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ANNUAL REPORT

2012-2013Health and Community Services

Workforce Council Inc

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ABOUT US TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Health and Community Services Workforce Council Inc (Workforce Council) is a peak body for

Queensland’s health and community services workforce. We work collaboratively with government,

industry organisations, workplaces, individuals, education and training providers and other stakeholders to

ensure the future viability of our industry’s workforce.

Our expertise is in delivering workforce planning, workforce development and skills development

strategies, support and advice. We undertake workforce research, design and deliver workforce plans,

and coordinate over 1,000 skilling and professional development activities each year, reaching more than

20,000 workers.

For more information on the Workforce Council visit www.workforce.org.au.

The Workforce Council acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original

inhabitants of Australia and recognises these unique cultures as part of the cultural heritage of all

Australians. We respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we do our

work across Queensland. We recognise the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

have within community and country. We pay our respect to the Elders of this land; past, present and

future.

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Chair’s Report

Board 2012-2013

Executive Report

Highlights

Treasurer’s Report

Industries Reference Group

Board Participation

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Not unlike other governing bodies, irrespective

of industry, the Health and Community Services

Workforce Council Board has experienced its

fair share of challenges in 2012-13.

CHAIR’S REPORT

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The 2012 election of the Newman Government and their commitment to bring the Queensland budget back to surplus

has had a significant impact on our industry’s financial landscape.

Like many of our health and community services industry peers, for the Workforce Council this change manifested in

contract cessations and revenue decreases in 2012-13. Though this difficult reality can be neatly summarised, its true

impact on an individual level is much harsher and more significant. Subsequently, the past year has seen the Workforce

Council, its board and staff, making the tough decisions needed to navigate such a reality.

The Board’s focus during this period has been primarily on providing direction and support to the organisation’s

management and staff, while also making sure the Workforce Council’s structures, including governance and membership,

are dynamic and ready to meet the needs of the business as we prepare for future opportunities and challenges.

In 2012 the Board commenced a review of the nomination and appointment

processes for our Industries Reference Group and Board, with the

intent of identifying gaps and opportunities to grow the collective

breadth and depth of expertise available to the organisation.

These efforts have yielded a number of proposed amendments

to the Workforce Council’s Constitution which seek to

further support effective governance, participation and

representation.

As a statewide industry peak, the need to successfully

connect with all parts of the industry, wherever they are, is a

continued driver for the Board. In honouring this commitment,

the Board has travelled across Queensland throughout the

year in an effort to hear and respond to the needs of those

within our industry. This commitment is also demonstrated by the

organisation’s continued commitment to maintaining an office in North

Queensland, in spite of budget constraints and competing interests.

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ALL OF US...HAVE HAD TO

CALL ON OUR LEADERSHIP,

OUR COMPASSION AND OUR

BELIEF IN ONE ANOTHER TO

REBUILD OUR CONCEPT OF

FUTURE AND POSSIBILITY.

Thanks to these connections and our commitment to serving the

industry, we have delivered many achievements and recorded

significant outcomes throughout the year, as demonstrated in

the detail of this Annual Report.

On behalf of the Board, I acknowledge the efforts of

all within the Workforce Council, whose diligence

has produced this year’s achievements in the face of

significant change and uncertainty. Maintaining the

trust that our staff have in the Board and management

team is paramount. The type of rapid change we have

experienced is never easy, however by working together

with our staff we have been able to weather these

transitions, the loss of colleagues, relationships and projects

with resilience and courage, and to continue delivering value for

our industry. We have been able to adapt and grow our work, shift

our understanding and expectations of the future, and respond to the

needs of our customers and industry to ensure that we remain informed, relevant

and innovative.

Leadership, we have learnt, is available within us all. In 2012-13 all of us at the Workforce Council; Board, members and

staff, have had to call on our leadership, our compassion and our belief in one another to rebuild our concept of future

and possibility. As the Chair, I am both proud and heartened by this shared determination, commitment and achievement.

Despite the inevitability of further change, I am certain that what we have learnt and demonstrated through our actions

thus far, has delivered the results required and will assist us in securing our future.

Warren Locke

Chairperson

BOARD MEMBERS 2012-2013

Warren Locke Queensland Health

CHAIR

Sharon Seymour UnitingCare Health JUL 2012-APR 2013

Michelle Robertson The Services Union

DEPUTY CHAIR

Terence Seymour UnitingCare Health APR 2013-JUN 2013

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Mick Davis Paramedics Australasia

TREASURER

Christy Stone Centacare Community

Support ServicesFEB-JUN 2013

Florence Williams Queensland Aboriginal &

Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Education

Program Aboriginal Corporation

JUL-DEC 2012

Ansmarie Van ErpCunningham Centre

NOV 2012-JUNE 2013

Graham Arndt Centacare Community

Support ServicesJUL 2012-FEB 2013

Karen Dawson-Sinclair Ganyjuu Family Support Service

Lucy Fisher Private Hospitals Association of Queensland

Sheila Hunter United Voice

Noel Muller Bundaberg Consumer

Advisory Group JUL-NOV 2012

Esme Strydom St. Vincent’s &

Holy Spirit HealthJUL-NOV 2012

Elvene WhitbreadCommunity Centres

& Family Support Network NQ

Fiona Malcolm Queensland Council of Social Services

In 2012-13 the health and community

services industry was once again the state’s

employment growth star performer,

expanding by a further 2.5%. This brings

the number of Queenslanders employed

by the industry to 290,000 with an

additional 52,400 workers expected over

the coming five years. The Workforce

Council has continued to produce data

illustrating the size and growth of our

workforce as a targeted strategy to refocus

decision makers across all parts of the state’s

public and private economy on the importance

of health and community services.

However, one of the greatest challenges of this work

has been to convince leaders within our own industry to

use this data to influence planning on a local level. In all but

one region in Queensland, health and community services is the

major employer, however we are still yet to generate a level of momentum

and influence commensurate with this fact. The Workforce Council’s challenge continues to be to work with our industry,

to have the courage to demand our place at the planning table, and to adopt the language required to state our case for a

better slice of the decision making pie.

