CITY OF UNLEY
COMMUNITY CENTRE
DIRECTIONS PAPER 2014
Attachment 1
I think of it as ‘home’ social, educational &
fitness programs, all with a purpose of
connecting with people I feel like a valued
part of the community here I would be lost
without it a positive impact on people’s
well-being multigenerational connections
strong & vibrant meeting places & hubs of
information more than roads, rates &
rubbish opportunities to contribute diverse,
accessible & user-friendly the ‘glue’
connecting the community welcoming
Acknowledgements
This report has been written by Sandra Robinson, Acting Community Planner, with input from:
Mandy Smith, Manager Community Development
Nicola Tinning, Manager Business Improvement
Helen Hoare, Community Planner
Cathy Fulton, Team Leader Community Centres
Megan Berghuis, General Manager Community
We acknowledge the cooperation of community centre staff in preparing this Directions Paper. Their
timely and efficient responses to enquiries, considerable collection of data and extensive reporting of
information has been invaluable.
Input and cooperation of the Goodwood Community Services Board of Management and the Clarence
Park Community Centre Board of Management has also been appreciated.
Thanks also to other metropolitan Councils who contributed to the research phase of this project.
February 2014
CONTENTS
COMMUNITY CENTRE
DIRECTIONS PAPER
2014
PAGE
Executive Summary
1. The City of Unley’s Community Centres ............................................................................................. 1
2. Community Centres Directions Paper ................................................................................................ 2
3. Key Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 4
4. Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 6
Section 1: Methodology
Stage 1: In-house investigation ................................................................................................... 10
Stage 2: Supporting research ...................................................................................................... 10
Stage 3: Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 11
Stage 4: Community Centre Directions Paper Draft Preparation ............................................... 11
Stage 5: Independent Evaluation and Revision of the Community Centres Directions Paper .... 11
Stage 6: Elected Member Briefing and Council Report .............................................................. 11
Section 2: Community Centre Industry Snapshot .................................................................................. 12
Section 3: City of Unley Context
3.1 City of Unley Community Profile ......................................................................................................... 14
3.2 Strategic Alignment ............................................................................................................................. 16
3.2.1 City of Unley Community Plan 2033 ..................................................................................... 16
3.2.2 City of Unley 4 Year Plan ...................................................................................................... 16
3.2.3 Community Asset Review and Strategy 2013-2017 ............................................................. 16
3.2.4 ‘Future Directions of the Unley Citizens Centre’ Report 2010 ............................................. 17
3.2.5 City of Unley Ageing Strategy 2011-2014 ............................................................................. 17
3.2.6 City of Unley ‘Access For All’ Action Plan 2011-2016 ........................................................... 18
3.2.7 City of Unley Environmental Sustainability Plan 2010-2013 ................................................ 18
3.2.8 City of Unley Policies Relating to Community Centres ......................................................... 19
3.3 Legislative Context ............................................................................................................................. 19
Section 4: City of Unley Community Centres Overview ........................................................................ 20
4.1 Facility Assets and Infrastructure ........................................................................................................ 20
4.1.1 Overview............................................................................................................................... 20
4.1.2 Unley Community Centre ..................................................................................................... 20
4.1.3 Fullarton Park Centre............................................................................................................ 21
4.1.4 Clarence Park Community Centre ........................................................................................ 21
4.1.5 Goodwood Community Centre............................................................................................. 22
4.1.6 Asset Management............................................................................................................... 22
4.2 Community Centre Operations ........................................................................................................... 23
4.3 Community Centre Management Models ........................................................................................... 25
4.4 Community Centre Usage ................................................................................................................... 29
4.4.1 Community Centre Attendance ............................................................................................ 29
4.4.2 Community Centre Utilisation Rates..................................................................................... 30
4.5 Volunteers At Community Centres ...................................................................................................... 31
4.6 Information and Communication Technology At Community Centres ............................................... 34
4.7 Community Centre Budgets................................................................................................................. 35
4.7.1 Total Annual Budget for all Community Centres ................................................................. 35
4.7.2 External Grants ..................................................................................................................... 36
4.7.3 Facility Hire Pricing and User Charges................................................................................... 37
Section 5: Community Engagement And Benchmarking ........................................................................ 38
5.1 Community Engagement .................................................................................................................... 38
5.1.1 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 38
5.1.2 Survey Results ....................................................................................................................... 39
5.1.3 Focus Groups Responses ....................................................................................................... 41
5.1.4 Key Community Ideas............................................................................................................ 41
5.2 Benchmarking: Community Centre Comparison Study 2013 .............................................................. 42
Section 6: Key Findings, Recommendations and Implementation Guide ............................................ 45
6.1 Key Findings .......................................................................................................................................... 45
6.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 48
R 1. Strategic context .................................................................................................................. 48
R 1.1 One ‘Community Centre Program’ ......................................................................... 48
R 1.2 Community Centre Program Vision, Mission and Goals ........................................ 49
R 1.3 Volunteers and Community Participation .............................................................. 51
R 2. Community Centre Management ....................................................................................... 52
R 2.1 Determining Service Levels and Future Model of Delivery ..................................... 52
R 2.2 Interim Community Centre Staffing Model ............................................................ 53
R 2.3 Boards Of Management ........................................................................................ 54
R 2.4 Facility Maintenance and Compliance.................................................................... 55
R 2.5 Facility Information and Communication Technology ........................................... 55
R 3. Operational Procedures and Practices ................................................................................ 56
R 3.1 Performance Measures .......................................................................................... 56
R 3.2 Centralisation of Room Hire Booking System......................................................... 56
R 3.3 Administration Processes ....................................................................................... 57
R 3.4 Facility Hire Pricing and User Charges Framework ................................................. 57
R 4. Partnerships ......................................................................................................................... 58
R 4.1 External Partnership Opportunities ........................................................................ 58
R 4.2 Internal Partnership Opportunities ......................................................................... 59
6.3 Implementation Guide ......................................................................................................................... 61
Section 7: Appendices
Appendix 1: Community Centre Industry Snapshot
Appendix 2: Summary of Community Centre Operation
Appendix 3: Community Centre Utilisation Rates Data May 2013
Appendix 4: Total Expenditure for Community Centres
Appendix 5: Community Centres Directions Paper – Community Engagement Report April 2013
Appendix 6: Community Centres Comparison Study: Findings
Appendix 7: Summary of Proposed Staffing Changes At Four Community Centres
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
1. The City of Unley’s Community Centres
The City of Unley’s Community Plan 2033 reflects Council’s commitment to
support our engaged and active community, celebrate cultural and artistic
diversity and foster our unique community spirit. Our community centres
provide platforms for Council to demonstrate this commitment.
Council operates four community centres within the City of Unley boundaries: Goodwood Community
Centre, Clarence Park Community Centre, Fullarton Park Centre and the Unley Community Centre. Each
community centre has a different management model, including centres with local partnering
agreements and annual grant contributions, to centres that are fully Council-managed. All four
community centres offer services based on local needs determined by staff, Boards of Management,
local opportunities and community demand.
Community centres within the City of Unley are managed with a community development approach,
supporting the community to strengthen its capacity by identifying and responding to local needs.
Programs and services offered by our community centres are highly valued by user-groups, and they
engender a strong sense of local ownership, connection and sense of belonging.
The program and service delivery at both Clarence Park
Community Centre and Goodwood Community Centre is
provided under the direction of separate Boards of
Management, incorporated under the Associations
Incorporation Act 2009. Both of these centres have
traditionally been successful in attracting external grant
funding via their Boards, thus enabling them to provide a
number of specific services, including a childcare facility
(Clarence Park) and targeted Home and Community Care
services (Goodwood). In contrast, the Fullarton Park and
Unley Community Centres do not receive any significant
external grant funding as they are managed and operated
solely by Council, rendering these centres ineligible to apply.
The City of Unley has four
community centres which
attract an estimated 250,000
people per annum through
attendance at events,
programs and services.
Council actively seeks out organisations to partner with and deliver programs and services. This is
demonstrated in Partnership Agreements with the Clarence Park Community Centre and Goodwood
Community Services Inc., and the provision of room hire discounts for community groups and nongovernment organisations. These mechanisms enable Council to utilise other sources of expertise and
service provision to benefit the community.
Page 1 of 62
In 2013-14, the total annual expenditure for Council’s community centre program was $1 323 071, with a
net budget of $968 145. Each year, the four centres attract a visitation of an estimated 250,000 people
through attendance at approximately 275 programs, events and services.
For the past 18 years, the City of Unley has also supported the Eastwood Community Centre, located on
Glen Osmond Road, Burnside. Council has provided this centre with up to $22 000 annually for salaries,
programs and services, with negligible reporting on the expenditure of these funds. In 2012-2013,
Council provided Eastwood Community Centre with $15 576 to towards their operational costs.
Council has no formal agreement with Eastwood Community Centre or the City of Burnside. As
Eastwood Community Centre is not located in, owned or managed by the City of Unley, it has not been
included in this review other than consideration of the current arrangement in the Recommendations.
2. Community Centre Directions Paper
The Community Centre Directions Paper documents and analyses the current
situation at the City of Unley’s community centres, identifies opportunities for
improvement and offers recommendations relating to future directions for
service provision.
The Directions Paper was developed in response to a number of factors. During 2012-13, Council raised
questions relating to the number, location, resourcing and effectiveness of the City of Unley’s
community centres. In addition, there is ongoing pressure across local government to justify
expenditure in an effort to keep rates low, value high and services relevant for the communities we
serve. To address this expectation, Councils undertake regular reviews to ensure continuous
improvement of all services.
To respond to these issues, the Community Centre Directions Paper focuses on four main areas:
1. Strategic Context:
 Development of a vision, mission and goals for the centres that support Council’s strategic
direction and Community Plan 2033.
 Investigation of practices which enhance community participation and align with current and
emerging trends in the sector.
 Establishment of the value of community centres.
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2. Community Centre Management:
 Analysis of the existing mix and level of service provided at each centre, to identify gaps and
overlaps, and opportunities for improvement.
 Identification of resources required to deliver the current service, with considerations of
opportunities and risks.
 Identification of opportunities to maximize efficiency in the coordination and operation of
community centres, including planning and promotion.
 Exploration of operational and management models which maximise efficiency, value for money
and outcomes for Council and the community.
3. Operational Procedures and Practices:
 Analysis of existing data collection methodologies and performance measures, with consideration
of opportunities for improvement and alignment with monitoring systems across Council and the
sector.
 Investigation of administration practices, and identification of opportunities to enhance efficiency
and improve resource management.
4. Partnerships:
 Exploration of existing and potential external grant funding.
 Development of opportunities for enhancing internal and external partnerships to increase
collaboration and maximise outcomes.
Extensive research, stakeholder engagement and investigations were undertaken over an eight month
period, commencing in January 2013. Information was sourced through an industry trends analysis, a
Community Centre Comparison Study (undertaken by an external consultant), community engagement
and collation of existing information from our community centres.
During 2013, the sector’s peak body in South Australia, Community Centres SA, undertook its own
research into community centre operations at a state and national level, including models of operation,
funding sources and the common features of a community centre service.
This investigation, undertaken by the SA Centre of Economic Studies, provides evidence of the impact of
community centres. The report, Economic and Social Impact Study: Community and Neighbourhood
Centres Sector, was released in October 2013, after the Directions Paper research had concluded;
however, key themes from this Study have provided significant context for this review.
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3.
Key Findings
Based on the research in this Directions Paper, it is evident that the City of
Unley’s community centres are strongly aligned to local identity,
acknowledging and reflecting the individual communities in which they reside
and serve.
Analysis of this research has revealed that community centres are a valuable resource for our
community, providing access to information, opportunities for participation and affordable facilities and
programs. There are distinct opportunities to improve the scope and delivery of this Council service.
Significant key findings include:
 participants in the community engagement process strongly support and value our community
centres;
 community demand for a service has largely been determined by community centre staff based
on historical and existing use of a program;
 Council’s community centres essentially operate as four independent facilities, each with its own
management style, planning processes and administration practices;
 the City of Unley invests significantly more resources in its community centres in comparison with
other metropolitan councils;
 the community centre sector has no definitive guidelines for determining community centre
services and service levels, methodologies for evidence-based assessment of community demand
or systems for selecting the best model of management; and
 a major gap in Council’s existing service delivery model is the lack of consistent, comprehensive
and verifiable data collection methodologies for determining community centre services or
service levels, processes for evidence-based assessment of community demand, performance
measures for staff and services, or systems for selecting the best model of management for a
centre.
The Community Centre Comparison Study clearly demonstrates that the City of Unley has a considerable
number of community centres in relation to the City’s size and population.
For the purpose of summarisation and contrast, the table below compares the City of Unley with other
metropolitan councils (in order by population size):
Page 4 of 62
City of
Population
Area in Ha
No. of
Community
Centres
FTE
Volunteers
Community
Centres Annual
Budget $000
% of Budget
compared to
total operating
expenditure
Annual Spend
Per Capita
0.08%
0.003%
$23.00
$3.16
Adelaide
NP&SP
19 639
33 500
1560
1510
3
1
3
1.4
29
2
$451
$106
Holdfast
Bay
Unley
36 000
1370
7
1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
38 300
1427
4
9.23
200
$1 049
2.7%
$27.40
West
Torrens
Mitcham
57 000
3707
4
N/A
5
N/A
0.05%
N/A
65 000
7570
6
3.5
6
$101
0.19%
$1.55
Marion
85 000
5500
4
9.73
160
$1 264
1.77%
$14.85
TTG
98 028
9521
4
3.1
55
$425
0.58%
$4.35
Charles
Sturt
109 721
5563
5
5
119
$641
0.70%
$5.85
This comparison indicates that the City of Unley:
 allocates the highest percentage of Council’s total operating expenditure on a community centre
program;
 has a very high number of FTEs (9.23) for a City of its size, compared to the other metropolitan
councils surveyed, second only to the City of Marion (9.73); and
 spends significantly more per capita ($27.40) on community centres compared to most other
metropolitan councils.
In the course of investigating this Directions Paper, it became evident that two of the key findings above
prevent the formulation of evidence-based recommendations regarding the most appropriate number,
location, management model(s) and service levels for the City of Unley’s community centres at this time:
 the absence of comprehensive data collection systems in our community centres, and
 the community centre sector’s lack of standards and guidelines.
To accommodate these significant gaps and improve efficiency, effectiveness and value for money, the
Directions Paper offers fourteen recommendations for the future direction of the City of Unley’s
community centre program.
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4. Recommendations
The Community Centre Directions Paper culminates in recommendations
covering four key areas:
1.
Strategic Context
2.
Community Centre Management
3.
Operational Practices and Procedures
4.
Partnerships
Recommendations are summarised below, with rationales detailed in Section 7 of this Paper.
1.
Strategic Context
1.1 One ‘Community Centre Program’
R 1.1.1 Establish and promote the City of Unley’s ‘Community Centre Program’ as one program with
centralised programming and promotion, utilising a multigenerational approach to encourage
community connection and enhance the appeal of the Program for people of all ages.
R 1.1.2 Investigate the opportunity to pilot a community centre data collection project through the
Research and Development Scheme provided by the LGA.
R 1.1.3 Rename the Centre ‘Fullarton Park Community Centre’ to maintain consistency with the
‘Community Centre Program’.
1.2 Community Centre Program Vision, Mission and Goals
R 1.2.1 Adopt the proposed Vision, Mission and Goals for the City of Unley’s Community Centre Program.
R 1.2.2 Develop strategies and performance measures linked to these goals and the City of Unley’s 4
Year Plan (refer R 3.1).
1.3 Volunteers and Community Participation
R 1.3.1 Expand the City of Unley’s Volunteer Program to include a new ‘Community Centre Volunteer
Program’ to increase and promote volunteering roles and opportunities in the Community Centre
Program, including centre support and operational positions. The ‘Community Centre Volunteer
Program’ should include clear volunteer role descriptions, recruitment processes and ongoing training
and support opportunities (refer R 3.1).
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R 1.3.2 Ensure Community Centre Program performance measures include the involvement of
volunteers in a variety of roles as one of the indicators of success.
R 1.3.3 Increase volunteer involvement at Fullarton Park Centre, including but not limited to the
development of a new model of volunteer management of the Hughes Gallery.
2.
Community Centre Management
2.1 Determining Service Levels and Future Model of Delivery
R 2.1 Implement a framework of consistent data collection process over a period of 12 months at
Council’s community centres to determine:
 accurate community utilisation rates
 catchment areas of each centre (through post code collection)
 mix and level of service required (including opening hours)
Analysis of this data will be undertaken to determine:
 future methodologies for ongoing data collection and analysis to support evidence-based
definition of community need, operational decisions and service standards required
 management models to deliver the service (including number and location of centres)
 resourcing required to support delivery of the service (funding and staffing).
2.2 Interim Community Centre Staffing Model
R 2.2 Implement the interim community centre staff model, which includes a reduction of community
centre staff by two positions and an operating saving of $32 792 through a significant reduction in the
casual staffing allocation for each community centre (refer Attachment 7).
2.3 Boards Of Management
R 2.3 Undertake a review of the Goodwood Community Services and Clarence Park Community Centre
Board of Management model and Partnering Agreements to:
 determine the effectiveness of the Agreements,
 improve efficiencies in financial management and staffing,
 clarify and negotiate the roles and responsibilities of both parties and
 explore opportunities for improving service delivery and utilisation rates, within the context of
the outcomes of this Directions Paper.
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2.4 Facility Maintenance and Compliance
R 2.4 Determine Service Level Agreements with Council’s Assets and Infrastructure Department,
regarding maintenance schedules and procedures, budgets and response times, and review regularly.
2.5 Facility Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
R 2.5 Investigate future technology needs for community centres and create a Business Case and
Improvement Plan, as required.
3.
Operational Procedures And Practices
3.1 Performance Measures
R 3.1 Develop continuous improvement systems for measuring outcomes of the Community Centre
Program for both Council and the community, and include regular reviews of data for each individual
centre and the Program as a whole.
3.2 Centralisation of Room Hire Booking System
R 3.2 Introduce a centralised room hire booking system across Council that includes the community
centres to ensure efficiencies for community centres are realised.
3.3 Administration Processes
R 3.3 Undertake a comprehensive analysis and modify administration processes to enhance staff
productivity and improve process efficiencies, resulting in the development and implementation of
Standardised Operating Procedures for Council’s Community Centre Program.
3.4 Facility Hire Pricing and User Charges Framework
R 3.4.1 Review the ‘Hire of Community Centres’ Policy to improve transparency, equity and evaluation
processes related to the Community Benefit discount, within the context of one ‘Community Centre
Program’.
R 3.4.2 Fulfil Council’s commitment to community groups under any existing MOUs, and cease the
practice of establishing new MOU agreements.
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4.
Partnerships
4.1 External Partnership Opportunities
R 4.1.1 Investigate and develop partnerships with other organisations to support the delivery of the
Community Centre Program, build community capacity and strengthen connections with the community.
R 4.1.2 Develop an agreement with Eastwood Community Centre to define the parameters of the
funding for 2014-15, including the establishment of data collection methodologies to inform
consideration of the future of this partnership beyond June 2015.
