Family Empowerment Report - July to September 2013

Family EmpowermentQuarterly Report, July to September 2013

‘Families supporting each other’

©2013 Not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Cape York Partnerships. Cape York Partnerships takes all care to ensure the accuracy and quality of the information in this report. Cape York Partnerships cannot guarantee complete accuracy and all materials are provided without warranty.

Reciprocity—sharing what you have with family and friends—is a cornerstone of Indigenous culture. Siblings Lenny and Mervina Henry are one example of how families across Cape York are enacting cultural reciprocity by ensuring family responsibilities are being met in a positive way.

Mervina Henry is a long-time MPower member and has been very involved in It takes a village to raise a child since she was referred to Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC). Mervina and her thirteen year old daughter, Shayeema, had been constantly moving around among family member’s homes, when all she wanted was stability and a home for her daughter. In order to help out the family, Lenny invited Mervina and Shayeema to live with him in his new home.

Lenny purchased a four bedroom home after receiving a payout because of a car accident he was in as a child. With the support of MPower, Lenny has learnt to manage his finances, is saving for his future, and has created a stable household for him and his family.

Everyone works together to maintain a happy family home. Mervina and Shayeema are great company for Lenny, who prefers to have family around due to his disability, and they help with household chores. Mervina buys the groceries, cleans around the house, and does most of the cooking. This frees up Lenny’s time to do the gardening, which he really enjoys. Lenny made sure to purchase—amongst many things bought through Wise Buys for his new home—a lawnmower and whipper snipper. Maintaining his garden keeps Lenny occupied: ‘I get bored if I don’t get to do my own gardening.’

This is just one example of a family helping each other.

These photos show Mervina and Lenny working together to create a happy and stable family home for Shayeema.

Humble but profound changes are taking place within families.NOEL PEARSON

July to September 2013 3

Contents

Foreword ..........................................................................................................................5

Operations Manager’s report ...........................................................................................6

Our family empowerment agenda ....................................................................................8

Our Opportunity Products ................................................................................................9

Across the Cape ............................................................................................................. 10

Aurukun Opportunity Hub ............................................................................................. 12

MPower ............................................................................................................................13

Student Education Trust ...................................................................................................16

Wise Buys .........................................................................................................................17

It takes a village to raise a child .......................................................................................19

Pride of Place ...................................................................................................................22

Coen Opportunity Hub ................................................................................................... 24

MPower ............................................................................................................................25


Wise Buys .........................................................................................................................29

It takes a village to raise a child ........................................................................................30

Pride of Place ...................................................................................................................32

Hope Vale Opportunity Hub ........................................................................................... 33

MPower ............................................................................................................................34


Wise Buys .........................................................................................................................39


Pride of Place ...................................................................................................................44

Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub ................................................................................. 46

MPower ............................................................................................................................47


Wise Buys .........................................................................................................................51


Pride of Place ...................................................................................................................54

Co-Design Studio update ............................................................................................... 56

Glossary ......................................................................................................................... 57

Cape York Partnerships4


Foreword

self-interest in creating a better life for ourselves and our children, easily extends to other members of our family networks. The work of Cape York Partnerships recognises that there is a great deal of positive change that can occur by harnessing the power of family networks and extended family structures.

The overriding theme for this Family Empowerment Report, ‘Families supporting each other’, offers us an opportunity to acknowledge how far many individuals and families have come in the past five years. We want to celebrate the success of families not only doing it for themselves, but also helping to support and motivate other members of their family networks to take the first steps to transform their lives, and their children’s futures.

Noel PearsonExecutive Chairman

I have long argued that self-interest for blackfellas is okay. Indeed, not only is it okay, it is vital. Self-interest is the very engine we must get into gear to drive us from disadvantage, and to set Aboriginal people on the road to a better life. This road to prosperity is one that must be travelled by each and every individual, family and household. Governments cannot travel this road for us. The ‘community’ cannot travel this road. We have to do it for ourselves—as individuals, families and households.

This is why at Cape York Partnerships we have focused on individuals, and especially the family, as the centre of our development efforts. Our work is dedicated to helping to build capabilities to make sure families are functioning as they should—so that their children can have a good future. When families are functioning, children come first—children are going to school, the household is budgeting to make sure there is good food on the table, and the family is taking pride in their home.

We are clear in everything that we do, we do not take responsibility for things that should be the domain of individual and family responsibility—for too long this has been the crucial mistake made by governments throughout the welfare era. The Opportunity Products available through Cape York Partnerships promote individuals and families taking responsibility, so that they can exercise self-interest for themselves and their children, and begin to thrive.

We have many strong families in our communities. Many of these families are taking responsibility and they aspire to real empowerment—they are ready to travel further down the road to prosperity. For some families the next step is transitioning from welfare to self-reliance, through paid work and home ownership. However, other families are still working at getting the basic building blocks of family functioning in place: managing their income; supporting the education of their children; attending to the health of family members; and having pride in their family home. For some, after many generations of passive welfare, this is a real struggle.

Self-interest should not be confused with selfishness. Strong kinship networks and strong family ties have long been a source of strength for Aboriginal people. At Cape York Partnerships we recognise this strength can help to get more individuals and families travelling the road away from poverty and disadvantage. Our


Operations Manager’s report

Building capabilities and forging partnerships with individuals and families is at the heart of our work at Cape York Partnerships. Through establishing effective partnerships we can better support families in reinforcing positive social norms in their communities. Our range of Opportunity Products are designed to support families to work together in addressing problems and identifying strategies to improve their lives. It is through this lens of families supporting each other that we consider and celebrate our work this quarter.

Over this quarter, we have enhanced the ways we support our families by focusing on improving our partnership with:

1. Our partners—those actively participating in our Opportunity Products

2. The broader community—enhancing our engagement with those not currently participating in our work

3. Other agencies and our strategic partners—leveraging opportunities to improve collaboration and enhance our overall effectiveness.

Our delivery of Home Pride activities (a key component of It takes a village to raise a child) has been enhanced by partners progressing from Home Maker into the House Blitz phase. By helping our partners with household management, meal plans, cleaning and decorating skills offered through Home Maker we are seeing families work together more effectively to make their house a home they are proud of. With forty-four sign-ups to Home Pride already, the strong participation over this quarter clearly demonstrates the value of the Opportunity Product in supporting families to work together to improve quality of home life.

In addition, we commenced a full review of our It takes a village to raise a child model over this quarter, with a number of strategic enhancements identified that will improve the ways we engage and support individuals and families in building competencies relevant to effective parenting.

We have provided training this quarter to all our Opportunity Hub staff to improve the ways we engage with individuals and families—in particular those with

special needs, those presently not engaged with our Opportunity Products and those hard to reach. Through practical training in effective communication and engagement skills —our staff are now better equipped to initiate and facilitate effective communication (including “hard conversations”) with our partners in regards to addressing problems and identifying choices for change.

Our team in Hope Vale reinforced this point, as fathers became a central focus in the Father’s Day celebration event that attracted a dozen fathers and over twenty children. The day event organised by our Hope Vale Opportunity Hub team involved parents and children taking part in fun games, card-making and joining together to celebrate fathers over a barbeque. Promoting the importance of every family member contributing to positive change in home life and is central to our Opportunity Products. We also celebrated a father graduating from Strong Families in Hope Vale, a sign that this inclusive approach to working with families is being embraced by our partners.


Aurukun will be working collaboratively with the new CYE teams to foster increased participation in job readiness training and placement programs. Enhancing the skills of the unemployed has significant positive consequences in terms of improving individual confidence and family well-being, increased household stability and ongoing positive impacts on children raised in the household.

As the quarter comes to a close we have:

• Sixty-seven per cent of the adult population signed up to at least one Opportunity Product

• Fifty-nine per cent of the adult population in Aurukun signed up to at least one Opportunity Product (last quarter eighty-one per cent) and thirty-seven per cent of children with a Student Education Trust.

• Eighty-eight per cent of the adult population in Coen signed up to at least one Opportunity Product and 116* per cent of children with a Student Education Trust.

• Fifty-two per cent of the adult population in Hope Vale signed up to at least one Opportunity Product and thirty-nine per cent of children with a Student Education Trust.

• One hundred and seventy-three† per cent of the adult population in Mossman Gorge signed up to at least one Opportunity Product and 285‡ per cent of children with a Student Education Trust.

We are seeing increases in partner participation and sign-ups along most measures quarter by quarter and look forward to continuing this progress as 2013 draws to a close. As our organisation continues to expand, we welcome our new Operations Manager, Raoul Wilson, to assist with ensuring this progress continues across each of the sites we work in.

Regards

Mark DennertOperations Manager

Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub staff provided support to an extremely successful baby competition as part of National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) celebrations. With several partners bringing their babies and family supporters to this event, we saw a promising increase in interest in Opportunity Products as a result. Our community engagement efforts through participating in events such as these highlight the prominence of our Opportunity Hubs to village life and the interaction of families.

In an example of excellent community involvement, the Coen Opportunity Hub worked with the Coen Cape York Australian Aboriginal Academy (CYAAA) to plan for the culture camp by purchasing shoes with their Student Education Trust (SET) accounts. Parents and carers, the school and the Opportunity Hub identified the need to ensure children had shoes for the camp, which further encourages inter-generational support and learning with the participation of the Ayapathu Rangers and Elders.

The family home was also a central area of focus over this past quarter, with the relaunch of the Backyard Blitz inspiring a surge in Pride of Place (POP) sign-ups. Already we have fifty-three per cent of households across all four sites signed up to POP. Initial feedback indicates that we have fifty more partners interested in signing up to a Backyard Blitz—further reinforcing the value and popularity of Pride of Place.

This quarter has also seen additional forms of engagement with external stakeholders which has enabled a greater reach with our partners. The addition of Centrelink Agency Services delivered from the Aurukun Opportunity Hub allows more opportunity for our staff to engage with partners and promote Opportunity Products. Many opportunities to address immediate financial and household needs have arisen due to the co-location of Centrelink Agency Services within our Opportunity Hub building.

The change of our community job service providers from MY Pathways in Aurukun and Job Find in Coen to Cape York Employment (CYE) offers future potential for cooperation with Opportunity Hubs. Our staff in Coen and

* It is possible to have more than one hundred per cent signed up because of limitations in Census data. † It is possible to have more than one hundred per cent signed up to as some individuals from Mossman town participate in our Opportunity Products.‡ It is possible to have more than one hundred per cent signed up because of limitations in Census data.


Since we began in 2000, the core work of Cape York Partnerships has focused on developing social innovations that empower families to take charge of their lives.

From the beginning we argued that past social policy had been wrongly focused on the fraught concept of community. We felt the focus of innovation needed to be on family development and empowerment rather than ‘community development’. Individuals and families had to be given the opportunity to take charge of their lives and build their futures. This is because individuals and families are real actors and communities are amorphous.

Cape York Partnerships focused on the four areas that are central to every family and household:

• Income• Education• Health• Home

But the difficult question was: how do we support individuals and families in ways that enable them to take control of their lives? In other words to become empowered. And not follow past failed social programs that delivered ‘passive’ services to families, and created further dependency? We became convinced that the major challenge was to intervene without taking responsibility away from families.

We were convinced that traditional ways of family support created or perpetuated dependency, and in any case were not effective. All of the social programs offered in the past, the fact of failure, spoke for itself.

Our first innovation was to stop thinking in terms of conventional social programs but rather talk about opportunities. Our innovation was the concept of ‘Opportunity Products’, creating a suite of opportunities that support families in relation to their four basic requirements. These opportunities needed to encourage self-reliance and responsibility, rather than being passive services that compounded dependency.

Our Opportunity Products are customised to support families as they embark on their journey out of poverty and disadvantage. Embedded in each product are some standard features like:

• Real incentives like a job, the chance at home ownership, or children getting a high-quality high-expectations education

• Capability building through the transfer of knowledge and skills, and embedded responsibilities

• Strategic Conversations that empower individuals and families to imagine brighter futures and the tools that enable them to take control of their journey and support them to get there

• Quid pro quo commitments on individuals and families to contribute their money, labour or time. Such commitments may be maintaining regular financial contributions, or providing ‘sweat equity’ to enhance their homes, or making regular payments into their children’s education trust.

Ten years on we now have a suite of Opportunity Products on offer in the communities. These Opportunity Products are regularly reviewed and continually refined or have additional features added on. We also have a number of other product innovations that are under development.

Cape York Partnerships’ second breakthrough innovation is the concept of the Village Opportunity Hub, the conduit for providing Opportunity Products to community members. Village Opportunity Hubs replace traditional welfare service centres with purpose-built ‘opportunity’ centres. Our Opportunity Hubs are busy places where families come with a sense of purpose and to sign up to and participate in Opportunity Products. The high rates of sign-up to these products, which you will see throughout this report, is an indicator of the way in which families are embracing the opportunities.

Responsibility. Opportunity. Choice. This is what underpins our Family Empowerment agenda.

Our family empowerment agenda


MPowerSupports individuals and families to manage money for basic material needs; builds capabilities through financial literacy and behaviour change; and builds assets through saving and disciplined money management. Launched: April 2011 | Membership: 1462

Wise BuysA retail internet portal that increases consumer knowledge and access to household goods and services at value-for-money prices. Launched: June 2012 | Membership: 177*

Student Education TrustStudent Education Trust supports parents to meet their child’s education and development needs from birth to graduation. Regular contributions ensure parents can meet educational expenses.Launched: 2007 | Donors: 505 | Students: 791

Pride of PlaceA backyard renovation project. Participants receive financial contributions towards improvements, and make their own financial and ‘sweat equity’ contribution. Launched: October 2010 | Membership: 208

Bush Owner BuilderDesigned to allow individuals and families to build environmentally, socially and culturally sustainable dwellings through the use of local natural resources and their own ‘sweat equity’ or labour. Launched: Hope Vale 2011, with two houses completed and two under construction.

It takes a village to raise a childThere are five parts to this program: Baby College, Positive Kids, Strong Families, Handicraft and Home Pride. Each part provides customised services to support children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual development from infancy to adulthood.

Baby CollegeExpectant parents socialise and learn together while they travel on the journey to parenthood, supported by experienced aunties, uncles, grandparents and parenting professionals. Launched: April 2012 | Membership: 20

Positive KidsDelivered through the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy, we work with parents to encourage positive behaviour, optimise learning and prepare students for success in secondary school. Launched: February 2012 | Membership: 12

Strong FamiliesHelps parents to develop Positive Parenting skills and engages at-risk families so that everything is done to ensure families stay together and stay strong. Launched: February 2012 | Membership: 153

HandicraftHandicraft is a comfortable and informal space for people to make art and craft. Handicraft creates an environment where parents share stories and support each other whilst making art and craft they can use in their home.Launch date: January 2013 | Attendance: 50

Home PrideAn interior decorating do-it-yourself product with support for families to run a household, strengthen family relationships, cook healthy meals and maintain their home.Launch date: April 2013 | Membership: 44

Our Opportunity Products

* This number is lower than the figure reported in an earlier report due to errors in recording Wise Buys membership in Coen. These errors have been corrected.

These Opportunity Products are being designed as they are delivered and are continuously improved so they are ready for a wider roll-out.


As Cape York Partnerships (CYP) accomplishes over five years of working with families across Cape York Peninsular, we are increasingly able to monitor and evaluate our Opportunity Products in a longitudinal manner. With the introduction of our Continuous Improvement feedback surveys last quarter, we are now able to also look more closely at the views of our partners. This quarter we collated an impressive 220 feedback surveys, or thirteen per cent of the adult population across the villages*. The feedback covers the entire suite of Opportunity Products, providing us with an invaluable insight into how we are performing through the perspectives of our partners.

Simultaneously, we have been improving our comprehensive Family Empowerment Database, which enables us to extract data and provide weekly analysis as activities are logged by staff in the Opportunity Hubs. Integrating these two avenues of information is providing us with more knowledge in relation to our operational indicators and partner insight across the Cape. The results indicate that our Opportunity Products are enabling our partners to improve their homes and communities through their own initiative and action, while enhancing their sense of belonging and well-being.

• A sense of confidence pervades the MPower respondents’ surveys, with seventy-two per cent believing that the future will turn out well for themselves and their family†.

• Nearly eighty per cent of those completing MPower surveys believe they can do almost anything they set their mind to.

