Setting up of Services on Norfolk Island CoDesign

Setting up of Services on Norfolk Island: Co-Design and Evaluation Jill Wrathall and Sue King

OUTLINE 1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT • April 1789 - HMS Bounty in the South Pacific Ocean. A mutiny led by Fletcher Christian setting adrift Captain Bligh and set him and 18 loyalists who reached England a year later. • Meanwhile Fletcher Christian and 25 others went back to Tahiti where they’d been previously and took Tahitian women and sailed to Pitcairn Island where they hoped they would not be discovered by the HMS Pandora which was dispatched from England to apprehend the mutineers. • Christian’s group remained undiscovered on Pitcairn Island until 1808 by which time only one mutineer, John Adams, remained alive. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT • Descendants of the mutineers continued on at Pitcairn Island until their population outgrew the island. Queen Victoria gave the Pitcairners permission to come to Norfolk Island, as the Queen wanted the island re-inhabited before others came and took hold. • And so, the 194 Pitcairn Islanders sailed the 3, 700 miles to resettle on Norfolk Island, arriving on 8 th June 1856. Norfolk Islanders still celebrate this day as a Public Holiday each year, known as Bounty Day with a full re-enactment ceremony in period costume. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT In summary – these are people who : • Are proud of their independence, their history, language and culture • Are a vey tight community • Are not happy to be being taken over by the Australian Government • Are an isolated community that had not been in receipt of any funded government services, had never paid taxes, nor rates. • Are a self sufficient community, with most people working a number of part time jobs • Experience a loss of young people from their community on a regular basis as they move off Island for education and employment • Have barter as an integral part of the local economy. • Need to move off island for hospital/specialist services and to have babies ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

2. MODERN DAY CONTEXT Small population 1, 748 28% identify themselves as of Pitcairn descent; 53% speak a language other than English at home – the dominant language being spoken is Norf'k-Pitcairn The population pyramid is significantly diminished in the 20 -34 year age groups ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

2. MODERN DAY CONTEXT Of the 740 households on Norfolk Island, a little over half (497) are families and of these 231 have children either as a couple or in a single parent household. There are 294 children on the Island – 84 aged 0 -4 years, 104 aged 5 -9 years and 106 aged 10 -14 years. There were 19 babies under 12 months old at the time of the Census in 2016 and 47 children aged 1 -3 years. This is helpful to understand the nature and extent of the outreach required in the preschool age group. Four out of five households have access to the internet ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

2. MODERN DAY CONTEXT Almost 15% of NI residents provide unpaid caring assistance, the majority of whom are women. Median, personal and family household incomes are substantially lower than for the rest of Australia and 23% of households earn less than $650 per week compared with 17% of households in Australia. There are higher levels of mortgage stress for families on Norfolk Island (9%) when compared with the mainland (6%) and this is a significant issue particularly for families with children. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

3. TENDERING • The decision was made by the Australian government in 2015 that Norfolk Island could no longer manage as an independent territory. It was decided that from 1 st July 2016, the Australian Government would come in via the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and work alongside the regional council there. • The Department of Social Services put out a closed tender to a small number of NGOs to run 3 services on Norfolk Island – Family and Relationship Services, Children and Parenting Support along with a small amount of Emergency Relief funding. • Initially we were uncertain as to whether to tender – for services in such a remote and isolated community who had no experience of previous NGO’s. • All the churches were keen, apparently the need was great. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

3. TENDERING There were three services proposed The chief objectives of this service as developed in the funding application were twofold: • Strengthen family relationships, prevent breakdown and ensure the wellbeing and safety of children through the provision of broad-based counselling and education to families of different forms and sizes • Provide early intervention and prevention services and resources that are aimed at improving children’s development and wellbeing and supporting the capacity of those in a parenting role. Services have a primary focus on families with children aged 0 -12 years but may include children up to 18 years We hoped to develop an integrated model of service delivery ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017 Family Relationship Services Children and Parenting Support Emergency Relief