Over 2012-13 the Workforce Council has maintained its commitment to improving the lives of some of Queensland’s most

vulnerable through our work. We continue to focus on enhancing the skills and capabilities of our industry’s workforce,

understanding and articulating the relationship between skills, workforce planning and good business practice, and

creating opportunities for leaders within the industry to emerge and thrive.

I extend my thanks to all of those who have joined us on our journey so far and look forward to working alongside many

more of you as we strive to further improve outcomes for Queenslanders and their communities.

Wallis Westbrook

Executive Director

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2012-13 was an eventful, albeit relatively

unfamiliar year for the Workforce Council.

Reflecting upon it, I cannot help but think of the

words of renowned management expert Peter

Drucker—“the only thing that I know about the

future is that it will be different”.

Over the course of 2012-13 we have achieved many things. This included

tangible achievements such as providing support to some 23,781 health and community services workers over 1,578

occasions; establishing a clear commercial business development focus for our organisation; completing our second, and

commencing our third, contract for the IPSP Professional Support Coordinator project; and maintaining revenue in excess

of $10 million.

The year has also incorporated much emotion, such as the loss of colleagues through redundancies; telling our staff,

partners and members that our Integrated Workforce Development Strategy (IWDS) and Disability Sector Training Fund

(DSTF) projects, which have been at the core of defining our work for more than a decade, will no longer be contracted;

and on a more positive note, welcoming three new babies into the extended Workforce Council family.

There have been exciting opportunities, like working

closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders

and leaders to further our journey of reconciliation and

inclusion; contributing to the creation of a new body to

champion the future of the community services industry;

working with the new state government to progress

their understanding of our industry’s size, scope and

significance; and championing the positive impact

effective workforce planning can have on productivity and

outcomes for our industry.

Finally, there have been joyous moments such as celebrating the historic introduction of the National Disability Insurance

Scheme; the speed and trust with which our staff were able to adjust to significant change; the generosity of our Board in

supporting staff to recreate our work; and the inspiring resilience and positivity displayed by those facing uncertainty.

EXECUTIVE REPORT

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WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON...CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEADERS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY TO EMERGE AND THRIVE.

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Strategic Investment Fund

Commencing in July 2012 the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is an initiative designed to support quality training to

meet the future workforce needs of the health and community services industry by working with employers and industry

groups to identify needs particular to regions and sectors, and to work with training providers to target these with

quality training responses. Under the project, in 2012-13 the Workforce Council delivered seven qualifications and two

skill sets to 106 participants, while working closely with Registered Training Organisations (RTO) to co-design innovative

and integrated approaches to VET delivery and assessment, and forging key partnerships with organisations such as

Volunteering Queensland and CheckUp Australia.

Through collaborations with RTOs the project led to a range of new targeted skilling responses which included accredited

skills clusters customised to Early Childhood Education and Care, an Effectiveness in Front Line Health Team skill cluster

for the Primary Care sector, and a series of innovation, sustainable policy and social enterprise clusters created in

partnership with Southbank Institute of Technology.

Working with Volunteering Queensland, the SIF program was able to contract 200 places in the Certificate IV in Volunteer

Program Coordination across 10 locations throughout Queensland, while a partnership with CheckUP Australia led to

the contracting of over 100,000 hours of delivery to support primary care workforce development across a range of

qualifications including a Diploma of Management and Certificate IV Medical Practice Assisting.

Central West Cross Industry Support Project

The Central West Cross Industry Support Project is a short-term project aimed at building long-term

partnerships to support the development and implementation of an industry workforce

plan. Health services in the region, particularly those in the towns of Moranbah,

Dysart, Clermont and Emerald, are the key target for this work. Over 2012-13

the Workforce Council has worked closely with these health services and

other community services stakeholders, regional councils and local

resource industry representatives to develop a shared understanding

of the current impacts and potential benefits of joint planning

and establishing a commitment to the development of non-

government primary health care services.

With the support of organisations including the Department

of Education, Training and Employment, Townsville-Mackay

Medicare Local and members of the Moranbah Community

Health Partnership Group, the project is building collaborations

with local health providers and working towards the

development of a community of practice around workforce

planning and the delivery of a workforce planning skill set.

2012-13 HIGHLIGHTSPARTNERING WITH THE INDUSTRY

Forming partnerships and working collaboratively with health and community services industry members,

organisations and working groups is a key part of the way the Workforce Council is informed by, engages

with, and provides support to, our industry.

These partnerships take many forms, including:

• Local level partnerships in workforce planning such as the whole-of-organisation work we are undertaking in

partnership with Centacare in Rockhampton, the brokerage work we have contracted with local employers for the

delivery of skills sets and qualification for their existing workforce through our Strategic Investment Fund and Skills

Cluster Funding projects, and through the one-to-one work we are delivering in remote area support and professional

development for the Early Childhood Education and Care sector.

• Regional level partnerships through our networks and coalitions in Early Childhood Education and Care (PSC),

Disability (DSTF) and general Community Services (IWDS) and regional industry forums held by our Board. These

ongoing partnerships have been supplemented by specific work through the Cairns Indigenous Employment

Initiative, regional workforce planning initiatives in Surat Basin and Central West Queensland which enabled us to

build collaborations across our industry and with key players from other industries such as LGAs, resource companies,

education and training institutions, and local businesses.

• Sector level opportunities for partnership have emerged with volunteers through Volunteering Queensland, and with

CheckUp in the primary health care sector; and further developed through our existing work with leadership groups

from the Community Mental Health and Early Childhood Education and Care sectors.

• At an industry level, we have maintained our focus on partnerships which develop the capacity and profile of the

industry to meet its workforce challenges. This work includes the continued role our Industries Reference Group plays

in guiding and advising the direction of the industry, the functions we perform as an Industry Skills Body partnering

with government in the development of the education, training and skills system in Queensland, and the new work we

commenced in 2012 to actively steer the establishment of a Community Services Industry Body.