These optimistic attitudes amongst our Cape York partners will undoubtedly reverberate with children raised in a positive environment. Certainly, parents are prioritising

Across the Cape

the educational needs of their children through the use of Student Education Trust (SET) accounts, as seen in the SET feedback surveys;

• Education is valued second only to food as the most important item to spend money on‡.

• Nearly three-quarters of parents surveyed feel they have the costs of their children’s education under control.

Saving for needs through Wise Buys clearly contributes to a better life-style for the entire family, with thirty per cent of survey respondents saving towards white goods, thirty per cent for furniture and twenty per cent saving for electronic appliances§.

Respondents to the Wise Buys feedback surveys noted a widespread appreciation for abilities gained, including being able to search online for better prices quality and new products. Our partners are actively seeking and utilising any opportunity that enables them to improve their home, lifestyle and develop parenting skills. Research illustrates the importance of a healthy, safe and strong home environment on social and emotional well being, with multiple Opportunity Products working towards this firm family foundation**.

• An impressive seventeen partners graduated from Strong Families and Baby College in Aurukun, Mossman Gorge and Hope Vale this quarter††.

• Strong Families feedback survey respondents noted that stress and tension had been alleviated as they learned how to cope with children’s behavior‡‡.

• Three-quarters felt their children’s behaviour had improved as a result of the parenting sessions.*

• Confidence in managing children’s behaviour doubled over the duration of the sessions.

* Population data taken from the ABS 2013 Census.† For the MPower feedback survey, n=76.‡ For the Student Education Trust feedback survey, n=57.§ For the Wise Buys feedback survey, n=17.

** See for example: Day, A & Francisco, A, August 2013, Social and emotional wellbeing in Indigenous Australians: identifying promising interventions, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Vol. 37, Issue 4, pp. 350-355.

†† There were no graduates in Coen.‡‡ For Strong Families feedback surveys, n=12. Only graduates were asked to

complete the surveys.


• All parenting graduates who completed the survey learned new skills during the parenting sessions.

Through continuing this encouraging focus in the home environment, strong uptake in Home Pride continued, with partners learning household management skills such as children routine charts and meal planning. In September, the relaunch of Pride of Place (POP) Backyard Blitzes attracted twenty partners from across the sites to sign up. Each family is avidly saving the $1,000 contribution required for Backyard Blitzes, learning new skills and encouraging family members to work together and invest sweat equity for their backyard improvements.

POP’s emphasis on creating family friendly backyards which provide fresh produce, safe and healthy areas to relax and play make it another Opportunity Product appreciated by the entire family†.

• Sixty per cent of POP survey respondents enjoyed using their backyard for relaxing

• Fifty per cent use their gardens as a place to spend time with family.

Now in the design stage, as Backyard Blitzes are completed, there will undoubtedly spend more time in their family-friendly and safe backyards. As one respondent of the POP feedback survey noted ‘team work from family and CYP workers works better.’

CYP staff across the Cape could not agree more. We may be working on building firm support systems for families across the region. Yet it is the positive attitudes and strength of our partners’ families that make our Opportunity Products successful.

0%

Very stressed

Getting by

All under control

20% 40% 60%

2%

25%

80%

73%

Parent’s financial state of mind‘How do you feel about covering the cost of your

children’s education?’

* For the Strong Families feedback survey, n=12. These surveys only targeted graduating participants.

† For the Pride of Place feedback survey, n=50.

Family optimism‘I think the future will turn out well for me and my family.’

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%0%

73%

No Maybe Yes Don’t know15%12%

Community pride‘Over the last five years, has the appearance of your

community changed?’

29%

71%No changeLooks better

Looks worse


Aurukun Opportunity Hub experienced a quarter of growth and development, both within our team and in partnership with our members. Membership across all Opportunity Products has seen increases, including thirty-three new MPower members, a huge 136 per cent rise from the previous quarter, while Wise Buys membership grew by 146 per cent. The co-location of the Centrelink agency within the Aurukun Opportunity Hub has introduced additional avenues for engagement as participants come into the Opportunity Hub to conduct their Centrelink business. Cross-referral of partners between our products in Aurukun has proven constructive and sees a well-rounded approach to the needs of our community.

Expressing desire to work towards positive change in their lives, partners are progressing along the MPower Journey, taking ownership of their actions and committing to short-term goals to reap long-term benefits. Complementing increasing independence among partners’ capabilities, Aurukun coaching sessions are being well-received with attendance rates continually strengthened. Between quarter two and three of 2013, there has been a massive 550 per cent increase in D space action plans completed.

Our Student Education Trust (SET) Fair in July was a great success, with $1,726 spent on educational items. Partners also embraced opportunities to learn more about parenting and providing for their families’ futures as a result of the innovative It takes a village to raise a child sessions that began at our Parenting Hub. Engagement activities undertaken this

Aurukun Opportunity Hub

Demographic Population*

Overall 1193Adult (15+) 814Children (0-14) 379Households 187Youth (SET reporting purposes) 671Early childhood 126Primary school 203Secondary school 113Tertiary / further education 157Completed school 72

Aurukun Opportunity Hub local Indigenous employment

Non-local staff

Local Indigenous staff 36%

64%

quarter included a celebration and barbeque for It takes a village to raise a child partners, staff and community members to mark the newly landscaped Parenting Hub. It takes a village to raise a child also hosted the first Strong Families Graduation ceremony for 2013, in which seven partners celebrated their newly-acquired skills.

Aurukun Day on 5 August was a celebration of community, heritage and people. Land Handover Day on September 18 saw freehold title returned to the Wik and Kugu people, traditional owners of this region. Aurukun has also grown, with over thirty new council houses due for completion by Christmas inspiring enquiries for Pride of Place (POP), Wise Buys and Home Pride.

Finally, this quarter we saw the departure of Aurukun’s dedicated Hub Leader, Victoria McNeish, and the arrival of new Hub Leader, Gwion Cain. An extra five staff members also joined our ranks. We aim to employ and train local Indigenous staff at every opportunity and have succeeded this period. Matrix-on-Board training to broaden MPower staff capabilities in delivering comprehensive Money Management Tools and Triple P training was held for our It takes a village to raise a child staff in September. With this new influx of staff, the Aurukun team works hard to deliver the best possible results for our partners, supporting each other in our endeavours along the way.

* Population data taken from the ABS 2013 Census.


MPower

MembershipMPower continues to grow exponentially in Aurukun, with twice as many new members joining MPower this quarter over last quarter, with commensurate increases across all other measures. In addition to the ongoing popularity of MPower to the Aurukun population, the co-location of Centrelink Agency Services in the Opportunity Hub has offered a positive leveraging position for partner engagement. We now have fifty-seven per cent of the total Aurukun population signed up for MPower*, indicating that financial management strategies are becoming increasingly embedded across the community, and offering us future opportunity to increase the scope of delivery.

iBank Activities More individual members are accessing iBank services through the Aurukun Opportunity Hub, increasing from 325 last quarter to 327 this quarter. iBanking sessions remained stable this quarter. Each iBank user accessed internet or phone banking services nearly seven times, or nearly once a fortnight, indicating that use of iBank services is becoming a regular habit. The number of members attending iBank training remains consistent.

* Population figures will differ from the previous report due to updated census data from ABS 2011 to ABS 2013.

† Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

‡ Number of different users, not a cumulative total.§ For MPower feedback surveys, n=21.

Achievements Partners using iBank have gained noticeable confidence in their use of online and telephone services, with some even visiting the Opportunity Hub during quieter afternoon periods to practice and expand their capabilities. There is certainly positive progress in the level of assistance required by partners from the last quarter. This suggests that training and practice are assisting partners with independently accessing their bank accounts, whether via the internet or phone.

‘Little a’ sessionsActivitiesSixty-three partners visited the Aurukun Opportunity Hub with eighty-one ‘little a’ problems attended to this quarter, ending with a record thirty-seven ‘little a’ sessions in September. Overall, these sessions are a decrease from the past quarter, due in part to partners moving from the immediate financial problems that ‘little a’ sessions are intended to resolve and progressing to coaching where they build capabilities in relation to the bigger picture; the MPower Journey.

AchievementsBudgets continue to be the focus across MPower sessions, with many more feedback survey respondents having knowledge on budgets than in the previous quarter.§

Jul Aug Sep

iBank sessions requiring assistance800

600

400

200

0

702407 377

MPower membership

Potential membersMPower members

43% 57%

MPower referrals

FRC referredFamily and self-referred

27%

73%

MPower membership Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Members 683 644

New members 10 14 9 33 14

Participants‡

iBank 248 178 206 327 325

‘Little a’ 24 14 34 63 75

MPower Journey 33 33 23 66 56

Money Management Support 5 11 3 16 16

iBank Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Total 1045 613 592 2250 2775

Assisted 702 407 377 1486 1902

Unassisted 343 206 215 764 873

Computer 903 582 537 2022 2391

Telephone 142 31 55 228 384

Training 2 4 2 8 10

Level of assistance† Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Users—Jul to Sep 34 31 60 76 28


• Three-quarters of survey respondents have a budget.• Two-thirds would be at least ‘a bit’ capable of doing a

budget for themselves without help from someone else.However, keeping to a budget remains a problem for many MPower survey respondents, offering an opportunity to enhance capabilities further with coaching assistance.

MPower Journey Activities Numbers of partners attending coaching sessions continue to rise, with an astonishing thirty per cent increase over last quarter; itself a figure demonstrating a massive increase over the one before.

Achievements More partners continue to make progress along the MPower journey, reaching B space and making Money Map progress. We have also seen a healthy increase in family coaching sessions. The importance of families setting goals together and building on the financial skills learnt through the MPower Journey is clearly illustrated in our Aurukun MPower family story this quarter. George Warusam managed to save for a holiday to see family through his participation in the MPower Journey. His commitment to financial empowerment is indicated through ongoing dedication to increasing savings and continued attendance at MPower coaching sessions. The

‘Little a’ sessions Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

‘Little a’ sessions 26 18 37 81 110

Members who reach three ‘little a’ sessions 2 0 3 5 15

Members who move from ‘little a’ to MPower Journey 5 6 4 15 28

Budgets completed 8 12 13 33 40

MPower Journey Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Sessions 47 60 32 139 106

Write visions (B space) 4 9 4 17 12

Action plans (D space) 10 0 2 2 4

Family (group) 0 0 2 2 0

Money Map progress 3 7 4 14 12

Retention rates A Space

B Space

C Space

D Space Ongoing

Percentage progressing from previous session 59% 68% 78% 80% 41%

Overall retention 59% 42% 34% 28% 12%I’m proud of myself.

George Warusam has developed his money management capabilities by taking up many of the supports available through our Money Management program.

‘I signed up because I wanted to learn more about using the computer for things like internet banking.’ Since joining MPower earlier this quarter, George has successfully completed Money Management Support in internet and telephone banking and budgeting support; developing his computer skills and learning how to manage his finances more effectively. ‘Now I can transfer money from one account to another for savings.’

As part of the MPower Plan, that George is currently working with an MPower Coach, he is putting aside money from his pay each week to save for a trip to Bamaga to visit his family.

‘I’m proud of being able to get help from MPower—I’m very, very happy. I will finish my plan and will go on holidays soon.’

George has now finalised his MPower Plan, saved enough money for his trip and has enjoyed a holiday in Bamaga with his family. His story highlights how are partners are developing financial literacy skills with Money Management Support and progressing through MPower Coaching to reach their goals.


The pressure is gone.

Joylene Keppel and her partner, Clifford Pootchemunka, are working together to make their financial goals a reality.

After both starting and completing their individual MPower Plans this quarter, Joylene is already seeing a significant change in their ability to manage their finances: ‘Everything has changed now! Before we did coaching, we were spending money every day. But now, we have money!’

Working with an MPower Coach, Joylene and Clifford identified why they were having budgeting problems and found ways to work towards their goals. ‘[The MPower Coach] was always there telling me to stop wasting money on junk food all the time. Before, we had no money left for the weekend. Now we have savings and can ‘look up things we want to buy on the computer.’

After completing coaching, Joylene and Clifford created a household budget and a joint savings plan. They have now set up a joint savings account and are working together towards saving for their family goal.

Through MPower, Joylene and Clifford have developed their capabilities in both budgeting and saving. ‘The best thing about what we’re achieving is that we’re happy! We always talk about how much we’re saving and that we’re achieving a lot for ourselves. We’re less stressed now, and our debts are being paid off. We’re so proud!’

Joylene knows that MPower can support other people to achieve their goals too: ‘My sister wants to save money, so I told her to come in to see MPower so she can put money aside for herself.’

Enabling families to realise their aspirations through saving is one of MPower’s key objectives. Joylene and Clifford’s story highlights how MPower helps families work together to achieve their savings goals with disciplined money management to take control of their finances.

benefits he and his family have experienced will provide ongoing incentive for future family plans.

Money Management Support Activities Participation in Money Management Support also continues to grow each quarter this year, growing from two in the first quarter to sixteen partners last quarter and twenty-two this quarter.

Achievements This strong growth demonstrates the ongoing commitment to money management knowledge from the immediate needs based focus of ‘little a’ sessions towards longer term debt reduction and banking competency. Additionally, survey results suggest that thirty-five per cent of respondents had achieved at least one of their savings goals, a positive step towards integrated money management, from short to long term goal setting.

Survey: addressing debt‘Have you started paying off your debt?’

38%10% 9%

No debt No I don’t know Yes

43%

MPower ‘little a’ sessions

26 1837

Jul Aug Sep

40

30

20

10

0

5%

24%

Survey: has a budget‘Do you have a budget?’

NoYes

Don’t know71%

Money Management Support Jul Aug Sep This

quarterLast

quarter

Group sessions 0 0 0 0 0

Support sessions 6 13 3 22 18

Banking 1 1 1 3 0

Debt Reduction 0 1 0 1 2

Budget 3 6 0 9 7

Wealth Creation 0 0 0 0 1

Internet and Telephone Banking 2 4 2 8 8

Payment 0 1 0 1 0

Competency rate 66% 69% 100% 78% 42%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%


Student Education TrustMembershipUptake in Student Education Trust (SET) accounts remained steady in Aurukun with six new sign-ups this quarter. At seventy-three per cent of primary age children and fifty-eight per cent of secondary children across the entire Aurukun population, there is clearly an increasing number of families who value meeting children’s educational needs.

ActivitiesThe current trust balance is a healthy $397,661.29.

Spending increased over this quarter with ninety-five purchases for primary school children in comparison to twenty-three over the last quarter. The successful SET Fair, during which $1,726 was spent, assisted in generating this figure. With interest expressed by partners for SET Fairs to continue in future, there is an excellent opportunity to encourage further spending on educational items and getting children school ready.

In other age groups spending reached a plateau this quarter with four purchases for secondary school students. Being mid-year, a lower amount of spending would generally be anticipated.

AchievementsThe SET feedback surveys emphasised various achievements in Aurukun*.

• Nearly fifty per cent of respondents contribute to three SET accounts, while another twenty-seven per cent contribute to two SET accounts.

This demonstrates a high level of commitment by donors to take responsibility for each child. The amount being contributed towards these SET accounts is also clearly manageable for donors and meets the educational needs of the whole family.

• Seventy-two per cent of respondents view education as having an importance only equal to food when deciding what to spend money on.

Donors are evidently placing extremely high value on the importance of being able to prepare children for school. This figure indicates that one of the objectives of SET, to ensure that donors make provision for their child’s material educational needs as a priority investment within their means, is certainly being met.

• Ninety per cent of respondents feel they know what to purchase for their children’s educational needs

• The other ten per cent knew at least a bit about meeting these needs.

These positive outcomes indicate that another key objective of SET has been met; that the manner in which donors take responsibility and meet their child’s educational needs becomes the social norm. With uniforms and books considered most important to fulfilling these needs, the school readiness of children in material terms is constantly increasing.

Most importantly, over eighty-one per cent of survey respondents felt they had children’s educational costs all under control. This has benefits not only to the children with SET accounts, but for the well being of donors, who are relieved of the stress and tension caused by meeting costs on an ad hoc basis. Next quarter we will target non-active SET members to utilise their funds and remind partners of the importance of meeting their child’s educational needs.

