Workforce Innovation Awards
The Health and Community Services Workforce Council (Workforce Council) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards.
Nine winning organisations/
For a full list of winners and categories please refer to bottom of release.
2010 marks the first year for the Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards which are the successor of The Minister's Awards for Excellence in Workforce Development;
The Awards seek to recognise good workforce practice across health and community services in Queensland, with finalists selected from over 80 nominations.
Workforce Council Executive Director, Wallis Westbrook said the high standard of nominations received is an encouraging sign for Queensland’s Health and Community Services industries.
“We’ve been very pleased to have had such a difficult time selecting our finalists and winners,” Mr Westbrook said.
“Queensland has many organisations both large and small who are taking the lead by creating innovative new methods of operation and capacity-building to recruit, retain, up-skill, look after and best utilise their workforces.
“If we are to have a quality, sustainable workforce in these vital care-delivering industries in the future, then it is absolutely essential that organisations, and the industries as a whole, begin to develop and adopt new approaches to these key challenges.”
The presentation of the 2010 Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards is part of a two-day conference (20-21 May) exploring, showcasing and recognising innovative workforce development concepts and practices within the industries. Throughout the conference presentations and workshops covered topics including leadership, recruitment and retention, job design, collaborative workforce strategies and much more.
The event was attended by some 300 Health and Community Services delegates from across Queensland, including representatives from Government Departments, child care, disability, Indigenous health, advocacy services, aged care, hospitals, primary health care and mental health.
Conference keynote speakers included Skills Australia’s Dr Caroline Alcorso, political scientist/futurist Professor Sohail Inayatullah, Australian Business Class founder Phil Corbett, and Dr Stephen Lundin, best-selling author of Cats - the nine lives of innovation and creator and co-author of FISH! and The FISH! Philosophy.
2010 WORKFORCE INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS
Effective workforce leadership by a Board of Management
Winner: Bulimba Child Care Centre
Bulimba Child Care Centre is community based and run by a voluntary parent management committee. The committee provides leadership in policy management, mentoring, policy management and improving working conditions.
Encouraging a learning culture in the workforce (Small/medium category)
Winner: Rockhampton Mental Health Interagency Community of Practice
This Community of Practice initiated through a partnership between Centacare and Queensland Alliance, brings together staff from a wide variety of not for profit organisations and a range of government agencies with a focus on improving client outcomes within existing resources. Participation in the Community of Practice develops skills, knowledge and understanding that enhance service delivery. It infuses a learning environment and common understanding of good practice through the whole mental health sector workforce.
Encouraging a learning culture in the workforce (Large category)
Winner: The Islanders Board of Industry and Service (IBIS)
IBIS is a not-for-profit organisation that provides goods and services to the communities of the Torres Strait. Providing staff with opportunity to access training and development was the initial step in creating a learning culture within IBIS. This commitment to a learning culture has continued throughout and continues to address skills gaps of staff through the provision of developmental opportunities.
Outstanding recruitment strategy
Winner: Mater Health Services
The Distributed Student Clinical Placement Model was developed to address the identified existing and projected workforce needs of the health care sector. This strategy has increased the capacity of the Mater Health Service Nursing and midwifery workforce. The model has increased the quantity and quality of clinical placements within the organisation and increased service delivery.
Sector recognition for workforce innovation
Winner: 30 Mob
Service managers and coordinators from 30 small disability organisations from across the state have been brought together by National Disability Services. The 30 Mob have broken down the communication, resource and location barriers by providing support and development for the collaboration between smaller services. The aim of this collaboration is achieve retention through professional development and provision of practical management tools.
Cultural inclusion in the workforce
Winner: Kinta Kids Child Care Centre
Kinta Kids is a Family Day Care Centre in Rockhampton has increased the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in its workforce through a recruitment strategy designed to recruit mature indigenous women from surrounding regional areas.
Outstanding workforce achievement in a regional & remote setting
Winner: Capricornia Allied Health Partnership
This partnership is a regional collaboration between Central Queensland Health Service District and other Central Queensland health providers including Capricornia Division of General Practice and CQ University. The partnership addresses allied health workforce shortages and skill deficits in the community. It delivers exceptional clinical education and training to Allied Health students that will lead to future recruitment success. This partnership demonstrates leadership in developing the future workforce.
Collaborative workforce achievement
Winner: Toowoomba and Darling Downs Chronic Disease Partnership Model
The program was established through collaboration between Queensland Health, Local Divisions of General Practice, BlueCare and private health professionals. This program has been successful in establishing a workforce of care coordinators and service providers who utilise a Model of Service delivery spanning public acute, community and private health sectors.
Outstanding human resource development
Winner: Mater Health Services
Mater Leaders Program concentrates on the development of leadership skills within current and future senior leaders from all areas of the Mater through an innovative one year residential and work-based program. Participants learn from renowned experts in a range of subject areas and benefit from a program designed to facilitate and support long-term success at Mater.
Outstanding individual contribution to workforce innovation
Winner: Melissa Flanders, Australian Child Care Career Options
Melissa is a trainer for Australian Child Care Career Options, who has been nominated for her personal commitment and innovative approach to developing service products and processes in a remote environment and for a client group with diverse learning needs.
For more information on the Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Conference and Awards visit www.workforceinnovation.org.au.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