Some notable examples of our work partnering with the industry have included:

Workforce planning and training consultancy for Centacare at Rockhampton

In early 2013 the Workforce Council commenced its first ever commercial workforce planning consultancy for an

individual organisation; providing planning and training guidance and facilitation to Centacare: Catholic Diocese of

Rockhampton. Starting off with a one-and-a-half-day workforce planning and development framework workshop for a

leadership group, the service led to the establishment of a new cross-organisation working group, dubbed Operation

WAGTAIL. Under the guidance of a Workforce Council facilitator, this new group, which was comprised of representatives

from the across the organisation’s various sites and service types, came together to establish a community of practice

and develop a workforce plan.

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Community Mental Health

The Workforce Council continued to build upon its community mental health work over 2012-13 by providing ongoing

secretariat support to the Community Mental Health Workforce Leaders Group, delivering the Community Mental Health

Graduate Jobs Placement Program and commencing the implementation of a new ‘Person First’ Community Mental

Health Scholarships Program and supporting induction kit.

Our work in this area maintains an ongoing association with key sector stakeholders such as the Community Mental

Health Workforce Leaders Group and Queensland Alliance for Mental Health to ensure that these efforts are effective

and in touch with the emerging needs of the sector.

Of particular note during 2012-13 is the Community Mental Health

Graduate Jobs Placement Program which the Workforce Council

developed in partnership with Griffith University and close

consultation with other universities, with the assistance of

various community mental health industry representatives

who hosted the graduate placements. The program

provided an opportunity for nine university graduates to

undertake a 12-week paid work placement in a community

mental health environment, gaining both experience and

course credits.

Queensland Children’s Services Alliance

As part of our efforts to support the Early Childhood Education

and Care sector the Workforce Council is an ongoing member,

and presently serves as the secretariat of, the Queensland Children’s

Services Alliance (QCSA). Made up of community and for-profit services, peak

bodies, family day care, outside school hours care, leading academics and key government agencies, the QCSA is an

independent alliance which provides a forum for the sector to explore challenges and inform and influence policy and

practice.

Over 2012-13 the group has focussed on the implementation of key quality reforms in children’s services, in particular,

assessment approaches under the National Quality Framework and the application of the Early Years Learning

Framework and the Framework for School Age Care. Leveraging off these significant reforms, the QCSA is simultaneously

implementing a communication strategy to reflect the impact of these changes and raise the profile of sector.

Community Services Industry Body

The Workforce Council has taken an active role in supporting the establishment of a new Community Services Industry

Body (CSIB). This independent organisation will seek to represent and develop the economic and business capacity

of the community services industry in Queensland. The CSIB will focus on positioning the industry as an influential

economic player and supporting the business and economic functions of social policy. In addition to contributing to the

CSIB Steering group, the Workforce Council is also playing host to the CSIB Project Officer during the early scoping and

establishment phases of the body’s five-year implementation plan.

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OUR WORK IN THIS AREA MAINTAINS AN ONGOING ASSOCIATION WITH KEY SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS…TO ENSURE THAT THESE EFFORTS ARE EFFECTIVE AND IN TOUCH WITH THE EMERGING NEEDS OF THE SECTOR.

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2012-13 HIGHLIGHTSSupporting the development of our industry’s skills and capacity to provide services to communities

is a key part of the Workforce Council’s role. This work takes many forms spanning specific pieces of

professional development and training, championing and providing advisory services to support strategic

workforce planning, and engaging with stakeholders about their workforce needs and challenges to inform

our work and the way we influence government and policy.

Much of our work in 2012-13 has focussed on developing a strong, skilled and resilient workforce for our industry. The

requirements for this work are many and varied, however at their core is the need to navigate the impacts of recent

change and reform, while underpinning quality outcomes for communities, families and individuals.

The Workforce Council has managed an array of strategies to address the broad development needs of the industry

within a framework of:

Strategic workforce planning which was spearheaded by a series of regional industry forums called Your Workforce, Your

Business and specific projects like the Surat Basin Workforce Development Implementation Support project. The focus

of our commercial business development work also centred on preparing a suite of resources and opportunities to be

offered to industry both individually and collaboratively at sector, regional and organisational development levels.

Supporting integrated practice and the development of effective organisations. By engaging with a specialist in business

support and development we have been able to provide a series of Working Together Masterclasses,

embedding a sense of shared development across organisations. This notion of shared learning

has been further developed through our Learning Through Sharing and Communities of

Practice strategies, and through the reconceptualisation and integration of our sector

development strategies in Early Childhood Education and Care, and other project

areas. Seeking to enhance inclusion practice within the industry, the Workforce

Council has implemented an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment

strategy in Cairns working with industry to design tools and resources to

enhance Indigenous employment in health and community services.

Workforce development has underpinned much of our work with industry this

year. Projects such as the Skills Cluster Fund and Community Mental Health

Graduate Placement and Scholarship programs have forged new ground in

our development work with organisations and with education providers to

deliver much needed skilling and work readiness opportunities in the workforce.

More broadly, the ongoing implementation of a suite of Early Childhood Education

and Care professional development initiatives and the final delivery of the Integrated

Workforce Development Strategy and the Disability Sector Training Fund maintained our

strong commitment to regional responsiveness. At the end of the year we successfully tendered

for the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services’ Sector Readiness and

Workforce Development Initiative and are eagerly planning its effective implementation throughout 2013-14.

INDUSTRY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Some notable examples of our industry and regional development work have included:

Early Childhood Education and Care

The Workforce Council’s long-running IPSP Professional Support Coordinator (PSC) project, which delivers professional

development for children’s services throughout Queensland, underwent a significant change during the 2012-13 financial

year. The organisation took advantage of our success in winning the tender for the project for a further three and a half

years, to June 2016, using it as an opportunity to reconceptualise how we offer workforce

and professional development support to the Early Childhood Education and Care

(ECEC) sector.

