2015 -2017
DAIS Strategic Plan
Endorsed by the Board: 26 February 2015
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Table of Contents
Purpose....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Values ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Key Strategic Issues ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Issue 2 – Brand / Positioning / Marketing .............................................................................................................. 8
Issue 3 – Our People: ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Issue 4 – Creating Business Opportunities ......................................................................................................... 13
Issue 5 – Overcome the waitlist ............................................................................................................................ 14
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Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Context
Disability Advocacy and Information Service (DAIS) is an independent, not-for-profit, community-based
organisation that is primarily funded to provide advocacy services and protect people’s human rights under
the Commonwealth Disability Services Act 1986.
DAIS provides disability advocacy and information to individuals, conducts a community education program,
and assists people from diverse backgrounds to access HACC services. This program seeks out people from
diverse groups and links them into main stream services and Justice Support service that links trained
volunteers to support people with disability involved in the justice system.
DAIS current catchment area for service provision is North East Victoria including Local Government Areas of,
Alpine, Benalla, Indigo, Mansfield, Towong, Wangaratta and Wodonga. Also southern parts of NSW including
the towns of Albury, Corowa, Deniliquin, Finley, Henty, Holbrook, Jerilderie, Tocumwal, Urana and
Hinterlands.
The DAIS Board is the governing body consisting of up to nine volunteer members. Board Members are
selected on their skills to govern the organisation. A fundamental principle is that the Board has a lived
experience of disability therefore the majority of member are people with disabilities or carers / family
members. The Board structure ensures involvement, input and control by people with disabilities and provides
opportunity for people with the skills required to govern the organisation to participate.
This plan was developed in the midst of significant reforms in the disability service sector with the
implementation of the National Disability Strategy 2010 - 2020 including the roll out of the National Disability
Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It is unclear how advocacy services will fit into the new system. The Federal
Government has announced their intention to put Advocacy Services up for tender. This plan will need to be
flexible to meet the challenges that lay ahead.
The strategic plan is the overarching planning document for the organisation. It is approved by the Board to
set the medium to long term direction of the organisation. The annual Operational and individual staff work
plan come out of the Strategic Plan.
Strategic Plan
Operational/Business Plan
Individual Work Plan
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Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Your Life – Your Voice – Your Rights
Statement of Purpose
We assist people with disability to have fulfilling lives, strong voices
and their rights upheld by informing, empowering and educating.
Purpose

Provide advocacy support to people with disability and carers in North East Victoria and Southern Riverina
New South Wales.

Promote positive change in the lives of people with a disability and their carers in the area.

Improve and identify services for people with a disability by influencing all levels of Government and service
providers.

Empower individuals to advocate for themselves.

Support disability-related groups and committees.