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Some Core Principles Build in Co-Design principles Build trust and acceptance in the community – essential with no previous NGO experience on the Island Ensure good understanding of Anglicare services – what can an NGO provide, what don’t we do. Develop user-friendly referral pathways – however this was a problem since there were really no services to refer to. Explore opportunities for a “one-shop stop” approach Start up a monthly interagency meeting and link in with existing meetings and committees ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Some Core Principles Build individual and community capacity eg involving volunteers or even paid staff on an internship basis Work collaboratively with the community on shared issues of concern Work with the community to build a hopeful future. Work with the diverse cultures in the community eg Fijian and Phillipino people ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Challenges Short time frames – notification April 2016 to have services running by 1 July 2016 (not possible – had to extend the timeframes to September) Location – in the town or out of town? We ended up co-locating with the Anglican St Barnabas Church based on the principle that this would provide privacy and confidentiality not possible with a shop front location on the main street. This was seen as beneficial for the church in its outreach to the community, however we are now considering a dual location – on the main street as well as in the church. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Challenges Community anxiety, stress and opposition –there was strong resistance by some parts of the community as to what they perceived as a ‘takeover’ generating protests and applications to the UN for sovereignty. . How to gain community acceptance - We are not the government but yes, the government has funded us; We are not the church but yes, we work alongside the church; ‘We are Anglicare and we’ve been around since 1856 too, the same year as the Pitcairners arrived on Norfolk Island’; ‘We have a strong value base – we are non-judgmental, caring and compassionate, promote justice and our services are professional, using best evidence-based practice’. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Challenges Maintaining privacy for clients – in an isolated community, everyone seems to know who everyone is seeing, where they are going and what they are doing. It is why we decided to try SKYPE counselling in the privacy of people’s homes. “Telling your story to a Counsellor via Skype, at least you know you won’t have to meet up with them in the main street. That’s got to have many advantages. ” “If you can Skype privately without anyone seeing you going to the hospital (the only other location for a Counsellor) and if you know, the town won’t be talking about what they think you’ve gone to the Counsellor about, that’s got to be good. ” ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE Challenges Recruitment Who– 3 roles (a Program Manager, a Counselor and an Admin support role) but Islanders generally did not have the qualifications or experience for program manager or Counsellor roles - so do we recruit: • an off islander with skills and experience • A local without skills and experience to be mentored Recruitment How • ATSI – not relevant • The NSW WWC checks don’t apply on NI • Usual networks – but did not yield a result – only one applicant in Sydney and no one from NI • Considered FIFO – but only 2 flights a week and expensive ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

4. ESTABLISHING THE SERVICE End result: • Recruited a Program Manager with sound experience willing to relocate with her husband to the Island – she had already bought a property there for future retirement. Has made a 3 year commitment • Have been trialing Skype Counselling • Then seconded 2 Anglicare support workers to fly over for 6 week stints to deliver parenting groups and offer family support via home visits and playgroups • Finally employed a family Support worker who lives on the island who has worked with preschoolers and a project officer – who is a young mother, works part time for Anglicare and lives on the Island ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

5. PRINCIPLES OF CO-DESIGN ORIGINS • The process of deliberately engaging users of the system, deliverers of services and other experts, being led by experts such as designers, to actively understand, explore and ultimately change a system together. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

5. PRINCIPLES OF CO-DESIGN – COMMUNITY SERVICES Co-design really operates on a continuum. For Norfolk Island our initial thinking, which was highly aspirational was we would operate from Principles 1 to 4 1. Informing – providing the people who use our services information to assist them to solutions – We will keep you informed’ 2. Consulting – Gaining feedback with a view to quality control – we will keep you informed and listen to your concerns 3. Involving - working directly with clients to ensure their concerns are considered in the development of services – we will work with you to ensure your issues and concerns are reflected in the final model 4. Collaboration – partnering with clients in developing services – we will look to you for advice into the model to the maximum extent possible 5. Empower – decision making on the final service model sits with the clients – we will implement what you decide? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

5. PRINCIPLES OF CO-DESIGN – WHY DO IT? • Fundamentally it is thought to lead to more effective services and ultimately create greater social impact. Additionally it will enhance understanding of what clients are seeking in a consumer directed environment. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

6. OPERATING SERVICES • We began operating September 2016 • SKYPE Counselling commenced – 2 clients but have used the service extensively • Emergency relief – very small financial amounts – 5 clients have accessed such support • Children and parenting Support - a supported playgroup with up to 15 children – the local community playgroup has blended in. This is the only opportunity for 0 -3 year olds to access any form of structured early learning (66 children on the island in this age group). - Funded each kindergarten child to be assessed for speech pathology. - Circle of security parenting course – 4 sets of parents run march/April, next one being run now. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

