Problem
Scenario: (Australia based)
Reach Out Reach Out is a community service (NGO) organization based in a regional area. The purpose of Reach Out is to:
a) strengthen and improve social and personal wellbeing for individuals, families and communities
b) promote and facilitate access, equality and social justice
c) deliver services locally that are of quality and have value. The values of Reach Out are:
LEADERSHIP: We use our social influence to motivate others to reach their full potential.
PARTNERSHIPS: We work collectively with others toward a common goal of positive social and cultural change.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: We protect and promote human rights by recognizing that all people are free and equal in dignity and rights.
Through Reach Out's annual service survey and conversations with members of community an emerging issue of concern has been identified and reported at the Annual General Meeting. The issue is more people sleeping rough in the area.
After discussions with homeless people, members of the community and your partner organizations, Reach Out has identified the following aims for their homelessness program:
a) Building social connections
b) Showering
c) Washing clothes
d) Linking into existing services such as housing, soup kitchen, medical care.
Reach Out has received funding to develop a mobile van that has facilities for showering and clothes washing. Staff on the van will be trained volunteers who will have conversations with the people and will support them to link in with other services as the need is identified.
This project will be conducted over the duration of your course and will be in 3 stages:
develop, implement and evaluate.
The Reach Out Wash Van program has now been running for 6 months. This section of the project is about strategies for monitoring and evaluating the program.
The guidelines for the program are as follows:
1) It must run for at least four weeks and not be a once-off event.
2) There is a budget of $5,000.
3) You are restricted to using two existing staff members (these can be existing positions within your work placement organization) and new staff cannot be recruited.
4) You can make use of volunteers if necessary but you would be responsible for recruiting these people.
5) Approvals must be obtained after the planning stage is completed and then again after the program development has taken place prior to implementation.
Task
1) What is the context of the organisation (your work placement) and how does this program meet its goals and assist the needs of the people it has been set up to assist?
2) Will there be any impacts on current service delivery by adding the program? If potential impacts are recognised, how will these be managed?
3) What opportunities are there for potential partnerships with other service organisations and collaboration with them? How could this benefit the program and its participants?
4) What are the risk, regulatory and sustainability considerations you must consider as part of the program development?
5) Which standards, codes of practice and legislation does this program need to adhere to? Details specifics of your work placement organisation and how your program will abide by these.
6) Which policies and procedures of your organisation (work placement) does this program need to adhere to? How will these be considered in program design?