The Workforce Council has extended the integrated approach to the

way we offer support to the sector’s many different service types by

aligning the state and federal contracts we have won to develop this

sector. This allows us to provide a more consistent, collaborative

offering to the sector through a suite of strategies designed

to assist the entire set of service types to undertake effective

workforce planning and development at individual, team,

organisation, regional and system levels.

The organisation has also taken steps to more strongly align the

professional development and support we deliver in collaboration

with our regional networks with strategic workforce development

and the National Quality System. This approach has allowed us to create

cost-efficiencies and a higher level of synchronicity across the work being

delivered in regions throughout the state.

Your Workforce, Your Business forums

During February and March 2013 the Workforce Council delivered a series of eight one-day Your Workforce, Your Business

forums aimed at engaging with health and community services representatives across the state. The series attracted over

380 participants to events in Caloundra, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Townsville, Mackay, Cairns, Chermside and Logan.

Each forum focused primarily on supporting participants to undertake their own workforce planning and development,

and also included locally-tailored workshops which presented Workforce Council generated snapshots of significant data

for the region including population estimates, a breakdown of industries in the area and a more detailed analysis of the

local health and community services industry.

This series marked one of the organisation’s first major steps in the delivery of broader workforce support to the industry

using a fee-for-service model. It also made heavy use of the Workforce Council’s Workforce Planning and Development

Framework, which has subsequently led to the mapping of this training as an accredited skill set, and has generated an

effective partnership with the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.

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Working Together Masterclass

Throughout March 2013 the Workforce Council presented the Working Together Masterclass series to some 90

participants through workshops held in Toowoomba, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and online. The workshops supported

participants, who were predominantly CEOs, directors and board members, to explore practical strategies for working

together to achieve beyond their own organisational capacity.

Particular attention was given to the largely unexplored potential for organisations to undertake ‘back of house’

collaborations incorporating systems such as human resources and finance. Research, practical examples and success

stories as well as lively, challenging and engaging conversations were used to investigate various drivers for collaboration

including sustainability, outcomes and cost savings as well as potential barriers. The program participants were able to

access additional post-workshop mentoring from facilitator Trevor Carlyon, as they sought to reform and implement

changes within their organisation and in partnership with others.

Skills Cluster Fund

The Workforce Council’s Skills Cluster Fund was a statewide skills brokering project undertaken between May 2011 and

December 2012. The project provided participants with access to a 70% subsidy for accredited training in health-related

skill sets such as dementia, medication assistance and foot care. The Skills Cluster Fund had a uniquely employer-driven

approach which enabled participating organisations to work with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) of their choice

to tailor both the content and mode of delivery to ensure it aligned with the specific business needs of their workplace.

Over its lifespan the project supported 1,176 workers from over 108 services to undertake a combined total of 185,988

hours of study through 39 different RTOs.

Surat Basin Workforce Development

Implementation Support Project

Commencing in May 2013, the aim of the Surat Basin Workforce Development

Implementation Support Project is to assist health and community

service organisations in the region to understand, develop and

implement organisational workforce plans and to improve

their capacity to work with RTOs to negotiate ongoing

skilling outcomes aligned to their business and workforce

needs. Under the project the Workforce Council has

supported nine Surat Basin organisations to undertake

related accredited training and complete their own

workforce plans which are now being implemented

in partnership with local education and training

providers. The Workforce Council continues to support

this implementation through ongoing mentoring and

coaching support.

Cairns Indigenous Employment Strategy

Running from January to May 2013, the Cairns Indigenous Employment Strategy was a short-term project aimed at

increasing the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Cairns health and community services industry.

Funded primarily by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through

the Local Employment Coordinator Flexible Funding Pool Initiative, the project promoted the benefits of increased

Indigenous workforce participation, provided resources and tools to assist employers with Indigenous employment,

and identified strategies to overcoming key barriers to increased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment

participation in the sectors. Following the project a number of participating organisations have become involved in the

Cairns Yarn Up project, facilitated by Workforce Council to support ongoing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion.

1,578TOUCHPOINTS

WORKFORCE COUNCIL 2012-2013A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF

33,713INDIVIDUALS

6,940ORGANISATIONS

WE INTERACTED WITH:

WE ENGAGED AND SUPPORTED THE INDUSTRY THROUGH:

50%LEARNING ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

27%SUPPORT SERVICES

21%MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS

2%BROKERED TRAINING

ENGAGEMENTSBY TYPE

ENGAGEMENTSBY TOPIC

4%HEALTH & SAFETY

22%LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

8%QUALITY FRAMEWORK

7%COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

19%PROGRAM & PRACTICE

15%INCLUSION

2%BROKERED TRAINING

23%STAKEHOLDERENGAGEMENT

WHAT ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

290,000PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED INHEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES

2.5%FROM LAST YEAR

+

JOB GROWTHFEB 2012-FEB 2013 78%

ARE WOMEN

22%ARE MEN

127 FACEBOOK POSTS 351TWEETS42 WEBSITE

NEWS ITEMS

ONLINE INTERACTION WORKFORCE.ORG.AU

47, 320VISITS 60%

NEW VISITORS40%OLD VISITORS

176,966PAGEVIEWS

42%DIRECT VISITS

13%REFERRED FROMANOTHER WEBSITE

45%SEARCH ENGINES

AUG 12

SEP 12

OCT 12

NOV 12

DEC 12

JAN 13

FEB 13

MAR 13

APR 13

MAY 13

JUN 13

2826

JUL 12 1979

3853

2323

3624

549

110

1684

2395

839

2003

1412

PARTICIPANTS BY MONTH

REGIONAL SPREADOur work reaches across metropolitan, regional and remote areas throughout QLD

23,597 PARTICIPANTS

REGISTERED NURSES

CHILD CARER

NURSINGSUPPORT

GENERALPRACTITIONER

WELFAREWORKER

DENTALASSISTANT

OCCUPATIONALPROFESSIONAL

PSYCHOLOGIST

EDUCATIONAIDE

AGE /DISABLED

CARER

TOP TEN EMPLOYING OCCUPATIONS

12

3

45

6

7

8

9

10

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2012-13 HIGHLIGHTSRECONCILIATION AND INCLUSION

Over the course of 2012-13 the Workforce Council has maintained its commitment to reconciliation and the

ongoing implementation of an organisational Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Throughout the year the organisation and its staff have continued to progress their individual and collective reconciliation

journeys. This work has centred on building both our internal capability, as well as the capability of the industry, to more

effectively engage, learn and partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and communities in

our work.

