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Hornsby Shire Council |
Attachment to Report No. CC49/11
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Social Plan Annual Report Card 2011
Community Development
Council’s Community Services Branch
consists of a multidisciplinary team of human service professionals working
within a community development framework to enhance the social and cultural
wellbeing of the community. The Community Development Team is responsible for
social planning and community development. The Team seeks to identify community
needs and plan appropriate support and services through the Social Plan
2010-14 and is aligned to the Community Strategic Plan. The Social Plan 2010-14 is a strategic
planning document that is underpinned by annual operational plans. These operational
plans detail the work that the Community Development Team undertake including working with a variety of local community
service providers, both government and non-government.
The Report On Achievements details
key achievements and highlights for the year 2010/11. Details of the 2011/12
services plan can be found on Council’s website http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au
Society and Culture
Key Goal:- Support Healthy Interactive Communities
Be Safe Be Prepared Project
Council received a grant of
$65,620 from The Federal Attorney-General’s Department to deliver a 12 month
project called ‘Be Safe Be Prepared’. The project includes the delivery of a series
of crime prevention education sessions across the Shire. These education
sessions include topics such as keeping safe in the home and neighbourhood,
keeping personal banking information safe and preventing scams. A number of
organisations provided guest speakers at the sessions. These organisations included
Bendigo Bank, Suncorp Bank, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, NSW
Police, Eastwood and Ku-ring-gai Local Command.
The education sessions were
held in Hornsby, Epping, Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook, Berowra and Wiseman’s
Ferry. More sessions are planned for 2011/12.
Home Modification
The Home
Modification and Maintenance Service is funded through Family and Community
Services, Ageing Disability and Homecare and aims to keep people who are older,
frail aged and people with a disability in their own homes for as long as
possible. Approximately 1000 home
modification and maintenance jobs were completed in the 2010/11 financial year.
The service has
also received $16,000 additional funding to provide a one-off gutter cleaning service for clients and free smoke
alarm installations for financially disadvantaged clients. Providing
information on fire safety and prevention in the home has been a top priority
for the service with over 300 fire safety books distributed to service users
during 2010/11.
Hornsby & Region Community Drug Action Team
(CDAT)
Council supports the work of
the Hornsby and Region Community Drug Action Team which is funded by NSW
Health. The team implemented a Forum Theatre Project, which presented to over
300 school students at
During Drug Action Week in
June, the team held a stall in the Hornsby Mall to inform and educate the local
community about alcohol and other drugs. Equipment used at the event included a
“smokerlyzer” that measured carbon monoxide levels in smoker’s lungs. The
community also had and opportunity to complete a survey and test their
knowledge on alcohol and drug use.
Hornsby Homelessness Count
On the evening of Sunday, 6
February 2011, Hornsby Shire Council led a count of homeless people who live in
the Shire. Approximately 80 volunteers worked on the night with several members
of the Hornsby Homelessness Taskforce assisting as Team Leaders. Hornsby TAFE
Outreach provided training for all of volunteers. The total of the count was
41, including 13 rough sleepers and 28 people living in temporary
accommodation. These numbers excluded people living in bush, caves and couch
surfing.
An Open Day for homeless
people was held at the Brooklyn Community Health Centre in May. Council ran the
event in partnership with Centrelink. Twelve homeless people attended the day
and received support from the following services; NSW Housing, Centrelink, Food
For Life, the Police, Mental Health Team, GP Network Northside, Salvation Army and
local Church groups. The day also included free food, haircuts, showers,
clothes, blankets and the provision of other basic products provided to
homeless people.
Community Donations Programme
Council’s Community
Donations Programme provides financial assistance to community groups and
organisations that implement initiatives to address social and community issues
in the Hornsby Shire. 38 community groups and organisations were successful in sharing
approximately $51,000 in funding from Council.
Minor changes have been made
to the 2011/2012 Donations Programme to ensure that funds awarded to community
groups and organisations are strategically aligned with priorities identified
in Council’s Social Plan 2010-2014 and the Community Development Annual Operational
Plan 2011-2012.
Key Goal:- Create a sense of Belonging
Seniors’ Week Festival 2011
Council facilitated a
month-long ’Seniors Festival’ in March. The Festival included approximately 80
events that were provided by a range of local organisations and services. 5,000
promotional booklets were distributed and approximately 3,600 people attended
the events throughout the Shire.
National Youth Week
Hornsby Shire Council won
the 2011 Youth Week Award for the “Most Innovative Youth Week Program” at this
year’s Local Government Week Awards night which was held on 3 August 2011.
National Youth Week was held from 1-10 April, 2011. Council ran a number of
events during Youth Week which included a skate clinic in Brooklyn, a ‘have
your say’ event in Epping, ‘Music in the Mall’ live performances in the Hornsby
Mall, launched a new recipe book for young parents (in partnership with Hornsby/Waitara
Community Hub, Hornsby TAFE & Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai Community College),
hosted Heat 1 of the very popular “Rock the Block 3” youth band competition and
coordinated an “Amazing Race” event for members of the same sex attracted support
group called Gal@(h).
Healthy Living
Council continues to partner
and support Home and Community Care Services across the Shire> These
services include Meals on Wheels, Community Transport and Neighbour Aid
Services, all of whom support people who are frail aged and/or people with a
disability and their carers.
Council continues to
distribute a range of information to the community. This has included 2000 copies
of the North Shore Seniors Guide. A ‘help
a neighbour’ leaflet, which is designed to encourage people to get to know
their neighbours, was also distributed to 5000 people.