4.2 Internal Partnership Opportunities
R 4.2.1 Establish strategies for strengthening collaboration between Unley Libraries, Community
Services, Community and Cultural Development and the Community Centre Program.
R 4.2.2 Create an annual ‘Community Program Guide’ to enhance awareness of and participation in
community activities and initiatives offered by Council.
R 4.2.3 Through the Community Asset Strategy and the Goodwood Precinct Plan, investigate the
opportunity of connecting the Goodwood Community Centre to the Goodwood Library and the
improved use of the adjacent lawn area.
R 4.2.4 As part of the Unley Libraries Service Review, explore options for the future delivery of the Toy
Library program currently provided by Goodwood Community Services.
These Recommendations provide Council with the
opportunity to define its commitment to the City of Unley
community centres and determine future opportunities to
support the community and maximise value.
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SECTION 1
METHODOLOGY
In November 2012, the Community Centre Directions Paper Reference Group
was established to oversee the development of the Community Centre
Directions Paper. The Reference Group comprised the General Manager
Community, then Manager Finance, Manager Community Development,
Community Centre Team Leader and the Community Planner (Project
Manager).
In December 2012, the Reference Group developed a project plan to define the process and deliverables
of the Community Centre Directions Paper.
To meet the deliverables of this Paper a six-staged process was undertaken:
Stage 1: In-house Investigation
January - February 2013
Collection and examination of relevant data:
 Strategic documents relevant to community centres
 Management models of each centre
 Data collection processes and outcomes
 Current resources allocated to each centre
 Current programs provided by each centre
 Levels and types of usage and key target audiences
 The value of community centres, both individually and as a whole
 Community centre operations and key processes
 Centre income (venue hire, grants, user contribution)
 Demographic profile of the Unley community
 The relationship between centres and Council and relevant Council services
Stage 2: Supporting Research
March - April 2013
Research and analysis projects included:
 Comparative analysis undertaken by external consultants: benchmarking against other Councils
to determine where they sit in the market (including best practice defined in terms of ‘ value for
money’ in accordance with Council’s Service Improvement Framework) and to gain an
understanding of possible service improvement and resourcing opportunities
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 Industry scan to provide an understanding of current and future trends and challenges that may
impact our operations
 Key industry projects relating to community centre operations
 Community Engagement:
 With 226 community centre users and non-users
 Defining the needs of the community
 Determining levels of satisfaction and gaps with current service provision
 Establishing future aspirations of the community
 Defining community perceptions relating to community centre operations
 Focus group with 15 staff members
Stage 3: Data Analysis
May - June 2013
Over a period of two months, detailed analysis of all research was undertaken by the Reference Group to
determine recommendations for the future direction of the community centre program in the City of
Unley. This included a facilitated workshop by an external consultant to assist the Reference Group to
shape initial recommendations, plus ‘testing’ of draft recommendations with Community Centre staff.
Stage 4: Community Centre Directions Paper Draft Preparation
June - October 2013
To assist Council in its decision-making regarding the future of the City of Unley’s community centres, the
Directions Paper comprised:
 Detailed information on the existing scenario at Council’s community centres
 Information on gaps and opportunities in relation to the community centres
 Recommendations for the future direction of community centres in the City of Unley
Stage 5: Independent Evaluation and Revision of the Community Centre Directions Paper
November 2013 – January 2014
An external consultant was engaged to undertake an independent review of the draft Community Centre
Directions Paper to assess the report’s structure and content. Following feedback from this specialist in
local government service reviews, the report was amended and the final Paper completed.
Stage 6: Elected Member Briefing and Council Report
February 2014.
Page 11 of 62
Page 12 of 62
SECTION 2
COMMUNITY CENTRE
INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT
Page 10 of 62
Community centres across Australia continue to be strongly aligned to local
identity and community need. Consequently, community centres vary greatly
in terms of service and operational models, resources, infrastructure and
facilities and support received from local and state governments.
They cannot be viewed as ‘one size fits all’, but rather as ‘one size fits one’, acknowledging and reflecting
the individual communities in which they reside and serve.
Research of the community centre industry in Australia was undertaken to determine relevant
developments and influencing factors that may impact and/or influence community centres, regardless
of their purpose, function or model of operation.
The following key points have been identified as significant and may be considered when assessing the
future direction of the City of Unley’s community centres.
Focus Area
Trends
1. Community Involvement
and Development
The role of community development is expanding, particularly in the
areas of governance, and building and promoting social sustainability
and resilience, with local representation and participation, both in a
management and operational capacities.
2. Community Centre
Infrastructure
The quality, size, number and layout of community centre facilities and
infrastructure varies greatly across the nation and is largely dependent
upon available funding, strategic priorities, management models and
local community need.
3. Determining Number of
Community Centres Required
Nation-wide, there is no definitive formula for determining the number
of community centres required to service a local government area. In
2009, the City of Unley’s Strategic Building Review investigated this
issue.
4. Local Government Reviews Nationwide, local government is increasingly reviewing services,
programs and facilities to improve efficiencies and bring a greater
return on investment to their constituents.
5. Multigenerational Hubs
There is an increasing trend to move away from age-specific
community centres and towards multigenerational facilities and
programming.
6. Centres for Sustainability
Leadership
Community centres are playing a greater role in empowering
community members with the training, skills and networks they need to
create a better future for their local communities and the environment.
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Focus Area
Trends
7. Partnerships
Partnering with external service providers and community groups
reduces resources required by councils to maintain community centre
service delivery levels, and often results in enhancement of the scope,
number and quality of services offered to a community.
8. Neighbourhood
Development Funding
The primary source of external funding for community centres is the
Family and Community Development Fund through the Department of
Community and Social Inclusion (DCSI). This financial year, Council
received $31 866 through this funding program. The conditions of this
grant have recently been modified to allow funds to be allocated to the
most disadvantaged communities in SA. The City of Unley’s current
DCSI funding agreement will cease on 30 June 2014. The impact of
changes to this funding stream will be assessed and addressed during
this timeframe.
9. HACC Funding
In 2014-2015, there will be significant changes to the delivery of Home
and Community Care programs nation-wide. These modifications may
result in a reduction in funding to HACC service providers, impacting
Goodwood Community Services’ Filipino and Greek HACC Programs.
10. Alternative Funding
Sources
Future trends indicate a reduction in state government funding for
community centres, consequently increasing the responsibility of local
government to provide this service. There is a world-wide trend
towards alternative sources of funding to support community
initiatives, such as crowd-funding.
11. Technology
Community centres deliver digital inclusion programs, providing access
to computers and the internet for communities. Across Australia, there
is increasing expectation by communities that technology will be a
feature of all local government facilities and services.
12. Community Centre
Performance Measures
Trends in the community centre sector indicate the importance of
assessing the positive impact of centres on the lives of the community
in addition to measuring the success of the service. At present, the City
of Unley’s community centres have no consistent, documented
performance measurement systems.
13. The Value Of Community
Centres
Nation-wide, community centres are perceived as community hubs,
facilitating and supporting the delivery of community programs and
services which are responsive to community needs and engender a
strong sense of local ownership, connection and sense of belonging.
A complete report on this research forms Appendix One, Community Centre Industry Snapshot.
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SECTION 3
CITY OF UNLEY
CONTEXT
Page 10 of 62
3.1 City Of Unley Community Profile
According to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, the main
population characteristics of the City of Unley are:
The City of Unley’s Community Profile 2013 highlights relevant aspects of the 2011 Census which may
impact Council’s community centres in the future:
 Since 2001, there has been an increase of 2 128 people aged 55-69 years living in the City;
 29.4% of the City’s population is aged between 0 – 24 years;
 30.6 % is aged between 15 - 44 years;
 36.6% is over the age of 65 years +;
 Children live in 34.6% of all households in the City of Unley, with an increase of children (310)
between 0 – 9 years of age;
 89.7% of households have vehicle access;
 37.4% of the population earn more than $2000 per week;
 22.5% of the population over the age of 15 years volunteer in the City of Unley; and
 64.1% of the population is employed.
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Census data reveals key focus areas with social and operational implications for the City of Unley’s
community centres:
Focus Area
Population
Growth
Implications
 Demand for community centre facilities and services is likely to rise as the
population increases in size, with ongoing need to provide a range of services
for people of all ages, including families with children, couples without children
and people living alone.
 New residents require information and support to acclimatise and connect to a
new community. Community centres are well placed to augment this role.
Ageing Population
 The need to support the community to remain healthy and active through the
provision of multigenerational, accessible and diverse programs and services at
community centres is likely to increase.
Generational
Change
 Demand for community centre programs could be influenced by the expansion
of the retirement age, as ‘baby boomers’ seek new opportunities and
challenges.
Increasing
Multiculturalism
 A more multicultural population could influence program and service
provision; there is an opportunity for the community to benefit from cultural
diversity by broadening cultural experiences at community centres.
Work Force
Changes
 Community centres could expand the roles and nature of volunteer
opportunities to support community members returning to the workforce, new
arrivals entering the workforce and ‘baby boomers’ transitioning from the
workforce to retirement.
Socio Economic
 Given the high employment rate, there could be increased demand for easily
accessible and flexible activity opportunities, including after-hours and
weekend program and service provision.
Health and
Wellbeing
 Community centres play a key role in encouraging physical activity and social
wellbeing through facilitating and initiating opportunities for involvement in
programs and access to services.
 With a high percentage of lone person households, community centres could
develop social inclusion strategies to engage isolated residents of all ages in
community activities.
Technology
 Young people view technology not as a tool but as a ‘foundation’ for all aspects
of their lives. Community centre facilities will need to meet the community’s
expectation of access to Wi-Fi networks and delivery of programs and services
with multigenerational appeal through the use of existing and emerging
technology.
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3.2
Strategic Alignment
3.2.1 City of Unley Community Plan 2033
Council’s Community Plan 2033 includes a Goal (2) called ‘Living’ which encompasses culture, diversity
and lifestyle. Specific outcomes relevant to the Community Centre Program include the following:
 We have a healthy community.
 Recreational and wellbeing programs influence healthy living behaviours.
 Thriving community spirit and a strong sense of belonging and connection.
 Enlivened public places support community interaction, celebration and gathering.
 Individuals and groups have access to meaningful community engagement opportunities, and use
them.
 High involvement in formal and informal volunteering opportunities strengthens our community.
Community centres already contribute to the delivery of these outcomes; however, the
recommendations of this Paper will strengthen the connection between community centre vision,
mission and goals, and Council’s strategic direction defined in the Community Plan 2033.
3.2.2 City of Unley 4 Year Plan
The 4 Year Plan outlines how Council will deliver the vision, strategies and framework set out in its
Community Plan. Several initiatives highlighted in the 4 Year Plan will have an impact upon, or involve,
the City of Unley’s community centres:
 Implement recommendations from the completed Community Centres Review
 Complete and implement the Community Assets Review
 Coordinate and facilitate a place activation program
 Implement the Library Strategy
 Develop and implement a new resident’s welcome pack
 Commence implementation of key projects in the Unley Central Precinct
 Investigate the provision of ‘digital information hubs’ including provision of Wi-Fi to all
community facilities
Council will undertake these initiatives between 2013 and 2017.
3.2.3 Community Asset Review and Strategy 2013 - 2017
In 2008, Council’s Strategic Building Review identified the condition, use, and future requirements of
Council’s community assets. Extensive stakeholder consultation and research was subsequently
undertaken through the process of implementing the Community Asset Review.
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The purpose of this Review was identified in the Strategic Building Review (2008) as follows:
“The City will provide services to the community which are consistent with Local Government’s
role or that are part funded by other levels of government within a financially sustainable
framework that does not place an unreasonable burden on ratepayers.”
In October 2013, Council endorsed the Community Asset Strategy 2013 – 2017, providing strategic
direction for the provision and improvement of community assets in the City of Unley in the short and
long term.
The Community Centre Directions Paper links with the Community Asset Strategy with regards to
community centre asset provision and management.
3.2.4 ‘Future Directions of the Unley Citizens Centre’ Report
While the future direction of the City of Unley’s community centre program as a whole has not been
considered until now, there has been specific work undertaken in relation to the Unley Community
Centre (previously known as the Unley Citizens Centre).
Council considered a report on the future direction of the Unley Citizens Centre in July 2011 (City
Strategy Item 45/11). At this time it was recommended that the Centre be renamed ‘Unley Community
Centre’ and that the provision of services be enhanced to reflect the findings of the research and
consultation outlined in the ‘Future Directions of the Unley Citizens Centre and Services for the Ageing’
report (November 2010). Key service delivery recommendations of this report included:
 a centre-based service which provides a wide range of activities, programs and services, targeted
to appeal to City of Unley residents, aged 50 years and over, including fit and frail aged, and their
carers;
 promotion of a person-centred approach, with activities and services structured around the
needs of users;
 including affordable activities which support positive ageing, increased well-being and reducing
the risk of social isolation;
 continuing to include an affordable meal service;
 providing information about other services for older people in the City of Unley; and
 preferred location of the Unley Community Centre identified as adjacent to the Unley Shopping
Centre.
The report establishes Council’s commitment to providing programs and services, targeted to people
aged 50 and over, which are affordable, support positive ageing, increase wellbeing, and reduce the risk
of social isolation.
3.2.5 City of Unley Ageing Strategy 2011 – 2014
The City of Unley has a high proportion of older people, which is predicted to rise over time. To prepare
for this demographic trend Council developed the City of Unley Ageing Strategy 2011 – 2014. This plan
includes recommendations that are relevant for our community centres.
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The relevant actions are:
 ‘Implement healthy lifestyle and physical activity programs at the City’s facilities for older
people.’
 ‘Develop internal linkages between the Unley libraries, community centres, and community
services to coordinate and promote social inclusion initiatives to reduce social isolation.’
Following the development of this Ageing Strategy, the City of Unley became the first Council in South
Australia, and one of six in Australia, to gain membership to the World Health Organisation’s Global
Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. Acceptance to the Network is an acknowledgment of
the Council’s commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible urban environment for older residents
and recognises the City of Unley’s efforts to promote healthy and active ageing. Community centres have
a key role in facilitating services that support the Active Ageing initiatives and outcomes.
In April 2013, the City of Unley won the Local Government Managers Australia’s 'Leadership Excellence
Award' for its age-friendly initiatives. The award recognises the City’s vision, leadership and commitment
in ensuring residents remain healthy, connected and independent well into old age.
3.2.6 City of Unley ‘Access for All’ Action Plan 2011-2016
The City of Unley Access for All Action Plan 2011-2016 was developed in response to the Commonwealth
Disability Discrimination Act (1992) to ensure Council’s continued compliance with the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA).
One of the objectives of the plan is to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to
participate in community life. The Action Plan refers to community centres in Action 3.1.10 which states:
“Encourage, develop and support activities at Community Centres that are accessible for people
with disabilities.”
Future consideration should also be given to ensuring all of the City of Unley’s community facilities and
programs are accessible for people of all abilities.
3.2.7 City of Unley Environment Sustainability Plan 2010 – 2013
The Environment Sustainability Plan 2010 – 2013 was developed to address issues facing the City of
Unley in managing the environment now and in the future. There is an action within the Climate Change
section of the Plan that makes specific reference to Clarence Park Community Centre as a sustainable
living demonstration site:
“Develop a sustainable living demonstration centre incorporating the Clarence Park Community
Centre examples.”
In 2011, the City of Unley developed a Food Security Strategy and undertook a review of Council’s
community gardens. Community centres are nominated as potential locations for initiatives such as
demonstration sites for sustainable buildings, community gardens, and using vegetation to enhance the
built environment and provide multiple benefits such as education, community harvesting, and
protecting biodiversity.
Page 18 of 62
The Environmental Sustainability Plan also highlights the connection between value of community
centres in an urban environment of medium density housing and limited open space.
A new Environment Sustainability Plan will be completed during 2014-2015.
3.2.8 City of Unley Policies Related to Community Centres
The City of Unley has key two policies related to the role and function of community centres: the
Community Social Development Policy (COU101, adopted 2010) and the Hire of Community Centres
Policy (COU103, adopted 2008).
The Community Social Development Policy acknowledges Council’s role in developing the wellbeing of its
residents and social capital in its community.
The Hire of Community Centres Policy provides a framework for hire of the Fullarton Park Centre, Unley
Community Centre and Goodwood Community Centre. This Policy does not apply to the Clarence Park
Community Centre due to the Partnership Agreement with the Board of Management, who
independently set hire fees for the Centre and retain the income for use in its operations of the Centre.
Both Policies are due for review in 2014-15, representing an opportunity to consider key findings of this
Paper.
3.3 Legislative Context
The Local Government Act 1999 places an obligation on both the Council and
the CEO to continuously review the efficiency and effectiveness of service
delivery and operations.
Sections 6, 7 and 8 of the Local Government Act 1999 outlines Council’s roles, functions and related
principles:
 S7(b) “to provide services and facilities that benefit its area, its ratepayers and residents and
visitors to the area including….. health, welfare and community services or facilities , and cultural
or recreational services or facilities”
 S8(b) “ be responsive the needs, interests and aspirations of individuals and groups within its
community”.
 S8(h) “seek to ensure that council resources are used fairly, effectively and efficiently”.
 S8(i) “seek to provide services, facilities and programs that are adequate and appropriate and
seek to ensure equitable access to its services and activities and programs”.
In addition, Section 130A of the Local Government Act 1999 provides that Council may “examine and
report on any matter relating to financial management, or the efficiency and economy with which the
council manages or uses its resources to achieve its objectives, which would not otherwise be addressed
or included as part of the annual audit under Division 4”.
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SECTION 4
CITY OF UNLEY
COMMUNITY CENTRES
OVERVIEW
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Page 10 of 62
4.1 FACILITY ASSETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
4.1.1 Overview
The City of Unley’s four community centre facilities represent significant assets for Council.
The City of Unley’s
community centres
have an estimated
total capital value
of $11.42m.
Overall, the facilities are maintained to current standards
and generally, no provision is made for upgrades other than
to maintain existing service levels.
To date, required service levels have not been identified
and no definitive ‘fit for purpose’ assessment has been
undertaken to compare existing facilities against these
standards. There has also been no assessment made of any
changes required to these facilities as a result of change in
future needs and requirements.
Minor capital upgrades have occurred at each of the
community centres over recent years; however, no major
structural works or upgrades have taken place. While no
future capital works are planned, a building condition audit is occurring in 2013-14 which may identify
future capital and maintenance type works.
With the exception of the Unley Community Centre, each site has on-site parking, with only Fullarton
and Goodwood being considered as adequate. Roof safety (access and egress) systems have been
installed at Goodwood, Fullarton and Clarence Park centres.
A building management system was installed at the Goodwood complexes in 2010-11 to manage the
mechanical (air-conditioning) systems. These works have resulted in a significant reduction in power
costs and greenhouse gas emissions across both the community centre and Library. The Unley
Community Centre had a small (1.6kv) photovoltaic system installed in 2011.
Clarence Park Community Centre has a 900L rainwater tank which captures water from the roof and its
overflow goes into the Biodiversity Garden and the aquifer system, saving up to 22kL of mains water per
year. The centre also has three photovoltaic cells. The 1440 watt grid-connected system provides
enough electricity to power the original cottage with 2500 kWh per year.