In addition to continuing to share our support for, and experiences of, reconciliation publically through our actions,

website and other media, some of the organisation’s achievements in 2012-13 have included:

• Developing internal guidelines to assist our staff to follow appropriate protocols when engaging with Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

• Incorporating discussions which explore issues and celebrations of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people and culture in our staff meetings. This has included NAIDOC week, Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander employment in the health and community services industry, and reflections on the Workforce Council’s RAP

progress.

• Creating and implementing the A Sense of Belonging: Exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inclusion

statewide action research project. Along with the Workforce Council team, this project brought together a

QCOSS Inclusion Professional Support Unit Project Officer, two inclusion support facilitators and 25 participants

from across the state to explore diversity, difference and cultural competence over 50 individual sessions held

throughout Queensland. These professional conversations incorporated the use of video links to connect with remote

communities in places like Thursday Island and Mount Isa.

• Undertaking an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy project in Cairns from January to

May 2013. This project included a literature review and interviews with local community services organisations and

workers. A key outcome of this work has been the development of an Indigenous Employment Strategy page on

the Workforce Council’s website, which includes links and information aimed at supporting health and community

services organisations to implement strategies to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and

adopt policies which support culturally inclusive workplaces and services.

• Coordinating a range of reconciliation and inclusion related professional development opportunities for the Early

Childhood Education and Care sector including Yarn up Tok Blo Yumi, Inclusion and Professional Support Program

forums, Elders Statewide Gathering, Cultural Inclusion Strategy, Sunshine Coast TAFE Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Needs Analysis Workshop, Cultural Inclusion Day - Baul Ya Dulgo ‘Head and Heart’, and Exploring Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander Culture in Early Childhood workshop.

Some notable examples of our reconciliation and inclusion work have included:

Deadly Cards

The Deadly Cards are a new resource developed by the Workforce Council to support

the discussion, understanding and exploration of issues relating to Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander cultures, inclusion and reconciliation. Each of the 64 cards

within the set features an engaging Queensland-specific image, in addition to guiding

questions and provocations to help users explore the ideas and topics represented.

The cards were developed over a period of 12 months in close consultation with an action

research group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous educators,

collectively known as The Deadly River Sisters, who generously shared revelations from their own

personal and professional reconciliation journeys to ensure the relevance and authenticity of the content.

The Deadly Cards are now being made available as a commercial product to support the entire health and community

services industry, and beyond, to share traditional ways of being and knowing, develop sustainable practice in relation to

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and embed cultural practices within businesses and in our communities.

Yarn Up Tok Blo Yumi

Building upon the success of the program in 2011-12, the Workforce Council has continued

to offer the Yarn Up Tok Blo Yumi participatory action learning series over 2012-13. By

engaging with local Elders and using a combination of face-to-face conversations, known

as yarning circles, and video links which connect participants from across the state, the

eight-part program explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, community

and history using a participatory learning approach.

The program is designed to support Early Childhood Education and Care professionals

to build culturally competent and inclusive environments, meet national quality standards

and embed the principles, practices and outcomes of the learning frameworks in their work.

Throughout 2012-13 we have continued to develop the content and process of this program,

including aligning our approach and assessment with the specifications of the national competency

standard HLTHIR403 Work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. The Workforce

Council has supported the recommendation that this unit be embedded as a core competency for all qualifications as

part of the review of the Community Services and Health national training packages.

During 2011-12 the Workforce Council also commenced the delivery of our first non-ECEC Yarn Up program for a broad

group of community services representatives. This exciting new step for Yarn Up will be completed in the 2013-14 period

and supports the work commenced in Cairns with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy project.

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2012-13 HIGHLIGHTSAs the workforce peak body for Queensland’s health and community services industry, the Workforce

Council provides leadership in the promotion and implementation of workforce and skills development,

promotes the industry’s value and seeks to influence and advocate on its behalf. We provide recognition

within the industry, while also supporting a broader understanding of health and community services, its

role, value and contributions to the economy and community.

We are determined to ensure that both the public and government recognise the health and community services

industry’s position as the foundation upon which our state’s economy is built. Our leadership in articulating the size and

scope of the industry, the growth and future potential of its workforce, and the commitments needed from both industry

and government to continue its development, have been at the forefront of our work this year.

We have demonstrated this leadership in a number of ways including:

Working with the Queensland Government and departments to develop and influence their understanding of the state’s

largest employing industry. The Workforce Council has actively engaged with the Premier’s office, ministers, advisors,

senior government officials, heads of departments, commissions and inquiries to ensure they consider the impact of our

industry in their planning and decision making regarding both economic and social policy. Producing the annual Industry

Skills and Workforce Development Report is the centrepiece of this work. In 2012-13

this report was underpinned by a series of regional data snapshots designed

to paint the industry picture on a local level. Through these regional

snapshots we were able to educate our industry of the bigger

contribution and impact that the industry has locally and in every

community.

Actively engaging with different stakeholders we have

promoted awareness of the industry and sought to increase

understanding within health and community services about

the importance of the industry and its workforce in the broader

context of Queensland’s economy. Using opportunities to present

information at conferences, publish position papers and submit

recommendations to industry inquiries, we have maintained a constant

flow of industry information and supported this through our media efforts.