Student Education Trust Jul Aug Sep This

quarterLast

quarter

Number of donors† 137 138 138 138 252

New trusts 4 1 1 6 1

Total trusts 250 251 252 252 246

Active trusts‡

Early childhood 7 7 7 7 4

Primary school 56 57 58 58 81

Secondary school 15 15 15 15 26Tertiary/further education 0 0 0 0 0

Completed school 3 3 3 3 1

Non-active§ and closed trusts**





Sessions Sign-up

General support Purchase Change

detailsTransfer

trustClose trust Total

Jul to Sep 9 32 5 1 3 1 51

* For SET feedback survey, n= 11.† The decrease in donors is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates. One donor can be contributing to more than one trust account.‡ Active trust indicates that contributions are being received and donor is purchasing educational items.§ Non-active means the trust is open however no contributions are now being received and donor is not purchasing educational items.** Closed trust means the trust has been closed by the primary donor and balance transferred to other trust account.

Student Education Trust funds balance

Earlychildhood

$180,000

$150,000

$120,000

$90,000

$60,000

$30,000

$0Primary school

Secondary school

Further education

Finished school

Non-active


Wise BuysMembershipThere has been an impressive 146 per cent increase in Wise Buys membership over last quarter, with thirty-two new members.

ActivitiesSuch a steep increase in membership has flowed onto related Wise Buys activities, with nearly four times as many consultations in this quarter compared to last and twice as many sessions relating to researching of goods. In the first half of 2013 no purchases were made through Wise Buys, while in this quarter, purchases totalled $3,617.30. This indicates that the encompassing financial

management approach including ongoing budgeting advice and savings made through MPower coaching combined with researching of goods via Wise Buys is enabling partners to make and attain goals.

AchievementsKnowledge is being gained in relation to making good purchasing decisions as partners take the time to research available goods prior to buying. Further indication that partners are seeking opportunities to save money by looking for cheaper alternatives is visible in Wise Buys feedback surveys*.

* For Wise Buys feedback surveys, n= 6.† Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

Funds Category Jul Aug Sep This quarter Last quarter

Student Education Trust funds balance (end of month)

Early childhood $12,753.11 $12,753.11 $12,753.11 $12,753.11 $11,878.12

Primary school $141,095.66 $144,293.49 $144,377.56 $144,377.56 $164,096.92

Secondary school $53,149.52 $53,149.52 $53,149.52 $53,149.52 $64,274.88

Further education $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Finished school $16,651.27 $16,651.27 $16,651.27 $16,651.27 $5,729.79

Non-active $170,729.83 $170,729.83 $170,729.83 $170,729.83 $133,776.92

Number of educational purchases using Student Education Trust



Secondary school 0 0 4 4 11

Further education 0 0 0 0 0


Total purchases 4 29 62 95 23

Percentage of purchases against total purchases

Early childhood 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Primary school 100% 100% 94% 96% 52%

Secondary school 0% 0% 6% 4% 48%

Further education 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Wise Buys membership Jul Aug Sep This

quarterLast

quarter

Members 56 23



Level 2

Level 3

Level 4 Unassisted


Active Student Education Trust accounts by category

69%

18%9%

4%

Primary schoolEarly childhood

Tertiary/further educationSecondary school

Completed school

47%

50%

School readiness

Uniform, no shoesUniform and shoes

No uniform, no shoes

3%


• 100 per cent of respondents selected price as being the most important factor when purchasing an item.

With forty per cent stating that they would not have been

able to manage a purchase without the assistance of Wise Buys, this product is evidently fulfilling an essential need for our Aurukun partners.

It’s easy to do my banking.

Ben Hayden Pamtoonda has seen many positive changes in his life since becoming an MPower member.

Ben signed up to our money management program when it was rebranded from Financial Income Management (FIM) in 2011. He noticed how people in Aurukun were able to manage their money more effectively because of their involvement with FIM. ‘I wanted to take up that opportunity too. Now I do my own banking and I can do all the work on the computer myself.’ Ben frequently uses the iBank facilities at the Aurukun Opportunity Hub to complete his Centrelink reporting, check his bank balance and transfer money.

MPower Consultants are available at all of our Village Opportunity Hubs to assist partners during their iBank session, and Ben takes advantage of this to increase his banking and computer skills. ‘I ask questions if there is anything I need to check.’

‘It’s easy for me to lodge my Centrelink forms at the [Aurukun Opportunity Hub] as well.’ Centrelink requires fortnightly reporting to ensure partners receive their payments. With practice, Ben has developed the skills to complete his own Centrelink reporting, which requires answering questions online related to income and current personal and family circumstances. By lodging his own Centrelink reporting, Ben avoids long lines and waiting times of others lodging their details with the Centrelink agent.

Ben wants to see opportunities and more development in Aurukun. He believes that MPower supports the

community to develop their capabilities, therefore providing a range of opportunity to create change. ‘I want to see more things [from the mainstream out here] and I want the kids to see more things too—MPower can help with this. I hope MPower will change the community’

Ben plans to continue improving his internet banking skills and save for a computer that will be purchased through Wise Buys.

Ben’s internet and phone banking skills have improved significantly; from Level 3 assistance (verbal assistance) when he first joined MPower, to Level 1 assistance (minimal assistance, near-independent use) of the iBank facilities. This story highlights how MPower is achieving its key objectives—supporting partners to develop capabilities that take the stress out of money management and providing access to financial services through the iBank.

Total Wise Buys purchases$2,500

$2,000

$1,500

$1,000

$500

$0

$1,941$1,676

$0Jul Aug Sep

Wise Buys sessions

32%

63%

5%

PaymentConsult

PurchaseResearch

Cancel

Sessions Consult Research Purchase Payment Total

Jul to Sep 19 37 3 0 40

Payment types Basics card Credit Card

Jul to Sep 4 4


It takes a village to raise a child Baby CollegeOur new Positive Parenting Consultant has been actively engaged with promoting the activities of the Parenting Hub throughout the community. She has now completed Baby Triple P training, allowing for the highly anticipated recommencement of Baby College in Aurukun.

Our dedicated Parenting Hub is preparing for a busy next quarter by approaching expectant mothers before babies are born. So far there is one new referral for a pregnant mother from Child Safety, with the intention of increasing referrals from this avenue together with voluntary membership via the Aurukun Wellbeing Centre.

Another promising avenue to encourage new parents to attend Baby College sessions is a newly implemented early childhood interaction activity. An informal playgroup for parents of young children, this is to be held on a weekly basis. It is organised by a partner and will be held at the Parenting Hub, so there will be opportunities to engage with parents as they attend, referring them to related Opportunity Products, particularly Baby College.

Positive KidsNo partners attended Positive Kids sessions this quarter. We continue to work with Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) to determine how to increase attendance in these activities. Discussions around Positive

Kids attendance have also been held with Hub Leaders and CYAAA as part of our internal Strategic Conversation on It takes a village to raise a child.

Strong FamiliesMembershipAnother two members joined Strong Families in Aurukun this quarter as our Positive Parenting Consultant continues with engagement efforts. Fifty-six parents, grandparents and carers attend sessions in the newly landscaped Parenting Hub. This focus on engagement activities; meeting members of the community in relaxed circumstances, is intended to encourage further participation in Parenting Hub activities. As the new Parenting Hub staff continues to build momentum and establish strong relationships with parents and carers across Aurukun there are projected increases expected in Strong Families membership.

* Total participants include all those who have registered.† Attendance includes all those who attended sessions this quarter.

Purchases Jul Aug Sep This quarter Last quarter

Purchases 4 4 0 8 0

Partners making purchases 1 1 0 2 0

Amount spent $1,941.30 $1,676.00 $0.00 $3,617.30 $0.00

Purchases categorised as ‘needs’ 0 0 0 0 0

Purchases categorised as ‘wants’ $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Amount spent on ‘needs’ 4 4 0 8 0

Amount spent on ‘wants’ $1,941.30 $1,676.00 $0.00 $3,617.30 $0.00

Unassisted purchases 0 0 0 0 $0.00

Assisted purchases 4 4 0 8 0

Positive Kids Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Total participants* 5 5

Attendance† 2 0 0 2 2

Graduates 0 0 0 0 0

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 2

Sessions held 0 0 0 0 1

Strong Families Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter



Graduates 0 7 0 7 0

Sign-ups 2 0 0 2 2


Baby College Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter



Graduates 0 0 0 0 1

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 1



ActivitiesAs with Baby College, our new Positive Parenting Consultant spent the initial part of this quarter engaging with interested community members and networking with other stakeholders and service providers to ascertain needs around parenting. In one instance of this ongoing drive to build relationships across the community through liaison with CYAAA, several mothers have been identified as requiring support to learn strategies such as getting their children to attend school. The attendance of an It takes a village to raise a child graduate at Strong Families sessions is expected to provide support and ensure motivation is established with newcomers and continues throughout the school term.

While looking forward towards increased future Strong Families attendance; resulting from this community interaction nine Strong Families sessions were held this quarter, attended by sixteen members.

An exceptional proportion of these members achieved the competencies in parenting skills required to graduate from Strong Families.

Achievements The first Strong Families Graduation ceremony for 2013 celebrated a record seven partners graduating. Some of these graduates and one other, who is approaching the ability to graduate, are continuing with Strong Families sessions. This involvement demonstrates that the skills learned and companionship offered by sessions are well appreciated in the long term.

Strong Families sessions were extremely well-received as indicated in surveys by participants, whom overwhelmingly felt the course had provided them with confidence where before they had been struggling.*

Engagement The Aurukun Positive Parenting Consultant has been actively engaging this quarter, making fifty-seven home visits, a fifty-six per cent increase on visits undertaken last quarter. In total ninety-two engagement sessions were held this quarter, an impressive increase of thirty-one per cent.

Among these engagement activities were events which encompassed the community as a group. The Student Education Trust (SET) Fair in July provided an ideal opportunity for It takes a village to raise a child and MPower staff to work together to support the needs of parents and carers, providing advice to partners and tips on choosing educational materials for children. Likewise, the opening of the It takes a village to raise a child garden

Strong Families referrals

FRC or Child Safety referredSelf-referred

30%

70%

Engagement type

34%

62%

3%1%

Information sessionsHome visit

Community eventInformal discussion

Workshop

of Strong Families respondents in Aurukun have changed their behaviours.

100%*

Survey: parenting confidence‘Before you started Strong Families, how did you feel about

being a parent? How do you feel about being a parent now?’

Getting byStressed Confident

33%

67%

BEFORE

100%

AFTER

Engagement Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Sessions 22 60 10 92 70

Sign-ups 1 0 0 1 2

Engagement type

Home visit 16 36 5 57 37

Community event 2 1 0 3 1

Information sessions 1 0 0 1 1

Workshop 0 0 0 0 0

Informal discussion 3 23 5 31 31

* For the Strong Families feedback survey, n=3.


with a well attended barbeque offered another chance for the parenting staff to work alongside colleagues involved with Pride of Place (POP).

HandicraftHandicraft sessions this quarter included wooden mobile making and participants making unique papier mache lampshades. Our new Home Crew staff member encouraged those in attendance to continue sessions, offering excellent potential to engage with participants in other Opportunity Products.

Future activities designed to particularly target young women have been planned, including the continuation of papier mache, jewellery, pottery and photo frame making.

Home Pride MembershipTwo more members signed up this quarter for Home Pride, bringing the total membership to twelve. As this is only the second quarter Home Pride has been active in Aurukun, this number represents a remarkable start for this Opportunity Product.

ActivitiesOur new Home Crew member started late this quarter, bringing great ideas to the team in relation to encouraging participation and membership.

Achievements Suggestions for future workshops should result in excellent outcomes for those involved, while expanding multiple avenues for cross-referrals of Opportunity Products and strengthening our relationships with external stakeholders. Among plans for future months are self-care sessions incorporating health and well-being, herb growing, painting of plant pots and cookery skills utilising these home-grown herbs. These activities will also provide the Positive Parenting Consultant and Home Crew the ability to broaden the scope of our work through relating with other service providers while beneficially improving the well-being of community members.

Handicrafts Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Sessions 0 0 0 0 1

Attendance 0 0 0 0 4

Home Pride membership Jul Aug Sep This

quarterLast

quarter

Members 12 10


House visits 0 0 0 0 29

Strategic Conversations Jul Aug Sep This

quarterLast

quarter

Started 0 0 0 0 1

Finished 0 1 0 1 0


Pride of Place MembershipPride of Place (POP) has continued to gain more members this quarter in Aurukun; with another nine individuals signing up, the total now stands at seventy-four. POP membership now represents forty per cent of Aurukun households.

ActivitiesPOP has become extremely popular in Aurukun, with the number of Pop-up Visits representative of this popularity. Twice as many Pop-up Visits took place this quarter over last, involving more than double the number of members in activities. Garden Club events continued to upskill members on planting and maintenance.

In September the focus turned from practical Pop-up Visits and Garden Club events to planning activities

such as POP designs and budgets. With the help of the POP Enabler, POP members are looking at how they can transform their backyards into user-friendly spaces with productive gardens of fruit and vegetables.

The new housing being completed in Aurukun has inspired additional interest in POP, with queries relating to Backyard Blitzes. The commitment of members to Backyard Blitzes is evident as they are each required to save $1,000 in advance to work commencing. We already have five members signed up for Backyard Blitzes to occur in the next quarter, an excellent indication of this commitment in Aurukun. The future is looking extremely busy for POP with potential for the building of pergolas, garden beds, paving, swing sets, sandpits outdoor settings and barbeques through these Backyard Blitzes. These will add substantially towards instilling and reinforcing family enjoyment and pride in the home of Aurukun POP members.

Achievements The POP feedback surveys illustrated the aptitude members have attained in caring for their gardens and the visible impacts their efforts have made across the community†.

• Close to sixty per cent of survey respondents felt very proud of their backyard

• Nearly sixty per cent felt that Aurukun was looking better than it did five years ago

• Three-quarters love gardening• Nearly seventy per cent know a lot about gardening.

* The decrease in numbers is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.† For POP Feedback surveys, n=12.

Household membership

Potential membersPOP membership

60%40%

Pride of Place membership* This quarter Last quarter

Members 74 78

New members 9 12

Households 70 74

Harry Walmbeng was motivated to propagate plants from cuttings taken around Aurukun after talking to a POP Enabler during a Pop-up Visit and hearing some great new ideas on how he could improve his garden.

Harry plans to continue improving on his garden. ‘I’m going to put hanging baskets along the front porch, and put a railing along the front path to the entry with more hanging baskets.’

‘I am proud of myself and what I’m doing.’

Harry’s garden is already attracting attention around Aurukun, but he wants to make it even more impressive. ‘It’s great that people are stopping and like what I’m doing—they say it’s looking good. But I hope that all the locals, and even [people from outside the community] are going to stop and go, “Wow, have a look at this!”’

Harry’s story highlights how Pop-up Visits are achieving one of POP’s key objectives—a growing knowledge and passion for gardening.

My garden is looking good.

Pop-up Visits Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Visits 39 37 9 85 43

Households visited 28 24 9 61 28

Members visited 29 25 9 63 34


Survey: gardening‘How do you feel about gardening?’

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%25%

75%

Don’t like it It’s okay Love it0%

Survey: gardening knowledge‘How much do you know about gardening?’

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 17%

66%

Don’t know much Know a bit Know a lot17%

Garden Club Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Events 1 2 0 3 2


Jasmine Mentha is excited to start work on her Pride of Place (POP) Backyard Blitz in the coming months. ‘I like POP because it makes the community brighter. Doing a Blitz will give me a sense of achievement.’

As part of her Backyard Blitz design, Jasmine has decided to include a shade sail, sandpit, swingset, garden beds, barbeque, outdoor table setting, and bamboo screening.

‘When my garden is complete I think I will spend more time at home and will have more things that I can do around the house. I will be able to sit back and enjoy my surroundings with my family and friends.’

Sweat equity is an integral part of POP, requiring partners and their families to dig in and get their hands dirty. Jasmine’s brother has committed to sweat equity and will work alongside Jasmine to help create her dream garden. Our POP Enabler will guide and assist Jasmine and her brother in completing small projects in her Backyard Blitz.

Jasmine is determined to make her home a place that she, and everyone else can be proud of.

‘I know my family and friends will be very proud of my achievement and maybe they will want to do POP at their house too.’

‘I am going to be really proud of myself because of what I am doing for myself and my family. We will have a better life and I’ll be able to give my daughter a better future.’

With a growing sense of pride stemming from her upcoming Backyard Blitz, Jasmine is enthused to

continue the transformation inside her home. Jasmine plans to continue improving her home with It takes a village to raise a child’s Home Pride ‘I am really keen on doing a House Blitz to do up rooms in my house and I will buy new furniture through Wise Buys.’ As part of a House Blitz, families commit to small scale DIY projects to decorate and personalize the inside of their home.