Council has delivered free ‘Healthy
Lifestyle’ community information sessions throughout the year by working in partnership
with the Cancer Council, Heart Foundation, Diabetes
Low cost exercise classes have
supported people in the community by promoting living a healthier lifestyle and
providing social inclusion opportunities. Over 117 people participated in
activities each week. Activities have included Tai Chi, ‘Heart Moves’ gentle
exercise, Line Dancing classes and “Stepping On” (a falls prevention program).
Cooking classes, including a men’s cooking class, have also been successful.
Some of these activities have been made available through a ‘positive ageing’
grant of $5,000 which has been used to subsidise costs in order to encourage
participation.
Over 55’s expo
An Over 55’s Expo event was
held in Eastwood Plaza in partnership with Ryde Council, Parramatta Council and
a range of community organisations. The Expo featured over 50 information stalls
and was visited by over 200 people on the day.
Family Expo
A Family Expo was organised
in partnership with Hornsby/Waitara Community Hub which is operated by Mission
Australia. Approximately 140 people attended and received information from a range
of different services including family support, education, health, family
relations and child care.
Rock the Block 3
The third annual “Rock the
Block” Youth Band Competition included three events in April, May and June and attracted
over 750 young people and their families. 58 performers were able to showcase
their talents in this public forum. The event was also supported by local
businesses and clubs. The competition has become a great place for young people
in the local area to get experience playing in front of a “live” audience with the
support of professional stage, sound and lighting equipment.
Live in the Mall
The ‘Live in the Mall’ sessions
are free live events that have been held once a month in the Hornsby Mall. This
program is designed to support local talent and also to create a point of interest
for people visiting the Mall.
Key Goal:- Meet our Diverse Communities Needs
Families NSW and the Aboriginal
Child, Youth and Family Strategy (strategies of the NSW State Government) fund the
Northern Sydney Aboriginal Community Facilitation Project which provides a
number of local and regional events each year for Aboriginal people. Hornsby
Council has delivered this project to the community since 2005. Events and
activities implemented by the project in 2010/11 have included:-
Christmas in the Bush
“Christmas in the Bush”, is
an annual get together for the Northern Sydney Aboriginal community. 130 people
attended the event at Taronga Zoo in November.
The day was supported by Taronga Zoo and families were able to access
CityRail travel discounts through the state governments Family Fun Day fares
program.
Service Consultations
Opportunities were provided
for “mainstream” services to hear what the Aboriginal community thought about
service delivery in the Northern Sydney region. There were four events held
throughout the year which were attended by approximately 100 staff from 25
different organisations. These consultations have lead to a review of service
delivery for Aboriginal people in the
Community Day
A Community Day was held in
the Hornsby Mall in May in order to provide service information to the
Aboriginal community. Twenty different services attended.
Creation of Aboriginal Games Kit
An Aboriginal Games Kit has
been created with the help of the Hornsby Wood Working Men’s Shed. The kit has
been used in preschools, primary schools and high schools and is designed to
enhance cultural understanding. There are games and activities for all ages,
all settings and the kit is versatile enough to be utilised in natural settings
like bushland and parks.
Other activities designed to support our diverse
community included:
Children’s Voices for Reconciliation
Council presented
the 10th annual Children’s Voices for Reconciliation in July. Ten
schools performed. The event is designed to mark Reconciliation Week and to
celebrate Sorry Day. It is an opportunity for the community to share stories of
Aboriginal culture and heritage. The event is an opportunity to see children
perform short stories, songs and poems, to see an Aboriginal smoking ceremony
and meet with Aboriginal Elders.
Hornsby Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative
Committee
The Hornsby Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee (HATSICC) continues to meet
bimonthly. The Committee members include traditional owner/custodian groups,
local Aboriginal people and other local people with a demonstrated commitment
to the principles of Reconciliation. Advice is given to Councillors and staff
on Aboriginal culture and heritage issues.
Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy and Paintings
Council partnered with the
Australian Artists Society (AAS) to organise an exhibition of Chinese
Calligraphy and Paintings. The exhibition was held in the Hornsby Library in
April and showcased 50 art works including Chinese calligraphy, paintings and
micro carvings. Approximately 70 people attended the opening including local
artists, art teachers and local residents. The launch included demonstrations
of calligraphy and paintings by Chinese artists. The exhibition has provided an
opportunity for our local community to learn more about Chinese culture and helped
to raise awareness of diversity in our community. Council is now working in
partnership with AAS to set up a locally based art group.
WIN Personal Development Program
Council worked in partnership
with MTC Work Solutions, to organise a ten day course entitled, WIN “Personal
Development Program” for women. The program was designed to help women improve their
self esteem and confidence and to set goals that they want to achieve. The
evaluation conducted on the participants showed that 95% of participants felt
more confident, positive and happy about themselves after the course. 80% of
the participants stated that their goals centred around seeking training,
further education, find a job and/or to be more independent.
Supporting families
In partnership with the
Department of Education and Community, Council presented six information
sessions to parent/ family groups and English conversation groups. The sessions
aimed to help migrants and parents to understand the structure of Hornsby Shire
Council, the services that Council provides and also promoted information on
local services.
Settlement Grants Programme
The Settlement Grants
Programme (SGP) is funded by Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)
and is designed to assist newly arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants to
settle in Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai Local Government Areas.
The Programme provides
one-on-one casework as well as educational and social activities designed to
enhance cultural understanding and promote interaction with the broader
Australian community.
Over 170 newly arrived
migrants received one-on-one support from the service in 2010/11. The service
has also organised a number of different workshops throughout the year in
partnership with Centrelink, Hornsby Ku-Ring- Gai Local Area Command and Relationships
Australia and also organised numerous cultural celebrations with local Chinese,
Iranian, India and Nepali communities.