Continuing our commitment to recognising good workforce practice and innovation, the Workforce Council once

again hosted the Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards. As in previous years, the purpose of

the awards was to unearth, recognise and showcase the innovative and widespread commitment industry organisations

have to effectively developing and utilising their workforce. We continue to believe the celebration, recognition and

exposure that these awards bring enhances workforce practice within our industry. Whilst we have not been able to offer

an industry Workforce Innovation Conference this year, in its stead we have been able to deliver a number of regional

workforce conferences, many targeting the Early Childhood Education and Care sector.

LEADERSHIP AND RECOGNITION

Some notable examples of our leadership and recognition work have included:

Presentations and Participation

The Workforce Council maintains an active and varied calendar of conference

presentations, workshops and forums in order to build the profile of our

industry and promote good practice. These efforts have incorporated

presentations at events including the Sustainable Economic Growth in

Regional Australia Conference, Queensland Council of Social Services

forum, CheckUp health leaders forums and the Leading Age Services

Australia Queensland State Conference, to name but a few. We have

also participated in the development of a national leadership framework

for the health industry, the review of training packages for both health and

community services, and in the design work for the development of the 30-year

Queensland Plan.

Opportunities to influence future leaders and support the career decisions of young people

come through our work at employment expos and career events. In 2012-13 we maintained this effort, speaking and

representing the industry at events on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and in other parts of regional Queensland. Creating

space to be heard, to expose current and future jobseekers to the opportunities available within our industry, and to

profile the innovative work and research of the Workforce Council continue to be a priority, and a necessity, if we are to

have success in securing tomorrow’s health and community services workforce.

Media

The Workforce Council engages the media on an ongoing basis in an effort to promote our work, career pathways, the

social and economic contributions of our industry, and the need for health and community services to be factored into

regional planning. In 2012-13 this work has included the release of media statements supporting regional events such as

the Fraser Coast Industry Forum and Cairns Your Workforce, Your Business regional forum, as well as responses intended

to help steer public discussion; particularly where the comparative size and significance of our industry is ignored.

Our media work during this period has also included concerted efforts to ensure health and community services is not

overlooked by the Queensland Government in light of its conspicuous absence from the ‘four economic pillars’ despite its

status as the largest employer in the state. This led to a series of articles including:

• “Services Essential”, Gladstone Observer in September 2012, discussing the health and community services industry’s

absence from the ‘four pillars’.

• “Qld report pushes TAFE privatisation” and “Newman flags private Training Option”, The Australian in November 2012,

Workforce Council advocating for a balance between private and government run training options to ensure effective

servicing of our whole industry.

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Other key media successes throughout this period also included:

• An interview with Executive Director Wallis Westbrook on radio ABC Southern Queensland in July 2012, discussing a

federal announcement supporting a pay increase for community services.

• “Health group seeks more collaborative planning”, Mackay Telegraph in February 2013, commenting on the

community impact of fly-in, fly-out workforce and the need for planning to ensure necessary health and community

services are available.

• “Health tops jobs market”, Cairns Post March 2013, an editorial piece in the careers section by Deputy Director Laura

Barnes discussing the size of industry and career opportunities available.

Position Papers

With a number of both state and federal reforms affecting the industry and the Vocational Education and Training (VET)

system, the Workforce Council championed health and community services by providing input and feedback on the

following policy reforms:

• Skills and Training Taskforce: a submission to Skills and Training Taskforce (September 2012), participation in specific

focus groups conducted by the taskforce and a letter to the Honourable John-Paul Langbroek MP, Minister for

Education, Training and Employment commending Queensland Government’s response to the Skills and Training

Taskforce and seeking input into the government’s VET Action Plan (January 2013).

• Queensland’s VET Investment Plan: a submission to Department of Education, Training and Employment on

Queensland’s VET Investment Plan (May 2013).

• National Skills Standards Council: a submission to National Skills Standards

Council on the Improving Vocational Education and Training:

The case for a new system options paper (April 2013).

• TAFE Queensland Bill: a submission to Research

Director, Education and Innovation Committee on

TAFE Queensland Bill 2013 (April 2013).

The Workforce Council also provided policy

input to strategic documents including:

• Future Focus – Australia’s Skills and

Workforce Development Needs (Australian

Workforce and Productivity Agency).

• Biennial Report Review of Australia’s

Welfare 2013 Chapter 9: Community

services workforce feedback (Australian

Institute of Health and Welfare).

• National Regional Workforce Planning and

Development Report (University of Sydney,

Workplace Research Centre).

Industry Skills and Workforce Development Report

As the Industry Skills Body for health and community services, the Workforce Council provides regular advice and

services to both industry and government, including the production of a yearly report illustrating the immediate and

emerging needs of the industry. The ‘Health and Community Services Industry Skills and Workforce Development Report

2013’ featured key details about the industry including current trends, training profiles, forecast demand, drivers impacting

on skilling and workforce development and priorities for the future planning of the workforce.

This year’s report articulated the central position of the industry in terms of the state’s economic growth providing strong

evidence of its resilience during times of soft labour market conditions and government austerity measures. The report

also focused on the large number of significant reforms impacting on the industry’s workforce including the National

Health and Hospital Network Agreement, Medicare Locals, National Aged and Community Care Package, the National

Disability Insurance Scheme and the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry report.

The report strongly emphasised the need for continuing workforce development and planning for the industry and

the importance of partnering with government and other industries in regional planning, major project development

and industry development programs as essential to ensuring a strong and viable health and

community services industry.

Regional and Local Workforce and

Demographic snapshots

To support the Your Workforce, Your Business workshop series

held throughout various parts of Queensland in February and

March 2013, the Workforce Council developed thirteen regional

snapshots detailing population projections, industry, sector and

occupation break downs, employment figures and training

data. The purpose of the regional snapshots was to assist

communities, employers, other industries and local and state

governments to plan for the future of health and community

services in these regions.