4.1.2 Unley Community Centre
The Unley Community Centre located in Arthur Street, Unley, is 775m² and is a brick constructed building
with flat metal deck roofing and concrete flooring. This building comprises a large hall with a stage,
entry foyer, offices, kitchen with cool room, dining room, toilet facilities and various individual meeting
rooms. A minimal standard of accessibility is generally provided to the Centre. The Centre has a total site
of 1 620m².
Council currently expends approximately $18 000 for repairs and maintenance, $25 000 for contracted
cleaning services and $20 000 for utilities per annum. The Unley Community Centre has an estimated
capital value of $1.83m.
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4.1.3 Fullarton Park Centre
Fullarton Park Centre is located on Fullarton Road, Fullarton and comprises three separate facilities:
 Building 1 - Community Centre: A bluestone constructed former residence of about 1515m² with
corrugated galvanised iron roofing and brick rear extension. The building has timber flooring to
the front portion and concrete flooring to the rear.
 Building 2 - Old Barn: a building of some 110m² of red brick construction with gabled corrugated
galvanised iron roofing. Two timber framed pergolas are attached. This building is currently
utilised as a craft (pottery) workshop.
 Building 3 - Caretakers Cottage: a brick constructed building of 98m² with hipped corrugated
galvanised iron roofing and concrete floor. A timber framed pergola is attached and internally
this building comprises meeting area, kitchen, laundry, storeroom, bathroom and 2 offices. The
building is currently leased to the SA Government – Child and Youth Health Unit.
A minimal standard of accessibility is generally provided across the facilities at the Centre. The total
Fullarton Park site is 21 280m².
Council currently expends approximately $25 000 for repairs and maintenance, $29 000 for contracted
cleaning services and $30 000 for utilities per annum (refers to buildings 1 and 2 only). Fullarton Park
Centre has an estimated capital value of $3.99m.
4.1.4 Clarence Park Community Centre
Clarence Park Community Centre is located on East Avenue, Black Forest and comprises both an activity
hall and administrative cottage.
 Building 1- Community Centre: Circa 1928, a building of some 811m² of rendered brick
construction with flat corrugated galvanised iron roofing and a mixture of timber and concrete
flooring. Internally this building comprises an open hall and associated rooms along with a
separately accessible child care centre.
 Building 2 - Community Centre Administration: a cottage of 169m² that is partially rendered brick
constructed, a former residence with corrugated galvanised iron hipped and gabled roof and rear
weatherboard extension. A veranda is situated at the front of the building which internally
comprises 3 offices, meeting rooms, and kitchen.
A minimal standard of accessibility is generally provided to the Centre. The Centre has a total site area of
2 169m².
Council currently expends approximately $30 000 for repairs and maintenance, $25 000 for contracted
cleaning services and $20 000 for utilities per annum across both Clarence Park facilities. Clarence Park
Community Centre has an estimated capital value of $2.5m.
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4.1.5 Goodwood Community Centre
Goodwood Community Centre is located on Goodwood Road, Goodwood and has an area of
approximately 1110m². The building is a large modern community centre of concrete block, brick and
rendered construction, constructed in 1999 as an extension to an older, much smaller existing building.
Internally it comprises 2 large halls, reception, three small meeting rooms and administration areas.
The standard of accessibility at this centre is generally greater that that available at the other community
sites. The Goodwood Community Centre and Goodwood Library occupy a total site of 6 070m².
Council currently expends approximately $16,000 for repairs and maintenance, $35,000 for contracted
cleaning services and $35,000 for utilities per annum in relation to the community centre only.
Goodwood Community Centre has an estimated capital value of $3.1m.
4.1.6 Asset Management
As with all other asset groups, seven guiding principles are used to determine how the community
centres can be managed from an asset perspective, these are:
Principle 1 – Equity across the community
A balanced approach is taken ensuring that residents across the community have equal opportunities for
required services.
Principle 2 – Sustainable assets
Assets are designed and maintained in a manner cognizant of a triple bottom line outcome (financial,
environmental and social) and utilising a life-cycle approach.
Principle 3 – Risk sensitive
Asset based decisions are done so in a manner where risks are identified, understood and managed
(WHS, environmental, public safety, political).
Principle 4 – Strategic consistency
Assets related to services are planned and maintained within an integrated planning framework.
Principle 5 – Functional & Service Level
Assets are designed & maintained to ensure they are fit for purpose, meeting the agreed Level of
Service.
Principle 6 – Compliant
Assets are designed and maintained to meet compliance requirements at a minimum.
Principle 7 – Innovation and improvement-focused
Alternative methods of providing services and assets are regularly examined and improvements
considered, ensuring ‘best value’ options are applied.
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4.2
COMMUNITY CENTRE OPERATIONS
The City of Unley has a demonstrated history of strong commitment to the
provision of community centres. Council provides substantial resources to
enable essential and popular programs and services to be delivered across the
centres.
Each year, Council’s four community centres attract a visitation of an estimated 250,000 people through
attendance at approximately 275 programs, events and services.
The way in which each community centre operates varies greatly depending on a range of factors listed
below.
 Management structure
 Capacity and condition of the facility
 Community need and expectations
 Staffing levels
 Volunteer participation
 Accessibility and range of programs provided
 Funding – both internal and external
 Tradition
Each community centre has its own independent system for defining and recording data such as program
descriptions and usage, which has affected accuracy and comparability of the information. There is a
clear opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of data collection systems at all community
centres to reduce subjectivity and increase accuracy of the information collected, and link this to defined
deliverables and measures of success at all community centres.
Given these significant variables and gaps in consistent data
collection procedures, the following table provides an indicative
overview of the operations of each community centre to consider each
facility individually and in comparison to the other centres.
A full summary of each centre is provided in Appendix Two Summary of the City of Unley’s Community
Centre Operations 2013.
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Clarence Park
Fullarton Park
Goodwood
Unley
Opening
Hours PW*
Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 3.00pm, and
Friday 9.00am to 12.00 noon
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm
Facilities
-Main Hall with stage
-Kitchen
-2 meeting rooms
-Cottage/Office
-Dedicated childcare area
-Off-street parking
-6 meeting rooms, 4 with kitchenettes
-Lounge and Dining area
-Banquet Room
-Commercial standard kitchen
-Arts Studio
-Off-street parking
Programs and
Services
Over 60 types of programs and services
focusing on child and family activities, lifelong
education, environmental initiatives and
community participation
Over 60 types of programs and
services focusing on child and family
initiatives, health and wellbeing,
education, arts and social clubs
-Reception and administration areas
-Banquet Hall with stage
-Commercial standard kitchen
-Activity Hall/indoor sports area
-3 meetings rooms
-2 outdoor areas
-Off-street parking
Over 50 types of programs and
services focusing on child and family
initiatives, sport and recreation
activities, and cultural groups
Events
19 events run by Centre staff each year
17 events run by Centre staff each year
6 events run by Centre staff each year
Other services
Food Co-op, Men’s Shed, Occasional Childcare
Centre and environmental demonstration site
including biodiversity garden, solar panels and
lighting, storm water disposal system,
rainwater tank and vertical garden
Hughes Gallery
Library
HACC program
Toy Library
Meals Service four days a week –
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday
Management
Model
-Board of Management comprising community
members and Council representatives
-Support by Council staff
Managed and operated solely by
Council, without input from
community representatives
-Board of Management comprising
community members
-Support by Council staff
Managed and operated solely by
Council, without input from
community representatives
Staffing Levels
Provided by Council: 1.77 FTEs
Provided by Board: 2.26 FTE
Provided by Council: 1.84 FTEs
Provided by Council: 2.51 FTEs
Provided by Board: 3.9 FTEs
Provided by Council: 3.02 FTEs
Volunteer
Numbers
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm
-Main Hall with stage
-Commercial kitchen
-Dining room
-2 meeting rooms
Over 40 types of programs and
services focusing on people over the
age of 50 years, including health,
arts, and interest/social groups
7 events run by Centre staff each
year
56
8
67
58
Total Annual
Expenditure
$259 159
$313 829
$361 626
$388 457
Total Annual
Income
-$14 800
-$145 230
-$85 383
-$109 513
Annual Net
Cost
$244 359
$168 599
$276 243
$278 944
* All Community Centres offer private hire of facilities out of business hours.
Page 24 of 62
4.3 COMMUNITY CENTRE MANAGEMENT MODELS
There are 107 community and neighbourhood centres, with 40 affiliate
organisations, throughout South Australia. Management of these centres fall
into four main categories of management, defined in the Community Centres
SA’s report called Economic and Social Impact Study: Community and
Neighbourhood Centres Sector (October 2013):
Community Centre
Management Models in SA
Council-Managed
13.2%
34.9%
14.2%
Independent without
Council Coordinator
Independent with
Council Coordinator
37.7%
Not-For-Profit
Managed
These figures indicate
that 65.1% of community
centres in SA are
outsourced by councils to
independent Boards of
Management or not-forprofit organisations.
Source: Community Centres SA 2013
Council-Managed: a community centre is directly managed and operated by council staff. It may be
supported by an informal advisory group consisting of volunteer community members which does not
have the authority or legal responsibilities of a Board of Management. A council-managed facility may
also include non-exclusive licences, where community groups or organisations have an agreement to
occupy part of the community centre, but not to the exclusion of other community groups.
Independently Managed without a Council Coordinator: a Board of Management, Incorporated Body,
Co-operative or similar, have an agreement with a council to manage and operate a community centre.
This model may include non-exclusive licences, where community groups or organisations have an
agreement to occupy part of the community centre, but not to the exclusion of other community
groups.
Independently Managed with a Council Coordinator: a Board of Management, Incorporated Body, Cooperative or similar, have an agreement with a council to manage and operate a community centre.
There is council representation on the management committee, with a council coordinator and council
staff coordinating and delivering programs and events. This model of management may include nonexclusive licences, where community groups or organisations have an agreement to occupy part of the
community centre, but not to the exclusion of other community groups.
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Managed by a Not-For-Profit Organisation: a community group like Centacare or Uniting Care Wesley
establishes an agreement with a council to occupy a community centre facility exclusively for a defined
time period.
Community Centres SA does not recommend a preferred model of management of a community centre,
as each individual council determines their commitment to the sector and resources it appropriately.
Each category of management offers benefits and challenges for a council, considered in the table
below.
Independent Community Centres
without council staff
Council-Managed
Community Centre
MODEL
BENEFITS
CHALLENGES
Management structure is flexible, able to adapt
to Council’s requirements, including integration
with Council’s strategic planning.
Structured and potentially reduced
community involvement in community
centre management and operations.
Council staff exclusively responsible for
management of the centre.
Exclusive responsibility of facility
maintenance.
Ease of dissemination of Council information
through the centres.
Ineligible for many external funding
streams to fund programs.
Use of facilities for Council events and activities
free of charge.
Resource intensive.
Volunteers on a Board of Management govern
the organisation in accordance with a
constitution.
No Council participation in decisions
relating to centre management,
including selection and delivery of
programs.
The Board of Management responsible for the
overall coordination of the centre, including
strategic planning and its implementation.
Shared responsibility of facility
maintenance.
Complete community management of the
community centre.
Ensuring alignment to the council’s
strategic plan.
Shared responsibility of facility maintenance.
Difficult to disseminate council
information through the centres.
Reduced resources required by Council.
Incorporated bodies are eligible for external
funding streams to fund programs.
Focus on metropolitan-wide service
delivery as opposed to the local
community.
Council contribution may not be
recognised by the community.
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MODEL
BENEFITS
Independent Community Centres
with council staff
A Partnership Agreement clearly defines roles
and responsibilities of each party.
Council staff share responsibility for the
management of the centre, ensuring council’s
strategic context is considered.
Reporting and accountability can be defined by
council with the Board of Management.
Considerable community involvement in
community centre management.
Shared responsibility of facility maintenance.
Incorporated bodies are eligible for external
funding streams to fund programs.
CHALLENGES
Resourcing requirements of staff.
Potential competing responsibilities
and expectations of staff.
Reduced flexibility in decisions related
to centre and programs management
for council and Boards.
Alignment of a council’s strategic plan
with the Board of Management’s
constitution may be challenging
because of competing priorities.
Responsibility for implementation of
OHS and Risk Management at centres
lies with Council but may have reduced
control over day to day management
and implementation of procedures.
Not-For-Profit (NFP) Organisation
Managed Community Centre
Difficulty attracting the skilled
volunteers required for representation
of Boards of Management.
Council-owned facility leased to NFP group,
often at pepper-corn rent.
The NFP group pay council rates and is
responsible for building maintenance.
The NFP group employs staff and supports
volunteers to deliver their service in the council
area.
Community grants provided by council to
support program delivery.
Reduced resources required by Council.
Limited input by Council.
Focus on metropolitan-wide service
delivery as opposed to the local
community.
Alignment of a council’s strategic plan
with the organisation’s constitution
may be challenging because of
competing priorities.
No council control over service delivery
and centre management.
Within these categories, the management of each community centre is modified to accommodate its’
community’s unique composition and needs, and the preferences of the local council with regards to
strategic direction, resource allocation and role of the centre in the community.
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At present, the City of Unley has two categories of community centre management, with four distinct
approaches:
Council Operated
Board Of Management
Fullarton Park Centre
Clarence Park Community Centre
A small number of programs selected and
delivered by Council staff.
Income generated by hall hire and program
participation fees is retained by the Board to fund
centre programs and operations including a Men’s
Shed program and childcare service.
The majority of events and programs are
provided by private hirers, including community
groups.
Council is the sole employer of centre staff.
Council retains the income generated from the
hire of the venue and program participation
fees.
Both Council and the Board employ centre staff,
under the terms of the Partnering Agreement.
The Board is eligible for external funding streams
to support operations.
Unley Community Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Some events and programs are provided by
private hirers, including community groups.
Council retains the income generated from the
hire of the venue and program participation fees.
The majority of programs selected and delivered
by Council staff.
Council provides Goodwood Community Services
with an annual operating grant to fund centre
programs and operations, including a HACC
program.
Council is the sole employer of centre staff.
Council retains the income generated from the
hire of the venue and program participation
fees.
Both Council and the Board employ centre staff,
under the terms of the Partnership Agreement.
The Board is eligible for external funding streams
to support operations.
Due to the gaps in consistent data collection identified at the City
of Unley’s community centres, it is difficult to determine the
efficiency and effectiveness of these management models. Retaining
a mix of management models may be the best option for Council,
but this cannot be determined without additional documented
evidence. This issue is addressed in the Recommendations.
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4.4
COMMUNITY CENTRE USAGE
4.4.1 Community Centre Attendance
Approximately 250 000 people attended the City of Unley’s community centres in 2012-2013. This
includes attendance at events, programs, services and private and commercial hire of facilities.
Estimated number of community centre
users in 2012-2013
31 891
71 962
Clarence Park
Goodwood
96 432
52 937
Fullarton Park
Unley
To determine these attendance figures, community centres use a combination of collation methods
using hard-copy diaries, role books, Dataworks and Excel spread sheets. Figures include:
 Attendance records taken by community centre staff at any centre-run program or activity.
 Attendance numbers estimated by community centre staff at community centre-run events.
 Casual hirers provide anticipated/estimated attendance numbers on Hire Agreement Forms prior
to an event, activity or program.
 Regular hirers record anticipated/estimated attendance numbers annually on Hire Agreement
Forms prior to an event, activity or program.
There is also considerable reliance upon estimation of numbers by staff and hirers. While these collation
methods provide an approximation of annual attendance numbers, they do not capture where users
reside or the attendance of people visiting the centres:
 in addition to the numbers estimated in Hire
Agreements;
 seeking community information or to enquire
about venue hire;
 to only use the open space areas at a centre (such
as Clarence Park’s biodiversity garden);
 to go to the childcare centre or Food Co-op at
Clarence Park, or the Reiki Centre or Child and
Youth Health Service at Fullarton Park; or
Gaps in data collection procedures
prevent the formulation of
evidence-based conclusions about
community centre attendance
at this time.
 to participate in voting at Elections.
Page 29 of 62
4.4.2 Community Centre Utilisation Rates
Utilisation rates for community centres can be determined by comparing hours each space is available
for hire, with real hours each space is actually hired.
Prior to this Review, the City of Unley’s community centres did not have a system in place to determine
utilisation rates for each facility, with attendance numbers only being estimated and recorded. For the
purpose of analysis in the Community Centre Directions Paper, the four community centres were
required to record utilisation rates for the month of May 2013, following a standard template.
For example, the main hall at the Unley Community Centre is available for hire for a period of 7.5 hours
each Monday to Friday, and for a period of 8 hours each Saturday and Sunday, representing a total of
236.5 actual hours of available use per month. During the month of May 2013, this space was used for a
total of 160 hours, making the utilisation rate 67.65%. Using this method for all rooms for hire in a
centre, utilisation rates for each facility have been calculated and presented in the table below.
Given the variety and ambiguity of attendance collation methods
outlined in 4.4.1, the following utilisation rates must be considered as
indicators only, based on data collected over a four week period.
Community Centre Utilisation Rates - May 2013
80%
73%
70%
70%
60%
60%
46%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Clarence Park
Goodwood
Fullarton Park
Unley
Utilisation rates can be significantly influenced by the location, layout and condition of facilities; for
example, a yoga class cannot operate next to a Volleyball game, as the noise generated by one activity
would interrupt the other.
Page 30 of 62
According to Community Centres SA, there is no universal base-line to indicate a strong utilisation rate
for community centres in Australia. Each Council, and even each individual community centre within
that Council, utilises a unique system for estimating facility usage, dependent upon function, tradition,
venue, characteristics, resourcing and programs and services offered at the particular community
centre. These variables render comparison of utilisation rates with other council’s community centres
inconsistent and inaccurate.
Community Centres SA advocates for councils to assess more than the number of people entering a
community centre as a measure of its success. Using planning, evaluation and continuous improvement
tools, the quantity and quality of the community centre program can be measured accurately. This issue
has been addressed in the Recommendations as an area for improvement. (Appendix Three contains a
complete record for May 2013 for all four community centres.)
4.5 VOLUNTEERS AT COMMUNITY CENTRES
Volunteers have always been intrinsic to the life and success of the City of
Unley’s community centres.
Centre coordinators support registered City of Unley volunteers to participate in variety of roles in
community centres, such as events support, maintenance, bus driving, administration and program
delivery and support, including HACC, Meals and School Holiday Programs.
Boards of Management comprising community volunteers contribute to the ongoing management of
programs and services at Clarence Park and Goodwood Community Centres. Partnership Agreements
with the Clarence Park Community Centre Inc. and Goodwood Community Services Inc. are models
which encourage community participation and ownership, and demonstrate the importance of local
volunteers participating in the management of community centres.
Over the past 7 years, statistics reveal a relatively
consistent number of volunteers at our community
centres; however, there has been a gradual decline in
the number of hours contributed by those volunteers,
with the exception of Fullarton Park Centre,
demonstrated in the graphs below.
(Note: As Goodwood Community Centre has no
registered City of Unley volunteers, the figures shown
represent Goodwood Community Services
volunteers).
