National Disability Advocacy
Program Reform:
Model of Australia Wide
Systemic Advocacy
Thank you for your invitation,
time and attention.
What has happened in SA?
Other Advocacy
Services in SA
also deliver a
very part time,
specialist,
systemic
advocacy
program.
State funded
disability specific
organisations
provide some
systemic
advocacy without
funding.
Last 25 years generic systemic advocacy was
provided by Disability Action Inc. Disability
Action got defunded in February 2006, since
then SA has lost its generic systemic
advocacy program.
Disability Action was supposed to provide half of
its funding to Systemic Advocacy, which
would have delivered an efficient and
effective systemic advocacy program for
South Australia.
In January 2007 Disability Advocacy and
Complaints Service of South Australia Inc.
was allowed to use two days of one
advocate’s time to devote to systemic
advocacy. This is not enough to do an
effective job.
Tools of Systemic Advocacy
Community Consultation
Networking
Community Education
Campaigning/Lobbying
Community Development
Can this be done in two days per week for one
person for a whole State?
What are the issues for Systemic Advocacy in
SA?
Unmet Needs, transport access, consumer
participation in the delivery of services,
Cooperation in SA
Very little – due to inability to take
action as a result of lack of
resources.
Advocacy sector is split, many fight
for their existence against each
other.
An overarching, decently resourced
Peak Systemic Advocacy
Program in SA could address the
issue of lack of cooperation.
Cooperation on National level
Example:
Comparison
of data about
issues and
length of time
worked on an
issue;
Linking level
of resolution
to kind of, or
level of,
disability;
Demand on State level prohibits
any participation on national level
campaigns. Cooperation takes
time and resources.
Some information exchange with
national peaks exists, but there is
no ability to transfer national
campaigns to State level.
Reliability - Validity
Examples:
How do you
identify CALD
clients?
How do you
identify the
category to
place issues?
If your funding
would depend
on boosting
your numbers,
would you?
Joppe (2000) defines reliability as:
…The extent to which results are consistent over time and
an accurate representation of the total population under
study is referred to as reliability and if the results of a
study can be reproduced under a similar methodology,
then the research instrument is considered to be
reliable. (p. 1, Joppe, M. (2000). The Research Process. Retrieved
February 25, 2000, from http://www.ryerson.ca/~mjoppe/rp.htm)
Validity determines whether the research truly measures that
which it was intended to measure or how truthful the
research results are. In other words, does the research
instrument allow you to hit "the bull’s eye" of your research
object? Researchers generally determine validity by asking
a series of questions, and will often look for the answers in
the research of others. (p. 1)
The Qualitative Report Volume 8 Number 4 December 2003 597-607
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR8-4/golafshani.pdf
Nahid Golafshani: Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative
Research,University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hub and Spoke Model
All state based systemic advocacy
programs link to a Peak State,
generic systemic advocacy
program.
In SA this would mean that we should
employ 3.0 FTE systemic
advocates.
One of the biggest tasks would be to
bring the other organisations
together and to consult with the
wider disability community.
Hub and Spoke Model
All State Peak Systemic Programs
should be in regular contact with a
national peak systemic advocacy
program.
Monthly teleconferences to identify State
trends and discuss emerging
Commonwealth issues.
National Peak should organise
campaigns nationwide and
addressing issues of the
Commonwealth Government, while
State Peak should coordinate State
Government campaigns.
Performance Standards
Disability Advocacy and Complaints
Service of South Australia Inc.
believes that systemic advocacy
programs should perform to the same
level of quality assurance standards
as the individual advocacy program.
In addition, State and National peak
advocacy organisations should also
involve other systemic advocacy
programs in their States in an annual
planning and evaluation process.
DACSSA Inc.
Funded by
the Australian Government as part of the
National Disability Advocacy Program.
Thank You for Listening!
Our contact details are:
Unit 3, 178 Henley Beach Road
(enter from Jervois Street)
Torrensville SA 5031
Phone:
Fax:
Country:
8234 56 99
8234 60 44
1800 088 325
Email:
drigney@dacssa.org.au
Website:
www.dacssa.org.au