Support for Council decision-making

Case study: Ballarat City Council

Community wellbeing indicators help ensure that the decisions Councils make about policies and budgets are based on the best local evidence.  Planning for the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Ballarat and surrounds is currently being undertaken by the Ballarat City Council. The Community Indicators Victoria framework has assisted the Council to better understand the dimensions of health and wellbeing for the municipality and Community Indicators Victoria indicators and data will provide the latest up to date information on the health and wellbeing of the City of Ballarat.  Coupled with data from consultations with key organisations and local communities, Community Indicators Victoria will provide the evidence Council needs to decide where, how and what to invest in for the future health and wellbeing of the City of Ballarat.

Partnership responses to local issues

Case study: Mildura Rural City Council

Community wellbeing data provides the basis for Councils to engage other organisations in discussions about how best to respond to local needs and issues.  A Community Engagement Framework has been developed by the Mildura Rural City Council. The Framework responds to community wellbeing trends and issues arising from the Mildura Social Indicators Report prepared by Prof Tony Vinson. This information has been used to examine the match between key wellbeing issues and the delivery of services locally by Council and other organisations. Council takes a lead role in planning, with other key stakeholders, to respond to identified gaps in service delivery and has established operational groups to respond to headline issues.  Community Indicators Victoria provides new data for the Framework which will help the Mildura Rural City Council and their key partners to learn even more about the wellbeing of the community.

Community engagement and community strengthening

Case study: Port Phillip City Council

Community wellbeing indicators provide a concrete focus to engage local citizens and strengthen communities. The process of developing community wellbeing indicators and community plans is an excellent way to inform and involve local people and organisations, and is a meaningful task for citizens to engage in.  It enables them to identify key issues, discuss priorities, and plan future directions for their community. The Port Phillip City Council developed a project called The Community Pulse to help achieve local environmental, cultural, social and economic sustainability. They identify a set of critical indicators for measuring progress over time.

One of three important goals of The Community Pulse is to show the community how they can act to improve their environment, health and wellbeing and achieve their vision of a sustainable community. Their website lists the indicators and a range of suggested actions.  One of the exciting aspects of The Community Pulse is that the website also guides residents in how to collect ‘data’ locally to help build a stronger community. For example, residents are supported to become a ‘smile spy’ and count the number of smiles per 15 minutes they encounter on the streets in their local area. These are then converted into Smiles per Hour. This is a fun way for local residents to start conversations about actions they can take to improve community wellbeing.  Indicators and data available through Community Indicators Victoria will add to the evidence base of The Community Pulse and provide a spring board for other innovative community actions.

A focus on results and tracking change over time

Case study: Moreland City Council

Community wellbeing indicators help Councils to shift their focus from inputs (e.g., dollars spent on recreational facilities) and outputs (eg. new parks and sporting facilities) to outcomes and practical results for their communities. They are an important tool for monitoring results and progress over time.  To achieve their vision the Moreland City Council has identified four key goals and fourteen areas for action. Indicators have been chosen for each action area and data is collected to help the Council and community to see where improvements have been made and where effort is still required.

A quick glance at Moreland’s Indicators for Health Safety and Wellbeing webpage provides a snap shot of how the community is faring, for example in labour force participation. Indicators for some action areas have until now not been available. Community Indicators Victoria will provide the framework and data to further strengthen the understanding of community wellbeing outcomes by Moreland City Council and their communities.