As previously advised, Council has resolved to undertake the development of an options paper to assist in consideration of all future opportunities for Council in aged care services post June 2024. To help inform the development of this options paper there will be a significant consultation process undertaken with clients, staff and unions, other key stakeholders and the broader community. The consultation process also aims to promote greater awareness and understanding of what the Commonwealth reforms are and what impact this may have on the provision of aged and disability services and supports for Greater Dandenong residents post June 2024.
Council is working to understand the impact the Reforms will have on our community, and what options exist to help Council identify its future role in Aged and Community Care service provision.
Council have now prepared the consultation framework that will be used to develop the Options Paper. Informed by the current and future needs of our community, the project seeks to identify a range of feasible options for Council consideration.
However, the inclusion of a deliberative panel consultation process as part of the framework requires additional time to complete the consultation process, so Council has now noted at the Council meeting on 24 July 2023 that the Options Paper will be now be tabled in December 2023 instead of August 2023 as currently scheduled.
For your information, the 4 key stages in the development of the Options Paper are:
1. Broad Community Consultation
- Understanding current and future needs from a variety of service users, non-service users, Community Care staff and community partners and stakeholders.
- Commences early August 2023.
2. Identifying Local Solutions/Options
- Preparation of three (3) to four (4) options for further consideration through the deliberative panel process. Options to be based on desired community outcomes overlayed with possible or identified operating models.
3. Community Deliberation on Preferred Options
- Working through a process of deliberation, consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of identified local solutions, ranked in order or least to most preferred.
- Deliberation process September through to October 2023.
4. Options Presented for Council Consideration
- December 2023
For your information, I have attached the confirmed Consultation Framework that was presented to Council on Monday night that outlines the planned engagement phases, key stakeholders, engagement methods and measures of success relating to the development of the Options Paper.
Read the Consultation Framework - 4MB
In conclusion;
- Council has now confirmed the community consultation framework that will inform the development of the Options Paper.
- As Community Care staff, there will be a number of opportunities in the coming months to provide feedback as part of the Consultation Process- details to come in the next couple of weeks.
- The tabling of the Options Paper to Council will now be December 2023 rather than August 2023 as previously advised due to the inclusion of the Deliberative Panel Process.
If you have any further questions about the Consultation Plan or any aspects of the Aged Care Reforms, please don’t hesitate to send me an email or you can do it anonymously through the letterbox located at the Community Care training room downstairs or via The Source
Take care everyone and thank you again for all you do to support our older residents and residents with a disability.
Mandy Gatliff, Manager Community Care