Jasmine’s story highlights how families work together to create greater pride in their home. With a sweat equity commitment from her brother, Jasmine will create family spaces for everyone to be proud of. This story also highlights how Pride of Place is accomplishing its medium term (two to five year) goal of improving community aesthetics: Jasmine decided to do a Backyard Blitz because she has seen beautiful gardens pop up around the community.

My garden will be something to be proud of.

One achievement that could be considered within the POP feedback surveys in Aurukun is that seventy-five per cent of respondents were male. This reinforces the value that POP creates by providing a great opportunity for involvement of men in households. Additionally, the majority of those were in the thirty to forty-four years age bracket, with young families, so offer excellent prospects

for cross-referral to other Opportunity Products, particularly those based around the family.


Demographic Population†

Overall 263

Adult (15+) 175

Children (0-14) 88

Households 56

Youth (SET reporting purposes) 165

Early childhood 40

Primary school 33

Secondary school 30

Tertiary / further education 39

Completed school 23

Just like our partners, the team in the Coen Opportunity Hub like to set and achieve goals. We measure our progress in small steps towards success. Last quarter we decided our goal for the final half of 2013 was to broaden participation among existing members. Each month we have seen increases in the number of adults signing up to multiple Opportunity Products and a notable 100 per cent of members involved with It takes a village to raise a child then successfully cross-referred to Wise Buys. We currently have over half of our members signed up to more than one Opportunity Product, an excellent achievement given the small size of our village.

What is particularly pleasing is the participation of a wide range of age groups from young adults to retired partners taking up Opportunity Products. It is very encouraging that the budgeting and saving skills being developed through MPower coaching is valued by all partners.

Growing financial control is also enabling 100 per cent of MPower survey participants who have debt to take steps towards paying off their debt*. Two-thirds had no debt to pay off, enabling them to immediately set targets for saving. MPower continues to empower participants by developing financial capabilities to achieve savings goals while meeting ongoing expenses; our survey respondents indicate wide-spread satisfaction.

Student Education Trust (SET) accounts are equally popular across all age groups with younger parents in particular taking advantage of SET accounts to prepare for their childrens’ educational costs. The Coen Opportunity

Hub assisted parents to meet children’s needs, holding a SET Fair in which $2,491 was spent on educational items. In preparation for the Coen Campus Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) Culture Camp, canvas shoes became the latest ‘must have’ for Coen students, with every attendee purchasing a pair with their SET account. Subsequently, a total of eighty-six per cent of primary school students purchased shoes with their SET account at the Opportunity Hub. Flowing on from the sale of canvas shoes, we have now seen a rush on the purchase of CYAAA hats and bags.

Savings and budgeting achievements also contributed to the nearly 600 per cent increase in expenditure through Wise Buys this quarter. In preparation for Christmas and the wet season, MPower Graduate Wade Perrier is creating a catalogue encouraging members to save and order in advance. Working together with partners to meet purchasing needs in such a proactive manner has clearly instigated referrals by family members and neighbours, as evidenced by the six per cent increase in Wise Buys sign-ups over this quarter; growth we intend to sustain over the holiday period.

Coen Opportunity Hub

Coen Opportunity Hub local Indigenous employment

100%Non-local staff

Local Indigenous staff

* For MPower feedback survey, n=9.† Population data taken from the ABS 2013 Census.


MPower

Membership Coen Opportunity Hub team continues to work hard to encompass a greater proportion of the population with one new MPower member signing up this quarter. As nearly three-quarters of the adult Coen population are signed up to MPower, we have nearly reached saturation coverage of this community, although there are some small gains we could continue to make.

iBankActivitiesThe use of iBank in the Coen Opportunity Hub remained steady this quarter. At least two partners a day have been utilising iBank, often then staying in the Opportunity Hub to browse websites for potential purchases through Wise Buys. 100 per cent of MPower feedback survey respondents use iBank, which suggests other positive opportunities to increase referrals across other Opportunity Products through this ongoing level of participation*.

AchievementsPartners are gradually gaining confidence with online banking as may be seen in the level of unassisted sessions

in comparison to those requiring assistance. With a continuing high number of ‘level five’ assistance required, however, we appreciate that some iBank training in the future would be appreciated by these partners.

‘Little a’ sessionsActivities‘Little a’ sessions are intended to provide assistance in areas of immediate financial need such as budgeting in order to be able to pay off fines or debt. One-third of respondents with debt were paying it off while the other two-thirds had no debt, offering a good example of financial management techniques becoming entrenched across the MPower members.

Achievements We continued to assist one partner a month with ‘little a’ sessions, a significant decrease in members requiring this level of support from last quarter, indicating that MPower members are gaining better control over their finances. However, we anticipate greater need for ‘little a’ sessions following the Christmas and holiday season due to unplanned spending.

* For MPower feedback survey, n=9.† Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.‡ Number of different users, not a cumulative total.

MPower membership


29%

71%

MPower referrals


90% 10%


Last quarter






Last quarter

Members 186 186


Participants‡

iBank 22 19 21 34 49

‘Little a’ 1 1 1 3 22




Last quarter

Total 52 30 50 132 234

Assisted 25 13 23 61 85

Unassisted 27 17 27 71 149

Computer 39 29 42 110 188

Telephone 13 1 8 22 46

Training 0 0 0 0 3


Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5



MPower JourneyActivities As with ‘little a’ sessions, progress has been slow over the past quarter, with one partner achieving steps along the MPower Journey.

Achievements Those members who have begun MPower Journey have continued with active involvement and marked progression towards achieving their goals. The Coen Opportunity Hub is committed to increasing the attendance of partners to ongoing coaching and progression along the MPower Journey, alongside the already popular iBank services and increasingly successful take-up of Wise Buys. This integrated approach to Money Management offers multiple possibilities for Coen residents who are always willing to try new Opportunity Products once they see visible positive change occur. Wise Buys in particular offers an excellent opportunity for the cross-referral of partners in this respect.

Money Management SupportActivitiesPartners continue to seek budgeting advice from our MPower Coach and will undoubtedly become more actively involved with more referrals for purchasing through Wise Buys opening up in the Christmas period and over the wet season with several initiatives planned.

Achievements Support from our staff facilitates the attendance of partners to sessions where they benefit in multiple ways. Survey feedback indicates several distinct areas of success for MPower partners*.

• Two-thirds of respondents have a budget• One-third had achieved at least one of their

savings plans• All respondents with debt were taking steps to reduce

that debt.

of respondents in Coen would recommend MPower to others.

92%iBank participants

23222120191817

2219

21

Jul Aug Sep

11%

22%


NoYes

Don’t know67%


quarterLast

quarter

Group sessions 0 0 0 0 0

Support sessions 0 0 0 0 0

Banking 0 0 0 0 6

Debt Reduction 0 0 0 0 1

Budget 1 0 0 1 3

Wealth Creation 0 0 0 0 1

Internet and Telephone Banking 0 0 0 0 3

Payment 0 0 0 0 0

Competency rate 100% 0% 0% 33% 88%


B Space

C Space

D Space Ongoing


Overall retention 54% 51% 29% 29% 24%


Last quarter

Sessions 1 0 0 1 7






70%60%50%40%30%20%10%

0%

67%

0% 0%No debt No I don’t know Yes

33%

* For MPower feedback survey, n=9.


Student Education TrustMembershipAnother three Student Education Trust (SET) accounts were started this quarter, bringing the total number of SET accounts to 190 in Coen. Coen has a total population of 165 school age children; the number of SET accounts can be higher than this figure due to movements within the population and possible discrepancies in census figures.


There were 237 purchases this quarter in comparison to 168 during last quarter. Ninety-seven per cent of total purchases were bought for primary school children, with the SET Fair run by the Opportunity Hub offering an opportunity for parents to purchase educational items totalling $2,491.

I’m giving my kids a better, brighter future.

Cassandra Meeks now finds it a lot easier to find money to pay for school expenses thanks to the Student Education Trust. Each of Cassandra’s three children (Conrad, Shahara Ella Joyce Sharelle, and Latisha) have a Student Education Trust (SET) and she is an active donor to all three accounts.

‘It has been a lot easier to afford the children’s education items. Now I don’t have to pay for everything all at once, and I know that I have money [in their trust accounts] to buy the things they need.’

Making fortnightly contributions into their SET account makes paying for school supplies and educational games and toys more manageable. ‘Because I have a family, SET makes it easier and helps me a lot, as it is affordable. Now I’m able to afford things for my kids.’

Cassandra uses the funds in their SET accounts to purchase education items through Wise Buys and at the Get SET for School Fairs. Cassandra has accessed the children’s SET accounts to purchase shoes, lunch boxes, educational games and toys, and books. ‘Now that I’ve found out that I can get educational toys online and from the brochure, I plan to buy more things for my kids.’

Cassandra is also an active MPower member who uses the iBank for unassisted internet banking and Centrelink.

Cassandra’s story illustrates how Student Education Trust is achieving one of its key objectives—establishing social norms. With a SET, it has become the norm for parents to effectively cover the costs of their children’s education.


quarterLast

quarter

Number of donors* 151 151 269


Total trusts 191 192 192 192 190

Active trusts†




Tertiary/further education 0 0 0 0 1


Non-active‡ and closed trusts§




Tertiary/further education 4 4 4 4 3


* The decrease in donors is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates. One donor can be contributing to more than one trust account.† Active trust indicates that contributions are being received and donor is purchasing educational items.‡ Non-active means the trust is open however no contributions are now being received and donor is not purchasing educational items.§ Closed trust means the trust has been closed by the primary donor and balance transferred to other trust account.

Sessions Sign-up


detailsClose trust Total

Jul to Sep 3 71 111 5 1 191


The Opportunity Hub has been working alongside the Coen Campus Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy in creating opportunities for parents and carers to provide for children’s material needs. This meets both a key SET objective and school readiness targets for children to wear uniforms and shoes. Of particular note was the success of canvas shoe sales, ordered in advance for the Culture Camp and now worn regularly by children attending school. The relationship with our suppliers and the innovation of having shoes available for purchase on the day, without ordering delays, was so successful we are implementing this strategy at other sites.

AchievementsSET feedback survey respondents demonstrated conclusively the success of SET towards enabling families to better prepare for school*. Of particular note are those donors who contribute to multiple SET accounts. SET donors may encompass any person interested in making ongoing contributions towards the educational requirements of a child; donors may be parents, carers, grandparents, sisters, uncles and aunts or other relations.

• Twenty-three per cent of respondents in Coen contribute to four or more SET accounts

• Over fifty-three per cent contribute to two SET accounts.Saving for children’s educational needs is becoming embedded within the mindsets of parents and carers in Coen, which certainly bodes well for the future prospects of the children of Coen.

• Seventy-five per cent of respondents prioritise educational costs on a par with food as the most important thing to spend money on.

Furthermore, the ability to save for educational goods through SET has relieved the financial stress experienced by parents and carers, with over eighty-three per cent of survey respondents feeling they have the costs of children’s education ‘all under control’.

* For the SET feedback survey, n=13.



Early childhood $24,580.90 $24,712.02 $24,712.02 $24,712.02 $24,645.07

Primary school $89,420.72 $89,420.72 $89,420.72 $89,420.72 $102,718.32


Further education $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $1,000.82

Finished school $16.83 $16.83 $16.83 $16.83 $983.10

Non-active $105,343.81 $105,343.81 $105,343.81 $105,343.81 $75,298.24










Primary school 78% 98% 98% 97% 65%



Student Education Trust funds balance$120,000$100,000

$80,000$60,000$40,000$20,000

$0Early

childhoodPrimary school

Secondary school

Further education

Finished school

Non-active




Completed school

24%1%

45%30%

36%

56%

School readiness



8%


Wise BuysMembershipWise Buys continues to gain momentum in Coen with another two members joining this quarter, bringing the membership total to thirteen per cent of the adult population of the village.

ActivitiesThere was a nearly 600 per cent increase in Wise Buys purchases this quarter, with an impressive $14,948 spent. Increasing numbers of sessions involving research demonstrate the partners are beginning to internalise the buying process through seeking value for money. Of note is the increasing number of unassisted sessions, showing improved levels of confidence felt by partners in both using computers and in decision-making. The wide range of payment types used in transactions also illustrates that partners are adopting financial technologies to suit their particular circumstances.

AchievementsThe majority of goods purchased this quarter are categorised as ‘needs’ indicating that partners are valuing household requirements over less essential items. The major purchase of the quarter was for a second-hand car, an item that will immeasurably improve life for one excited family in Coen. The entire process of budgeting for such a large purchase indicates that Coen families are taking responsibility for their finances and utilising Opportunity Products to achieve their goals.

* Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

Amount spent on needs versus wants

75%WantsNeeds

25%

Total Wise Buys purchases$14,000$12,000$10,000

$8,000$6,000$4,000$2,000

0

$13,176

$1,023 $749Jul Aug Sep

Wise Buys payment types

50%

13% 12%25%

BPayCredit Card

CashBasics Card

Wise Buys sessions

67%

11% 15%

7%

PaymentConsult

PurchaseResearch

Cancel

Payment types Basics card Cash Credit Card NILSJul to Sep 2 1 4 1


quarterLast

quarterMembers 34 32


Purchases Jul Aug Sep This quarter Last quarter

Purchases 4 3 1 8 5


Amount spent $13,176.00 $1,023.00 $749.00 $14,948.00 $2,158.95


Purchases categorised as ‘wants’ $13,038.00 $865.00 $749.00 $14,652.00 $2,158.95


Amount spent on ‘wants’ $138.00 $158.00 $0.00 $296.00 $0.00

Unassisted purchases 1 2 0 0 1


Level of assistance* Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4 Unassisted



Jul to Sep 7 30 5 3 45


It takes a village to raise a childBaby CollegeWhile Baby College was inactive this quarter in Coen, our Positive Parenting Consultant has been busy seeking new Baby College and Strong Families members. As part of the Coen Opportunity Hub engagement strategy, we seek out opportunities to speak with community members in an informal manner while offering the potential for involvement with Opportunity Products. In an extension to community engagement across the Coen community, we are building relationships with external stakeholders whom are beginning to initiate contact between potential Baby College members and the Opportunity Hub.

As an example, through attending the Mums and Bubs playgroup sessions held by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, there has been the capacity to share parenting knowledge and skills which relate to these Opportunity Products on a weekly basis. In this informal manner, our Positive Parenting Consultant has been able to address parental concerns, especially in relation to dealing with behaviours such as tantrums and biting.

Positive KidsMembershipNo partners attended Positive Kids sessions this quarter. We continue to work with Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) to determine how to increase attendance in these activities. Discussions around Positive Kids attendance have also been held with Hub Leaders and CYAAA as part of our internal Strategic Conversation on It takes a village to raise a child.

Strong FamiliesMembershipMembership in Strong Families remained strong at fourteen this quarter or five per cent of the Coen population. Particularly notable is the fact that referrals to Strong Families are split nearly evenly between those from Families Responsibilities Commission (FRC) or Child Safety and those which are self referred. This indicates that members are finding value in the Strong Families programme independently; these self-referred members offer good support and share their experiences

with partners whom may be experiencing detrimental circumstances outside of the group.

ActivitiesWe doubled the number of Strong Families sessions held this quarter over last, attracting an impressive half of our members to attend on a regular basis. We intend to attract more fathers to attend sessions as research suggests a high number of single parent families whom would benefit from It takes a village to raise a child in addition to the support network offered by the Positive Parenting Consultant, other Opportunity Hub staff and participating parents and carers. The support networks developed around this Opportunity Product have been shown to be instrumental to achieving ongoing participation, attendance and achievements as parents gain confidence and learn effective parenting techniques, reducing stress and tension in the family home.

AchievementsRegular attendance at Strong Families sessions suggests that parents and carers are finding ongoing value to participation. Continuing to build relationships with other community service providers gives us an opportunity to increase membership.

EngagementOur Positive Parenting Consultant is re-engaging with members across the It takes a village to raise a child spectrum of activities. The very successful Student Education Trust (SET) Fair offered an ideal chance to speak with parents and carers and offer advice on their purchases for their children. Other events we have attended this

* Total participants include all those who have registered.† Attendance includes all those who attended sessions this quarter.

‡ For Strong Families feedback survey, n=3.§ The decrease in this number is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.