During 2012-2013, Council’s four
community centres provided
volunteering opportunities for 200
people who contributed a total of
20, 000 volunteer hours.
Page 31 of 62
Volunteer Numbers
114
120
100
80
64
60
56
64
68
58
40
20
2
0
Clarence Park
Unley
2006-2007
8
Fullarton Park
Goodwood
2012-2013
Volunteer Hours
12000
11,170
4000
7,280
7,108
8000
6000
9,413
9,310
10000
3,761
2000
480
702
0
Clarence Park
Unley
2006-2007
Fullarton Park
Goodwood
2012-2013
The City of Unley’s Community Profile 2013 establishes that volunteerism is relatively strong in our
community, with 22.5 % of the population contributing volunteer services compared with 17.7% for
Greater Adelaide. The Community Profile identifies that there is an opportunity to redefine Council’s
policy position on volunteering in the future:
‘particularly in respect to the type and nature of work available, the timing of work and establishing
transition programs from full-time paid work to retirement. There is potential to support ‘new
volunteering’ and further strengthen the community’s involvement in volunteering.’
The City of Unley Community Profile, Page 18
In Council’s Community Plan 2033, the strategy Living: Our Path To A Thriving City identifies the strategic
objective of a ‘collaborative and engaged community’. Outcomes for this strategic objective include
‘high involvement in formal and informal volunteering opportunities strengthens our community’. An
indicator of this outcome is an increase in volunteer participation.
Page 32 of 62
In 2008, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Local Government Managers Association
published a strategic framework called ‘Volunteering In Local Government: A Way For The Future’, and
in 2012, the LGA and Local Government Volunteers Managers Network produced the ‘Volunteer
Management In Local Government’ strategy. Together, these documents provide flexible strategies for
volunteer engagement and sustainable management of new and emerging trends in volunteerism.
In community centres across Australia, the expectations of existing and potential volunteers are
changing. This is reflected in demand for new and diverse volunteering roles such as opportunities for
newly arrived residents, skill development in unemployment and career transitioning.
Expansion of volunteer opportunities for people of all ages has the added benefit of increasing
community empowerment, ownership and participation, and enhancing community capacity, thus
strengthening sustainability and relevance of community centres. By expanding volunteering roles
available in Council’s community centre program, there would be innovative opportunities to engage
new volunteers through targeted sources, such as universities, schools, sporting clubs, community
groups and local organisations and businesses. This would have a positive impact upon the effective
and efficient management and operation of the City of Unley’s community centres, thereby enhancing
community ownership and strengthening connections with Council.
Futurist Bernard Salt’s
definition of new life
stages, people over the
age of 50 years in their
‘lifestyle’ phase do not
see themselves as ‘old’;
generally, they are no
longer working full-time,
but not yet retired, with
money and freedom of
choice. People at this
stage of their ‘lifecycle’
are seeking new
challenges and
experiences. To engage
and retain this
demographic of the
community in
volunteerism, community
centres must expand the
roles and responsibilities
of volunteers.
Developing volunteer roles which differ from and
complement the roles of paid employees would have intrinsic
value for both the volunteers and the community centres. For
example, volunteer roles in administration and customer
service would provide significant opportunities for new
volunteers while supporting the efficient delivery of the
service.
Historically, volunteers have not performed administration
and customer service roles in the City of Unley’s community
centres, due to role preferences, reliability and the time
commitment of volunteers, and inadequate role definition,
training and support provided by Council.
There is also a perception among community centre staff that
volunteers in administration and customer service roles are
predominantly ineffective and inefficient. This could be
addressed through the creation of a robust Volunteer Policy
and Program, by identifying volunteer participation as a
community development role of community centres, and by
linking volunteer involvement with performance measures.
Page 33 of 62
4.6 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY AT COMMUNITY CENTRES
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) support at each
community centre is unique, given the different design and age of each
building, past upgrades of facilities and the location of each centre. The table
below provides a summary of the current ICT at each community centre.
Unley
Telephone
system
Council PABX
Potential to
provide Wi-Fi
Yes (installed)
Current capacity to add
additional services/PCs
Yes
Requires
additional bandwidth
No
Clarence Park
Local - Commander
No
No
Yes
Fullarton Park
Council PABX
No
No
Yes
Goodwood
Council PABX
Yes
Yes
No
Both Goodwood and Unley Community Centres have been connected to the Council’s ICT systems using
fibre optic cabling linked to Council Libraries. Improvement to the ICT systems at Clarence Park and
Fullarton Park Community Centres is constrained by their distance from other Council facilities.
 Fullarton Park Centre has a minimum bandwidth connection back to Council’s ICT. With this
arrangement, there is no capacity at present to increase any operations that require ICT
connection. The centre has been migrated onto the Council PABX system so telephone
extensions behave the same as local Civic Centre phones. To be able to facilitate any additional
ICT opportunities, the bandwidth will need to be increased.
 Clarence Park Community Centre is similar to Fullarton Park Centre; however, the facility still
operates on a local Commander telephone system. This has not been migrated to the Council’s
PABX as it is a more extensive network than Fullarton Parks Centre. To enable this service to be
migrated and provide a base to take advantage of any future ICT opportunities, the bandwidth
provided will need to be increased. Clarence Park Community Centre Board also has its own PC
network located at the Centre, separately funded and maintained by the Board.
 Goodwood Community Centre is fibre connected via the Goodwood Library since they were
established on the Council network several years ago. Therefore, Council’s PCs in the Centre
operate in the same manner as the Civic Centre. In 2012 the local telephone network was
migrated onto the Council’s main PABX system so telephone extensions behave the same as local
Civic Centre phones. With this base infrastructure established, they are well placed to be able to
take advantage of future ICT opportunities as they are identified. Goodwood Community
Services also has its own PC network located at the Centre, funded and maintained by GCS.
 In 2012, the Unley Community Centre was migrated onto Council’s fibre network. This has
enabled the ICT operations of the Centre to act in the same manner as Civic Centre customers.
Page 34 of 62
With this base infrastructure in place, the Civic Centre Wi-Fi network was subsequently extended
to the Unley Community Centre for community access.
For both staff and the community, it is essential that organisational functions and service delivery be
enhanced and supported by ICT systems to increase organisational efficiencies and accessibility, and
encourage more people of all ages to participate in community centres.
Council’s Business and Economic Development Unit is currently investigating the opportunity to
establish consistent, free Wi-Fi access along key mainstreets and meeting locations through Broadband
Fibre connected ‘wireless hotspots’. The ‘Unitiwireless’ project has the potential to improve service
provision at the City of Unley’s community centres.
4.7
COMMUNITY CENTRE BUDGETS
4.7.1 Total Annual Budget for all Community Centres
In 2012-2013, Council’s total annual expenditure for community centres was $1 323 071, representing
2.7% of the City of Unley’s total budget of $39.4m. The total annual income for all community centres
was $354 926. Therefore, the net cost to Council for all centres was $968 145.
In 2012-2013, the centres had a combined Council FTE of 9.23, with four Community Centre
Coordinators and the remaining staff responsible for administration, customer service and program
facilitation. The total staffing budget (including all on costs) was $736 427, representing 55.6% of the
total annual expenditure $1,323,071.
The income generated from venue hire and program fees offsets some of the operating costs of the
centres, with the exception of Clarence Park Community Centre where venue hire income is retained by
the Board of Management for the provision of services to the community and facility maintenance.
Income
Expenditure:
Net Cost
Unley
Fullarton
Goodwood
Clarence Park
TOTALS
-$109 513
-$145 230
-$85 383
- $14 800
-$354 926
Staff $230 241
Staff $160 757
Staff $193 741
Staff $151 688
$736 427
Operating Costs*
$107 180
Asset Costs**
$51 036
Total $388 457
$278 944
Operating Costs*
$76 403
Asset Costs**
$76 669
Total $313 829
$168 599
Operating Costs*
$83 396
Asset Costs**
$84 489
Total $361 626
$276 243
Operating Costs*
$42 551
Asset Costs**
$64 920
Total $259 159
$244 359
$309 530
$277 114
$1 323 071
$968 145
*Operating costs include: materials, programs, publicity, postage, catering, volunteer services, depreciation. **Asset Costs
include: building repairs and maintenance, contracted cleaning services and utilities.
These figures include all on costs.
Page 35 of 62
Appendix Four contains a full breakdown of the City of Unley’s operating expenditure budget for
community centres in 2012-2013.
4.7.2 External Grants
As incorporated bodies, the Management Boards of both Clarence Park Community Centre and
Goodwood Community Services are able to apply for external grant funding. The table below provides a
summary of the grant funding received by both Boards in the 2012-13 financial year:
Clarence Park Community Centre
Project name
Description
Grant program
Organisation
Amount
The Guerrilla
Kitchen
The Guerrilla Kitchen served
Social Marketing
healthy soups and distributed Capacity Building
health promotional material to Community Grant
targeted groups.
SA Health
$1,500
Black Forest
Primary School
History Project
Produce a DVD on the 30 year
history of the Black Forest
School Garden
Adelaide and Mt
Lofty Rangers
Natural
Resources
Management
$4,614
Strength for Life
Establishment
Strength for Life provides a
strength training program for
people over the age of 50 and
those uncomfortable at
regular gymnasiums.
Bendigo Bank
$2,000
Achiever
Community Grants
TOTAL
$8,114
Goodwood Community Services
Project name
Description
Grant program
Organisation
Amount
HACC Program Day Program
To reduce social isolation of
Greek and Filipino HACC
clients through social and
cultural support in their own
homes
Office for the
Ageing – Home And
Community Care
Dept Families
and
Communities
$263,280
STAINES Child
Development
Provides support to parents
wanting to increase their
knowledge and skills about
child development
Family and
Community Dev.
Program - Parent
Child Dev.
Dept Families
and
Communities
$36,800
Toy Library
A lending and advisory service
for families
Dept Education
and Child
Development
$9,554
TOTAL
$309,634
Page 36 of 62
Limited external grant funding is available for Unley Community Centre and Fullarton Park Centre as
they are not managed by incorporated bodies through Boards of Management and are therefore
ineligible to apply for many grants.
With the exception of funding through the Department of Community and Social Inclusion (DCSI) Family
and Community Development Fund, there are no alternative sources of consistent, ongoing funding for
community centres other than local government. Future trends indicate a reduction in State
government funding for community centres, consequently increasing the responsibility of local
government to provide this service. Community centres and Boards seek additional grants through such
bodies as SA Health, Natural Resource Management and the Bendigo Bank to support the delivery of
some programs.
4.7.3 Facility Hire Pricing and User Charges
The City of Unley’s Hire of Community Centres Policy provides a
discount framework for the hire of Fullarton Park Centre, Unley
Community Centre and Goodwood Community Centre. This
framework supports community groups who hire the facilities to
provide activities and programs that are locally based and
provide a community benefit. The Policy aims to provide
guidelines for transparent decision making and increased
accessibility to Council facilities through reduced hire fees.
The City of Unley’s ‘Hire
of Community Centres’
Policy is scheduled for
review in 2014-15. This
represents an
opportunity to assess
the discount framework
for the hire of Council’s
community centres.
The Hire of Community Centres Policy states that a discount of
55% will apply if an individual, group or organisation is located or
resides in the City of Unley, and if the activity has ‘Community
Benefit’, that is, the activity is primarily not-for-profit, with
demonstrated and direct benefits for residents and meets a social, environmental or economic
development need. The Policy does not provide assessment guidelines of ‘Community Benefit’.
To manage the varied and constant requests for discounts of hire fees, each community centre has
develops its own Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable Council to provide additional
support for community groups to access community centre facilities and provide programs and services
for the community. This procedure is not captured within the Hire of Community Centres Policy. At
present, there are 23 MOUs with community groups, sporting clubs and organisations. These MOUs are
created at the discretion of the Community Centre Coordinators.
Currently, charges for users of community centre services and programs are determined by individual
community centres, depending on the total cost of delivering each service or program, and in
consideration of the target audience and nature of the activity. There is an opportunity to centralise the
planning of user charges for all community centre programs and services, to improve consistency, equity
and accessibility.
Page 37 of 62
SECTION 5
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT AND
BENCHMARKING
5.1
Community Engagement
5.1.1 Methodology
The community engagement stage of the project was undertaken in March 2013. The consultation
program targeted key stakeholders, centre users and non-users. Views of the community were sought
via our online community hub, Your Say Unley, as well as via a printed survey made available from the
community centres, the community bus, and the Unley Libraries.
Printed surveys were distributed at the:
 Heywood Park ‘Footstomping, Fables, and Film’ event on
Saturday, 16 March 2013;
The community
engagement process
aimed to:
 community information day held at Forestville Reserve on
Sunday, 24 March 2013 for the Forestville/ rail projects; and
 determine the current
needs of the community;
 Unley Shopping Centre on Thursday, 28 March 2013.
 ascertain levels of
satisfaction and gaps in
current service provision;
During this phase a number of ‘face to face’ opportunities were also
available for community input. These included:
 eight community focus groups, with a daytime session and
evening session being held at each of our four community
centres;
 two focus groups held with each of the Boards of Management;
and
 one focus group specifically for community centre volunteers.
 recognize future
community aspirations;
and
 establish community
perceptions relating to
our community centres.
operations.
A total of 241 people participated in this initiative. Of these: 226 were community members, 15 were
staff members, 126 attended one of the 12 focus groups available, 115 people completed a survey (97
completed a hard copy survey and 18 completed the on-line survey through the Your Say Unley site).
An internal consultation was also undertaken with relevant Council staff.
Despite numerous opportunities to contribute, the number
of participants and engagement with non-users of our
community centres during this consultation process was
relatively small. The data provided therefore represents a
limited sample of community opinion.
Page 38 of 62
5.1.2 Survey Results
The following feedback was received in response to the survey questions (refer Appendix Five):
What is your level of awareness about our community
Centres?
Other
1
Never knew any of them existed
6
I know of and have used more than one of
the Centres regularly
47
I know of and have used one of the Centres
49
I know of all the Centres but haven't used
any of them
4
I know of my local Centre but haven't used it
9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Fitness activities and social gatherings were the most popular reasons why respondents accessed a
community centre in the past 12 months. The main reason cited for not attending a community centre
was lack of information or awareness of what programs and activities are available.
How satisfied were you with the program offered at the
Community Centre?
*Other
4
Not satisfied
1
Satisfied
30
Very satisfied
63
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
A total of 33 respondents were satisfied with the facility or room they hired, with 51 stating they were
‘very satisfied’.
While a program or activity may attract a participant to a community centre, survey responses reveal
that many participants develop friendships and connections with their community as a result of
attending a community centre.
Page 39 of 62
What do you gain from using a Community Centre?
*Other
21
Friendship
67
Fitness
29
Education
33
Feeling part of the community
86
0
20
40
60
80
100
The survey also asked participants for suggestions for improving our community centres. From the
numerous and diverse ideas, the most common responses can be grouped under three main headings:
Facilities:
 Better car parking and signage.
 Improve grounds maintenance.
 Provide a café facility at each community centre.
 Improve access to disabled toilets and showers.
 Create community gardens at community centres where possible.
Programs:
 Maintain low cost of activities.
 Improve room hire discounts for not-for-profit community groups who run community programs.
 Target men for group activities.
 Create information packs for new community groups to assist them with planning, training of board
members, public liability insurance and promotion.
 Offer more activities for young people such as youth-run events, special interest clubs, music
practice and fitness classes.
 Provide a more diverse range and number of recreation and fitness courses for older people as they
are very popular and difficult to get into.
Promotion:
 Develop stronger advertising strategies to promote existing programs and community groups.
 Utilise the local Messenger to regularly promote each community centre.
 Send a flier to all rate payers bi-annually, promoting the community centres.
 Improve use of social media to promote community centres and make the City of Unley website
more user-friendly.
Page 40 of 62
 Ensure existing notice boards provide up to date information and consider installing notice boards
outside of community centre buildings to provide access to information at all times.
 Improve interaction and connections across the community (e.g. schools, shops, council).
5.1.3 Focus Groups Responses
The following feedback was captured during focus groups:
 Community centres have a positive impact on people's well-being, sense of connection and
community spirit.
 Community centres provide a hub for council and other information.
 The importance of volunteers was highlighted and the need to continue to support their
involvement in addressing local needs and to be actively involved in running the centres.
 Affordability and accessibility are key factors in the success of the centres in Unley.
 Access to transport is a critical factor for attendance at community centre activities.
 There is an opportunity to strengthen linkages between community centres, libraries, and Council’s
community services team.
 Staff at community centres are friendly, approachable and well informed.
 There is a lack of awareness about what is provided at community centres and an opportunity to
improve promotion through website and local media.
5.1.4 Key Community Ideas
Analysis of the survey and focus groups results revealed key suggestions from the community:
 develop better linkages between community centres, Council services and libraries to deliver a
‘seamless’ service to the community;
 install Wi-Fi/Broad Band for free community access at all community centres;
 encourage training for new members of Boards of Management, and addressing this as part of a
review of the Partnering Agreements;
 develop a central ‘program waiting list register’ for the four community centres and review this
regularly to identify opportunities to combine duplicated programs;
 create a ‘Welcome Pack’ for new residents of the City of Unley including information on community
centre s, Library and Council community programs and services;
 develop a marketing strategy for the City of Unley community centres program to better promote
the service; and
 establishing community garden sites at community centres where possible.
Appendix Five contains a full report on the community engagement process and results.
Page 41 of 62
5.2
Benchmarking: Community Centre Comparison
Study 2013
The Community Centre Comparison Study was undertaken by an external
consultant between November 2012 and May 2013. The study involved
research and analysis into the model and operations of the City of Unley’s
community centres, including comparative studies across local government
and current industry trends and implications.
For the purpose of the Study, a community centre was defined as:
a public place where members of the community can hire spaces and gather for group meetings,
activities, social support and public information. Often used in responding to local community
needs and supporting community to undertake local action.
Methodology for the Study consisted of an online survey of identified councils, a desktop review and
benchmarking. Participating councils were:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Marion
Unley
Mitcham
Tea Tree Gully
Holdfast Bay
West Torrens
Norwood Payneham St Peters
Charles Sturt
Adelaide
Although the City of Burnside was invited to contribute, they
did not participate in the survey. At the time of writing this
report, some councils did not provide all requested
information.
It is important to note that each council has its own definition
of a ‘community centre’, and every community centre has its
own unique system for recording data such as utilisation rates
and attendance levels, making comparison of participant
numbers and usage limited and inequitable.
Each council has its own
definition of a
‘community centre’, and
every community centre
has its own unique
system for recording
data such as utilisation
rates and attendance
levels, making
comparison of
participant numbers and
usage limited and
inequitable.
Deliverables and measures of success at any community centre are disparate, often subjective and even
non-existent, depending on each council’s processes and procedures. This weakness in the community
centre industry is currently being addressed by Community Centres SA through their endorsement of
the Results Based Accountability tool.
Page 42 of 62
Despite these limitations, it is still possible to determine some similarities and differences in the way
each council delivers its community centre service.
Some commonalities between community centres include:
 the provision of infrastructure including meeting, activity and shared spaces
 delivery of a broad range of programs and services in response to local community need
 venue hire by private, community or commercial groups
 volunteer participation to varying degrees
 community information provision
 regular and one-off users of facilities.
