ADEC - Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities

Systemic Advocacy

 

Systemic Advocacy Activities at ADEC

Policy – DRAFT 2 – 29 JULY 04

ADEC’s Vision is to “empower people with disabilities from ethnic backgrounds, their carers and families to fully participate as members of the Victorian community.”

The Mission states that the way to achieve full citizenship is to “assist people with disabilities from ethnic backgrounds, their carers and families to access services and ensure that service systems are inclusive and responsive to their needs”. 

A critical strategy by which this can take place is through systemic advocacy, whereby the organisation is proactive and advocates for system-wide changes in a number of areas to redress the disadvantages currently faced by people with a disability from ethnic backgrounds.

Scope

The policy and practice that follows will cover the systemic advocacy activities undertaken by all staff at ADEC in their individual programs and collectively. The Policies and Practices of each program or project carried out by ADEC will apply.

Following are agreed outcomes from the Commonwealth Review into Advocacy (2002) in relation to systemic advocacy of which ADEC was a participant.

Systemic advocacy is advocacy that is oriented towards changing entire systems, beyond an identifiable, single client or single client group. 

  • “The focus of statewide systemic advocacy is to change systems;
  • At the center of systemic advocacy are the key global issues confronting people who have a disability in Victoria.
  • Systemic advocacy involves linkages with other aspects of the service system and will frequently mean working with other groups to represent issues on major social policy matters;
  • Statewide systemic advocacy can work in various ways: 
    - It can be planned and proactive in its response to issues;
    - It can work in partnership with the institutions it is attempting to influence;
    - It can be reactive to issues; and
    - It can, where appropriate, be adversarial in its approach.
  • Services that do statewide systemic advocacy are independent and governed by either a Board or a Committee of Management;
  • Services that do statewide systemic advocacy are accessible to people who have a disability, advocacy groups and others as, and when, they are required;
  • Services that do statewide systemic advocacy should undertake advocacy on behalf of some individuals however, the majority of their available resources are expended on systemic issues for people who have a disability;
  • Services that do statewide systemic advocacy are not to be seen as peak bodies for advocacy services, nor seen to represent other advocacy services;
  • Services that do statewide systemic advocacy work in consultation with other advocacy services in the identification of priorities for action.”

(Source: Commonwealth Review of Advocacy, 2002)

Practice

Identification of Issues

Systemic Issues are identified by various means.  These may include:

  • Focus groups or discussions with individual clients or stakeholders
  • Recommendations or discussions with the Community Reference Group
  • Staff attending community and other forums
  • Research undertaken by other organizations
  • Parliamentary and other reports
  • Knowledge gained from evidence and issues emanating from other programs undertaken by ADEC
  • Media reports that resonate with issues facing ADEC’s constituencies
  • Some matters referred or directed from Board of Management
  • ADEC may collaborate with other organisations in particular systemic matters.

Authority to investigate and research systemic issues

ADEC is able to initiate research projects to investigate particular systemic issues that impact on its targeted constituencies or collaborate as a partner with other advocacy or research bodies or organizations able to advocate on particular issues.

ADEC should not feel bound by Government policy in its investigation of systemic issues if these impact on its constituencies and stakeholders.

Research projects or activities that involve ADEC stakeholders and communities may be carried out under the following conditions:

  • All proposals for research are to be considered by the Executive Director in the first instance, who may then discuss the proposal with the relevant program co-ordinator.
  • A Project Brief utilising the framework established in the Risk Management section of Policy and Practices for ADEC should be developed and tabled before the Board of Management for their information.
  • The proposed research is relevant to and enhances ADEC Mission.
  • The activities or project does not disturb other group or program activities.
  • Participation by individuals does not damage or threaten participants well-being.
  • The outcome of the research or project must be beneficial to participants and the organisation.
  • Consent or a written agreement between the research and individual participants will be obtained.
  • The researcher must agree to respect the individuality and autonomy of the individual participant.
  • Most costs will be the responsibility of the research and will be outlined in the research brief, unless otherwise agreed to by the Executive Director.

Formal responses to systemic issues

All delegations, correspondence and media responses to Ministers and senior decision-makers must be authorised by the Executive Director.

Ethical Considerations

While ADEC encourages research into various issues impacting on its constituencies, from time-to-time, ethical considerations may arise.  These may relate to discussions with individual clients, stakeholders or affected individuals/parties where personal and/or sensitive matters, feelings, circumstances or opinions may be canvassed or explored.

Therefore, the following practices will occur prior to any research taking place:

  • The project brief will identify any ethical issues that need to be resolved or explored.
  • If in doubt, an Ethics Committee made up the Executive Director, the researcher, a representative of the body supervising the research, and the relevant program co-ordinator is to be established. 
  • If any ethical matters cannot be resolved, the matters are to go before the Board of Management for final determination.
  • Where individuals are invited to participate in focus groups, they are to receive a letter of invitation from the Executive Director, explaining the purpose of the focus group and the types of issues or questions that may be explored.
  • Invitees are to indicate their participation by either giving written permission to attend or to verbally signify to the researcher their acceptance of the invitation.
  • Participants in focus groups are to receive a nominal contribution of a minimum of $30 per person to compensate for their time in attending and to assist in travel costs.
  • Where more than one person per family attend, the practice will be that contributions to both the person with a disability and the carer are to be made.  However, if two carers attend, this will be treated as a family and the financial contribution will be shared (ie $30 between the two people).
  • Qualified interpreters are to be incorporated into any activities to ensure that the views, etc. of people who have limited English skills are not ignored.
  • Where sensitive issues are to be explored, appropriate debriefing for participants is to be incorporated into the plan of activities.

Seeking funds for research activities

ADEC will be bound by the fund raising framework established by the Board of Management.  Funds can be sought from a variety of sources, including internal sources, and the Board will consider each activity on a case-by-case basis.

Development of collaborative arrangements

The framework established in Section E7, Relationships with other Services, General Issues, will be applied.

Delegations to key decision-makers

Where the initiative for research comes from staff, volunteers or other stakeholders, it must first be discussed and approved by the Executive Director.

The Executive Director must sign off all applications, submissions or project briefs to investigate or research systemic issues.

The Board may direct certain research projects be developed and funds sought.

Feedback to Board and other stakeholders

The person who has responsibility for the conduct of research on systemic issues will be required to regularly provide feedback to affected stakeholders as to the progress of the project and ultimately, upon the outcomes achieved.

Accountability

Accountability for all research into systemic issues will be to the Board of Management.

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