| Our services > Strategy & policy |
We provide high-level strategic advice in the human services sector. This involves working with stakeholders to identify issues, collate evidence, negotiate directions and formulate clear solutions, drawing on methods such as Results Based Accountability. Our consultants understand trends in public policy and use effective tools for facilitation and planning.
Setting strategic directions
We work with organisations and partnerships to set strategic directions and make plans. We know how to find what will make a difference, develop solutions and engage and negotiate with stakeholders. We aim for strategic plans that are flexible yet have clear core strategies that can be linked to measurable KPIs.
Recently we provided expert advice to the NSW Office of State Revenue on the development of its three-year Strategic Plan (2008). We also worked with the Cancer Council NSW, in consultation with three partner agencies, to develop a new State-wide Skin Cancer Plan 2007-2010.
Reviewing strategies and policies
One step in strategy can be reviewing the success of existing strategies to inform future directions. Our experience includes facilitating the cross agency review to develop a coordinated NSW Government action to address domestic violence (NSW Human Services CEOs Forum, 2007). We conducted an independent review of the role and future directions of the National Community Housing Forum for FaHCSIA (2006).
We reviewed the Action Plan for Children and Young People for the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (2005), and strategy development process of the NSW Healthy Canteen Strategy for NSW Health (2005).
Advice and facilitation
We work at all stages of the policy process - defining and analysing issues, developing and testing options, facilitating consultation with stakeholders and designing monitoring frameworks to support implementation. Our consultants provide timely, confidential and high quality advice on a wide range of policy issues.
Recently, we provided strategic advice to the National Association of Community Legal Centres in relation to their submission to the Attorney General's Department (2007).
Facilitation is a core skill of our consultants that we apply to the whole strategy process, as well as methods such as stakeholder workshops and focus groups. For example, ARTD facilitated the development of agreements between NSW Government agencies on several State Plan commitments, including crime prevention and support for Aboriginal communities. In both cases, we helped bring partner agencies together and guide the development of agreements. ARTD also facilitated working groups for the NSW Ageing Summit (2008).