Variations in the delivery of community centre programs include:
 direct program and service delivery
 program and service delivery by hirers
 some facilities were purpose-built, and others refurbished to be ‘fit for purpose’ (e.g.: the City of
Unley has the oldest building at 103 years, and the City of West Torrens has the newest building
at one year old)
 the number of community centres within a council
 allocation of resources
 three councils provide a meals service for the over 50s
 seven of the nine have a Home and Community Care program (HACC)
 management by Council, an incorporated body or a combination of both.
The benchmarking study revealed that all community
centres are strongly aligned to local identity and
community need. Consequently, community centres vary
greatly in terms of service and operational models,
resources, infrastructure and facilities and support
received from local and state governments.
Page 43 of 62
The Community Centre Comparison Study 2012-13 demonstrates that the City of Unley has a
considerable number of community centres in relation to the City’s size and population. For the
purpose of summarisation and contrast, the table below compares the City of Unley with other councils
(in order by population size):
City of
Population
Area in Ha
No. of
Community
Centres
FTE
Volunteers
Community
Centres Annual
Budget $000
% of Budget
compared to
total operating
expenditure
Annual Spend
Per Capita
0.08%
0.003%
$23.00
$3.16
Adelaide
NP&SP
19 639
33 500
1560
1510
3
1
3
1.4
29
2
$451
$106
Holdfast
Bay
Unley
36 000
1370
7
1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
38 300
1427
4
9.23
200
$1 049
2.7%
$27.40
West
Torrens
Mitcham
57 000
3707
4
N/A
5
N/A
0.05%
N/A
65 000
7570
6
3.5
6
$101
0.19%
$1.55
Marion
85 000
5500
4
9.73
160
$1 264
1.77%
$14.85
TTG
98 028
9521
4
3.1
55
$425
0.58%
$4.35
Charles
Sturt
109 721
5563
5
5
119
$641
0.70%
$5.85
This comparison also indicates that the City of Unley allocates the highest percentage of Council’s total
operating expenditure on the community centre program. Unley Council has a very high number of FTEs
(9.23) for a City of its size, compared to the other metropolitan councils surveyed, second only to the
City of Marion (9.73). Unley Council also spends significantly more per capita ($27.40) compared to
most other metropolitan councils.
Appendix Six contains the full Community Centre Comparison Study report.
It is important to note that each council has its own system of
collation, analysis and interpretation of community centre data,
with budget and FTE figures determined differently.
Consequently, this comparison table should be used as an
indicative guide only.
Page 44 of 62
SECTION 6
&
E
KEY FINDINGS
RECOMMENDATIONS
AND IMPLEMENTATION
GUIDE
6.1
Key Findings
Based on the research in this Directions Paper, it is evident that the City of
Unley’s community centres are strongly aligned to local identity,
acknowledging and reflecting the individual communities in which they reside
and serve.
Analysis of this research has revealed that community centres are a valuable resource for our
community, providing access to information, opportunities for participation and affordable facilities and
programs.
As a Council service, there are distinct opportunities to improve the scope and delivery of this program.
These opportunities have been identified as key findings:
1. Strategic Context
 The City of Unley’s community centres deliver 275 programs, events and services annually,
attracting approximately 250 000 people to the centres each year. Community centres play a
fundamental role in responding to our Community Plan 2033 and 4 Year Plan. At present, this
correlation is not well-defined, as community centres do not have their own vision, mission or
goals linked to the organisation’s strategic context.
 Compared with other metropolitan councils, the City of Unley has more community centres per
head of population and land mass, a considerably higher FTE count and greater financial
contribution compared to total operating expenditure.
 The community engagement process revealed that community centres are highly valued by
current users of the service, meeting needs identified by staff through ongoing engagement
with, and knowledge of, the local community. By 2040, the population in the City of Unley is
expected to increase by 7 000, which may impact upon the demand and need for community
centre programs and services.
 There is an increasing trend to move away from age-specific community centres and towards
multigenerational facilities and programming which fosters more connected and cohesive
communities and reduces social isolation for people of all ages.
 Statistics indicate that there have been a relatively consistent number of community centres
volunteers for the past seven years; however, there has been a decline in the number of hours
contributed by those volunteers. Trends in volunteerism indicate that volunteers require
flexible, diverse roles, with a choice of formal or informal positions.
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2. Community Centre Management
 Each community centre has a different model of management, with planning of programs and
services undertaken by Council staff and/or Boards of Management. These models have evolved
over time, and there are no clear measures of success to indicate which model is the most
effective.
 There are no consistent methods of data collection to accurately determine community centre
use, community demand for services or which model of management is the most appropriate for
the City of Unley community.
 Investigation into current community centre staffing levels has revealed opportunities for
modifications to improve efficiency of this service. Minor rationalization of resources will
improve community centre service delivery without reducing services.
 Council’s Partnership Agreements with Boards of Management at Goodwood and Clarence Park
Community Centres are recognised as effective models of management and operation.
Scheduled reviews of these Agreements provide a timely opportunity to consider modifying the
terms and conditions to improve service delivery and outcomes for the community, within the
context of this Directions Paper.
 Given the lack of data available, it is difficult to define the type and number of community centre
facilities required to deliver this program in the City of Unley. From an asset management
perspective, it is impossible to determine if a building is ‘fit for purpose’, unless the function of
the centre and the parameters of the service are determined using evidence-based statistics.
This includes assessing facility maintenance and compliance, and planning ICT requirements.
3. Operational Procedures and Practices
 Each of the City Unley’s community centres uses its own independent operational procedures
and practices. There are also no defined deliverables with performance measures at any
community centre. Combined with the absence of consistent data methodologies, it is not
possible to determine outcomes of the Program or success of the service.
 There are opportunities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative
processes at community centres, including program and room booking procedures.
 On occasion, community centre staff waive room hire fees for hirers who are not eligible for the
community benefit discount under Council’s ‘Hire of Community Centres’ Policy. Conditions of
this supplementary assistance are documented through Memorandum of Understanding
agreements. These unique arrangements enable community centres to support delivery of
additional services, events and programs for the local community, at low or no cost to Council.
Although this demonstrates a gap in the provisions of the Policy, the process is inconsistent and
operating without authorized guidelines or monitoring.
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4. Partnerships
 Council’s community centres collaborate with a variety of community groups, community service
providers and commercial enterprises to support delivery of programs and services. However,
with the future of the Department of Community and Social Inclusion funding in doubt and the
local impact of the global financial crisis, formal partnerships with organisations and businesses
will be essential to sustain delivery of a dynamic, accessible and diverse Community Centre
Program.
 The City of Unley has supported Eastwood Community Centre for the past 18 years without a
formal agreement with the centre or the City of Burnside. The most recent data gathered to
demonstrate City of Unley resident utilisation of this centre was collected in 2008. By connecting
Eastwood Community Centre to any data collection system implemented at the City of Unley’s
community centres, information could be gathered to inform decision-making about the value
and future of this arrangement.
 The goals of the Community Centre Program share commonalities with Unley Libraries,
Community Services and the Community Development Business Units. Although these areas of
Council work together occasionally on an informal basis, there is a clear opportunity to
implement strategies for strengthening collaboration to improve service delivery and therefore
outcomes for the community.
 The Directions Paper community engagement process revealed a lack of awareness about
community centres programs available. There is an opportunity to strengthen internal
partnerships to improve the flow of information to the community, regarding programs and
services delivered by all Business Units.
These key findings
have informed the development of
recommendations for the future
direction of the City of Unley’s
community centres.
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6.2
Recommendations
Recommendations for the future direction of the City of Unley’s community centres fall into four categories:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Strategic Context
Community Centre Management
Operational Practices and Procedures
Partnerships
1. STRATEGIC CONTEXT
1.1
One ‘Community Centre Program’
Rationale
Recommendations
An estimated 275 programs, activities and events take place at the City of Unley’s community centre
each financial year. At present, each centre operates autonomously, with programming, administration
systems and strategic direction planned separately. This management approach has revealed gaps and
duplication in service provision.
R 1.1.1 Establish and promote the City of
Unley’s ‘Community Centre Program’ as one
program with centralised programming and
promotion, utilising a multigenerational
approach to encourage community connection
and enhance the appeal of the Program for
people of all ages.
Centralised programming of a single ‘Community Centre Program’ would facilitate planning of multigenerational services and programs across all centres, with flexibility for the delivery of programs to
target local demographics. Operating as ‘one program’ would improve efficiency and effectiveness of
centre operations, programming and promotion.
Centralised programming includes consideration of community demand. Given the existing lack of data
collection methods, community need cannot be accurately measured through quantifiable evidence at
this time. As this gap in service delivery is characteristic of the community centre sector in SA, there
may be an opportunity to partner with the Local Government Association (LGA) to develop and
undertake a community centre data collection project, to establish systems of collecting information to
define precise utilisation statistics and measure community demand.
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R 1.1.2 Investigate the opportunity to pilot a
community centre data collection project
through the Research and Development Scheme
provided by the LGA.
‘Fullarton Park Centre’ was originally called the ‘Fullarton Park Community Centre’. In 1996-1997, the
R 1.1.3 Rename the Centre ‘Fullarton Park
facility’s name was changed to better reflect the strategic direction of the facility as a venue for hire. At Community Centre’ to maintain consistency
that time, Council directed the centre to focus on increasing commercial and community hire of the
with the ‘Community Centre Program’.
venue. The change in name supported the development of this ‘business model’ of operation. The
centre’s role in the community has evolved over the past 20 years, with the primary purpose of the
centre reverting to its original function as a ‘community hub’.
1.2
Community Centre Program Vision, Mission and Goals
Rationale
Recommendations
Currently, each individual community centre undertakes independent strategic planning, with
objectives defined through Business Plans or Partnership Agreements. To improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the planning process, it is essential to collectively define the Vision, Mission, Goals and
Strategic Objectives for the single multigenerational ‘Community Centre Program’.
R 1.2.1 Adopt the proposed Vision, Mission
and Goals for the City of Unley’s
Community Centre Program.
The proposed Vision, Mission and Goals have been developed to support the strategic direction of the
Community Plan 2033, with consideration of data collected through the community engagement
process, input from Community Centre staff and the social principles identified in the City of Unley’s
‘Community Profile and Social Implications Analysis’, April 2013.
VISION: To develop vibrant and welcoming community hubs for connection and learning, inspiration
and opportunity, celebration and collaboration.
MISSION: To strengthen community spirit and well-being through providing diverse, accessible and
inspiring opportunities to explore, share, connect and grow.
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R 1.2.2 Develop strategies and performance
measures linked to these goals and the City
of Unley’s 4 Year Plan (refer R 3.1).
GOALS:
1. Provide accessible, affordable and friendly community hubs which connect people, places and
information.
2. Facilitate active citizenship through empowering and supporting community members to create and
deliver opportunities for community participation.
3. Build community capacity through the provision of quality facilities, services, referrals, resources
and information.
4. Actively encourage and support the community to plan for and respond to current and future needs.
5. Provide and support programs, events and activities which strengthen community spirit and reflects
the cultural, social, recreational and educational interests of the community.
6. Create opportunities for understanding, celebrating and appreciating the diversity of our
community.
7. Encourage physical activity and social wellbeing through facilitating and initiating opportunities for
involvement in programs and access to services.
8. Embrace and enable community ownership and participation through diverse volunteering
opportunities.
9. Utilise technology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of service provision and program
management.
10. Apply continuous improvement methodologies to measure both the positive effect of the Program
on the lives of community members and the efficiency of this Council service.
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1.3
Volunteers and Community Participation
Rationale
Recommendations
Over the past 7 years, statistics reveal a relatively consistent number of volunteers at Clarence Park,
Goodwood and Unley Community Centres, with a gradual decline in the number of hours contributed
by those volunteers. The City of Unley’s Community Profile 2013 establishes that volunteerism is
relatively strong in our community, with 22.5 % of the population over the age of 15 years contributing
volunteer services. These trends suggest continued commitment to volunteering and a demand for
volunteering opportunities which require reduced volunteering hours.
R 1.3.1 Expand the City of Unley’s Volunteer
Program to include a new ‘Community
Centre Volunteer Program’ to increase and
promote volunteering roles and
opportunities in the Community Centre
Program, including centre support and
operational positions. The ‘Community
Centre Volunteer Program’ should include
clear volunteer role descriptions,
recruitment processes and ongoing training
and support opportunities (refer R 3.1).
The Community Profile 2013 identifies that there is an opportunity to redefine Council’s policy position
on volunteering in the future with a focus on diversification and expansion of volunteer roles to
increase volunteer participation and enhance community capacity and ownership.
Council’s Community Plan 2033 identifies volunteer participation as an indicator of a strategic objective
to create a ‘collaborative and engaged community’.
Historically, Fullarton Park Centre has very low numbers of registered City of Unley volunteers
compared to other City of Unley community centres. This may be partially due to Fullarton Park
Centre’s key role as a hire venue for community and commercial groups. There is an opportunity for
Fullarton Park Centre to expand the roles and responsibilities of volunteers in order to increase the
number of City of Unley registered volunteers engaged in the centre operation, management and
program delivery. Expansion of volunteer opportunities would result in increased community
empowerment, ownership and participation, and enhanced community capacity.
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R 1.3.2 Ensure Community Centre Program
performance measures include the
involvement of volunteers in a variety of
roles as one of the indicators of success.
R 1.3.3 Increasing volunteer involvement at
Fullarton Park Centre, including but not
limited to the development of a new model
of volunteer management of the Hughes
Gallery.
2. Community Centre Management
2.1
Determining Service Levels and Future Model of Delivery
Rationale
Recommendation
An estimated 250 000 people visit the City of Unley’s community centres annually. This figure is only
approximate, due to current inconsistent and imprecise methods of data collection at our community
centres.
R 2.1 Implement a framework of consistent
data collection process over a period of 12
months at Council’s community centres to
determine:
Available information revealed average utilisation rates at Council’s community centres for May 2013:
Clarence Park 70%, Fullarton Park 73%, Unley 46% and Goodwood 60%. From these figures, it appears
that our community centres are under-utilised; however, there are no consistent methods of gathering
data to verify these community centre usage statistics at present.
A key finding of this Paper is that our community centres lack comprehensive data collection
methodologies to determine accurate utilisation rates, catchment areas, community need and service
level requirements. In addition, the community centre sector has no definitive standards or guidelines.
Consequently, it is difficult to offer evidence-based recommendations regarding the most appropriate
number, location, management model(s) and service levels for the City of Unley’s community centres
at this time. Consistent and extensive data must be collected over a substantial time period to collate
accurate information, support thorough analysis and inform strategic decision-making.
 accurate community utilisation rates
 catchment areas of each centre
(through post code collection)
 mix and level of service required
(including opening hours)
Analysis of this data will be undertaken to
determine:
 future methodologies for ongoing data
collection and analysis to support
evidence-based definition of community
need, operational decisions and service
standards required
 management models to deliver the
service (including number and location
of centres)
 resourcing required to support delivery
of the service (funding and staffing).
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2.2
Interim Community Centre Staffing Model
Rationale
Recommendation
In 2012-2013, the current model of the City of Unley’s four community centres comprised 9.23 FTEs
and required a total annual staffing budget allocation of $736 427 (including on costs), representing
70.2% of the total annual operating expenditure ($1 049 638) of this program.
R 2.2 Implement the interim community
centre staff model, which includes a
reduction of community centre staff by two
positions and an operating saving of
$32 792 through a significant reduction in
the casual staffing allocation for each
community centre (refer Attachment 7).
Potential modifications and enhancements have been identified within the existing staffing model to
improve efficiency. These modifications are outlined in Appendix 6 and include reducing Customer
Service Officer positions to one position per site and significantly reducing casual staff allocations. In
addition, it is proposed to increase the current Team Leader role of 7.6 hours per week to 20 hours per
week to accommodate the expanding responsibilities of this position.
The result of these changes will be a reduction in staffing number from 9.23 FTE to 7.71 FTE and a
significant decrease in casual staff allocations. These modifications represent a potential savings of
$135,278 per annum.
It is important to note that these proposed modifications represent changes to service delivery but not
a reduction in services. While some of these savings will be able to be realized immediately (i.e. the
$32,792 from casual staff allocation), other changes are constrained by employment conditions and/or
Partnership Agreements and require consideration of Council’s current EB Agreement.
Following completion of the 12 month data collection research and analysis, further changes to the
community centre staffing model may be recommended.
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2.3
Boards of Management
Rationale
Recommendation
Goodwood Community Centre programs and services are provided by Goodwood Community Services
(GCS) through a Partnering Agreement. GCS is an incorporated community organisation with an elected
Board of Management of volunteer community members. The Board oversees the majority of
programs delivered at the Centre, which is also hired by community groups and individuals for
activities.
R 2.3 Undertake a review of the Goodwood
Community Services and Clarence Park
Community Centre Board of Management
model and Partnering Agreements to:
GCS employs approximately 4 FTEs to support delivery of its programs and services. The City of Unley
employs a total of 2.51 FTEs, including a Community Centre Coordinator, Customer Service Officers and
casual staff. Council supports GCS with an annual operating grant of $42,000. This Partnering
Agreement expires on 30 June 2015.
The Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management is an incorporated body of elected
community volunteers. The Board oversees the centre’s venue hire and program delivery. The income
received from venue hire and program participation is retained by the Board to support centre
operations and facility maintenance. The Men’s Shed Program is the exception to this arrangement,
with Council funding a coordinator position 10.5 hours per week to deliver this program. The
Partnering Agreement between Clarence Park Community Centre Inc. expires 30 June 2014.
Partnership Agreements foster the development of successful and effective models of management
and operation which engages community members, retains volunteers, builds community capacity and
maintains strong connections to its local community. At present, the Agreements specify the number
and role of community centre staff to be employed by the City of Unley. Such prescriptive contract
conditions do not allow flexibility in defining resources required to deliver a service which is, by its very
nature, ever-changing.
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•
determine the effectiveness of the
Agreements,
•
improve efficiencies in financial
management and staffing,
•
clarify and negotiate the roles and
responsibilities of both parties and
•
explore opportunities for improving
service delivery and utilisation rates,
within the context of the outcomes
of this Directions Paper.
2.4
Facility Maintenance and Compliance
Rationale
Recommendation
Building Condition Audits will be undertaken by Assets and Infrastructure throughout 2014-15 to
determine the maintenance requirement of each community centre and assess both accessibility and
sustainability. A prioritised program of maintenance works will be created from this assessment
process, including major and minor maintenance work.
R 2.4 Determine Service Level Agreements
with Council’s Assets and Infrastructure
Business Unit, regarding maintenance
schedules and procedures, budgets and
response times, and review regularly.
Following completion of the 12 month data collection research and analysis, further recommendations
regarding facility maintenance and compliance may be proposed.
2.5
Facility Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Rationale
Recommendation
Trends in the Australian community centre sector indicate the importance of utilising and providing
access to information and communications technology at all community facilities. For both staff and
the community, it is essential that organisational functions and service delivery be enhanced and
supported by ICT systems to increase organisational efficiencies and accessibility, and encourage
multigenerational participation in community centres.
