Data

General Issues: Health

Specific Topics: Health Care Reform

Location

New South Wales

Australia

Scope of Influence: Regional

Start Date: August 22, 2023

End Date: November 4, 2023

Time Limited or Repeated?: A single, defined period of time

Total Number of Participants: 40

Open to All or Limited to Some?: Open to All With Special Effort to Recruit Some Groups

Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population: Stratified Random Sample

Targeted Demographics: Indigenous People; Racial/Ethnic Groups

General Types of Methods: Deliberative and dialogic process

Legality: Yes

Facilitators: Yes

Facilitator Training: Trained, Nonprofessional Facilitators

Face-to-Face, Online, or Both: Face-to-Face

Types of Interaction Among Participants: Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation

Information & Learning Resources: Expert Presentations; Written Briefing Materials

Communication of Insights & Outcomes: Public Report

Funder: Paul Ramsay Foundation

Type of Funder: Philanthropic Organization

CASE

Australia Cares Care Labs and People's Assemblies on Care

download.jfif – Credit: Sydney Policy Lab

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Case Data

General Issues: Health

Specific Topics: Health Care Reform

Location

New South Wales

Australia

Scope of Influence: Regional

Files: Reimagining Care Report

Start Date: August 22, 2023

End Date: November 4, 2023

Time Limited or Repeated?: A single, defined period of time

Purpose/Goal: Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies; Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations

Approach: Co-governance

Spectrum of Public Participation: Involve

Total Number of Participants: 40

Open to All or Limited to Some?: Open to All With Special Effort to Recruit Some Groups

Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population: Stratified Random Sample

Targeted Demographics: Indigenous People; Racial/Ethnic Groups

General Types of Methods: Deliberative and dialogic process

Legality: Yes

Facilitators: Yes

Facilitator Training: Trained, Nonprofessional Facilitators

Face-to-Face, Online, or Both: Face-to-Face

Types of Interaction Among Participants: Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation

Information & Learning Resources: Expert Presentations; Written Briefing Materials

Communication of Insights & Outcomes: Public Report

Type of Organizer/Manager: Academic Institution

Funder: Paul Ramsay Foundation

Type of Funder: Philanthropic Organization

This entry was originally added in English. View this entry in its original language.

The Australia Cares project was established in response to a number of royal commissions into care and the gaps in care revealed during the pandemic. The Sydney Policy Lab set up a community-led initiative to inform policy to respond to the "crisis of care".

Problems and Purpose

In an attempt to respond to both the crisis of care and the crisis of democracy, Sydney Policy Lab set up pilot People's Assemblies on Care to hear from citizens and enable them to deliberate on the key issues concerning care. [1]

Background History and Context

The People's Assemblies are part of a broader initiative called Australia Cares which also included Care Labs. This came about in 2022 after discussions among public policy experts, care recipients and practitioners and in response to the growing dissatisfaction with care and the state of democracy. [2]

There were three aims the initiative sought to achieve in this process:

"Rethink the premises of our entire care system, including by having a purposeful debate about what we mean by care
Examine how we can improve the practice of care to reflect our new needs and understandings
Explore new ways to make our nation-wide care system broader, stronger, more sustainable and better" [3]

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

Philanthropic organisation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation, financially supported the initiative. [4]

The Sydney Policy Lab did most of the organising and delivery of the assemblies.

Participant Recruitment and Selection

20 participants took part in each assembly. Participants were recruited through stratified random sampling, with special efforts made to recruit key demographics in the region. Broken Hill has a large Aboriginal population and the area also has an ageing population along with high levels of chronic illness. Therefore, efforts were made to ensure there was appropriate representation of Aboriginal people as well as people experiencing chronic illness in the People's Assembly. Westmead and the surrounding area has a high Indian population, which meant efforts were made to ensure there was an appropriate number of Indian participants in the assembly. Participants were given a stipend, meals and required materials to participate in the assemblies. [5]

38 participants were involved in the Care Labs. [6]

Methods and Tools Used

People's Assemblies

Care Labs

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

The pilot People's Assemblies took place in two locations where the University of Sydney (where the Sydney Policy Lab is housed) is situated: Broken Hill, a regional town in western New South Wales, and Westmead, a suburb in Western Sydney. Both of these areas are in key health districts, with Broken Hill in the Far West Local Health District and Westmead contains the Westmead Health Precinct. [7]

The People's Assemblies took place in two phases. The first phase happened mid-week and was a time for participants to reflect and share about how they view care. They were then asked to consider the challenges their communities faced regarding care and identify the issue that matters most for further deliberation. The second phase took place for a full day on a weekend. It began with reflections from the first phase, resources and expert presentations and deliberation to reach recommendations. [8]

Dates for the Assemblies were as follows: 22 August 2023 in Broken Hill, and 12 September and 4 November 2023 in Westmead. [9]

Only one event was held in Broken Hill with the second scheduled event postponed out of respect for First Nations wishes. The second event was scheduled to take place in October 2023, which was also the month a referendum was held in Australia to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through establishing a Voice to Parliament. The referendum failed, and to give First Nations participants time to reflect on the outcome, the second People's Assembly event was postponed. [10]

Care Labs were also used as part of the Australia Cares initiative. These labs involved a number of online workshops to generate principles of care. Four principles were generated, with the final Care Lab taking place in Canberra at the Parliament House and included politicians and decision makers. [11]

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

While still in development, the intention was to present the recommendations to policy makers. The project team also seeks to hold more assemblies on care and establish a People's Commission on Care, which would act as an "anchor, a resource and an innovator" for this new approach to policy making on care. [12]

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The project showcases the benefit of integrating community participation into policy issues. Sydney Policy Lab presented a framework for how to approach policy that prioritised community input and recommended "community-led policies developed and implemented on an iterative basis" as "a way forward for care policy in Australia". [13]