Last quarter

Total participants* 14§ 22


Graduates 0 0 0 0 0

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 5



Last quarter



Graduates 0 0 0 0 0

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 0


of Strong Families respondents in Coen have changed their behaviours and seen

a change in their children’s behaviour.

67%‡


quarter included the Op Shop and local womens’ group at the Wellbeing Centre and the Archie Roach school concert in September, during which we spoke with thirteen partners in relation to our Opportunity Products.

HandicraftPainting and scrap-booking continue to be popular activities held by the Positive Parenting Consultant this past quarter. We had an excellent attendance rate at the sessions, with twenty-one participants enjoying opportunities to create lasting memories and stretch their artistic capabilities whilst sharing parenting stories.

Participants have requested that jewellery making be held as a Handicraft activity alongside these previously popular activities; we are planning to include this in upcoming sessions. Sessions are also set to increase, taking advantage of the Opportunity Hub position near the school to attract parents’ involvement. These types of community engagement activities offer substantial opportunity to promote Opportunity Products which relate to parenting and across to MPower financial capabilities, so we look forward to increasing membership through the undoubtedly successful uptake in additional Handicraft sessions.

Home PrideWhile Home Pride sparked interest across Coen, the lack of a dedicated Home Crew has impeded further progress. We anticipate additional and extended interest in running a household with the uptake of a House Blitz shortly.


Last quarter

Sessions 1 1 0 2 5



Last quarter

Sessions 28 18 14 60 99

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 1

Engagement type

Home visit 3 0 3 6 8



Workshop 0 0 0 0 0


It’s good to get out of the house.

Having learnt about It takes a village to raise a child’s Handicrafts from friends, Tegan Liddy recently attended a painting workshop at the Coen Opportunity Hub.

‘It gives me somewhere to go with my friends and relatives and it’s great to be able to do activities.’ She enjoyed the activity so much she is eager and committed to continue attending Handicrafts. ‘I plan to keep going!’

Tegan plans to start the Strong Families program in the future, and will continue contributing to the Student Education Trust accounts that she has for three of her four children.

Tegan’s story highlights how Handicrafts positively impacts on partners’ social and emotional well-being by providing interesting and fun activities in a relaxed environment, whilst talking to other parents and encouraging cross-referral to other Opportunity Products.

45%55%


FRC or Child Safety referredSelf-referred

Engagement type

Information sessionsHome visit

Community eventInformal discussion

Workshop

82%10%

3%5%


Pride of PlaceMembershipPride of Place (POP) has successfully retained forty-six members in Coen, representing an impressive eighty-five per cent of all households in the village.

ActivitiesPop-up Visits reached twenty-six of these households, or sixty-five per cent of POP members. A new POP Works Supervisor with landscaping qualifications has met an enthusiastic response from POP members in Coen. Fifty per cent of POP households in Coen, or twenty individual households, have expressed interest in making use of his skills to formulate plans towards their dreams of improving the design of their gardens. The designs include planting, paving, pergolas and components to encourage family time such as play equipment and barbeques. Each component will undoubtedly improve partners’ enjoyment of their garden and bring family together in a pleasant and safe environment.

AchievementsTwo POP members have already created their dream design in partnership with the POP Works Supervisor, with Backyard Blitzes planned for this upcoming quarter. A Backyard Blitz illustrates an ongoing commitment by partners as they plan, not only the financial savings they make to contribute towards the project but also sweat equity investment through seeking the cooperation of

family and friends to contribute towards the physical labour involved. Each project will utilise and develop the skills of multiple members of the family.

The noticeable improvements to each backyard as a result of members’ hard work has proven inspirational, with many sign-ups occurring as a result of POP Backyard Blitzes in Coen. In order to utilise this rising interest in gardening and landscaping, we are looking forward to increased Garden Club workshops in the next quarter amidst preparation for the ever-popular annual ‘Best Garden in the Village’ competition.

Respondents to the recent POP feedback survey demonstrated their enjoyment of gardening, with sixty per cent stating that they love gardening†. Nearly the same number of members grow fruit and vegetables in their gardens, with excellent health implications due to the sweat equity involved and eating home grown fresh produce. An excellent illustration of the impact of gardening is noted by one respondent in the survey, who sees spending time in their garden as ‘good for my wellbeing and spending time with my family.’ It is precisely this impact on families that we are seeking to achieve through ongoing community involvement with POP and Backyard Blitzes.

* The decrease in numbers is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.† For POP feedback surveys, n= 7.


Last quarter

Visits 25 1 0 26 34




Members 46 38

New members 0 0

Households 40 30


Potential membersPOP membership15%85%

Survey: gardening‘How do you feel about gardening?’

60%

40%

20%

0%

40%60%

Don’t like it It’s okay Love it0%of POP respondents in Coen

grow fruit and vegetables.

57%


‘Community engagement’ was the strategy in Hope Vale this quarter, particularly in relation to parenting, but extending across all Opportunity Products with events, home visits and informal conversations forming the basis of our engagement with families across the village. Similarly, the family home has been a focus this quarter, with Bush Owner Builder (BOB) starting in Hope Vale alongside the progression of Pride of Place (POP), a popular initiative in this community.

MPower continues to build the financial capacity of ever-increasing numbers of partners. There were extraordinary improvements of over 1500 per cent in the number of group (family) sessions held since the last quarter, primarily due to the start of the BOB initiative in Hope Vale. The BOB project managed with our sister organisation Cape York Enterprises, relies on the ongoing financial coaching available through MPower to ensure families save for the initial deposit, are capable of meeting loan repayments and are aware of their contractual requirements. Two families expressed interest in BOB this quarter, requiring individual and family group sessions, with six more families interested in signing up next year. As part of this integrated approach to financial management, Wise Buys members increased by fifty per cent over this quarter and there was a fifty per cent increase in the number of partners using iBank.

Our parenting staff kept busy with events for Father’s Day, National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) and a graduation celebrating five members completing Strong Families and four completing Baby College. The Father’s Day event attracted an excellent

Hope Vale Opportunity Hub

Demographic Population*

Overall 930

Adult (15+) 634

Children (0-14) 296

Households 208


Early childhood 92

Primary school 142

Secondary school 109


Completed school 58

Hope Vale Opportunity Hub local Indigenous employment

Non-local staff

Local Indigenous staff

21%

79%

turn-out of twelve fathers and around forty children. Following the NAIDOC parade, we offered Handicraft activities that drew participation from over twenty parents.

We utilise these different events to promote the Hope Vale Opportunity and Parenting Hubs in an informal manner; with an increase in sign-ups resulting. This interest extends into POP with an impressive nine sign-ups for projects due for completion by the end of the year.

We aim to replicate these successes as the year draws to a close. Our team goes from strength to strength with the strong support of the wider community in Hope Vale. This attention was most recently demonstrated by MPower Graduate Jaccan Hart providing an excellent example as Community Youth Leader, giving a well-appreciated speech at the Hope Vale Youth Summit in September. An example of a proactive young member of the village, Jaccan illustrates to the wider community that the financial management skills acquired through MPower offer excellent future prospects for herself and her wider family group.

As a team, the Hope Vale Opportunity and Parenting Hubs proudly support Jaccan while celebrating our enduring accomplishments encompassing all ages within the village. We look forward to continuing our integrated approach to community engagement into the new year.

* Population data taken from the ABS 2013 Census.


MPower

Membership Hope Vale MPower membership continues to grow with another fifteen members this quarter. Nearly fifty per cent of the adult Hope Vale population of 634 is now an MPower member*.

iBank ActivitiesConsistent with past trends, 117 individual iBank users visited the Opportunity Hub for internet or phone banking purposes on average nearly five times over the quarter.

Achievements It is encouraging to report that level of assistance for iBank users has moved positively to reflect the increased capability of the partners. The number of Level 1 users has doubled from eight partners last quarter to sixteen partners this quarter demonstrating our partners are more confident in accessing their financial information by themselves.

‘Little a’ sessionsActivitiesMPower members continued to progress from ‘little a’ sessions towards financial stability and continued involvement within the MPower journey. Nearly twice as many budgets were completed in this quarter over last. This can be attributed in part to the many Hope Vale families seeking budgeting assistance to enable them to save up for deposits and maintain a loan available through Bush Owner Builder (BOB) .

Achievements Financial management assistance remains central to the needs and aspirations of the Hope Vale population and will become even more desired given the popularity of BOB and POP. MPower feedback survey respondents already highlight the positive results previously achieved through budgeting‡.

• Ninety-four per cent of MPower survey respondents are taking steps to reduce debt or have no debt

• Nearly fifty per cent have achieved at least one savings goal

• With sixty per cent of respondents stating they are on track to pay off their debt (in addition to over twenty-one per cent who have no debt), this ability to make and stick to budgets is a significant step for those considering a commitment to repayments in the BOB initiative.

MPower Journey ActivitiesAn increase in group sessions from three to forty-one over this quarter can be directly linked to the relaunch of POP Backyard Blitzes and take-up of BOB. Group coaching brings the family together to discuss their aspirations and strategy towards a common goal. In addition to the continuing objectives of Hope Vale residents to purchase needs such as furniture, white goods and clothing, BOB

* This number is lower than in the previous quarter due to updated census figures.† Number of different users, not a cumulative total.

‡ For the MPower feedback survey, n= 34.§ Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

49%51%

MPower membership


MPower referrals


84%

16%


Last quarter

Members 458 447


Participants†

iBank 71 69 58 117 137

‘Little a’ 15 15 13 37 52




Last quarter

Total 209 208 142 559 765

Assisted 84 81 63 228 220

Unassisted 125 127 79 331 545

Computer 151 154 108 413 505

Telephone 58 54 34 146 260

Training 3 1 2 6 11

Level of assistance§ Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5



Last quarter






applicants also aim to achieve their end goal of building their own home. The support of family members is crucial through every stage of MPower, from planning, saving for a deposit, investing sweat equity; the desired result is a family home that everyone can enjoy. It is hoped that these successful family coaching sessions will extend into other avenues of the MPower journey as through the combined energy and shared objectives of a group, the potential for success remains high.

This quarter has focused on identifying MPower members who have had three ‘little a’ sessions to move onto the MPower Journey. It is pleasing to see that two partners are attending these coaching sessions to build their financial management capability and resolve their ‘little a’ issues.

Achievements Individual coaching sessions continue to retain and even gain significance throughout the MPower Journey as family sessions increase in number. Individual efforts are valued in this context as contributing to the overall family initiative while also having independent positive financial consequences.

* The increase in figures is due to Bush Owner Builder (BOB) restarting and partners coming into the Hub for Coaching on BOB who may not necessarily have come in for MPower Coaching.

41%59%

iBank assistance

UnassistedAssisted

MPower Journey* Jul Aug Sep This quarter

Last quarter

Sessions 12 32 8 52 20






B Space

C Space

D Space Ongoing



MPower Journey sessions40

30

20

10

012

32

8Jul Aug Sep

Now I save most of my pay.

Having signed up to MPower only twelve months ago, Leonard Casey saved enough money to buy a vehicle.

‘I joined MPower to learn how to budget my money to afford the things I want and need.’

Leonard successfully completed budgeting support training and also met with an MPower Coach to complete an MPower Plan. As part of his short and long term goals, Leonard identified that he wanted to purchase a vehicle, have a holiday and buy his own home.

‘I am now able to save most of my pay for a rainy day and I bought a car with my savings. My friends and family say that it’s really good that I saved enough money to buy a vehicle at my age.’

Leonard says that MPower has taught him to be more independent. ‘I’m able to save money now and I’m not depending on my family.’

Leonard is putting money aside towards a holiday and a house.

One of MPower’s key objectives is enable our partners to build assets and realise their aspirations. Through saving and disciplined money management MPower is supporting Leonard to achieve his goals.


Money Management SupportActivitiesOverall participation in Money Management Support reduced this quarter however there are encouraging signs that the money management sessions are effective with increased competency from two per cent last quarter to thirty eight per cent over the last quarter. Banking support and internet and telephone banking sessions remain steady and popular, reflecting our partners’ interest in technical skills (how to use internet and telephone banking) towards a more advanced understanding of the banking system.

AchievementsResults from Hope Vale’s MPower feedback survey show clear signals that our members are adopting financial management practices that is allowing saving and debt reduction. Of respondents, sixty-nine per cent have achieved their savings goal in the last quarter with fifty-two per cent saving for furniture. Of respondents, almost seventy per cent of those with a debt have started paying their debt and—even more encouraging—sixty per cent believe they are ‘on track’ to paying off that debt. These are very encouraging signs that partners are taking control of their finances and committing to reducing their debt.


quarterLast

quarterGroup sessions 0 0 0 0 0Support sessions 13 2 4 19 27

Banking 7 0 1 8 11Debt Reduction 0 0 0 0 1Budget 0 0 0 0 3Wealth Creation 0 0 0 0 0Internet and Telephone Banking 5 1 3 9 8

Payment 1 1 0 2 4Competency rate 15% 50% 50% 38% 2%

Coaching teaches my family about budgeting.

Elaine McGreen, her husband Tim, and her nephew Adam, are one of two families taking up Bush Owner Builder (BOB) in Hope Vale. BOB provides the opportunity for families to build their own environmentally, socially and culturally sustainable home. Families contribute a $3,000 deposit and sweat equity for the construction phase, and then pay off their $45,000 loan over ten years.

‘I joined BOB because I really wanted somewhere quiet and peaceful to live. I took up the opportunity [to build my own home] because the program is a really good incentive to do it yourself.’

Families are required to work together throughout their BOB journey. As part of the process, Elaine, Tim and Adam attend family coaching with an MPower Coach. Family coaching provides the opportunity for everyone to get together to discuss their finances, goals for the future, and sweat equity. Family coaching is an essential component of BOB as it ensures that everyone is working towards the same family goal, even though they will each have their own individual goals as well. Family members are also required to get their hands dirty by providing sweat equity during the construction of their homes.

MPower Coaching helped Elaine and her family identify their money problems and ways to fix them. ‘The coaching is really good. I can see my money growing and it’s a good way to teach my family about budgeting.’

Elaine is currently putting aside money from her pay each fortnight towards her BOB house and is saving up to purchase furniture for the new house. Elaine has previously completed a Pride of Place garden, is signed up to MPower and is a Home Pride member.

‘Sometimes we go out there camping in tents. I can’t wait for the house to be built.’ Elaine’s home will be completed by the end of the year.

Elaine’s story highlights how families are supporting each other and working together towards a collective family goal. Beyond family coaching the McGreen’s will continue to work closely by contributing sweat equity towards the construction of their new home and then pay off their home loan together.


70%60%50%40%30%20%10%

0%24% 3% 3%

No debt No I don’t know Yes

70%

Survey: savings‘I have achieved at least one of my savings goals?’

50%40%30%20%10%

0%

12% 49%9%

No Yes Don’t know Don’t have one

30%


Student Education TrustMembershipTwo more Student Education Trust (SET) accounts were opened at the Hope Vale Opportunity Hub this quarter, bringing the total number to 210. This represents thirty-six per cent of all children in Hope Vale, with SET accounts contributed to by fourteen per cent of the population.

Nearly eighty per cent of primary school age children have SET accounts, fifty per cent of secondary school children and forty-one per cent in early childhood. This broad reach of SET across all age groups represents the overall importance placed on meeting educational needs in Hope Vale.


With 139 purchases this quarter, the total number of purchases is just down on last quarter. This was, in part, due to a delay in the highly anticipated SET Fair which offers excellent opportunities for local families to purchase educational goods using their SET accounts.

Over this period, however, there were a third more sessions held at the Opportunity Hub compared to last quarter. With seventy of these relating to purchases, donors are keen to ensure children are prepared for school.

* For SET feedback surveys, n= 27.† The decrease in donors is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates. One donor can be contributing to more than one trust account.‡ Active trust indicates that contributions are being received and donor is purchasing educational items.§ Non-active means the trust is open however no contributions are now being received and donor is not purchasing educational items.** Closed trust means the trust has been closed by the primary donor and balance transferred to other trust account.


quarterLast

quarter

Number of donors† 132 132 218


Total trusts 208 209 210 210 208

Active trusts‡





Non-active§ and closed trusts**







Early childhood $22,558.96 $22,609.01 $22,630.02 $22,630.02 $18,721.16

Primary school $48,404.31 $48,404.31 $48,404.31 $48,404.31 $57,345.05



Finished school $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Non-active $53,552.31 $53,552.31 $53,552.31 $53,552.31 $28,195.86










Primary school 90% 94% 96% 93% 74%



43%

27%

School readiness



30%

Sessions Sign-up


detailsTransfer

trust Total

Jul to Sep 2 63 70 5 1 141


AchievementsSET feedback surveys provide a more comprehensive insight into the value of SET accounts from the perspective of donors*.