R 2.5 Investigate future technology needs
for community centres and create a
Business Case and Improvement Plan, as
required.
Currently, the ICT support at each community centre is unique, given the different design and age of
each building, past upgrades of facilities, and the location of each Centre. The proximity of community
centres to other Council Libraries and the Civic Centre has enabled improvements to the provision of
ICT at both Goodwood and Unley Community Centres. However, there are still issues of connection
speed and accessibility at Fullarton Park and Clarence Park community centres.
Utilising technological advancements to support and improve service delivery is identified in the
Community Plan 2033, ‘Emerging…Our Path to a Future City’.
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3. Operational Procedures and Practices
3.1
Performance Measures
Rationale
Recommendation
Each community centre has its own independent system for recording data such as utilisation rates and
attendance levels, which raises concerns about accuracy and comparability. Trends in the community
centre sector indicate the importance of assessing the positive impact of community centres on the
lives of the community.
R 3.1 Develop continuous improvement
systems for measuring outcomes of the
Community Centre Program for both
Council and the community, and include
regular reviews of data for each individual
centre and the Program as a whole.
Current data collection systems are not designed to capture this essential outcome of the community
centre program. In addition, there are no defined deliverables or measures of success at any
community centre.
3.2
Centralisation of Room Hire Booking System
Rationale
Recommendation
Currently, each individual community centre has its own independent room hire booking system.
Bookings are recorded by at least seven staff across the City including Coordinators and Administration
and Customer Service Officers, using a combination of Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Dataworks and hardcopy diaries.
R 3.2 Introduce a centralised room hire
booking system across Council that includes
the community centres to ensure
efficiencies for community centres are
realised.
A centralised room hire booking system would increase efficiency, improve customer service, ensure
consistency and improve the collection of data and the accuracy of reporting. The 2013-14 Budget
includes a project to procure and implement such a system Council-wide.
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3.3
Administration Processes
Rationale
Recommendation
At present, each community centre has unique administration systems designed to suit its individual
operating style, with several staff managing administration tasks at each centre, including casual and
temporary staff. Investigations into community centre operating procedures revealed opportunities to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of administration processes at all centres.
R 3.3 Undertake a comprehensive analysis
and modify administration processes to
enhance staff productivity and improve
process efficiencies, resulting in the
development and implementation of
Standardised Operating Procedures for
Council’s Community Centre Program.
The Unley Libraries have developed Standard Operating Procedures which cover such areas as
administration, customer service, security and safety, and information and technology. A similar
model could be developed for the Community Centre Program to standardize administration processes
and procedures thereby improving both customer service and efficiency.
The efficiency and effectiveness of a single ‘Community Centre Program’ with centralised programming
could be further enhanced by the development and implementation of standardised administration
processes and procedures.
3.4
Facility Hire Pricing and User Charges Framework
Rationale
Recommendations
The City of Unley’s ‘Hire of Community Centres’ Policy is scheduled for review in 2014-15. This
represents an opportunity to assess the discount framework for the hire of Fullarton Park Centre,
Unley Community Centre and Goodwood Community Centre (hire fees for Clarence Park are
determined by the Board under the terms of the existing Partnership Agreement). Currently
community groups who hire the facilities to provide activities and programs that are locally based and
provide a ‘community benefit’ are given a discount. The Policy does not provide assessment guidelines
of ‘community benefit’.
R 3.4.1 Review the Hire of Community
Centres Policy to improve transparency,
equity and evaluation processes related to
the Community Benefit discount, within the
context of one ‘Community Centre
Program’.
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Consequently, each centre has developed procedures for undertaking these assessments, including the
creation of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements to clarify discounts which do not
correspond with the current policy.
Council’s Property Management Policy specifies clear criteria for assessing discounts through a matrix
system. This Policy could inform the development of equitable and comprehensive guidelines and
procedures for assessing, applying and monitoring the community benefit discount.
R 3.4.2 Fulfil Council’s commitment to
community groups under any existing
MOUs, and cease the practice of
establishing new MOU agreements.
4. Partnerships
4.1
External Partnership Opportunities
Rationale
Recommendations
Community centres managed by local councils are eligible for limited external funding. The primary
source of external funding is provided by the Family and Community Development Fund through the
Department of Community and Social Inclusion (DCSI), representing approximately $300,000 annually
for the City of Unley. Council’s current DCSI funding agreement will cease in December 2013, with the
future of this funding stream still uncertain at the time of writing this report. Community centres
managed by Boards of Management, as incorporated bodies, are able to apply for additional grants
through such bodies as SA Health, Natural Resource Management and the Bendigo Bank to support the
delivery of some programs.
R 4.1.1 Investigate and develop
partnerships with other organisations to
support the delivery of the Community
Centre Program, build community capacity
and strengthen connections with the
community.
To maintain delivery of a dynamic, accessible and diverse Community Centre Program, the City of
Unley could investigate potential partnerships with peak bodies including, but not limited to the YMCA,
Meals On Wheels Australia, local retirement villages, South Australian Universities, and the University
of the Third Age. The Eastern Regional Alliance may also offer opportunities for future partnerships.
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Eastwood Community Centre is located on Glen Osmond Road in the City of Burnside. Although the
centre is principally funded by the City of Burnside, the City of Unley has provided considerable
financial support for the Centre for the past 18 years without a formal agreement.
The premise of Council’s financial support of Eastwood Community Centre relates to its location on the
boarder of both Unley and Burnside Councils, as City of Unley residents may access the service. The
most recent data related to usage of this centre, collected in 2008 for the DCSI, indicated that 43% of
users of Eastwood Community Centre were City of Unley residents.
R 4.1.2 Develop an Agreement with
Eastwood Community Centre to define the
parameters of the current arrangement for
2014-15, including the establishment of
data collection methodologies to inform
consideration of the future of this
partnership beyond June 2015.
Council’s partnership with Eastwood Community Centre should be considered within the context of
this report.
4.2
Internal Partnerships
Rationale
Recommendations
The vision, mission and goals of the Community Centre Program share commonalities with Unley
Libraries, Community Services and the Community Development Business Units. This presents a
valuable opportunity to establish new, and enhance existing, partnerships between Council’s own
Business Units to strengthen outcomes for Council and the community. This includes communication,
exchange of information, cross promotion of services to the community and internal referrals of clients
to complementary services.
R 4.2.1 Investigate and implement
strategies for strengthening collaboration
between Unley Libraries, Community
Services, Community and Cultural
Development and the Community Centre
Program.
During the community engagement process, stakeholders expressed a need for improved information
about available community centre programs and services. A coordinated approach to the promotion
of all opportunities for participation in community programs across Council would maximise staff
efficiency, improve the effectiveness of promotions and potentially influence participation rates.
R 4.2.2 Create an annual ‘Community
Program Guide’ to enhance awareness of
and participation in community activities
and initiatives across Council.
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One example of collaboration is to develop promotional information about all of Council’s programs
and services for the community, employing both traditional and social media. This would improve the
flow of information to the community, providing opportunities for connection and participation
through several Business Units.
The Goodwood Community Centre is located adjacent to a lawn area, the Goodwood Library and
Goodwood Road Precinct. Creating physical links between these areas would improve visibility,
accessibility and community usage.
R 4.2.3 Through the Community Asset
Strategy and the Goodwood Precinct Plan,
investigate the opportunity of connecting
the Goodwood Community Centre to the
Goodwood Library and the improved use of
the adjacent lawn area.
Goodwood Community Services (GCS) provides a Toy Library program located at the Goodwood
Library. The City of Unley provides $21 500 annually to fund this program through the GCS Partnership
Agreement. The City of Unley also provides a Toy Library program located at the Unley Library.
R 4.2.4 As part of the Unley Libraries Service
Review, explore options for the future
delivery of the Toy Library program
currently provided by Goodwood
Community Services.
A Service Review of Unley Libraries commenced in 2013-2014. Consolidation of this duplicated Toy
Library program could be investigated as part of this Review, in conjunction with GCS and in
accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement.
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6.3 Implementation Guide
The table below provides an indication of the proposed implementation plan,
highlighting timeframes for the commencement of actions only. It is
envisaged that the Recommendations will be actioned over a two year period.
This implementation guide may be subject to change.
Commencement
Timeframes:
March – June 2014
July – December
2014
Action
Recommendation
Reference
R 2.2
•
Manager Community Development to begin
implementation of interim staff model, including
appointment of a new Community Centre Program Team
Leader (20 hours per week)
•
Manager Business Improvement to commence planning
data collection framework and methodology
R 2.1
•
Manager Marketing, Communications and Customer
Service to implement centralised room hire booking
system across Council
R 3.2
•
Manager Business Improvement to consider the
Goodwood Toy Library as part of the Unley Libraries
Service Review
R 4.2.4
•
Manager Community Development to establish
agreement with Eastwood Community Centre for 2014-15
R 4.1.2
•
Community Centre Coordinators to cease establishment
of MOUs with community groups pending outcomes of
policy review
R 3.4.2
•
Manager Business Improvement to implement data
collection framework for a 12 month period, overseen by
the Team Leader
R 2.1
•
Team Leader to implement new vision, mission and goals
for Community Centre Program, and develop strategies
and performance measures linked to these goals
R 1.2.1
R 1.2.2
R 1.3.2
•
Team Leader to implement one ‘Community Centre
Program’, including renaming Fullarton Park Centre
R 1.1.1
R 1.1.3
•
Manager Community Development to investigate LGA
Research and Development Scheme grant
R 1.1.2
•
Team Leader and Volunteer Coordinator to develop new
community centre volunteer program
R 1.3.1
•
Fullarton Park Community Centre Coordinator to
implement strategies to increase volunteer participation
R 1.3.3
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Commencement
Timeframes:
July – December
2015
January – June
2016
Action
Recommendation
Reference
R 2.5
•
Team Leader and IT Coordinator to develop Business Case
and Improvement Plan for ICT at community centres
•
Team Leader and Manager Property Assets to commence
development of Service Level Agreements
R 2.4
•
Team Leader and Manager Property Assets to investigate
opportunities within the Goodwood Precinct Plan
R 4.2.3
•
Manager Governance and Risk to review Hire of
Community Centre Policy
R 3.4.1
•
Team Leader and Manager Community Development to
initiate collaboration between Unley Libraries,
Community Services and Community Development
R 4.2.1
R 4.2.2
•
Manager Community Development to undertake review
of Partnership Agreements with Boards of Management
at Clarence Park and Goodwood Community Centres
R 2.3
•
Team Leader and Manager Community Development to
investigate potential external partnerships
R 4.1.1
•
Manager Business Improvement and Team Leader to
review data collected over the 12 month period
R 2.1
•
Team Leader to commence development of continuous
improvement methodologies for the Community Centre
Program
R 3.1
•
Team Leader to develop Standard Operating Procedures
to improve administration processes
R 3.3
•
Report to Council on outcomes of data collation and
analysis, including recommendations for the Community
Centre Program
R 2.1
Page 62 of 62
SECTION 7
APPENDICES
APPENDIX One
Community Centre Industry Snapshot
APPENDIX Two
Summary of Community Centre Operations 2013
APPENDIX Three
Community Centre Utilisation Rates Data May 2013
APPENDIX Four
Total Operating Expenditure for Community Centres
APPENDIX Five
Community Centre Directions Paper Community Engagement Report
APPENDIX Six
Community Centre Comparison Study Report
APPENDIX Seven
Summary of Proposed Staffing Changes At Four Community Centres
APPENDIX 1
COMMUNITY CENTRE INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT
1.
Community Involvement and Development
Community centres have always been a beacon for community strengthening and neighbourhood
development. They are often viewed as the hub for local communities and are the starting point for
new residents to find out and connect with local services, activities and information.
This key role is achieved through a combination of direct
program and service delivery, and community development
support of programs and services initiated by the community,
via community centres’ partnerships with community groups
or hirers of the facility. Community centres play a strategic
role in engaging communities to identify and communicate
needs, and facilitate community response to the issues raised.
Local government organisations are reassessing and redefining
their role, looking to further empower communities,
promoting community leadership, activism and engagement.
The roles and expectations of volunteers in relation to all
community services is also changing, evident in retirement
planning, differing expectations on the types of positions and
availability, opportunities for newly arrived residents, and skill
development in unemployment or career transitioning.
The role of community
development in community
centres is expanding,
particularly in the areas of
governance, and building and
promoting social sustainability
and resilience. Increasingly,
community centre models are
encouraging local
representation and
participation, both in a
management and operational
capacities.
Community centres are in a prime position to support this
level of community development and this function should
continue to be carefully programmed and managed in the future.
2.
Community Centre Infrastructure
The quality, size, number and layout of community centre facilities and infrastructure varies greatly
across the nation and is largely dependent on available funding (both local and grant funding), strategic
priorities, management models that support each centres’ operations and local community need.
Generally, community centres are either purpose-built facilities or remodified houses and halls.
Clearly, purpose built centres tend to offer the greatest flexibility as they are planned and designed to
accommodate local community need and are constructed ‘fit for purpose’, whereas redeveloped
buildings have inherent limitations.
Although features both new and old facilities vary, common features of community centres include:
Page 1
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
3.
a central location, in proximity to other community and civic areas including libraries, council
offices and to shopping centres;
spaces for community activities and usage and include full audio visual equipment and lighting,
portable furniture that is easy to assemble, store and clean;
a mix of large, medium and small multi-functional spaces that may be portioned to create
smaller rooms or opened up when needed to one large space;
a reception area/lobby/common entry space and facilities;
fully accessible and DDA compliant facilities;
Wi-Fi and computer access, including facilities for community computing classes;
access to parking, including space for buses and located on public and community transport
routes;
wet areas for arts and crafts;
kitchen areas;
‘cultural centres’ including art gallery, exhibition and display infrastructure as well as staging and
event equipment for performances and festivals;
demonstration sites for community and environmental sustainability – with green infrastructure
including energy efficiency, composting, and the inclusion of kitchen or community gardens;
outdoor areas and gardens both for active and passive recreation, including children’s playequipment and well-lit surrounds;
facilities to support a variety of private, community and commercial hire of the venue; and
sufficient storage areas, with a mix of operational storage, supporting one off events and onsite
storage for regular users.
Determining The Number of Community Centres Required
Nation-wide, there is no definitive formula for determining the number of community centres required
to service a local government area. This is partly due to the variations in the demographics of each
community, the needs of that community and the council’s commitment to the provision of this service.
In 2009, the City of Unley’s Strategic Building Review investigated the question of how many
Community Centres are required in any local government area in Australia. The outcome of this study
determined that:
1. The required number of Community Centre’s depends on various factors, including:
•
The potential size and capacity of the facility. A large Community Centre that is at least
1,500sqm with a diversity of spaces could have a district catchment of 20,000 to 30,000
people. A smaller Centre of around 500sqm with limited spaces might only have the capacity
to cater for a neighbourhood catchment (around 7,000 to 8,000 people).
•
The potential for people to travel to facilities. Older people and young people may require
facilities that are close to home or linked to public transport and this could justify the
provision of either centrally located larger facilities that are linked to shops and transport or
smaller neighbourhood facilities that are accessible to local neighbourhoods.
2. A general trend is to establish a small number of large Community Centres that are strategically
located to cater for a wide catchment rather than a large number of small Centres. A larger
Page 2
district Centre would generally have a population catchment of 20 000 to 30 000 people based
on planning by Elton Consulting in NSW.
3. The level of provision per 1,000 people varies across SA councils based on historical provision
and the size and location of facilities as highlighted by the examples below:
•
City of Burnside: one Centre per 13 725 people
•
City of Salisbury: one Centre per 19 800 people
•
City of Onkaparinga: one Centre per 15 000 people
•
City of Charles Sturt: one Centre per 20000 people
•
City of Marion: one Centre per 26 200 people
4. The City of Unley has one Centre per 9 000 people. Compared to the other South Australian
examples, this is a relatively high provision, particularly as two of the Centres are over 1 000sqm
in size.
4.
Local Government Reviews
Nationwide, local government is increasingly reviewing services, programs and facilities to improve
efficiencies and bring a greater return on investment to their constituents. This is amplified by
increasing pressures to maintain rates at levels that are considered reasonable, increasing cost margins
and ageing assets that require considerable expenditure to either maintain or redevelop to meet both
safety and building standards and align with increasing community expectations.
Many councils have recently completed, or are currently undertaking, strategic reviews and planning
their community asset management to determine which assets to divest retain and invest in, and to
reconsider usage including opportunities to consolidate and centralise. In most cases, the aim is to
ensure any opportunities are considerate of meeting community expectations and needs as appropriate.
Councils are also increasingly undertaking service review programs, with many organisations employing
business improvement and development staff to independently guide and manage these processes to
identify greater efficiencies and service levels. At the time of this Paper, the Cities of Mitcham, Holdfast
Bay and Onkaparinga have recently or are currently reviewing their community centre models.
Page 3
5.
Multigenerational Hubs
There is an increasing trend to move away from age-specific
community centres and towards multigenerational facilities
and programming. The benefits of a multigenerational
approach is that it fosters more connected and cohesive
communities where people in all stages of life can connect,
contribute, assist and learn from one another. It is viewed as
an excellent tool for reducing social isolation and increasing
appreciation of diversity of ages.
Traditionally, community centres have strong engagement
with children up to the age of 12 years. However, for children
up to the ages of 13 and 25, access to community centres is
sporadic, reliant upon one-off events, special interest groups,
school holiday programs and occasional links with local
schools. There is an opportunity to enhance connections with
young people in our multigenerational community centres.
The concept of
multigenerational
community centres is
reflected in Dr Alexandre
Kalache’s thinking that ‘age
friendly’ really translates to
‘people friendly’. By
planning for and providing
facilities, programs and
services that are agefriendly, we are also
providing for people of all
ages with disability and
mobility needs.
While the City of Unley’s four community centres already
deliver multigenerational programs and services, there is
potential to apply and promote this model further.
6.
Centres for Sustainability Leadership
Community centres are playing a greater role in empowering community members with the training,
skills and networks they need to create a better future for their local communities and the environment.
They do this by building the capacity of people and providing facilities, connection to resources and
support. Community centres often take a leading role in environmental education initiatives and
become demonstration and practice sites for community sustainability.
As such, they frequently feature alternative energy sources (solar energy), energy and water efficiency
strategies, community gardens, recycling and composting. While this kind of ethical leadership is
showcased at Clarence Park Community Centre, there is potential to expand Council’s role through the
expansion of sustainable initiatives at all community centres.
7.
Partnerships
It is common for community centres to partner with external service providers to deliver programs and
activities which benefit the community. These partners may be local, state or federal government
bodies and organisations providing outreach services such as medical and allied health, counselling and
advocacy, and targeted support services. Partners may also be community groups or commercial
Page 4
enterprises, whose services meet community needs or contribute to the development of community
capacity.
The Community Centres SA’s Economic and Social Impact Study (2013) identifies that community
centres establish partnerships to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
provide funding
share knowledge and skills
build networks
increase service efficiency
supplement resources
avoid duplication of services
recruit volunteers
link with clients.