Support people from disadvantaged and diverse groups to gain equal access to mainstream services.
Values
Life – We assist people to make informed decisions to enhance their life.
Voice – We work with people to be heard fairly, justly and respectfully.
Rights – We promote the charter of human rights.
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Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Three key strategic questions have been identified which will require further consideration over the next three
years as DAIS manages industry reform over the next few years.
1) How does DAIS best understand, address and respond to the impact of the NDIS (and the wider National
Disability Strategy) on the provision of advocacy, aged care and HACC services?
2) How can DAIS best continue to invest in good staff, an effective board, capable and flexible systems, and
clever marketing?
3) How does DAIS ensure it knows its business (particularly its finances, clients data, what we do and what it
truly costs), as the basis for exploring potential new business opportunities and act on those opportunities?
Key Strategic Issues
The key strategic issues were identified as important considerations in the next phase in DAIS development.
Issue 1: Industry Reform
How does DAIS best understand, address and respond to the impact of NDIS and other reforms on its future
operations?
Issue 2: Brand / Positioning / Marketing
How does DAIS best ensure that its name and marketing effectively represent what it does and why it does it in
the marketplaces it wants to reach?
Issue 3: Our People
How does DAIS best invest in the quality/capability of its people - volunteers, staff and Board?
Issue 4: Creating Business Opportunities
How do we identify and act on business opportunities that strengthen DAIS’ financial position by building on its
brand, positioning and resource capabilities?
How does DAIS invest in new activities?
Issue 5: Reducing the Waitlist
How can we best address the demand on DAIS’ services to reduce pressure on staff, while maintaining quality
service to client and maintaining our reputation?
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Action Plan
Issue 1: Industry Reform
How does DAIS best understand, address and respond to the impact of NDIS and other reforms on its future operations?
What we will do:
1.1
Monitor developments in policy
and reform environment and
report to the Board and staff.
Why we are doing it?
The board will be kept up-to-date regarding
development in government policy.
Consider the impact on the current services/
practice.
1.2
DAIS will be an active participant
in the policy and reform
processes.
By being an active participant the organisation
will be better informed and prepared for the
reform process.
Gain feedback from the client group so that
their views are reflected in the approach DAIS
takes.
1.3
Develop a plan to enable DAIS to
respond to business
opportunities that arise.
The plan will investigate
scenarios/options and risks in
various approaches.
DAIS will be in a position to quickly respond to
business opportunities as they present
themselves. There will not be a need to get
approval from the board if the proposal fits
within the perimeters of the plan.
Projected costs will be available to respond to
opportunities.
How will we know it’s done?
Who will do it?
Board members can report
that they are aware of the
changes to government policy
and reform.
EO
Ongoing
DAIS can appropriately
respond to the reforms
EO
Ongoing
DAIS is prepared for the
reform process.
Board and staff
0ngoing
Board and staff
Ongoing
Use various methods to
consult the client group so
that DAIS can represent the
community views.
A business plan, identifying
business opportunity has
been developed.
EO and Board
When?
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
What we will do:
1.4
Review, and as needed, further
develop network and consortium
opportunities to be ready for
funding opportunities.
Why we are doing it?
How will we know it’s done?
Who will do it?
When?
From time to time it is necessary to review the
networks DAIS are involved with to see if they
are in line with DAIS strategic direction and
resources and pick up new services/partners.
Report to the Board outlining
DAIS involvement in the
network.
EO
June 2015
Maintain active involvement in
networks/information sharing.
1.5
Manage impact on staff by
ensuring they are well informed.
A stable workforce, staff are a valuable
resource. If there is uncertainty there will be a
tendency that they will find other work. It is
important to keep staff informed of the
reforms and the steps the Board and
management are taking to secure the future of
DAIS.
Update staff of funding and
reforms at staff meetings.
EO
Ongoing
1.6
Make sure staff employment
contracts are conditional to
funding.
It needs to be made clear to staff that their
employment is subject to Government funding
and a loss of funding will result in loss of their
job.
Review Position descriptions
and employment contracts to
ensure it is clear that
employment is subject to
available funding.
EO
February
2015
1.7
Manage impact on clients and
other stakeholders to ensure they
are well informed of changes in
the sector.
Any changes to funding will have an impact on
clients and stakeholders. DAIS has a role to play
to keep them informed of developments.
Keep clients and other
stakeholders up to date by
providing information in the
newsletter and on the
website.
Staff
Ongoing
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Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Issue 2 – Brand / Positioning / Marketing
How does DAIS best ensure that its name and marketing effectively represent what it does and why it does it in the marketplaces it wants to reach?
2.1
What we will do:
Why are we doing it?
How will we know it’s done?
Undertake brand and marketing
plans that will reflect on how the
current name of the organisation is
perceived in the marketplace and if
there is a need for change.
From time to time there is a need to reflect
on the name of the organisation to see if it
still reflects the goal of the organisation and
community values. There is a danger that
changing the name of the organisation will
lose traction in the marketplace.
Develop a strategic plan and
present it to the board.
The plan will look at:




Identifying processes to make
changes over a period of time.
Invest in that happening.
Maintain products
differently?
Ensure there is consistent
communication throughout
the process.
Build on the strengths of the
current image.
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Who will do
it?
EO and Board
When?
December
2015
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Issue 3 – Our People:
How does DAIS best invest in the quality/capability of its people - volunteers, staff and Board?
What we will do:
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Why are we doing it?
How will we know it’s done?
Who will do
it?
When?
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
What we will do:
3.1
Review the effectiveness of the
Board’s operations
 Establish Committees to
support the Board do its
work.
 Review the frequency of
meetings
 Review the makeup of the
board and how many
members there should be
to be most effective
 Review the Board
materials – helping to
make good decisions?
 Review the nature of
measures/reporting.
 Consider the level of
involvement in operation
management including
some operational policies.
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Why are we doing it?
The board has been functioning the same way
for many years. A review will look at how a
modern board functions and consider if there
are better ways to do things?
Resourcing the board on a monthly basis
takes a significant amount of staff time. Could
the same result be achieved if the board met
less frequently?
How will we know it’s done?
Form a short term working
group of the board to review
the effectiveness of the board
and report back to the board
with recommendations on how
the board should be structured.
Who will do
it?
Board
appointed
working group
When?
April 2014
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
What we will do:
3.2
a) Develop skills and succession
planning of staff.