• Ninety-two per cent of survey respondents know what to buy to help their children’s education needs. The remainder had a bit of knowledge in regards to children’s needs.

This demonstrates wide-spread understanding of educational requirements and feelings of confidence with decision-making.

• Nearly fifty per cent make decisions of what to buy for children’s education needs all by themselves; another third relies on the school to help make these decisions.

In addition to this confidence in decision-making, using professional assistance from educators to make considered decisions is an excellent illustration of growing trust between donors and the school. This relationship is one that will continue to pay dividends across the community as parents demonstrate to children the value they place on education.

• Two-thirds feel they have the costs of children’s education ‘all under control’ and another third feel they are ‘getting by’.

Just over half of those surveyed contribute to one child through SET; another thirty per cent contribute to two. The loss of financial stress implied by having a SET account is a beneficial impact caused by ongoing contributions to educational costs.

SET took away a lot of stress.

Selina Bowen ensured that she would have all the money required to meet her son’s boarding school fees by setting up a SET account when he was still in primary school.

‘I signed up to SET, while my son Warwick was still in primary school. When he was in year seven, I took him to Cairns for an intake interview at Peace Lutheran College. I was prepared for the debt that would occur from the short fall of Abstudy because he would be a student at boarding school. I signed up to SET so that I could pay all of his education expenses.’

Funds in Warwick’s SET account have been accessed to pay for boarding school fees, a laptop and outfits for two school formals. ‘Warwick got formal clothing for when he took his cousin to her school formal. He will now attend his own formal, and because he still has money in his SET account, he can buy an outfit for this special occasion.’

‘SET has taken a way a lot of stress. I know that I will have no school debts after he has graduated and that is a really good feeling to have!’

Warwick will graduate from Peace Lutheran College this year and is currently deciding what he will do when he finishes school. Selina is exceptionally proud of his accomplishments.

A key objective for Student Education Trust is for parents to internalise the importance of their children’s education, which includes providing the opportunity for them to attend secondary school. Selina’s story highlights how Student Education Trust is supporting families to achieve this goal.


Earlychildhood

$60,000

$50,000

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0Primary school

Secondary school

Further education

Finished school

Non-active


25%17%



Completed school58%

* For SET feedback surveys, n=21.


Wise BuysMembershipWise Buys membership expanded rapidly this quarter with six new members as Hope Vale Opportunity Hub MPower Consultants successfully converted partner interest in Wise Buys during engagement sessions into sign-ups. Comments within the Wise Buys feedback surveys provided additional evidence that successful use of varied Opportunity Products is occurring. In relation to a question asking how the respondent could pay for a desired purchase, the respondent made specific mention of MPower ‘to assist, and go online’*.

ActivitiesWise Buys continues to gain traction within Hope Vale with four purchases totalling $2,545 this quarter, nearly five times the amount of the previous quarter.

Consistent numbers of people are coming to the Opportunity Hub to research purchasing options, yet more consultations result in successful purchases than in previous quarters.

AchievementsOne member made three purchases unassisted this quarter, representing an excellent example of ongoing budgeting capabilities and increased computing confidence. That her purchases were also items of furniture, considered a household necessity, further illustrates the improvements in life-style she has accomplished through utilising Wise Buys. Another member purchased a bed, with similar consideration placed on the purchase of a need versus a

want alongside the ongoing budgeting required to make a large purchase. Taking into account the savings that were made and the increased well-being achieved as a result of membership of Wise Buys, clearly members are finding any personal sacrifices are paying off in multi-faceted ways.

* For Wise Buys feedback surveys, n=7.† Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.


quarterLast

quarter

Members 20 13



Level 2

Level 3

Level 4 Unassisted


Payment types Cash Lay-by NILS

Jul to Sep 2 1 1

Sessions Consult Research Purchase Payment Cancel Total

Jul to Sep 3 13 2 1 1 20

Purchases Jul Aug Sep This quarter Last quarter*

Purchases 1 3 0 4 1


Amount spent $75.00 $2,470.00 $0.00 $2,545.00 $535.00


Purchases categorised as ‘wants’ $75.00 $2,470.00 $0.00 $2,545.00 $535.00


Amount spent on ‘wants’ $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00



of Wise Buys purchases were categorised as needs.

100%Engagement sessions and sign-ups

Sign-upsEngagement sessions

10

8

6

4

2

0 2 0

9

Jul Aug Sep2 0 0

Wise Buys sessions

65%

5%5%

10%

15%PaymentConsult

PurchaseResearch

Cancel


It takes a village to raise a child

Baby CollegeMembershipOne more Baby College registration this quarter raised the total number of members to fifteen as the popularity of this Opportunity Product keeps growing across the Hope Vale community.

ActivitiesSix Baby College sessions attracted five partners over this quarter. Of these, an encouraging eighty per cent reached a level of competency to graduate. Having four graduates from Baby College illustrates the strength of the support systems and benefits of ongoing motivation provided by parenting staff in various ways.

To attain this degree of competency is an outstanding display of ongoing perseverance as partners are expected to attend sessions over a period of time, gaining a range of skills covering responding to baby, setting flexible routines and partner support. Parents then put into action this knowledge in practical ways with the support of parenting staff, relatives and others in the community. The goal of Baby College is to support parents to lay foundations for the positive early development of their children, so these graduations are indicative of potentially bright futures for the babies involved and other children in the family.

Achievements Among the Baby College members who graduated this quarter was the second couple to graduate from It takes a village to raise a child in Hope Vale. This represents the

successful inclusiveness of Baby College for all interested family members and provides an excellent start for both parents. One graduate has also since signed up to Strong Families, progressing on their parenthood journey with the continuing support from parenting staff.

Positive KidsNo partners attended Positive Kids sessions this quarter. We continue to work with Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) to determine how to increase attendance in these activities. Discussions around Positive Kids attendance have also been held with Hub Leaders and CYAAA as part of our internal Strategic Conversation on It takes a village to raise a child.

Strong FamiliesMembershipStrong Families attained another three sign-ups this quarter to bring the total number of members to sixty-one in Hope Vale.

* Total participants include all those who have registered.† Attendance includes all those who attended sessions this quarter.‡ The decrease in this number is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.


Last quarter

Total participants* 3‡ 8


Graduates 0 0 0 0 0

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 1



Last quarter


Attendance† 10 12 10 20 32

Graduates 0 4 0 4 0

Sign-ups 0 1 2 3 7



Last quarter



Graduates 0 3 0 3 0

Sign-ups 0 1 1 2 0


Engagement sessions

Jul

58

56

54

52

50

4851

57 55

Aug Sep


FRC or Child Safety referredSelf-referred15%85%


ActivitiesForty sessions were held for Strong Families this quarter in Hope Vale. In the middle of the quarter, we celebrated the graduation of five members, or nearly ten per cent of total participants. As with Baby College, to reach the level of participation necessary to graduate requires ongoing commitment through attending sessions over an extended period of time. Triple P parenting strategies are clearly considered beneficial to parents and carers with these graduations showing the perceived value of the course by members. Many of the graduates continue to attend sessions in support of newer attendees. We will

continue to engage with them in a variety of capacities.

Achievements It takes a village to raise a child graduates were celebrated in a ceremony including a sit down lunch at the Council meeting rooms. Five graduates from Strong Families and four from Baby College each bought family members to share their success. Strong Families feedback surveys confirmed the ongoing value of lessons learned with 100 per cent of respondents now feeling confident about being a parent*. All survey respondents further noted

Soraya McIvor, and her partner Ian, worked together to successfully complete It takes a village to raise a child’s Baby College program after Child Safety issued an Intervention with Parental Agreement (IPA) order on their daughter.

‘We joined to learn more about parenting because we wanted to keep and raise our daughter without Child Safety getting involved.’

Soraya and Ian enthusiastically attended group and one-on-one parenting sessions with their Positive Parenting Consultant. ‘We learnt a lot of thing about being parents that we didn’t know before [completing the program]. Now we’re better parents for our daughter—we both put her first before ourselves.’

Soraya and Ian are actively implementing the sixteen Triple P parenting strategies that they have learnt. ‘People tell us we are doing really well as parents. We even give advice to other parents and tell them that they should also join up.’

The Strong Families program and guidance from their Positive Parenting Consultant extended beyond just implementing the positive parenting strategies in their home. ‘We have settled down a lot. And doing the parenting program has also helped our relationship.’ Soraya and Ian worked on relationship building and learnt how to communicate with each other, instead of acting out their frustrations.

With a strong family foundation, Soraya and Ian want to have more children and continue using what they’ve learnt with their growing family.

Soraya’s story highlights how Baby College is achieving one of its primary objectives—working with families that are at risk to ensure that families can stay together and grow strong. By working together, Soraya and Ian have created a stronger family for their daughter. Soraya and Ian have positively enacted reciprocity in their home and support each other along the way.

We’re better parents now.


that their own behaviour had changed over the course of Strong Families sessions, with one comment mentioning that they are now ‘more organised’ and another that they ‘discipline with love, just being consistent is what I have to achieve.’ Perhaps the most encouraging comment to come from these surveys is the fact that all parents are intending to continue working on the techniques they learned in Strong Families sessions, suggesting the Opportunity Product has really impressed on parents that they need to maintain focus to achieve long term results.

Engagement The Parenting Hub increased engagement activities in Hope Vale by twelve per cent this quarter, using informal conversations as a strategy to encourage further involvement with Baby College and Strong Families.

Our Fathers Day event proved especially popular, attracting twelve fathers and around forty children to make Father’s Day cards, play a fun array of games and followed by a barbeque. Including fathers in events is imperative in our engagement plan as we aim for the Parenting Hub to be a comfortable environment for all parents and carers to seek assistance and join activities.

We extended our reach into Handicraft, using activities as a tool of engagement after attending the Hope Vale NAIDOC parade; this proved to be a productive strategy as over twenty parents were drawn to our stall.

HandicraftIn a continuation of our engagement activities, we have sought multiple avenues through which to informally engage with the parents and carers of Hope Vale. This quarter our space was limited due to renovations occurring in the back of the Parenting Hub, causing us to look at alternative venues for group sessions, while initiating sustainable relationships with external stakeholders.

Working at the Hope Vale Wellbeing Centre run by the Royal Flying Doctors Service, we have been holding a fortnightly women’s group in which we delivered Handicraft activities as part of our contribution. Driftwood and flower arrangement and jewellery making were each well-received. At these events we deliver parenting advice such as how to set boundaries, provide information talks in relation to Home Pride including cleaning tips and general conversations addressing any issues that emerge within the gatherings. In the future we look forward to continuing these productive activities in conjunction with the Wellbeing Centre on a fortnightly basis, focussing on health related issues, pampering and well-being, within the belief that the benefits of rejuvenating oneself as a parent enables participants to parent more steadily and in a stress-free manner.


Last quarter

Sessions 1 4 1 6 38



Last quarter

Sessions 51 57 55 163 145

Sign-ups 0 2 1 3 1

Engagement type

Home visit 10 32 25 67 58



Workshop 0 1 1 2 0


* For Strong Families feedback surveys, n= 2


Home Pride MembershipMembership of Home Pride has remained stable as the Hope Vale Home Crew have been focussed on Handicraft activities in conjunction with the Parenting Hub staff and engaging with partners interested in House Blitzes.

ActivitiesThe Hope Vale Home Crew concentrated on house visits this quarter while working with our partners to finalise their Strategic Conversation and sweat equity commitment required by upcoming House Blitzes. Under Home Pride, House Blitz is a new Opportunity Product encompassed, in which families are encouraged to save $500 in initial investment towards interior decorating plans. Alongside the financial commitment, partners take the time to learn new skills in relation to these plans and be prepared to invest sweat equity into their successful implementation. House Blitz integrates a range of Opportunity Products, including MPower coaching for financial management and budgeting, Wise Buys to make larger household purchases, Handicraft to gain decorating, cleaning and maintenance skills and Home Pride to correlate each of these areas to the home.

Home Crew have simultaneously continued with their regular contributions to the Parenting Hub, engaging partners in Home Pride tools including cleaning tips, meal plans and shopping lists. These tools have noticeable impacts on our partners’ welfare with homes becoming more organised, stress-free, safe and healthy for the family.

Home Crew have also maintained a community presence alongside their Parenting and Opportunity Hub colleagues this quarter through involvement in combined activities. We will continue this collaboration in the upcoming quarter with planned events and activities including Christmas cookery, role-playing scenarios and a story-telling campfire night; each intended to engage with partners in a relaxed environment which encourages incidental learning by partners.

Achievements Families who sign up for House Blitz seek to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing home that the whole family is proud of. Our Home Crew staff are equally proud to have six of the fourteen Home Pride members signed-up for House Blitz and have already begun their financial commitment. In preparation for the actual House Blitz, partners have completed several smaller projects during Home Pride workshops this quarter, such as mirror decorating and flower arrangement. Also, curtains have been sewn at the Parenting Hub with assistance of Home Crew and hung in a partner’s house. Other partners have proudly hung the arts and crafts they have made at workshops in their homes.

We celebrate these small steps partners are making towards beautifying their home and will continue to work alongside them to ensure the completion of tasks started. We anticipate that partners and their families will increasingly enjoy spending time together in their clean, organised, functional home environments, with ramifications on their sense of well-being.


quarterLast

quarter

Members 24 24




quarterLast

quarter

Started 0 0 0 0 7

Finished 0 1 0 1 5


Pride of Place MembershipTwo more members joined Pride of Place (POP) this quarter, with fifty-three per cent of overall households now signed-up. The monthly Garden Club continues to inspire new members to take an interest in gardening thanks to the efforts of the dedicated POP Enabler and the ongoing contribution of regular attendees.

ActivitiesPop-up Visits increased a massive 167 per cent this quarter over last with ninety-six households visited. 110 members were part of these visits, learning and embracing the work involved with planning, designing, landscaping and enjoying their gardens. With nearly sixty per cent of POP feedback survey respondents finding Pop-up Visits ‘very useful’ the benefits felt through learning various aspect of backyard planting and maintenance are clearly being experienced by POP members†.

A dedicated group of Garden Club members are consistently contributing towards researching solutions to gardening problems raised by members, including finding natural solutions and sprays for pests, appropriate garden designs, seedling propagation and general gardening. Through Garden Club workshops alongside Pop-up Visits, members are learning ‘a lot, too many things to list’‡.

AchievementsIn view of this increased popularity, the POP team is responding to the needs of partners, whom have expressed interest in garden designs, landscaping, shady pergolas and plant varieties accessible to the village and suited to the tropical climate. Using the landscape design skills of the newly recruited POP Works Supervisor, approximately thirty Garden Designs have commenced in

Hope Vale and nine have already been drafted and are currently taking shape.

The recent survey of POP members in Hope Vale provides evidence of the effect POP is having in the village. Always popular due to the visible physical work that can easily been seen, POP is certainly inspiring feelings of pride in relation to individual gardens and across the community as a whole.

• Over eighty-three per cent of respondents believe their community looks better than it did five years ago

• Nearly eighty per cent feel proud of their own backyard.

While Garden Club members continue to offer a fantastic support in promoting POP amongst other interested community members, those whom have already completed Backyard Blitzes to beautify their gardens offer admirable examples of their hard work to neighbours. Utilising this ever-expanding interest in gardening and landscaping in Hope Vale, we look forward to growing POP even further.

The POP team already have a very busy next quarter planned, with eleven Backyard Blitzes scheduled before Christmas. The results will hopefully instigate more positive comments such as those noted in the feedback surveys where members have ‘realised how nice my yard can be’ and ‘how much I can do with my garden’.


Members 64 122

New members 2 29

Households 99 107


Last quarter

Visits 38 58 75 171 64




Last quarter

Events 1 1 0 2 1



Potential membersPOP membership

53%47%

Survey: community appearance‘Over the past five years, has the appearance of your

community changed?’

Looks worse

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%No change Looks better

0% 17%

83%

* The decrease in numbers is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.† For the POP feedback survey, n= 24.‡ POP feedback survey respondent.