The services attracted to a community centre are often based on local demographics
and the needs of that local community. Partnering with external service providers
and community groups reduces resources required by councils to maintain
community centre service delivery levels, and often results in enhancement of the
scope, number and quality of services offered to a community.
An example of this model is HIVE in the City of Tea Tree Gully. HIVE is a community centre for young
people, providing programs and services focusing on health and wellbeing, education and training, and
engagement and participation through arts and culture. The facility includes an IT suite, group training
rooms, training kitchen, gallery and studio, exhibition space, career reference and library links. Several
youth service providers are co-located at HIVE, delivering outreach services and programs from the site
for young people in the north east of Adelaide. Youth agencies participating in this collaborative, colocated service model include:
•
•
•
•
•
YWCA – advocacy, youth programming and youth development.
Mission Australia– numeracy and literacy development and flexible learning programming.
Baptist Care– Youth Connections, case management and flexible learning programming.
Headspace– provides a range of services for young people aged 12 to 25 years with mental
health and/or alcohol and substance use issues.
Boystown - job service agency, on the job training and industry skill development.
•
GP Service.
Although the City of Unley already has examples of this model – with a podiatrist service at the Unley
Community Centre and the Reiki Centre at Fullarton Park Centre - there is potential for Council’s
community centres to enhance existing, and develop new, external partnerships, linked with future
community demand and facility availability.
Page 5
The role of partnerships with peak bodies such as the YMCA, Meals On Wheels Australia, South
Australian Universities and the University of the Third Age could become essential to maintain and
adapt service levels to meet the needs of future communities. In addition, opportunities for shared
service delivery with neighbouring Councils could be considered.
8.
Neighbourhood Development Funding
The City of Unley receives funding under the Neighbourhood Development section of the Family and
Community Development Program from the South Australian Government’s Department for
Communities and Social Inclusion. Neighbourhood development programs support people where they
live and include community centres and neighbourhood houses and ensure community connection
opportunities are available to all. These funds are used to offset some of the operating costs for
Clarence Park and Goodwood Community Centres.
The Family and Community Development Program has recently been restructured to allow funds to be
allocated to the most disadvantaged communities in South Australia. The City of Unley received an
extension to our Service Agreement until 30 June 2014. In the 2013-2014 financial year, Council received
$31 866 through this Agreement.
According to Council’s community profile, the City of Unley is a high socio-economic area, with generally
high incomes and low unemployment levels. The SEIFA Index of relative socio-economic disadvantage
suggests the City of Unley is less disadvantaged than Greater Adelaide. Community centres within the
City of Unley therefore may not be funded past June 2014. The impact of relevant changes to this
funding stream will be assessed and addressed during this timeframe.
9.
HACC Funding
The Home and Community Care (HACC) programs are part of the National Health Reform agenda which
was launched in 2011 as a result of the Productivity Commission Report Caring for Older Australians.
This called for a whole of government approach linking all facets of aged care with a range of
government portfolios including housing, local government, indigenous and multicultural affairs,
planning and infrastructure and employment.
In July 2012 the Commonwealth, through the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), commenced
management of contracts with service providers for the over 65 component of the HACC program. The
State Government, through the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI) directly
manages HACC contracts with service providers for younger people with a disability under the age of 65.
While the Commonwealth has stated that there is no intention to substantially alter service delivery
mechanisms before 1 July 2015, it is understood that a ‘Gateway’ assessment concept will be introduced
as a ‘one-way shop front’ portal and that assessments will no longer be undertaken ‘face to face’ or in
Page 6
person as is the current practice. The Commonwealth will not fund the service type ‘Assessment and
Client-Care Coordination’ which has a significant impact for HACC Assessment Officers and other staff
who currently undertake this role. There has also been reference to a consumer driven model as from
2015 which would align with the removal of client assessment as a funded service.
From 2014-2015, this significant reduction in funding to HACC service providers would impact
Goodwood Community Services and their Filipino and Greek HACC Programs.
10.
Alternative Funding Sources
Future trends indicate a reduction in state government funding for Community Centres, consequently
increasing the responsibility of local government to provide this service. There is a world-wide trend
towards alternative sources of funding to support community initiatives.
‘Crowdfunding’, or ‘crowd-sourced fundraising’, is an alternative form of sourcing funds to support the
delivery of creative community initiatives. Crowdfunding is the collective effort of community members
who network and pool small contributions of money (usually online) to support a particular project
initiated and coordinated by other people or organisations. Especially popular in Europe, crowdfunding
begins with a community member or group proposing an idea or project to be funded, and the ‘crowd’
of people – a community – supporting that initiative. Crowdfunding is then supported by an
organisation or Community Centre, bringing together the project initiator and the ‘crowd’.
Some examples of successful and diverse crowdfunding projects in Australia include:
•
Brisbane folk band The Good Ship raised enough money through crowdfunding to get their eightmember band to Europe following an invitation from a prominent music festival;
•
Australian photographer Erica Harrison used crowdfunding to fund her short animation film A
Cautionary Tale after her funding from Screen Australia ceased. The animation is due for
nationwide release in 2014, starring with Cate Blanchett.
•
At 83 year old Byron Bay resident Margaret Fisher raised $6 000 help her get to Austria last
month to enable her to participate in the over-80s Tennis World Championships.
•
Cairns harpist and cancer survivor Michal Wright is a musical therapist with a focus on alleviating
stress and suffering for the terminally ill or those very close to death. She is currently seeking
funds to study music-thanatology in the US. So far, she has raised $16 000.
Futurist Mark Pesce describes crowdfunding in Australia as the new ‘sausage sizzle’, connecting local
government and the community in a new financial partnership beyond the rates collection system,
where communities are empowered to direct program and service delivery. This concept relies on
Council’s role as enabler and facilitator for community decision-making. Community centres are well
placed to take on this role. Crowd Funding Websites in Australia include Kickstarter.com and
Pozible.com.
Page 7
The Association of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres (ANHLC) has recently launched a
national campaign aimed at securing greater eligibility for Deductible Gift Recipiency (DGR) tax
endorsement for the Neighbourhood House sector. At present, the Australian Tax Office endorsement
process for DGR does not comprise social inclusion and community development services. To address
this, ANHLC has been advocating for the inclusion of ‘prevention’ into the Australian Tax Office's DGR
criteria. If successful, the community sector will be eligible to access DGR, opening the door to
philanthropic and corporate funding.
11.
Technology
In response to emerging technology, community centres help bridge the digital divide, primarily through
providing community members with access to computers and the internet and what are commonly
being referred to as ‘digital inclusion’ programs. Many community centres provide training that ranges
from basic computing skills to specific skills to address community need, such as online job searching for
young people, adapting to new technology as it emerges and
support for local businesses.
At present, 83% of the City of Unley’s population has
internet access in the home, and this figure is expected to
increase in the future. Although the majority of our
residents may not require access to digital inclusion
programs, there may be an expectation that technology is a
feature of both a community centre facility and a service or
program.
12.
Community Centre Performance Measures
US education visionary Marc
Prensky predicts that future
communities will be so
immersed in connectivity,
the use of technology will no
longer be seen as a tool, but
as a foundation for living in
Australia in the 21st century.
(Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest
for Digital Wisdom, 2012).
At present, all community centres in metropolitan Adelaide
have their own independent system for recording data such
as utilisation rates and attendance levels. The state’ peak body for community centres, Community
Centres SA, does not identify preferred standards or measures for performance or success of a
community centre service. The City of Unley’s own community centres have no consistent, documented
performance measurement systems for the program as a service or outcomes for the community.
However, trends in the community centre sector indicate the importance of assessing the positive
impact of centres on the lives of the community. Current data collection systems are not designed to
capture this essential outcome of the community centre program. In addition, there are no defined
continuous improvement systems at our community centre.
Community Centres SA promote Results Based Accountability (RBA) as a preferred methodology for
community centres. RBA is used world-wide to improve the quality of life in communities and the
performance of programs and service systems through effective measuring and monitoring. The RBA
Page 8
methodology facilitates assessment of performance and outcomes against clearly defined strategic
objectives. The Department of Community and Social Inclusion (Family and Community Development
Program) encourages councils to utilise the RBA model for accountability.
Continuous improvement models are essential for the holistic assessment of community centre
programs and services.
13.
The Value Of Community Centres
Nation-wide, community centres are perceived as community hubs, facilitating and supporting the
delivery of community programs and services which are responsive to community needs and engender a
strong sense of local ownership, connection and sense of belonging.
The Community Centre Directions Paper Engagement Report includes reflections from the community
about the importance of our community centres as welcoming, accessible, vibrant hubs of community
activity:
“Community centres are the ‘community glue’, supporting the sense of community and community
connection”.
“Central place for the community, a meeting place,
opportunities to contribute”.
‘Community and
neighbourhood
centres contribute to
the strengthening of
social capital within a
community’.
Community Centre SA Economic
and Social Impact Study 2013
“The life of the community through involvement and help,
mental and physical and social activities”.
It is difficult to quantify the social and economic impact of
community centres, as the outcomes of a program or event
may affect an entire community or initiate positive change in an
individual’s life, influencing the development of social capital or
linked to social inclusion outcomes.
The Community Centre SA’s Economic and Social Impact Study
2013 utilises an ‘equivalence scale’ to illustrate the linkages
between direct and indirect social and economic benefits
offered by community centres to individuals, the community and government bodies:
Economic
Social
Direct employment, paid staff
→
Volunteers and labour savings
→
Pathways to education, training and
employment
→
Develop/delivers services of community
centres
Extent of volunteerism, use and
development of skills
Participation, generic skills, personal
development
Page 9
Development of literacy and numeracy
→
Own social enterprises
→
Information and referral
→
Reduces transaction costs for individuals
Provision of childcare/crèche services
→
Referral and provision of health
information
→
Facilitates participation at low/minimal
cost
Health education and access
Low cost meal services
→
Community based, non-institutional
→
Improves employment and wage
outcomes, critical for participation
Employment, supports access at low cost
Supports school attendance basic nutrition,
family benefit
Engagement, reduce social isolation
Source: SA Centre for Economic Studies
The value of the City of Unley’s community centres can be categorised into four main areas:
Community and Capacity Building: Our community centres are accessible and friendly, bringing
community members together to access, create and deliver opportunities for community participation
in response to identified needs.
Life-long Learning: Our community centres provide opportunities to acquire and share knowledge and
skills, developing confidence and the ability to achieve.
Health and Well-being: Our community centres encourage physical activity and social inclusion through
facilitating and initiating opportunities for involvement in programs and access to services.
Support and Networking: Our community centres enable, empower and support people to participate,
connect, learn and contribute to the foundation of their local community.
Within this context, the following proposed Vision, Mission and Goals have been developed to reflect
the value of the City of Unley’s community centres. Refer Recommendation 1.2.
Page 10
APPENDIX 2
Summary of Council’s Community Centre Operations 2013
Unley Council has four community centres located across the City:
This summary includes an overview of operations of each community centre including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
general description, management model and facilities,
number, type and providers of programs and activities provided,
number, type and providers of community events, and
other services provided.
This data has been collated by community centre staff using a variety of mechanisms such as hard-copy
diaries, Excel spreadsheets, Dataworks, Microsoft Outlook and approximations.
Each community centre has its own independent system for defining and recording data such as
programs, descriptions and usage which has affected accuracy and comparability of the information.
There is a clear opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of data collection systems at all
community centres to reduce subjectivity and increase accuracy of the information collected, and link
this to defined deliverables and measures of success at all community centres.
For the purpose of reporting and comparison, this section focuses on service provision and not the
community development outcomes of the service.
Page 1
1. SUMMARY OF EACH COMMUNITY CENTRE
Clarence Park Community Centre: operates from Council-owned and maintained facilities located on
East Avenue, Black Forest. It is located adjacent to the Clarence Park Train Station, and near the Glenelg
Tram Line. The Centre was built in the 1920s, with regular upgrades and maintenance.
The facility, with a total building site of 980m², includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Main Hall: Suitable for up to 150 people. Can be divided into two spaces and includes a kitchen,
toilets, small stage and dance area.
Clarence Room: Suitable for up to 40 people. Includes a kitchenette and toilets.
Black Forest Room: Suitable for up to 20 people. Includes a kitchenette and toilet.
Children’s Hall: Dedicated childcare area suitable for playgroups and preschooler birthday
parties.
Men’s Shed Workshop.
Limited off street parking.
Biodiversity garden, children’s garden and vertical garden.
The centre has a long history of strong community engagement, run by an effective Board of
Management comprising dedicated community members and Council representatives since 1983.
The Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management is an incorporated body of elected
community volunteers consisting of up to 7 local residents, 2 Ward Councilors, up to 2 centre staff
members, the centre Coordinator and the City of Unley’s Manager Community Development. Under a
Partnering Agreement, the Board oversees the Centre’s venue hire and program delivery. The
Partnership Agreement links the Board’s strategic direction with the City of Unley’s Community Plan
goals, therefore defining the community development role of each party.
Under the Partnering Agreement the City of Unley is responsible for:
•
•
•
•
•
The provision of a total of 1.86 FTEs including:
o Coordinator – 30 hours per week
o Administration support - 27 hours per week
o Men’s Shed Coordinator – 10.5 hours per week.
Insurance cover for Property and Buildings on the property (not including the Association’s
fixtures and fittings).
Recruitment, registration, placement, training and support of all volunteers through Council’s
Volunteer Management Officer.
Property maintenance.
Specialist advice and support including ICT, records management, promotion and contracting
advice.
The Clarence Park Community Centre Board is also an employer in its own right and employs a number
of staff who support program delivery. These positions total 2.26 FTE at a cost of $90,500 and include
Childcare staff, Moving Madness Coordinator, Play Group Coordinator and administration support.
These staff members are separate to the staff employed by the City of Unley under the terms of the
Page 2
Partnering Agreement; however, the Community Centre Coordinator is responsible for the overall
supervision of all staff.
Partnering
Agreement
CPCC Inc.
Board of
Management
City of Unley
Property
Management
Staffing: Centre
Coordinator, Men's Shed
Coordinator, Admin.
Support
Volunteers
Staffing: Childcare,
Moving Madness,
Playgroup, Admin.
Support
Administration
and management
of facility
Program and Service Delivery
Venue Hire
The income received by the Board from hiring the centre facilities is retained by the Board to support
centre operations and facility maintenance. The Board is required to identify this income in the
Association’s audited financial statements. It is acknowledged in the Agreement that “these funds are
moneys that would otherwise be receivable by the Council and in effect represent funding to the Board
from the Council”. The Men’s Shed Program (previously the TOYS Program) is the exception to this
arrangement, with Council funding a coordinator position to deliver this program.
The current Partnering Agreement between the City of Unley and Clarence Park Community Centre Inc.
expires 30 June 2014. This provides an opportunity to review the Agreement, in accordance with the
conditions of the contract, to assess the effectiveness of the contract, determine opportunities to
increase efficiencies in financial management and staffing, clarify the roles and responsibilities of each
party and explore opportunities for improving service delivery, within the context of the outcomes of
this Directions Paper.
Under the terms of the existing Agreement, Council is committed to providing staff representation on
the Board of Management. As voting members of the Board, there may be occasions where Council
staff may have a conflict of interest, or where the preference of the Board may conflict with a Council
policy, decision or direction. The Agreement also specifies the staffing resources and roles for City of
Unley employees at the Centre. Given the outcomes of this review, it is timely to examine these
conditions to determine the most effective and appropriate staffing structure for Clarence Park
Community Centre. These issues can be explored during the review of the Partnership Agreement.
The City of Unley acknowledges the exceptional work of the Clarence Park Community Centre Board of
Management, and the essential role it plays, in partnership with Council, to engage community
Page 3
members, retain volunteers, build community capacity and maintain strong connections to the local
community. Volunteers on the Board of Management are committed to community development and
engagement principles, reflected in their program management, number of volunteers and strong
community support.
The Partnering Agreement between the City of Unley and Clarence Park Community Centre Inc is a
successful and effective model of management and operation.
Goodwood Community Centre: is located on Rosa Street, Goodwood, adjacent to the Goodwood
Library, the Goodwood shopping precinct and the Goodwood Tram Stop. The building was constructed
in 1999 at a cost of $1.8m. The facility, with a total building site of 1508m², includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Banquet Room: suitable for up to 300 people. Includes stage, PA system, data projector, and
toilets with access to the commercial standard kitchen.
Activity Hall: suitable for up to 300 people. Can be an indoor sporting arena with sprung
wooden floors with changing rooms. Access to the commercial standard kitchen.
Wall dividing Banquet Room and Activity Hall can opened to cater up to 400 people.
Board Room: for up to 20 people, with access to kitchenette and toilets.
Group Room: for up to 20 people, with access to kitchenette and toilets.
Interview Room: for up to 6 people, with access to kitchenette and toilets.
Ample off street parking.
Enclosed playground with pre-school equipment.
Grassed area adjacent to the building.
Fibre optic cabling connected through the Goodwood Library.
Goodwood Community Services is an incorporated community organisation with an elected Board of
Management of volunteer community members. The Board oversees the majority of centre-based
programs delivered at the Centre, including a HACC program for the Greek and Filipino community, a
Toy Library Program located at Goodwood Library, Goodygym and Playgroup. The centre is also hired by
community groups and individuals for events and activities.
The Partnership Agreement links the Board’s strategic direction with the City of Unley’s Community Plan
goals, therefore defining the community development role of each party. Under this Agreement the
City of Unley is responsible for:
•
•
•
•
•
The provision of a total of 2.52FTEs including:
o Coordinator – 38 hours per week
o Administration Officer/Customer Service Officer - 26 hours per week
o Administration Officer/Customer Service Officer – 31.5 hours per week
Insurance cover for Property and Buildings on the property (not including the Associations
fixtures and fittings).
Assistance in recruitment, training and support of volunteers (the registration of volunteers is
the responsibility of GCS).
Property maintenance.
Specialist advice and support including ICT, records management, promotion and contracting
advice.
Page 4
The GCS Board of Management also employs a number of part-time and casual staff. These positions
total 3.99 FTE at a cost of $181,114 and include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Greek HACC Coordinator
Filipino HACC Coordinator
HACC Admin Officer
HACC Support Workers
Playgroup Coordinator
Goodygym Coordinator
Goodygym Coordinator (casual)
Toy Librarian
Toy Librarian (casual)
Staines Child Development Officer
Support Workers
Secretary to the Board
These staff members are separate to the staff employed by the City of Unley under the terms of the
Partnership Agreement; however, the Community Centre Coordinator is responsible for the overall
supervision of all staff.
Partnership
Agreement
GCS Inc. Board
of
Management
City of Unley
Property
Management
Staffing: Centre
Coordinator,
Admin. staff
Volunteers
Staffing: HACC, Playgroup,
Goodygym, Toy Library,
Staines Child Development,
Secretary to the Board
Program and Service Delivery/ Venue Hire
Page 5
The current Partnering Agreement between the City of Unley and Goodwood Community Services
expires on 30 June 2015. This provides an opportunity to review the Agreement, in accordance with the
conditions of the contract, to assess the effectiveness of the contract, determine opportunities to
increase efficiencies in financial management and staffing, clarify the roles and responsibilities of each
party and explore opportunities for improving service delivery and utilisation rates, within the context of
the outcomes of this Directions Paper.