The snapshots provide our stakeholders and network members

with a resource to support workforce planning in these regions

and are intended to be used as a collaborative and engagement tool

for all stakeholders. Access to the up-to-date statistics included will

help ensure upcoming projects and developments are undertaken with

sufficient resources to support local communities and population growth.

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Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards

For the fourth consecutive year, the Workforce Council has recognised outstanding workforce practice within our industry

through the Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards. The awards are a celebration of creative

and strategic efforts to overcome workforce challenges and deliver quality outcomes for communities and individuals

in Queensland. They celebrate the achievements of our industry, provide recognition to organisations who have

demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of their service delivery by improving the effectiveness, skills and

abilities of their workforce, and reflect the Workforce Council’s respect for the fine work happening within our industry. In

2013 a record 120 nominations were received across the eight award categories.

2013 WORKFORCE INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisation - Apunipima Cape York Health Council

Using their Enterprise Agreement and Career Pathway Development program as a key foundation, Apunipima Cape York

Health Council implemented a workforce and development strategy to develop a sustainable, competent and culturally

responsive local health workforce.

Collaborative Practices - gr8 START Early Year Partnership

Seven gr8 START partners collaborated closely to develop and implement a pilot project to embed the early

developmental identification tool PEDS in over 30 Gold Coast Children’s Services.

Education or Training Provider - Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland

In partnership with the Cunningham Centre, the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland developed Australia’s first

ever accredited multicultural health qualification.

Human Resource Management - Department of Justice and Attorney General, Youth Justice Services

A program delivered by the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre aimed to attract a broader, more diverse and better

equipped pool of applicants for youth workers roles at the Centre.

Learning Culture - Community Solutions Group Ltd

The Community Solutions Group created the ComSol Skills Exchange Implementation of Learning and Development

Program as a branded strategy linking the goals of the Strategic Plan to the development of their people.

Michael Kirby Award for Inclusiveness - Lives Lived Well (QLD Drug and Alcohol Council Inc)

Lives Lived Well established a well-trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce

through a new Indigenous Residential Rehabilitation facility.

Rural and Remote Setting - The Townsville Hospital

The Clinical Measurement program developed a new 12-month generalists

training framework incorporating the disciplines of cardiac, respiratory, sleep and

neurophysiology.

Workforce Champion - Tony Jamieson (Department of Justice and Attorney

General, Youth Justice Services)

Tony Jamieson has reshaped how learning and development is delivered in Youth

Justice in his role as the Manager of Youth Justice Capability and Learning.

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TREASURER’S REPORT

For the year ended June 2013 the Health and Community

Services Workforce Council recorded an audited operating

surplus of $944,291. This is a great result compared with

the previous financial year and continues the organisation’s

ongoing pattern of good financial performance in spite of the

conclusion of significant Queensland Government contracts

including IWDS, DSTF and RSP.

The soundness of the organisation’s position is in no small part

attributable to difficult decisions regarding effective efficiency measures, staffing

reductions, changes to our organisational structure and the implementation of a more targeted commercial business

development strategy made by the board and management team. These decisions and outcomes have been noted

separately in the Executive Report, however it is important to place them in the right financial context.

The Workforce Council’s consolidated revenue for this period was $10,987,612 most of which arises from various

government contracts totalling $8,968,697. This amount includes the final income of $1,548,040 from the IWDS, DSTF

and RSP contracts. Since the cessation of

these projects we have secured several

new contracts including winning the

tender for the Sector Readiness and

Workforce Capacity Initiative through

the Department of Communities, Child

Safety and Disability Services. This

contract, a joint initiative with National

Disability Services (Queensland),

drew in $1.2 million during the 2012-

13 financial year, which incorporates

pre-commitments for the 2013-14

year. During the last financial year we

have also generated $52,000 from commercial business development work, primarily delivered between February and

June; half of which is for the delivery of workforce planning activities. The rest of the revenue derives from activity fees,

sponsorship, project membership fees and investment interest.

Our total expenses for 2012-13 were $10,043,321; 48% of which was expensed against staff salaries, provisions

and training. The total operational costs were $919,514 which were distributed to rent, depreciation, IT and other

organisational related expenses.

Our service delivery expenses or direct project costs were $4,312,144. Of this figure approximately $1.2 million of

previously outsourced or sub-contracted expenses are now being managed or delivered internally by our own staff.

The overall result for 2012-13 financial year can be summarised as follows:

Total Income $10,987,612

Less Operational and Wages Expenses ($5,731,177)

Less Project Expenses ($4,312,144)

Operating Surplus $944,291

• Adding to this figure $1,508,326 unexpended funds the Workforce Council

has brought forward from 2011-12

• Less $2,783,307 of funding to be carried forward to the 2013-14 financial year

• This amounts to a net reduction in retained earnings for the 2012-13 financial year of $330,690

The financial position of the Workforce Council remains healthy with total assets of $5,573,327 and total liabilities of

$3,466,828 with a solvency ratio of 62%. Our accumulated equity totals $2,106,500.

We have worked hard to achieve our present

financial position and must continue to do so to

maintain the financial security of the Workforce

Council. The organisation is heavily dependent

on government grants and while some of these

will continue over the next few years, they cannot

be guaranteed in the long term. Meanwhile the

organisation’s commercial business development

shows good potential and has started to

generate a dependable revenue stream.

With fiscal discipline, great staff and

management, I am confident that the future of

the Workforce Council will be not only exciting,

but also financially secure.

Mick Davis AM, ASM, MBA, FACHSM

Treasurer

The Workforce Council would like to acknowledge the funding we have received from the Queensland Government (Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services; Department of Education, Training and Employment; Department of Health; and Skills Queensland) and the Australian Government (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). We would also like to acknowledge the support of all of the organisations, groups and individuals who have sponsored and contributed to our work throughout the year.