6. OPERATING SERVICES – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Based on Co-design/participation principles we decided we would • Listen before we acted • Build trust • Take time • Offer support slowly Our first event on the ‘informing’ part of the ladder was to hold an open day. Use of flyers providing key details and promoting parenting courses - one during the day for parents of young children (Circle of Security) and one at night for parents of teenagers (Tuning Into Teens). Result: there was a community funeral that day – virtually no one turned up. No “real” locals came. No “real” locals seemed to be interested in Anglicare. And not one person came to either of our parenting courses. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

6. OPERATING SERVICES – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Challenges of engagement: 1. People were disinterested having been the focus of government inquiries for the last 12 months 2. There was suspicion of new people on the island 3. People could not see the point of Anglicare since they had been self sufficient for 150 years Families help each other here and we fundraise when someone is facing hard times so why is Anglicare here 4. People weren’t going to risk going to visit Anglicare. Most people have the attitude of wait and see. If they’re any good, we’ll know in time. 5. There were some in the community who were die-hard “Nothing should be changed. Anything the government wants to do is bad. ” So opposition to the service operation continued 6. Parents can work 2, 3 or even 4 jobs with few childcare arrangements in place making coming out to evenings and committee meetings very problematic. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

7. EVALUATION IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY We have conducted an extensive literature review on best practice in terms of evaluating outcomes in remote and isolated communities – and there a number of lessons we have learned: key essential include: • Building Trust and Accessing Local Knowledge – developing a methodology that captures the lived experience of the local population (Roberts, 2013). • Understanding internal power structures • Co-learning, mutual ownership and maintaining open lines of equitable information sharing must be undertaken to ensure that researchers gain a true appreciation of local conditions (Paige 2015). • Promoting trust building activities early in the engagement process • Developing a cyclical, iterative process of interviews/feedback Kelly, 2010; Bushe, 2013; Paige et al. 2013) ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

7. EVALUATION IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR – engagement activities • Relationship building: Staff have spent a great deal of time building relationships and trust • Advocacy - Staff have taken on a supportive advocacy role for key issues in the community • Working with soft entry points – such as the community playgroup • Adopting a partnership approach – working with key players on the island meeting regularly with these agencies, pooling and sharing local knowledge ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

7. EVALUATION IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR – evaluation and reporting • Early stage co design - Setting up coffee mornings at the local café for young mums – giving them an opportunity to provide peer support and give us insights into what services and supports would work best for them – they determine the agenda for meeting with support from the worker. - Community Reference group – but not a success in the early stages • Program Logic Model development – see handout • Stakeholder mapping – identifying key players and engagement strategies. • Feedback process for program participants ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

7. EVALUATION IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR – evaluation and reporting • Participation in the inaugural annual client survey – outcomes based and streamed for service types – assist with benchmarking across other similar services • Development of a recording sheet for stakeholder engagement with commentary on the changing strength and quality of local community relationships and interactions. • One year review report – provided to the funding body • Community Social profile based on the 2016 Census – to assist in understanding size and scope of social impact ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

1. Historical Context 2. Modern Day Context 3. Tendering 4. Establishing the service 5. Co-Design principles 6. Operating services 7. Evaluation in isolated communities 8. Where to Now? ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

8. WHERE TO NOW? 1. Setting up a Client reference group – which may be more feasible one year down the track with higher levels of confidence and trust in Anglicare compared with when we first began services a year ago 2. Ongoing partnerships need to be maintained and new ones forged 3. Staff need to maintain a positive and prominent profile in the community 4. We need to be very flexible and responsive to the community need – thinking outside funding parameters 5. Child protection is an ongoing issue – 2 Child Welfare officers but powers are limited – we need to be working in the early prevention space. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

8. WHERE TO NOW? 6. We are looking to have a “drop-in” centre in the main street so people can access support as part of everyday life. We hope to have computer access for people as internet cost are high and so many people go without. We want to have a safe place for young people to come to after school. At the same time, we will maintain our out-of-town location near the church as a good place for confidential appointments. 7. Ongoing evaluation, monitoring and reporting incorporating key elements which have already been developed. . ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

8. WHERE TO NOW? The ideal co-design model is one where the community designs the model and has a say about how it is implemented. However in a community that has been so resistant to the services, suspicious of the agency as a new NGO and aligned with the government since we are funded by the government, this engagement has been difficult. It has required listening, taking time, using soft entry points into the community, being seen as doing positive work in terms of advocacy and generally being seen as aligned with the community. In the end it is all about Anglicare being seen as trustworthy, reliable and credible. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | SEPTEMBER 2017

Any Questions ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH | MAY 2017