS self-funded the development and testing of an easy-to-use unit costing tool to support organisations in the transition to output-based service agreements. The tool was completed and due for launch in September 2011. It gives powerful information about an organisation and the cost of its services that is essential for negotiating service agreements. Through ongoing support to the Community Services Futures Forum we helped the sector consider state-wide strategic issues and respond to them collaboratively and proactively. Likewise, support was provided to sector representatives of the Compact Governance Committee. Regional networks were supported on an ongoing basis to build capacity to respond to client and community needs. Future outlook Thanks to our unit costing tool we will be able to support organisations to more confidently negotiate output-based service agreements and to measure and understand the full cost of service delivery. We will also support the measurement of compliance and use this data to advocate for systemic changes that reduce red tape. We will maintain our focus on measuring social impacts and client outcomes and support the sector in examining and understanding how it can work better to meet client and community needs. We will increase the use of Community Door as a tool to enhance collaborative practice and increase user-generated content. 12 Annual Report 2010-11
Members of the QCOSS Homelessness Planning and Coordination Unit come together with government and other stakeholders at a meeting in Brisbane in October 2010. Working respectfully together on homelessness Thinking outside the box – looking at how to do things differently within existing resources – was a recurring theme for the QCOSS Homelessness Planning and Coordination unit as it worked in seven Queensland regions to develop action plans to reduce homelessness. In a great example of how to engage in ‘hard to engage’ spaces, the project brought together people from vastly different backgrounds to work respectfully for a common outcome. Regional homelessness planning forums were held in the seven regions of Brisbane, Caboolture (including Morayfield and Deception Bay), Cairns, Hervey Bay, Gold Coast, Mt Isa and Toowoomba. Local cross-sectoral governance groups were established to help shape the development of the plan for each region and oversee its implementation in coming years. Hundreds of people attended the forums, contributing ideas and input to local plans. The Brisbane consultation alone resulted in more than 600 inputs including more than 100 from service users. The process, working in close partnership with the government, brought together and engaged new stakeholders, including community services outside homelessness and housing, the private sector and broader community. Many common themes emerged from the plans, including the need for better service system coordination; early intervention to maintain tenancies; support for children and families to help break the cycle of homelessness; opportunities for education and employment; and the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Despite the negative impact of the floods that swept Queensland at a critical time during the project, draft plans were produced on time. They are due for finalisation during October 2011, with implementation to begin immediately and continue through until 2013. 13
Page 1: ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Page 4 and 5: QCOSS would like to thank its Board
Page 6 and 7: Vision, purpose & values Our vision
Page 8 and 9: Key outcomes During 2010-11, QCOSS
Page 10 and 11: Responding to a summer of disasters
Page 12 and 13: Policy advocacy highlights Campaign
Page 14 and 15: Low income consumer advocacy Ensuri
Page 18 and 19: Communications and member engagemen
Page 20 and 21: Growing stronger children’s servi
Page 22 and 23: Coalition ensuring Indigenous acces
Page 24 and 25: Leadership, governance and manageme
Page 26 and 27: Governance committee report This ha
Page 28: Financial Reports 24 Annual Report
Page 32: 28 Annual Report 2010-11
Page 51 and 52: Bowen Neighbourhood Centre Boystown
Page 53 and 54: Murrie Watch A.T.S.I Corp Nambour C
Page 55 and 56: Helen Delaney Helen Twohill Helen W

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