Transcript Towards a sustainable system of local community wellbeing

An Introduction to
Community Indicators Victoria
November 28 2006
Dr Melanie Davern
McCaughey Centre
VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing
School of Population Health, University of Melbourne
[email protected]
1
Local community wellbeing indicators…




Spotlight issues and trends important to local communities
Focus on a small number of headline wellbeing measures - not
all local data
Measure community trends and outcomes - not local
government performance
Include social, economic, environmental, cultural and
governance trends and outcomes
Local community wellbeing indicators
are important as…
A democratic tool, for engaging citizens and
communities in informed discussions about shared
goals and priorities

A policy tool, guiding evidence based planning
and action to address the issues identified as
important by communities

A reporting tool, tracking and communicating
progress towards agreed goals and outcomes

Why has there been increasing support for work
on local community indicators in Victoria?
Increasing emphasis on…
 Citizen and community engagement
 Evidence based policy making
 Integrated, triple bottom line’ policy making - linking social,
economic and environmental trends and issues
 Local government community planning initiatives
…. Victorian Community Indicators Project
Victorian Community Indicators Project
www.communityindicators.net.au



VicHealth and DHS funded collaborative project (20052006)
Aim: Establish sustainable statewide system of local
community wellbeing indicators
Informed by:



International and Australian learning about development and use of
community indicators
Extensive consultative process with local governments and State
government agencies
Reference group included: MAV, VLGA, Local Govt Reps,
DPC, DVC, DHS, DSE, DOI, VCOSS, ABS, VicHealth
Victorian work on local data:
organisational and policy context - towards a map






Local Government
 MAV, VLGA, local governments, LG Community Planners Network,
LG Corporate Planners Network
Victorian Government
 DVC: SP&R, LGV, Seniors, OWP, Youth, AAV, VOMA, SRV,
Community Strengthening…
 DPC: Strategic Policy & Projects, GVT reporting, OCIO…
 DSE: Know Your Area, Metro and Regional Atlases, Commissioner
for Environmental Sustainability…
 DHS: VPHS, Office for Children…
 DOJ, VicPol, (crime and safety), DOI (transport), DTF, DET,DPI?..
Community sector, VCOSS, local community organisations
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Universities…
Victorian Community Indicators Project…Community Indicators
Victoria
Victorian Community Indicators Project
Recommendations





Importance of community indicators for community
planning and policy making
Initial framework of indicators and data sources
Importance of regular, accessible reporting
Importance of capacity building and links with policy
making
Need for long term ‘home’ to ensure sustainable
platform = Community Indicators Victoria
Community Indicators Victoria
Community Indicators Victoria is a collaborative project
hosted by:
McCaughey Centre
VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing,
School of Population Health, University of Melbourne
Goal: To support the development and use of local
community wellbeing indicators as a tool for informed,
engaged and integrated community planing and policy
making.
Governance

Host: McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion
of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne


Collaborating partners: ABS, Local government, State
government, community organisations, universities…
Reference Group: Representatives from local government,
State government, VicHealth, ABS, VCOSS, key academic and
community partners
Initial indicator framework domains

Healthy, safe and inclusive communities

Dynamic, resilient economies

Sustainable built and natural environment

Culturally rich and vibrant communities

Democratic and engaged communities
Criteria for choosing local community indicators





Informed by
 Review of international and Australian literature and practice
 Victorian local government community plans and visions
 Input and feedback from local governments, state
government and community sector
Measure what is valued
Conceptually sound
Make sense and be useful to citizens and policy makers
Relevant and measurable at local community level
Initial Community Indicators Victoria framework






