QPPD

Politics, Partnership and Personalised Responses   

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In April 2001 QPPD held a workshop with family members and people with disabilities in key leadership roles to look at the interaction of many factors influencing the big picture, with particular reference to how the policies and practices of Disability Services Queensland are operating. Consultant, Jan Dyke, developed the discussion and analysis into a report entitled Politics, Partnership and Personalised Responses.

We identified the major agendas that we saw as affecting people's lives including the broad political influences or government, economic and funding, service provision and the wider community. We then identified the threats, opportunities and uncertainties and developed five 'great' questions of concern to families of adults with disability.

From the analysis and 'great' questions we were able to identify three linking themes which we believe should be the current focus of work in support of adults with disabilities and their families in Queensland:

  • The development and protection of proper relationships with government and with service providers, so that adults with disabilities and/or their families have vision, and proper authority and support, to be the builders of their own unique destinies.
  • The development and nurturing of new personalised services and supports which keep decision making close to those who are served and enable desirable and secure futures to be achieved.
  • The internal building of the community's capacity to welcome and offer hospitality with individuals with a disability so that ordinary life relationships at home, in the local neighbourhood and in the wider community become the stuff of life.

Following the workshop QPPD conducted a study around the themes of belonging and community connectedness. This project aimed to explore understandings of authentic community connectedness by focusing upon a small number of individuals who were recognised as being well connected within their community.

Recommendations supported by the findings were published in a summary report on the study Community Connectedness - A Quest for Belonging.

In November 2001, QPPD hosted a forum that was attended by a wide range of people concerned with the issue of funding reform, including people with disability, parents, advocates and service providers. The forum was led by Michael Kendrick who has considerable experience in working with government and bureaucracy in bringing about reform.

Following the forum a discussion paper Moving Towards a System of Support was developed and distributed. The paper was designed to stimulate discussion and thinking to enable the continual development of ideas and concepts based on principled and fair provision of support and management of public funds.

 

The paper advocates for a more flexible system that promotes freedom and strengthens community. It proposes five elements of reform and the adoption of a set of proposed principles for the proper use of public funds.

Our report is here in .doc format: 16 pages 890KB