$6,000,000

BALANCE SHEET SUMMARY 2012-2013

CURRENT ASSETS

$5,335,292 $238,035 $3,466,828 $2,106,500

FIXED ASSETS LIABILITIESEQUITY/ACCUMULATED

FUNDS

$5,000,000

$4,000,000

$3,000,000

$2,000,000

$1,000,000

$-

TOTAL

CURRENT RATIOCURRENT ASSETS AGAINST CURRENT LIABILITIES

CURRENT ASSETS FIXED ASSETS LIABILITIES

5,335,292 3,466,828 0.65

6,303,231

2012-2013

2011-2012 3,516,426 0.56

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

-

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EMPLOYER

Toni Aspinall Churches of Christ Care QLD

Grant Weaver Creche and Kindergarten Association QLD

Rachel Watson Mission Australia Brisbane

Sharon Seymour UnitingCare Health

Warren Locke Queensland Health—Clinical Workforce

Planning and Development Branch

GENERAL

Katie Brown ACQ Education Institute

Narelle Cossettini Australian Child Care Career Options

Susan Sunderland The Bremer Institute of TAFE

Jill McKay Brisbane Youth Service - Centre for

Young Women

Chris Schluter Career Employment Australia

Graham Arndt Centacare Community Support Services

Christy Stone Centacare Community Support Services

Julia Leigh CheckUp

Karen Hale-Robertson CheckUp

Ansmarie Van Erp Cunningham Centre

Mark Francis Department of Communities Health Office

Debbie Blow Gold Coast Institute of TAFE

Jane Bourne The Gowrie (Queensland)

Christine Mahony Kath Dickson Family Centre Association

Katie Brown Leading Age Service Australia Queensland

Thomas Block MADEC Ltd

David Liddy Metro North Health Service District

Simone Ross Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE

Trish Tuck Multicultural Communities Council

Gold Coast

Jodi Wolthers Parent to Parent Association of Queensland

Cristy Dieckmann Queensland Association of Independent

Legal Services

Noel Muller Queensland Voice for Mental Health

Prof. MaryLou Fleming QUT Faculty of Health

Esme Strydom St Vincents Health and Aged Care

Tony Jennings Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology

John Hayward Sundale Garden Village

Lisa Treston Synapse Accommodation Services

Mae Wilson Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE

Kristina Farrell United Synergies

Terence Seymour UnitingCare Health Maroochydore

Howard Karger UQ School of Social Work and Applied

Human Science

Kathy Faulkner Women’s Health Queensland Wide

Christopher Miller Youth Emergency Services

INDIGENOUS

Margaret Hornagold Darumbal Community Youth Service

Karen Dawson-Sinclair Ganyjuu Family Support Service

Elizabeth Adams Goolburri Health Service

Florence Williams QATSIHWEPAC

PEAK

Claudia Cunningham Australian Community Workers Association

(QLD Branch)

Michael Webcke Australasian Society of Anaesthesia

Paramedical Officers

Cristy Ross Optometrists Association Australia

(QLD Branch)

Mick Davis Paramedics Australasia

Lindsay Wegener Peakcare Queensland

Lucy Fisher Private Hospitals Association of Queensland

Margaret Ponting Queensland Community Housing Coalition

Fiona Malcolm Queensland Council of Social Services

REGIONAL/REMOTE

Brenda-Anne Parfitt Burdekin Flexible Support Service

Noel Muller Bundaberg Consumer Advisory Group

Kim Whitmell Capricornia Respite Care

Elvene Whitbread Community Centres and Family

Support Network NQ

Naomi Lindenberg Mount Isa Community

Development Association

Sharon Van Eck Primary Health Care Chronic

Disease Management

Lorelle Rounsefell Queensland Health Mackay Health

Service District

Sharron Lofthouse Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE

Anne-Maree Lucht Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE

UNION

Amanda Richards Queensland Council of Unions

John Spriggs Queensland Independent Education Union

Kym Barry Queensland Nurses Union

Michelle Robertson The Service Union

Kim McDowell Together

Sheila Hunter United Voice

INDUSTRIES REFERENCE GROUP2012-2013

IRG CATEGORY NAME PERIOD OF SERVICEBOARD

MEETINGS ATTENDED

IRG MEETINGS ATTENDED

EMPLOYER Warren Locke (Chair) Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 7 of 8 2 of 3

EMPLOYER Sharon Seymour Jul 2012 -Apr 2013 5 of 6 2 of 3

EMPLOYER Terence Seymour Apr 2013 -Jun 2013 1 of 2 N/A

GENERAL Graham Arndt Jul 2012 - Feb 2013 3 of 4 1 of 2

GENERAL Esme Strydom Jul 2012 -Nov 2012 4 of 4 2 of 2

GENERAL Christy Stone Feb 2013 -Jun 2013 2 of 3 1 of 1

GENERAL Ansmarie Van Erp Nov 2012 -Jun 2013 4 of 4 2 of 2

INDIGENOUS Karen Dawson-Sinclair Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 0 of 8 0 of 3

INDIGENOUS Florence Williams Jul 2012 -Dec 2012 3 of 4 2 of 2

PEAK Lucy Fisher Jul 2012-Jun 2013 6 of 8 2 of 3

PEAK Fiona Malcolm Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 6 of 8 2 of 3

REGIONAL/REMOTE Noel Muller (Treasurer) Jul 2012 -Nov 2012 3 of 4 2 of 2

REGIONAL/REMOTE Elvene Whitbread 4 Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 6 of 8 3 of 3

UNION Sheila Hunter Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 3 of 8 2 of 3

UNION Michelle Robertson (Deputy Chair) Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 5 of 8 3 of 3

CO-OPTED MEMBER Mick Davis Jul 2012 -Jun 2013 5 of 8 3 of 3

BOARD PARTICIPATION

Health and Community ServicesWorkforce Council Inc.

Ground Floor, 303 Adelaide Street Brisbane QLD 4000Block C, 235 Fulham Road Vincent QLD 4814

e info@workforce.org.au w www.workforce.org.aup (07) 3234 0190 f (07) 3234 0474