Healthy, safe and inclusive communities
Personal health and wellbeing: Self assessed health; Quality of life; Life
expectancy; Physical activity; Nutrition; Obesity; Illness and deaths from smoking,
alcoholism and illicit drugs; Incidence of mental illness
Community connectedness: People who like living in their local community;
People who can get help from friends, family or neighbours when needed; People
who could raise $2000 in an emergency; Volunteering rates ; Parents with school
age children involved in activities at their school
Early Childhood Development: Australian Early Development Index; Key child
health assessments completed up to 3 years of age; Breast feeding; Eligible infant
immunizations completed
Personal and community safety: Perceptions of safety; Incidence of crime;
Incidence of family violence; Road accident death and injuries; Work related
deaths, injuries and illnesses
Lifelong learning: Primary school literacy and numeracy; School retention;
Apprenticeships and vocational training enrolments; Destination of school leavers;
Home internet access; Library usage
Service availability: Access to services; Extent to which residents feel they can
access services when needed









Dynamic, resilient local economies
Economic activity and employment: Retained retail spending; Type of jobs and
skills; Business growth; Employment rate; unemployment rate; local employment
Income and wealth: Per capita income; income distribution; Per capita wealth;
wealth distribution; educational qualifications
Work life balance: Employment security; Work related stress; work life balance
Sustainable built and natural environments
Access to open space: People living within 3k of public open space; Satisfaction
with public space
Housing affordability: Rent and repayments as percent of income
Transport accessibility: Percent of community who say lack of transport limits
capacity to achieve key goals; Public transport patronage; Walking and cycling
trails; Non car transport opportunities; Rating for local roads and footpaths
Sustainable energy use: Greenhouse gas emissions; household energy use;
Renewable energy use
Air Quality: Pollution concentration. Water quality: Condition of natural streams
and waterways; water consumption ; Waste water recycling
Biodiversity: Native vegetation cover; Weeds and pests. Waste Management:
Waste generation per household



Culturally rich and vibrant communities
Participation in arts and cultural activities: Opportunities to participate in arts;
Active participation in arts and cultural activities; Opportunities to participate in
sporting and recreational activities; Active participation in sporting and recreational
activities
Cultural diversity: Percentage of people who believe their community is an
accepting place for people from diverse cultures and backgrounds; percentage of
people who believe multiculturalism strengths their community
Democratic and engaged communities
Citizen engagement: Percentage of people who think they have a real say on
issues important to them; Percentage of women elected as councillors; Percent of
people who feel they have an opportunity to vote for a political candidate who they
trust; Percent of people who are members of a local community organisation or
decision making body
Data sources

Australian Bureau of Statistics

State and local government administrative data

Existing surveys eg. DVC Community Strengthening Survey

New ‘Victorian Community Survey’ to be conducted by the
McCaughey Centre
Victorian Community Survey




Purpose: to fill data gaps needed to report on indicators
Method: CATI (telephone) household survey
Sample of 24,000 adults. 300 per Local Government Area
Questions:






Data not currently available at LGA level: eg. Self assessed health
Long term basis for collecting data currently collected through other
surveys eg. DVC Community Strengthening Survey
Data not currently collected: eg. Impact of lack of transport access,
workplace stress and insecurity
Demographics: Age, gender, employment, household type, parental status
Initial survey early 2007…probably every two years
Opportunities for purchasing additional sample and/or
questions
Community wellbeing reports




Local community wellbeing reports (initially LGA level)
Upgraded Community Indicators Victoria web site:
www.communityindicators.net.au
Working towards local community wellbeing reports for
 Population groups (gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability…)
 Local communities and neighbourhoods
Examples of reporting options: www.communityaccounts.ca;
www.publichealth.gov.au/mapping.html
Capacity building to support use of community indicators
as tool for community planning and policy making

Target groups
 Local government mayors, councillors and staff
 Local citizens and community groups
 State public servants

Methods
 Web site
 Manuals and tool kits
 Help desk
 Short courses, accredited courses
 Workshops and conferences
Timetable
October-November 2006
 Establish CIV reference group
 Review and sharpen indicators and data sources
 Finalise indicators, template and platform for initial reporting
 Finalise core survey questions
 Finalise supplementary, purchased questions and sample
 Hold local community indicators information sharing forum
 November 2006-February 2007
 Finalise initial data sharing agreements
 Conduct Victorian Community Survey
March 2007
 Launch upgraded web site
 Publish initial LGA level reports

2007
 Initial population group reports?