Pop-up Visits

Jul

80

60

40

20

0

38 5875

Aug Sep

Survey: usefulness of Pop-up Visits‘Are Pop-up Visits useful?’

60%

40%

20%

0%Not useful A bit useful Very useful

0%41%

59%

A huge success.

Hope Vale’s Pride of Place (POP) Garden Club successfully hosted two workshops this quarter; ‘Nurturing from seeds to seedlings’ and ‘Flower or fruit towers’.

Twelve community members attended the July workshop, where they potted seeds into trays to be taken home with them. Many of the Garden Club members were successful in nurturing their seeds into seedlings which are now thriving in their gardens or in pots at home.

Garden Club members returned to the Hope Vale Opportunity Hub in August to make their own flower towers. ‘I made one as an example and did a demonstration on how to make the pots,’ says POP Enabler Peter Gibson. ‘Everyone really enjoyed themselves and couldn’t believe that they could actually make something so nice themselves. They even requested to have a Garden Club workshop every week.’

This story highlights how POP is achieving one of its primary objectives through Garden Club—families have an increased knowledge of and growing passion for gardening.


Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub

Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub has good reason to celebrate this quarter, with increases across most measures. Existing members also signed up to multiple products as we engaged in a variety of events highlighting the central role of the Opportunity Hub to families within the village.

Budgeting assistance has proven consistently popular with 100 per cent increase in MPower budgeting sessions over this quarter, driven by gains in Wise Buys members eager to make large purchases. Over $57,000 was spent on more than forty purchases, as multiple partners improved their lives. Demonstrating this popularity, 100 per cent of Wise Buys feedback survey respondents stated they are extremely happy to recommend Wise Buys to family and friends*. Among these satisfied partners is the focus of our cover story this quarter, Lenny Jones. Purchases of white goods and furniture were an excellent focus on ‘needs’ versus ‘wants’, with the help of MPower coaches providing more household budgeting advice than ever before.

The Opportunity Hub also augmented family participation in community events this quarter. The NAIDOC Week Baby competition attracted twelve families with a large support crew. It takes a village to raise a child celebrated the graduation of five Strong Family participants, an excellent level of attendance given the small Mossman Gorge population.

The Opportunity Hub was happy to support Child Protection Week in conjunction with the Mossman Gorge

Demographic Population†

Overall 100

Adult (15+) 76

Children (0-14) 24

Households 31


Early childhood 3

Primary school 15

Secondary school 12


Completed school 6

* For Wise Buys feedback surveys, n=4.† Population data taken from the ABS 2013 Census.

Clinic and Wellbeing Centre. We held popular family activities, including a colouring competition attracting twenty entries by children aged between five and fifteen, followed by a demonstration of healthy cooking which was happily devoured by families.

The popularity of family and home-based activities continued with Home Pride doubling the number of sign-ups from four in July to eight in September. An incredible eighty-six per cent of Home Pride strategic conversations were completed in August; an increase of sixty-one per cent on the prior month.

Pride of Place (POP) attracted even more members, encompassing eighty-five per cent of households in Mossman Gorge, while Garden Club attracted a steady eighty-eight per cent of those members.

We have demonstrated this quarter that Opportunity Products continue to grow in popularity with the support of Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub staff. Perhaps the best measure of success is the extremely high levels of satisfaction felt by partners as respondents in feedback surveys highly endorsed all products; excellent feedback for a community which has already previously embraced the range of Opportunity Products on offer.

Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub local Indigenous employment

Non-local staff

Local Indigenous staff 50%50%


MPowerMembershipThe popularity of MPower in Mossman Gorge remains constant with four more members signing up this quarter. This brings the total up to 135 per cent of the Mossman Gorge population, which is possible due to movement of past Mossman Gorge residents to Mossman town and other nearby locations.

iBank ActivitiesWith fifty-seven distinct iBank users over this quarter, the tally is over six visits per user during this period, or an average of two visits a month per user. This would indicate that computer and telephone banking are becoming a regular part of residents’ lives and demonstrates the utility of the ongoing presence of the service in Mossman Gorge.

AchievementsMore assistance was required in iBank sessions than during the last quarter which indicates that either partners are

utilising ever-more complex systems or further training is required by regular users. We will look at emphasising training over the next quarter to ensure partners develop independence when using iBank.

‘Little a’ support ActivitiesWith equal numbers of ‘little a’ sessions and budgets completed, Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub partners are continuing to gain control over their immediate needs-based financial situations. ‘Little a’ sessions have diminished this quarter in continuance of the trend seen over the past six quarters.

AchievementsMPower feedback survey results suggest that budgeting has become a way of life for partners in Mossman Gorge just as iBanking has become an ongoing habit†.

* Number of different users, not a cumulative total.† For MPower feedback surveys, n= 11.‡ Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

We would like to commemorate the sad passing of Roseanne Bloomfield, a long time resident of the Mossman Gorge community and avid supporter of welfare reform. Ms Bloomfield was a strong person to her

children and grandchildren and the community as a whole. A recent graduate of Strong Families, as well as being an original member of Financial Income Management, now MPower and also Pride of Place, she was

the winner of the ‘Best Garden in the Village’ competition in 2012. Ms Bloomfield will always be remembered for sitting in her garden and watching the community go about its daily life. Her active participation in all

community and Opportunity Hub events will be dearly missed.

91%

MPower referrals


9%

91%

Usage of iBank within total adult population

Potential usersiBank users9%


Last quarter

Members* 135 132


Participants*

iBank 45 37 33 57 56

‘Little a’ 1 1 3 4 12




Last quarter

Total 142 116 94 352 395

Assisted 104 84 50 238 268

Unassisted 38 32 44 114 127

Computer 83 75 61 219 241

Telephone 59 41 33 133 154

Training 0 1 0 1 2

Level of assistance‡ Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5



• Eighty-one per cent of survey respondents have a budget

• The same number has achieved at least one of their savings goals

• Nearly three-quarters feel they have the capacity to do some of a budget for themselves without help from someone else.

MPower Journey ActivitiesMPower coaching remains an ongoing activity for many MPower members, with particular emphasis on expectation setting and ongoing coaching. Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub continues to have excellent progression rates from each session to the next; improvement is, however, needed in the area of retention of partners from expectation setting to further coaching.

AchievementsExpectation setting and ongoing sessions are two very important aspects of the MPower Journey, with the expectation setting being the precursor to B and D space; an introductory session to set the boundaries of expected results. The ongoing sessions are the continuation of the partner past the completed B and D spaces and into self-directed financial management progress. Ongoing

sessions particularly indicate the success and value of the extensive MPower Journey to those whom have completed it.

Money Management Support ActivitiesParticipation in Money Management Support remained static over this quarter as partners attended sessions across the Money Management tool suite. The MPower team presented Money Management and Budgeting information sessions at the Mossman Gorge Gateway, which was attended by eleven young adults from as far afield as Thursday Island, Bundaberg, Yarrabah and Cherbourg. The benefits on participants was almost immediately recognisable as three later visited the Opportunity Hub for personal advice after the training had finished. We look forward to exploring similarly successful avenues for engagement in the future.


Last quarter

Sessions 3 9 4 16 51






B Space

C Space

D Space Ongoing




Last quarter





of the Mossman Gorge population is signed up to MPower.

135%*Unassisted iBank sessions

5040302010

0

38 32 44

Jul Aug Sep

Survey: savings‘I have achieved at least one of my savings goals?’

18%


NoYes

Don’t know82%

9%NoYes

Don’t have one82%

Don’t know9%

* It is possible to have more than 100 per cent signed up because of limitations in ABS Census statistics and because residents from Mossman town participate in Opportunity Products.


AchievementsResults from the recent MPower feedback survey demonstrate ongoing capacity building to meet financial goals.

• Seventy-two per cent of respondents have no debt; an excellent sign of increased financial stability

• Ninety per cent of respondents feel they can do almost anything they set their mind to

• Most impressively, one hundred per cent of respondents think the future will turn out well for themselves and their family.

Student Education TrustMembershipStudent Education Trust (SET) membership remained steady in this quarter; given we have already signed up 285 per cent of the possible population of Mossman Gorge, this figure is not surprising*. We are able to have more SET accounts than children resident in Mossman Gorge as families move to Mossman township and other areas in the vicinity while continuing to find benefits in contributing to SET accounts.

ActivitiesThe current trust balance is a healthy $99,739.64. Purchases over this quarter are slightly down over last quarter, with nearly ninety per cent of those purchases being for primary school educational materials.

AchievementsSET has achieved a positive rating across all feedback survey responses†.

• 100 per cent of respondents had purchased educational goods via their SET account.

* A total over 100 per cent is possible due to movement of members from Mossman Gorge to Mossman township and the vicinity.† For SET feedback survey, n=5.‡ The decrease in donors is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates. One donor can be contributing to more than one trust account.§ Active trust indicates that contributions are being received and donor is purchasing educational items.** Non-active means the trust is open however no contributions are now being received and donor is not purchasing educational items.†† Closed trust means the trust has been closed by the primary donor and balance transferred to other trust account.


quarterLast

quarterGroup sessions 0 0 0 0 0Support sessions 2 5 0 7 9

Banking 1 1 0 2 1Debt Reduction 0 1 0 1 1Budget 1 0 0 1 1Wealth Creation 0 1 0 1 2Internet and Telephone Banking 0 1 0 1 2

Payment 0 1 0 1 2Competency rate 0% 0% 0% 0% 75%


quarterLast

quarter

Number of donors‡ 84 84 152


Total trusts 137 137 137 137 137

Active trusts§





Non-active** and closed trusts††




Tertiary/further education

0 0 0 0 0



22%

67%



Completed school

11%82%

18%

School readiness




This response provides the strongest indicator yet that SET is achieving its aim, assisting donors to purchase educational goods for students. • All respondents agree that books and uniforms are

most important for children’s educational needs• Each respondent is clear that they know exactly what

children need to attain an education • 100 per cent of respondents feel they can afford

anything they wanted to buy in relation to education. These exceptional results mirror the expected impact of SET. SET has long been highly valued by partners with the wide take-up of this Opportunity Product illustrating the importance placed on providing for children’s educational needs. Growing utilisation of SET accounts to manage spending similarly shows the success of this Opportunity Product.

I don’t have to worry. Covering the children’s educational expenses is a priority for Loretta Spratt. Loretta’s nieces recently came into her care, and she made sure that she signed up as a donor to their Student Education Trust (SET) accounts straight away. ‘I wanted the kids to continue to have SET.’

By making fortnightly contributions into their accounts, Loretta knows that her nieces’ future school expenses are covered. ‘The best thing about SET is that I do not have to worry about the kids having the things they need for school. Most people in Mossman Gorge also have a SET account and use them regularly.’

‘I will talk to my granddaughter and see if she wants to go to boarding school next year.’ If her oldest niece does want to go to boarding school, Loretta will continue contributing towards the account to pay for school fees and other education expenses.

Loretta’s oldest niece has been signed up to a Gold level SET account to ensure she does have the money needed to cover boarding school. Loretta’s story highlights how SET is achieving one of its key objectives—families are taking responsibility and meeting children’s educational needs becomes the social norm.



Early childhood $2,986.07 $3,026.18 $3,541.62 $3,541.62 $3,714.35

Primary school $54,855.40 $54,488.97 $54,388.95 $54,388.95 $58,619.70



Finished school $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Non-active $23,558.99 $23,709.30 $24,182.41 $24,182.41 $16,844.63










Primary school 86% 90% 92% 89% 70%



Sessions Sign-up


details Transfer Total

Jul to Sep 2 20 94 4 0 120


Earlychildhood

$60,000

$50,000

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0Primary school

Secondary school

Further education

Finished school

Non-active


Wise BuysMembershipWise Buys membership saw continuing healthy growth this quarter as another nine partners signed up. In the recent Wise Buys feedback surveys, 100 per cent of respondents would recommend Wise Buys to family and friends*, boding well for future expansion in Mossman Gorge.

ActivitiesThe number of Wise Buys sessions remained somewhat constant this quarter over last. There was a forty-six per cent increase in the number of purchases this quarter, with over half of these made by Lenny Jones, who is the cover story feature of this Family Empowerment Report. Lenny’s physical need for assistance to make purchases has inadvertently skewed data for Mossman Gorge Wise Buys figures this quarter, yet illustrates the profound

impact Wise Buys has on the individuals whom access it.

However, another thirteen individuals also made purchases through Wise Buys over this quarter, demonstrating the wider value of this product to Mossman Gorge.

Of the twenty-eight purchases made, eleven (or forty per cent) were by direct deposit online transfer of funds from a savings account. This is a clear sign our partners are managing their money and progressing towards their personal aspirations, such as having a functional home with furniture and white goods.

AchievementsPartners continue to prioritise needs over wants, with nearly three-quarters of purchases through Wise Buys considered ‘needs’. This preference to meet household needs is backed up with responses to the Wise Buys feedback surveys in which all respondents had purchased either white goods or furniture through Wise Buys.

With seventy-five per cent of respondents feeling they would not have been able to make these purchases if it weren’t for Wise Buys, the popularity of the product is set to grow in Mossman Gorge.

* For Wise Buys feedback surveys, n= 4.† Refer to glossary for explanation of each level.

Payment types Basics card Cash Direct

DebitDirect

Deposit NILS

Jul to Sep 2 4 3 24 10


quarterLast

quarterMembers 67 54



Level 2

Level 3

Level 4 Unassisted


Purchases Jul Aug Sep This quarter Last quarterPurchases 6 35 0 41 28


Amount spent $4,383.00 $53,375.45 $0.00 $57,758.45 $13,860.80


Purchases categorised as ‘wants’ $1,832.00 $46,539.50 $0.00 $48,371.50 $11,555.85


Amount spent on ‘wants’ $2,551.00 $6,835.95 $0.00 $9,386.95 $2,304.95




Jul to Sep 7 20 15 9 51

Total Wise Buys purchases$60,000$50,000$40,000$30,000$20,000$10,000

0$75

$53,375

$0Jul Aug Sep

Amount spent on needs versus wants

27% Needs

Wants73%


It takes a village to raise a child Baby CollegeMembershipThere were no new parents in Mossman Gorge to enrol in Baby College this quarter. One expectant mother is expected to sign up and start Baby College next quarter. We continue to encourage other parents and carers to sign up to Baby College to support the new parents.

Positive KidsNo partners attended Positive Kids sessions this quarter. We continue to work with Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) to determine how to increase attendance in these activities. Discussions around Positive Kids attendance have also been held with Hub Leaders and CYAAA as part of our internal Strategic Conversation on It takes a village to raise a child.

Strong FamiliesMembershipStrong Families continues to grow in Mossman Gorge with twenty-two members or twenty-two per cent of the population. Membership is equally split between those referred by the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC) and Child Safety and those who independently want to expand their parenting skills. This is the best membership sign-up rate amongst all Opportunity Hubs, undoubtedly indicating the strength of Strong Families in Mossman Gorge, as it continues to attract partners who want to benefit from participation in the Opportunity Product.

ActivitiesForty-four Strong Families sessions were held this quarter with increasing numbers of attendees. Among those

participating in Strong Families are two mothers whom each have newborn sets of twins. With several children between them of varying ages, these mothers have decided that Strong Families is more suited to their needs than Baby College.

Achievements Five Strong Families members graduated this quarter, an excellent proportion of total members. Strong Families feedback surveys proved the value of It takes a village to raise a child as all respondents stated that their behaviour had changed since the start; in turn they all felt that their children’s behaviour had improved since sign up to this Opportunity Product.‡

While providing invaluable parenting support to all families who attend sessions, the value to those who are referred by FRC or Child Safety is highlighted by one survey respondent. This participant noted that truancy had been an issue before starting, but no longer was a problem as ‘the child goes to school every day’. This is an outstanding instance of inter-agency collaboration and communication leading to positive outcomes for children, their families or caregivers and schools.

Engagement Parenting staff were involved in various community events this quarter, including the Strong Families graduation, Child Protection week event and a National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week

* Total participants include all those who have registered.† Attendance includes all those who attended sessions this quarter.‡ For Strong Family feedback surveys, n= 4


Last quarter



Graduates 0 3 0 3 0

Sign-ups 1 2 1 4 4



Last quarter



Graduates 0 0 0 0 0

Sign-ups 0 0 0 0 1


Strong Families participation1210

86420

711 9

Jul Aug Sep


FRC or Child Safety referredSelf-referred50%50%


baby competition. The value of staff being available to engage with the wider community through informal and fun activities was clear following the baby competition. Four partners attended the baby competition and many others sought further information on Opportunity Products as a result of this event.

The Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub continues to attract new members given the limited village population, signifying that staff have built and continue to develop strong relationships with partners. One ongoing event which initiates this type of engagement is the Young Woman’s Group held weekly in conjunction with the Mossman Gorge Wellbeing Centre. This group consists of girls up to the age of sixteen. Our Positive Parenting Consultant acts as a facilitator to the group, encouraging open communication about their home lives and general life in the community. It is hoped that through building strong relationships early, they will seek out involvement with the Opportunity Hub in their adult years.

A Wellbeing Day is also planned in October with the involvement of several external stakeholders including Queensland Health who have ‘Fit for Life’ representatives visiting. The parenting team present the benefits of positive parenting, our Opportunity Products and a chance for the partners to be pampered, while other organisations contribute related activities and healthy food.


Last quarter

Sessions 24 36 25 85 165

Sign-ups 1 1 0 2 3

Engagement type

Home visit 6 6 8 20 84



Workshop 0 0 0 0 2


Now I spend more time with my son.

Family life is a lot less stressful and a lot more fun for Tamika Nandy since successfully completing Strong Families. ‘I wanted support and needed someone to teach me more about looking after my son.’

Strong Families has supported Tamika during group and one-on-one sessions to learn about and implement positive parenting strategies in her home. ‘It is good to talk to someone about looking after him. Now I have been doing more with my son when I get time to spend with him.’ Spending quality time with children is one of the Triple P positive parenting strategies. With support from a Positive Parenting Consultant, Tamika has found new and creative ways to spend quality time with her son, making the most of their time together to build a stronger relationship.

Tamika’s family supports her in her efforts to improve her parenting skills: ‘My Aunty and partner think that it is really good that I am getting help from parenting.’ With another child on the way, Tamika plans to continue improving her parenting skills with further support from It takes a village to raise a child: ‘I am also thinking about doing Baby College next.’

One of Strong Families’ key objectives is to support families so they can fulfill their responsibilities for their children and to ensure that their needs are being met. Tamika’s story highlights how Positive Parenting Consultants are supporting parents in the community to learn about and implement positive parenting strategies that benefit the whole family.

Engagement sessions40

30

20

10

0

24 36 25

Jul Aug Sep


HandicraftParticipation in Handicraft activities has remained steady this quarter, with seven participants attending four sessions. The ever-popular painting activity was held once, adding to a repertoire which included lino-printing, scrap-booking and painting. In September the sad passing of our valued member of the Handicraft group caused activities to come to a halt, out of respect for the family.

Our future plans for Handicraft activities are to be held twice a week, including scrapbooking, painting and the community involvement in a large mosaic mural. This community initiative involves beans from rainforest trees being painted by various community members and put together into a large, striking mosaic. This mural will be donated as a raffle draw for the Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Incorporated on completion, with the proceeds to contribute to the Mossman Gorge playground.

Home Pride MembershipLaunched earlier this year, Home Pride has made astonishing progress. Another five members have signed up this quarter, an incredible 166 per cent increase on the last quarter, when it was launched.

ActivitiesFifty-seven house visits propelled the growth of Home Pride in Mossman Gorge as partners learnt how to

beautify their homes from the inside out. Five strategic conversations were started this quarter, an increase of 400 per cent over last. Strategic conversations are an ongoing component of Home Pride as members set goals and take steps to achieve them.

Achievements In an excellent indication of the willingness of Mossman Gorge partners to enthusiastically embrace activities that involve their homes, with all five strategic conversations that were started this quarter completed. The commitment of members to beautifying their homes and making them more functional for the entire family is clearly shown by this excellent start to Home Pride in Mossman Gorge.

* For Strong Families feedback survey, n=4.† The decrease in numbers is due to the database audit and removal of duplicates.


Last quarter

Sessions 2 2 0 4 7



quarterLast

quarter

Members 8 3




quarterLast

quarter

Started 1 4 0 5 1

Finished 2 3 0 5 1

of Strong Families respondents noticed their children’s behaviour improved.

100%*

Pride of Place MembershipPride of Place (POP) retained the enthusiasm of Mossman Gorge households. An incredible eighty-five per cent of all households in Mossman Gorge are currently POP members.

ActivitiesA forty-three per cent increase in Pop-up Visits were completed in this quarter over last. These Pop-up Visits

engaged seventy-three per cent of households signed up to POP, demonstrating the extensive coverage and ongoing achievements of POP in Mossman Gorge.

Garden Club was held each month with POP survey results showing that members enjoyed learning a range of


Potential membersPOP membership15%85%

Pride of Place membership† This quarter Last quarter

Members 24 31

New members 0 8

Households 29 23


skills including plant propagation, pruning and vegetable growing*. Two members have taken the next step and signed up for Backyard Blitzes in the upcoming quarter, showing their dedication to upgrading their garden areas through saving a $1,000 contribution towards the work to be done. They will also organise the sweat equity required to undertake the work through family and friends.

AchievementsThe POP feedback survey has offered motivating details in relation to how families are feeling about their gardens*.

• Over eighty-five per cent of respondents are very proud of their backyard

• 100 per cent know a bit about gardening• Nearly three-quarters love gardening• Over eighty-five per cent grow fruit and vegetables• Over eighty-five per cent think the community looks

better than five years ago. The ongoing popularity of Backyard Blitzes and Garden Club are having a clear impact, not only on the appearance of Mossman Gorge, but within partners’ perceptions of their households and the wider community. Building capacity to garden has multiple benefits to participants, including fitness, healthy eating and in well-being through spending time on a hobby with noticeable results.

of POP respondents in Mossman Gorge grow fruit and vegetables.

86%

Survey: pride in backyard‘How do you feel about your backyard?’

100%80%60%40%20%

0%Not proud A bit proud Very proud

0% 14%86%


Last quarter

Visits 29 36 34 99 69




Last quarter

Events 1 1 1 3 2


My family are helping out a lot.

Everyone is digging in and getting their hands dirty to complete Debbie Bamboo’s Backyard Blitz.

‘After seeing how nice everyone else’s gardens are, I decided to join Pride of Place (POP) as well.’

Debbie’s POP garden will include a pergola, barbeque and garden beds. Not only the new garden gives Debbie a place to spend more time with her kids when it’s finished, but sweat equity is bringing them together as well. ‘The best thing about doing this is watching the kids all help out too. My family is excited and are helping out a lot. We are spending a lot more time together.’

Debbie is eager to continue maintaining and improving on her Backyard Blitz when it’s finished. ‘I plan to buy some more plants for the garden.’

Debbie is also a long-time MPower member, signing up to our money management program over six years ago, and a Wise Buys member.

This story highlights how POP is achieving its key objective of families increasing their wellbeing using their own sweat equity. This family is experiencing the benefits of POP before even finishing their Backyard Blitz—everyone is digging in and contributing sweat equity, the family is spending more time together, and there’s a growing sense of pride for the dream garden they are creating for themselves.

* For Pride of Place feedback surveys, n= 7.


Co-Design Studio update

CYP’s Co-Design Studio designs and reviews Opportunity Products in partnership with Opportunity Hub staff, families, funders and professional partners. Under this model CYP leadership provides the strategic intent, families provide the voice of experience and our team brings design methodology to the table.

The third quarter of 2013 commenced with the Hub Leaders attending a one day, internal workshop held by the Co-Design Studio on topics such as ‘how we work’, sketching and understanding user experiences and Database analysis. It was an opportunity to further up skill Opportunity Hub staff with co-design knowledge to support the continuous improvement of Opportunity Products.

Developed with the Hub Leaders, Co-Design introduced the internal, monthly Operations Indicators infographic report to allow Opportunity Hub staff to identify where further partner support is required. It gives the team a snap shot of key indicators that the Opportunity Hub can focus on for each quarter.

Additional focuses for our team this quarter include the design and continuous improvement of the following Opportunity Products:

MPower• Commenced review of MPower collateral from how

our staff use the brochures to how partners engage and respond to the existing MPower marketing material.

• Strategic Conversation template was consolidated to allow all Opportunity Products to use the same template. Strategic Conversation refresher training will be rolled out in the fourth quarter.

Student Education Trust• Over forty partners, Opportunity Hub staff, school staff

and suppliers were interviewed for the SET product review as part of our continuous improvement cycle. The internal SET review allows the team to analyse operations, gauge levels of participation and support from families and recommend strategies to improve the product so children’s educational needs are met.

• Development continued for integration of SET into the Database that will enable accurate trust account information, including balances, contributions and purchases. This information is valuable for staff to engage partners with up-to-date information.

• New strategy to increase cross referrals resulted in the combined SET and It takes a village to raise a child ‘Learn and Play’ brochure and point of sale desk sign to provide partners with information on educational toy purchases relevant to the child’s age.

It takes a village to raise a child• Using our Strategic Conversation model, the parenting

team collaboratively brainstormed new ways to provide practical and emotional support, engagement strategies and ways to deliver Triple P competencies more effectively to partners. These strategies will be developed and tested in quarter four.

• Held ongoing Home Pride feedback sessions alongside continuous tool and process development with Parenting and MPower staff. Further development of Home Pride process, procedures and tools occurred.

• Worked with Home Crew to design and release the Home Pride Top Tips Cleaning and a series of How-to guides to help partners run their household.

Pride of Place• The relaunch of POP Backyard Blitzes and the new

product enhancement, Garden Design spurred the development of additional processes, tools, tracking measures and collateral. Garden Design enables POP members to get a free backyard design by a garden designer who shares advice on how to do it, and then refers to MPower and Wise Buys for further support.

Bayan• Ongoing discussions with affordable housing industry

leader, Brisbane Housing Company (BHC) to develop a transformative housing model. BHC visited Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge and met local council, partners and Opportunity Hub staff.


Glossary

A space: In relation to Strategic Conversations, the A space is the conversation component that focuses on building a partner’s understanding of their present situation.

Australian Institute for Direct Instruction (AIDI): Is an organisation committed to promoting Direct Instruction and supporting quality education in Australian schools.

Backyard improvements: In relation to Pride of Place, backyard improvements encompass all elements in the Concept Design that are being delivered by the Pride of Place team. Previously referred to as design elements, or improvement elements.

B space: In relation to Strategic Conversations, the B space is the conversation component that focuses on finding a purpose or vision for the future.

Backyard Blitz: A component of Pride of Place involving exterior landscaping and design, garden planting and construction of outdoor elements, e.g. a pergola or a swing set. Partners are required to demonstrate financial commitment and invest sweat equity alongside family members.

Bayan: Is a Guugu Yimidhirr word meaning ‘house or shelter’. The Bayan project is a three-stage financial case management platform. Bayan supports families to develop the skills and behaviours to launch their home ownership ambitions and transition from renting to home ownership. This may be converting public housing into a home, or building a new home.

Coaching: Is one-on-one guidance provided to the Family Leader to address any concerns or issues with the progress of their nominated program. Focuses on capability and skills development. In relation to MPower, Coaching is also known as an ‘MPower Journey Session’.

Co-Design Studio: Is a core business unit of Cape York Partnerships that works collaboratively with Principal Partners to design projects and programs.

C space: In relation to Strategic Conversations, the C space is the conversation component that focuses on inventing, designing and describing a pathway from the A space to the B space.

Direct Instruction (DI): Is the teaching method based on forty years of scientific research. Direct Instruction is an explicit instruction method in which teachers lead classes grouped by ability through a structured sequence of lessons, focussing on literacy and numeracy.

D-space: In relation to Strategic Conversations, the D space is the conversation component that focuses on developing a program of actions to deliver how the vision will be achieved.

Family Empowerment Database: Is an in-house, web-based customer relationship management system used to collect and analyse data and track the performance of CYP Opportunity Products.

Green Box/Red Box: A CYP project currently under development. The project will aim to ensure families have access to high-quality, affordable and healthy food options. It will develop market solutions for fresh fruit and vegetables that will stimulate local production and also work to improve household food storage, preparation, eating facilities and equipment.

Handicrafts: In relation to It takes a village to raise a child, Handicrafts are activities driven by parent interests, e.g. sewing, wood-work. People undertake activities that are enjoyable, build their capabilities and confidence, and produce an item for use in their home.

Home Crew: Are employees of Cape York Partnerships that deliver the Home Pride component of the It takes a village to raise a child parenting program. They work with families in their home, share their experiences of being a parent and running a household and promote the benefits of doing a Home Pride project.

Home Pride: Is an interior decorating do-it-yourself product delivered under the banner of It takes a village to raise a child parenting program which supports families to run a household, strengthen family relationships, cook healthy meals and maintain their home. It is delivered by Home Crew.

Honest conversation: In relation to Cape York Partnerships projects, refers to providing a partner with realistic advice about the choices available to them; the degree of self-discipline involved; and the short-term sacrifices they may have to make in to order achieve major life-changing goals. An Honest Conversation occurs during the project planning process and ongoing coaching sessions.

House Blitz: A component of Home Pride where partners undertake interior design and do-it-yourself home decoration. Partners financially commit to the House Blitz and invest sweat equity alongside family members.


iBank: Is a customised self-service facility located in an Opportunity Hub. It offers independent or assisted access to telephone and internet banking and online shopping facilities.

iBank levels: Refers to the level of assistance that MPower staff provide to MPower members during iBank sessions. This ranges intensive forms of assistance (Level 5, physical assistance) down to less intensive assistance (Level 2, or minimal verbal prompting) or assistance with advanced iBank features (Level 1).

‘Little a’ problem: Refers to a small problem that motivates a client to visit the Opportunity Hub for assistance, e.g. a utility bill that is several months overdue and the service is about to be terminated.

Maintenance Kit: In relation to Pride of Place, refers to the goods that can be purchased out of the family contribution to support the ongoing maintenance of the backyard, e.g. lawn mower, whipper snipper.

Money Management Tools: In relation to MPower, are basic tools/services that develop skills and knowledge to address financial literacy. They support individuals and families in managing their daily finances, and in accessing and making the most of the Opportunity Products.

NILS: No Interest Loans. Available as a source of credit to partners who are members of Wise Buys.

Opportunity Product: A Welfare Reform product tailored to bring about changes in behaviour, e.g. Student Education Trust, Pride of Place, MPower, Bayan and Work Opportunity Network.

Parenting Hub: Is a community facility where the parenting program It takes a village to raise a child is implemented. Parenting Hubs are aimed to be welcoming, intimate and safe places where social norms are re-built, relationships are strengthened, and support networks established.

Positive Parenting Consultants: Are responsible for delivering Baby College and Strong Families. They undertake the Strategic Conversation and assist parents to create and implement their Action Plans. They also liaise with the Family Responsibilities Commission to support parents if applicable.

Principal Partner: Used in place of the words client or customer, is an Aboriginal person who engages with Cape York Partnerships to take up an Opportunity Product or service.

Strategic Conversation: A Strategic Conversation is a guided conversation held by a Cape York Partnerships consultant with a partner. It is used to ascertain motivations of the partner and uncover issues and solutions.

Student Case Manager: A Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy employee who monitors the attendance and school readiness of students.

Sweat Equity: Refers to the physical work undertaken by participants to complete projects that require manual labour as part of the family or individuals commitment.

Triple P Parenting: Is included in the delivery of It takes a village to raise a child. Triple P is a parenting education approach that aims to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents in order to prevent behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children. Triple P was chosen because of the universally strong evidence supporting its effectiveness.

Village Opportunity Hubs: Are an interface that allows partners to access opportunities in the real economy in education, financial management, health and housing. The Opportunity Hub is a one-stop-shop for Indigenous people to access opportunities to improve their lives; a place where families can work together to plan their futures; an interface for families and individuals to access MPower.



Cairns Head Office Level 3, 139 Grafton Street, Cairns, QLD 4870 Phone 07 4042 7200

Aurukun Opportunity Hub Kang Kang Road, Aurukun, QLD 4892 Phone 07 4083 4505

Coen Opportunity Hub Taylor Street, Coen, QLD 4892 Phone 07 4083 5001

Hope Vale Opportunity Hub Muni Street, Hope Vale, QLD 4895 Phone 07 4083 8800

Mossman Gorge Opportunity Hub Kankarr Street, Mossman Gorge, QLD 4873 Phone 07 4084 4400

Documents

Family Empowerment Report - July to September 2013