Title: Developing and using community wellbeing indicators: Learning from Community Indicators Victoria Nat
1Developing and using community wellbeing
indicators Learning from Community Indicators
Victoria Natstats Conference, Melbourne 20
November 2008
- Prof John Wiseman, Director Sue West, Research
Fellow - McCaughey Centre
- VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental
Health and Community Wellbeing - University of Melbourne
2Overview
- What are community wellbeing indicators - and why
are they important? - Overview of Community Indicators
- Victoria
- Lessons for development of local
- community indicator platform
- development
3What are community wellbeing indicators?
- Community wellbeing indicators are statistical
tools for translating broad community goals into
clear, tangible and commonly understood outcomes
and for assessing and communicating progress in
achieving these goals. - Tools for democracy
- Tools for evidence based policy making
- Tools for reporting and evaluation
- Basis for new conversations about community,
progress, wellbeing and sustainability
4Growing international use of community wellbeing
indicators as tools for discussing progress and
making policy choices
5Community wellbeing indicators in Australia
6Local 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
7Victorian context and drivers
- State and local government support for
- Evidence based policy making
- Citizen engagement and community planning
- Triple bottom line planning and reporting
- Wide range of local government indicator
initiatives but patchy, uneven and under
resourced - Victorian Community Indicators Project (supported
by VicHealth).Community Indicators Victoria
8Community Indicators Victoria
- Goal To support the development and use of local
community wellbeing indicators as a tool for
informed, engaged and integrated community
planning and policy making. - Partners VicHealth, ABS, Community organisations
(VCOSS) Local government (MAV,VLGA), State
Government (all Departments), RMIT, Swinburne
Universities - Products
- Framework of social, economic, environmental,
cultural, and governance indicators - Local community wellbeing reports
www.communityindicators.net.au - Toolkits and training packages
- Research on development and use of community
indicators
9www.communityindicators.net.au
10CIV community wellbeing framework
-
- Five domains (75 indicators)
-
- Healthy, safe and inclusive communities
- Dynamic, resilient economies
- Sustainable built and natural environment
- Culturally rich and vibrant communities
- Democratic and engaged communities
-
11Data Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Victorian Government administrative data eg.
Library usage, Crime rates, Water quality - Victorian government surveys eg. Victorian
Population Health Survey, Victorian Child and
Adolescence Monitoring Survey DVC Community
Strengthening Survey - Community Indicators Victoria Survey 2007
12Community Indicators Victoria Survey 2007
- Purpose Fill CIV framework data gaps
- Telephone household survey
- 24,000 adults.
- 300 per Local Government Area
- Questions
- Data not currently available at local level eg.
Self assessed health, subjective wellbeing - Data not currently collected eg. Transport
access, Work-life balance, Arts participation,
Citizen engagement - Demographics Age, gender, employment, household
type, parental status
13Reporting
- Place based (Local Government Area level) with
some population group data available - Automated reports
- Tailer made reports
- Wellbeing maps
- All free and publically available
14Automated wellbeing reports
15Tailored wellbeing reports
16Wellbeing maps
- Source CIV, McCaughey Centre, School of
Population Health, University of Melbourne
17Local community wellbeing in VictoriaFeeling
part of the community
- Source CIV, McCaughey Centre, School of
Population Health, University of Melbourne
18Local community wellbeing in Victoria Food stress
- Source CIV, McCaughey Centre, School of
Population Health, University of Melbourne
19Local community wellbeing in Victoria
Participation in arts and cultural activities
- Source CIV, McCaughey Centre, School of
Population Health, University of Melbourne
20Local community wellbeing in Victoria Citizen
engagement
Source CIV, McCaughey Centre, School of
Population Health, University of Melbourne
21After 18 months
- 150,000 web site hits
- 1200 registered members
- State Government Departments, 64 local
governments - 600 NGOs and companies
- Workshops and toolkits
- Research on use and effectiveness
- Strong positive feedback
- But future resourcing remains unclear
22Using community indicators to discuss local
priorities
23Using community indicators to inform Council
planning
24Using community indicators to report on progress
25Lessons from development of CIV
- 1. Key tasks and steps in development of local
community wellbeing indicator systems include - Clarity of purpose
- Agreement on governance and partnership
arrangements - Securing adequate and sustainable resources
- Development of agreed indicator framework
- Design and implementation of effective strategies
for - Data collection
- Data dissemination
- Capacity building
- Policy and research linkages
262. Key partners needed to develop and sustain a
local community indicators system
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Local governments and local government peak
organisations - State government
- Central Agencies
- Community and Regional Development Agencies
- Departments providing and using data
- Commonwealth government
- Community organisations and NGO peaks
- Universities
273. Key data collection success factors
- Robust, up to date local data
- Strong partnership relationship with ABS
- Data sharing agreements with State government
- Capacity to collect and analyse local survey data
- Well managed data warehouse system
- High quality project management for data
collection, collation and analysis
284. Key data dissemination success factors
- Clear framework and story
- Well designed communications strategy
- High level web design and web site maintenance
skills - Understanding of audiences
- Lots of pictures and maps
- Clear link to achievement of purpose (citizen
engagement, evidence based policy)
295. Investment in capacity building is crucial
- Online resources
- Manuals and toolkits
- Workshops and forums
- Short courses
- Applied research
30And most of all
- if local community wellbeing indicators are to
be developed and sustained as a public good they
need long term commitment from government and key
partners including for infrastructure support,
data provision, policy linkages and capacity
building.