Continue to invest in
engaging staff, recognising
their contributions and the
uncertainty they face.
Growing skills and
knowledge of staff.

Develop skills matrix to
develop skills required.

Consider partnership
opportunity with local
volunteer bureau who may
already have volunteer
programs in place.
Develop a succession plan for
key staff positions to reduce the
impact on the organisation if a
staff member resigns or has a
long leave of absence from the
workplace.
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Why are we doing it?
How will we know it’s done?
Who will do
it?
When?
Staff are DAIS’ most valuable resource. By
keeping them informed of funding
developments, the more likely they are to
feel supported and stay.
Keep staff informed of
funding situations and the
impact on their jobs.
EO
Ongoing
The sector is continually changing so it is
important that staff are supported to
update their skills and knowledge.
During annual appraisal, each
staff member will develop a
plan for training to increase
their skills and knowledge.
Each staff member will be
allocated an annual budget
for training.
All staff
During
annual
appraisals.
As training
opportunity
comes
available
Identify and use strategies and systems
already available in agencies engaged on
volunteers .
When staff and board members leave there
will be a short and long term impact. It is
important to have a plan to ensure
knowledge is not lost.
A session planning document
has been developed and
presented to the board.
EO
December
2015
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
What we will do:
3.3
Consider the feasibility of
developing a volunteer program to
support the office and advocacy
activities.
 Identify and assess the
cost/benefit of potential roles
and the outcomes sought from
establishing a volunteer program.
 Consider what resources would
need to be allocated to set up
and run a program.
 Recruit from and manage
volunteers.
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Why are we doing it?
Staff resources are at the maximum and there
are people requesting volunteer work.
Volunteers should be seen as an asset and not
as a burden.
How will we know it’s done?
Research completed and report
provided to the board outlining
the advantages and
disadvantages of a volunteer
program.
Who will do
it?
When?
Project for an
advanced
student on
placement with
support of EO
December
2015
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Issue 4 – Creating Business Opportunities
How do we identify and act on business opportunities that strengthen DAIS’ financial position by building on its brand, positioning and resource capabilities?
What we will do:
4.1
a) Consider income generating
opportunities. Assess various
options.
-
-
Agree on a broad approach
– define what success would
broadly look like.
‘Agree to the rules of the
game’
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Why are we doing it?
DAIS ability to maintain current services and
to grow is dependent on diverse income.
An agreed business plan will set boundaries
for the EO to pursue income opportunities.
How will we know it’s
done?
Develop a plan and report to
the Board for their approval
on broad boundaries for DAIS
to consider income generating
opportunities.
The plan will consider a risk
assessment of each proposal.
The plan will include a
measure for success.
Who will do
it?
When?
EO and Board
June 2015
Draft DAIS Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017
Issue 5 – Reducing the Waitlist
DAIS will continue to provide a quality service and meet competing demands within available resources and funding body targets.
How can we best address the demand on DAIS’ services to reduce pressure on staff, while maintaining quality service to client and maintaining our reputation?
5.1
What we will do:
Why are we doing it?
How will we know it’s done?
Who will do it?
a) Engage staff to review
Advocacy Practice Manual and
Funding Guidelines to ensure
that the documents are
efficient and effective as
possible.
There may be efficiencies found in the
intake and advocacy processes that may
speed up the process resulting in getting to
clients quicker.
Minutes of advocacy day
meetings showing that staff
were engaged in reviewing
advocacy practices.
EO and advocacy
staff
(Finding efficiencies should not be at the
cost of meeting standards or providing
quality service.)
Strategies developed by staff
are implemented. And
reported to the board in the
quarterly Advocacy report.
Advocates
When?
March 2015
Ongoing
5.2
b) Investigate potential of a
volunteer’s program to work on
some aspects of that process.
See 3.3 above
Volunteers may be able to elevate
administrative tasks currently undertaken
by advocates.
A report will be presented on
a perennial volunteer
program.
Student on
placement
December
2015
5.3
c) Review communications to
ensure that client’s
expectations are well founded,
and DAIS’ messages about its
capabilities are well managed.
If clients expectation of the wait time is
explained and clients are regularly
contacted then the risk to DAIS reputation
will be reduced.
The quarterly advocacy report
to the board will provide
information on the number of
people receiving services and
number on the wait list.
EO and
advocates
Ongoing
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