The Partnership Agreement specifies the staffing and financial resources which the City of Unley is
obligated to provide. Given the outcomes of this review, it is appropriate to examine the terms of the
contract to determine the most effective Partnership Agreement for GCS and the City of Unley to
support the delivery of programs and services at the Goodwood Community Centre.
In contrast to Clarence Park Community Centre, Council retains the income from the hire of the venue,
and provides GCS with an annual operating grant of $42 000, with $21 000 supporting the Toy Library
and $21 000 supporting general centre operations.
Fullarton Park Centre: is located on Fullarton Road, Fullarton. It is managed and operated solely by
Council, without input from community representatives. The centre is a popular hire venue and
provides programs and activities for the community, delivered by community and commercial groups
and community centre staff. The main building was constructed in 1910, with various extensions and
upgrades throughout the past 50 years.
The facility, with a total building site of 1 625m², includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Howard Room: Suitable for up to 25 people, kitchenette, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD.
Community Room: Suitable for up to 40 people, fridge, urn, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD.
Board Room: Suitable for up to 25 people, kitchenette, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD.
Parkview Room: Suitable for up to 65 people, kitchenette/servery, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD,
lectern, sound system.
Lounge, Dining with access to Kitchen: Suitable for up to 200 people, commercial standard
kitchen, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD.
Banquet Room with access to Kitchen: Suitable for up to 250 people, commercial standard
kitchen, screen, whiteboard, TV/DVD.
Art/Craft Studio: basic space.
Large open space areas surrounding the Centre.
Ample off street parking.
Fullarton Park Community Centre is surrounded by open space on the north and south of the central
building. In 2013, a concept plan for this open space was developed for the upgrade the gardens,
removal olive trees, installation of new amenities and a trial orchard grove along the Fisher Street
boundary.
Page 6
The Centre is staffed by a total of 1.84 FTEs:
• Coordinator – 32 hours per week
• Admin/Customer Service Officer – 38 hours per week
The Fullarton Park Centre Coordinator is responsible for management of programs, finance, facility hire,
promotions, events, volunteers, staff and the Hughes Gallery. Fullarton Park Centre does not have any
City of Unley staff specifically employed to deliver programs at the facility.
TEAM
LEADER
Fullarton Park
Centre
Coordinator
Administration
Officer
Facility hirers
Volunteers
Program and service delivery
Unley Community Centre: is located in Arthur Street, Unley, in close proximity to the Unley shopping
precinct, the Unley Library and the Unley Civic Centre. There is no car parking available at the Centre
itself.
The building was constructed in 1967, with some upgrades over the past 40 years. However, it requires
considerable upgrade to improve and expand service provision in the future, as specified in the 2010
report, ‘Future Directions of the Unley Citizens Centre’. The facility, with a total building site of 775m²,
includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kitchen and Dining Room: Suitable for 50 people, commercial standard kitchen.
Main Hall: Suitable for 150 people, stage, PA system, screen and whiteboard.
Southern Meeting Room: Suitable for 8 people. Includes whiteboard and TV/DVD.
Northern Meeting Room: Suitable for 15 people. Includes whiteboard and TV/DVD.
No off street parking.
Fibre optic cabling connected through the Unley Library.
Page 7
The Unley Community Centre Coordinator is responsible for management of programs, finance,
promotions, volunteers and staff.
The Centre is staffed by a total of 3.01 FTEs:
• Coordinator – 38 hours per week
• Meals Service Catering Coordinator – 24 hours per week
• Community Service Officer – 22.5 hours per week
• Customer Service Officer – 30.4 hours per week
Programs and services are provided by external providers, volunteers and community centre staff.
TEAM LEADER
Unley Community
Centre
Coordinator
Customer
Service Officers
Meals Service
Catering
Coordinator
Volunteers
Program and service delivery
2.
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES AT COMMUNITY CENTRES
One of the main roles of community centres is either to directly provide, or facilitate the provision of,
programs and activities in response to community needs.
To assist in comparison between centres, the following table summarises the provider and number of
programs and activities provided at each community centre:
Page 8
Programs and activities
provided by:
Clarence Park
Community Centre
Fullarton Park
Centre
Goodwood
Community Centre
Unley
Community
Centre
Total
Community Centre
20
7
6
22
55
Community groups
25
34
22
19
100
Commercial groups
17
16
10
4
47
Total
62
57
38
45
202
While activities and programs change on a regular basis, in general the type of programs and courses
offered by community centres fall into the following categories:
•
•
•
•
•
Art and craft
Recreation and Health
Parent/Child services
Educational
Community services
Analysis of the type of activities indicates some similarities and differences between centres:
•
There is a strong focus on recreation, health and community services at all facilities.
•
Fullarton Park Centre has the highest number of programs and activities delivered by community
groups, contrasted to the low number of programs and activities delivered by the centre itself,
reflecting its significant role as a facility for community hire.
•
Clarence Park and Unley Community Centres have the highest number of programs and activities
delivered directly by a centre.
•
Goodwood and Clarence Park Community Centres directly provide a number of Parent / Child
services. There is less of a focus in this area at Fullarton Park Centre and none at Unley
Community Centre.
•
Goodwood Community Centres offers the lowest number of programs and activities, although
this figure does not reflect the considerable size of some programs, such as the HACC service.
•
With the exception of Unley Community Centre, all Centres provide programs and activities for
people of all ages.
•
Each Centre offers a variety of programs and activities, with some overlaps of services. For
example, both Clarence Park and Fullarton Park Centres provide English As A Second Language
and English Conversation groups, tax assistance programs, and school holiday programs.
Page 9
Programs/Activities Provided by Directly Community Centres
Clarence Park Community Centre
Fullarton Park Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Unley Community Centre
Art/Craft
 Craft
 Kid’s Art Workshops
 Kid’s Chocolate Workshops
 Kid’s Jewellery Workshops
 Lavender Workshop
Art/Craft
 Quilting
 Gallery exhibitions x 11
Art/Craft
Art/Craft
 Knit n Natter
 China Painting
 Learn to Paint and
draw
Community Services
 Board of Management
 Healthy Living for Seniors
 TOYS (The Shed)
 Tax Help
 Volunteer Programs
Community Services
Community Services
GCS – HACC Social Activities
Program
Community Services
 Meals Service
 Forums
Education
 Computing for All
 English Conversation Group
 Women’s Studies
Education
 ESL x 4/week
Education
Education
 Unley Computer
User Group
Parent / Child
 Occasional Childcare
 Moving Madness
 Playgroup
Parent / Child
 School Holiday Program
 Mother’s Group
Parent / Child
Recreation / Health
 Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s
Cooking Class
 Strength for Life
 Walking Groups
 Biodiversity Garden Nature
Walks
Recreation / Health
 Mah Jong x 2/week
 Learn to play Mah Jong
Parent / Child
 City of Unley – Babytime
 GCS – GoodyGym – Friday
and Saturday
 GCS – Playgroup – Monday
and Tuesday
 GCS – School holiday
program
 GCS Staines Child
Development program
Recreation / Health
Recreation / Health
 Aquacise
 Classic Movies
 Flexible Mind,
Flexible Body
 Strength for Life
 Hand Massage
 Games Afternoon
 Indoor Bowls
 Yoga
 Yoga and
Meditation
• Let’s Dance
 Fitness with Doug
 Tai Chi
 Bridge
 Bolivia
 Sunday Concert
 Quarterly Bus
Trips
Page 10
Programs/Activities Provided by Community Groups using Community Centres
Clarence Park Community Centre
Fullarton Park Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Unley Community Centre
Art/Craft
 Quilting
 Sewing

Art/Craft
 Cloth Dolls
 Quilters Guild of SA
 SA Reborn Doll Guild
Art/Craft
Art/Craft
Community Services
 Ahmadiyya Muslim Association
 Food Co-op
 Goodwood Good Food Co-op
 Goodwood Rail Upgrade
Action Group Meetings
 Kate Ellis Public Consultations
 Orana Singers
 True Jesus Church
 Grace Communion
International
 Urban Orchard
 Village Market
 Youth Muslim Prayer Group
Community Services
 Community Centres SA
– workshops
 Unley Mensa
 Fullarton Markets
 Myrtle Bank
Neighbourhood Watch
 Fullarton Ladies Probus
 Prostate Awareness
Support
 Parkinson’s SA
 Counselling - Josie –
daily
 Counselling – Noela –
daily
 Domiciliary Care x
2wkly
 Arthritis Foundation of
SA
 Disability SA –
workshops
 Alzheimer’s Australia SA
 Carers SA
 Families SA – adoption
meetings
 Quality Wellbeing
Programs –
workshops/forums
 DPTI – driver
assessments over 70’s
and disability
Community Services
 Adolescent & Youth Young
Adult Program
 BASMA – Arabic Speaking
HACC
 Diffability
 Lone Fathers Association
 SAFE – Supporting Adults
Future Empowerment
 Tax Help – ATO
Community Services
 Insieme – Italian
Meeting Group
 Unley Probus
 Legacy
 RSB – Low Vision
Education
 Ancient Egypt Study Group
 International Student Visits
 Living in Harmony with the
Planet
 Natural History Talks
Education
 Adelaide Language
Institute x 3/week
 What’s the Buzz – Mark
– social skills for
children
 What’s the Buzz –
Madhavi – social skills
for children
 Employment Options –
workshops
Parent / Child
 Child and Youth Health
Education
 ATA
Education
Parent / Child
Parent / Child
Parent / Child
 Mother’s Groups
Page 11
Clarence Park Community Centre
Recreation / Health
 Amateur Winemakers &
Brewers
 Adelaide Amiga User Group
 Quorum
 Adelaide Micro-Controller
Group
 Calisthenics
 Dowsers Club of SA
 Just Strings
Fullarton Park Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Recreation / Health
 Fullarton Road South
Traders Association
 Fullarton Senior
Citizens’ Club
 Myeloma Foundation of
Australia
 Foreign Shorthair Cat
Club
 Club
 Sprite Car Club
 Adelaide Usui Reiki
Centre
 Adelaide Wing Chun
Kuen
 Bridge
Recreation / Health
 ALEF - VG
 ANFE
 Bears and Friends Inc
 D-Volleyball
 Falun Dafa
 Floral Design Council of SA
Inc
 Goodwood Community
Childcare
 Goodwood Volleyball
 Greek Pensioners & Aged
Society of SA/NT Inc
 Greek Women's
Centre/Group
 Let's Talk Together
 SA Bonsai Society Inc
 SA Iris Society of SA
 The Birthing Kit
 Veteran and Vintage
Motorcycle Club
Unley Community Centre
Recreation / Health
 Sylvan Recorders
 3 r’s
 Immunization
 Natural health
society
 Australian Plant
Society
 Friendship Force
 FOCUS
 Mazda MX5 Club
 Sukyo Mahikari
Church
 Healing Heart
 Sophia English
Classes – book
sale
 Yoga/Meditation
workshop – Clare
Williams
 In the Raw
 Club Trentino
 SA Cycling
Association
Page 12
Programs/Activities Provided by Commercial Groups using Community Centre
Clarence Park Community Centre
Fullarton Park Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Unley Community Centre
Art/Craft
 Sarah McDonald's Art
School
 Pelican Productions children workshops
 Orff Schulwerk
Association- children
music
 Metropolitan Musical
Theatre SA
 Helen O'Grady
Children's Drama
Academy
Community Services
 Super SA
Art/Craft
Art/Craft
Community Services
Community Services
Education
 Kumon Education
Education
TAFE Mount Barker
Education
Education
Parent / Child
 Kinderchefs
 Kindermusik
Wheelie Kids
Parent / Child
Parent / Child
 Kid’s Camera Action
 Music Theatre Camp
(Pelican Productions)
 Ready Steady Go Kids
Parent / Child
Recreation / Health
 Chengs Taekwondo Ohdokwan
 Dog Dancing
 Fitness Over Fifty
 Skateskool
 Move Through Life Inc
 Oneness Blessing
 Salsa Connection Dance
 Share International Australia
(Transmission Meditation)
 Shenpen
 Soul Love
 Zumba
Recreation / Health
 Adelaide Registrars
 Children Ballet
 4 Life Research
 Australasian Lactation
Courses
 Australian Doula
College - workshops
 Bush Biotherapies
 Bowen Therapy
 GKR Karate
 Rapid Sculpt Fitness
Recreation / Health
 Garry Roberts School of
Dance
 Giddins, Sim
 Mostly Over 50's
 Pelican Productions - Oz
group choir
 Pedaltek Cycling Solutions
 Unite the Light
 World Taekwondo
Recreation / Health
 Podiatry
 Yoga
 Mary K Cosmetics
 Weight Watchers
Art/Craft
Community Services
 Aust National First Aid Services
 Interwork
 Key Assets Fostering
Page 13
3.
Community Events at Community Centres
For the purpose of this Paper, a community event is defined as open to the whole community and held
at a community centre.
Each event differs in purpose, resourcing and community outcome. To assist with comparisons,
community centre involvement with ‘community events’ has been categorized as follows:
Event Type
Organised directly by the
community centre staff, sometimes
in collaboration with other groups
Organised by a community or
commercial group using the Centre
Organised by other organisations
partnering with community centres
Purpose
• In response to community need
• To encourage involvement in community
centre activities
• Community centre promotion
• Community centre promotion
• To support a valuable community event
• To encourage involvement in Community
centre activities
• Community Centre promotion
Resourcing
High
Low
Moderate
The exception to this is where the centre is heavily involved in setting up the venue. This is often the
case at Fullarton Park Centre.
In 2012-2013, all four community centres participated in a variety of community events:
The data shows clear variations emerging with:
•
All community centres run a wide variety of community events all year.
•
Fullarton Park Centre primarily being used by community groups to run large well promoted
community events such as the Fullarton Markets.
•
The use of Fullarton Park Centre for private hire functions reduces the capacity of the community
centre to run its own events.
•
Clarence Park Community Centre coordinates a high number of community events with the highest
demand on resourcing.
•
Unley Community Centre runs very limited community events and attracts no commercial or
community groups to the Centre to deliver events.
•
Each community centre provides a variety of events in response to the needs and character of the
local community with some events attracting participants from across Adelaide.
•
Goodwood, Unley and Clarence Park Community Centres run a number of smaller community events
open to the general community but primarily patronized by existing users and the local community.
Page 14
Clarence Park Community Centre
Fullarton Park Centre
Goodwood Community Centre
Unley Community Centre
Run by the community centre
 Annual General Meeting
 Ahmadiyya Women’s Lunch
 Building Connections Lunch
 Biodiversity Garden Nature
Walks
 Community Xmas Party
 Disco Down
 Every Generation Concert
 Kid’s Markets
 Playgroup Park Day
 Seniors Bus Trips
 Mayor’s Forum
 Moving Madness Under the
Wisteria Day
 Strength for Life Launch
 Circus Elements
 The Men’s Shed BBQ’s
 Winter Wonderland Disco
 Barbara Robertson an Artist’s
Life
 Volunteer & Xmas Staff
Celebration
 Healthy Living Christmas
Break-up
Run by the community
centre
 Every Generation
Festival event
 English Language
Classes morning tea
 Centre Christmas
celebration
 KESAB bus trip
 Gallery exhibition
opening events x 11
 Volunteers’ Celebration
 Ride a Bike – program
for children
Run by the community centre
 Community Arts Project
 GCS - AGM/Celebration
 GCS – Community
Christmas Party
 GCS - Volunteer Mystery
Tour
 Goodwood Alive
 Soup Week
Run by the community
centre
 Every Generation
Festival Event
 Melbourne Cup
Lunch
 Christmas Lunch
 Various Forums X3
Community/commercial groups
 Neighbourhood Watch Public
Forum
 Kindermusik Open Day
 Chengs Ohdokwon Taekwondo
Come & Try
 Clarence Park Cricket Club
AGM
 Upstage Theatre Pantomimes
 Village Markets
 Sustainability Community
Forum
 Amateur Winemakers Oyster
& Wine Night
 Bahai Community Event
 Oneness Blessing Christmas
Celebration
Community/commercial
groups
 Kid’s Camera Action
 Ivy Lane
 SA Reborn Doll Fair
 Young Living Essential
Oils workshop/seminar
 Bahai Community of
Unley
Community/commercial
groups
Organisations/Partner
th
 Food Co-op 30 Birthday
 Neighbourhood Watch Public
Forum
 Upstage Theatre Pantomimes
 Village Markets
 Sustainability Community Day
Organisations/Partner
 Reiki workshop for
children
 Caring Choir
 Fullarton Markets x 12
 Herb Fair
 Christmas Craft Fair
Community/commercial groups
 ALEF Luncheons
 Filipino Cultural
Ambassador Dance Group
Christmas Lunch
 Floral Design Council
 Goodwood Community
Childcare Christmas
Celebration
 Greek Ladies Philanthropic
Group Luncheons
 Greek Women's Centre
Christmas Celebration
 SA Bonsai Society Inc
Annual Show
 SA Iris Society of SA Annual
Show
 Shell Show
Organisations/Partner
 Goodwood Groove
 Street Geeks/City of Unley
LAN Party
Organisations/Partner
Page 15
4.
Other Services Provided By Community Centres
Each community centre provides a range of other services, depending on the nature of the facility, users
of the centre and the needs of the local community.
Service
Clarence Park
Fullarton Park
Goodwood
Unley
Community Information




Private Venue Hire




Provision Of Meals


Community Transport

Leased Rooms

Gallery

Library

Open Space Hire


All community centres provide community information including initiatives and services provided by
Council and other organisations, community and commercial groups and state government bodies.
Information stands, posters and fliers are displayed at all community centres in available spaces, usually
in a reception area, foyer or entrance way.
This information is displayed by community centre staff and representatives from organisations and
groups and is presented on an ad hoc basis, depending on available space. Currently, there are no
systems in place to measure the effectiveness of this information. There is an opportunity to improve
information display areas at all community centres, including links to performance measures and data
collection.
Page 16
APPENDIX 3
COMMUNITY CENTRE UTILISATION RATES DATA MAY 2013
Banquet /
Acitivty
Hall Actual
Hours
Hired
GOODWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Actual
hours of
available
use
Available hours for Hire Sunday to Thursday 8am to
11pm (15 hrs/day) and
Friday and Saturday 8am to
midnight (16 hrs/day)
% of
actual
use
%
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Available hours for Hire Sunday to Thursday 8am to
11pm (15 hrs/day) and
Friday and Saturday 8am to
midnight (16 hrs/day)
%
Boardroom
Actual Hours
hired
Interview
Room Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Available hours for Hire Week days 9am to 4pm
% of
actual
use
Group
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Available hours for Hire Week days 9am to 4pm
%
Day 1 - Wed
10.25
15
0
15
7.5
7
4
7
Day 2 - Thurs
15.75
15
5
15
5
7
5
7
Day 3 - Fri
22
16
4.5
16
0
7
0
7
Day 4 - Sat
12.5
16
5
16
0
0
11
0
Day 5 - Sun
0
15
4
15
0
0
0
0
Day 6 - Mon
4.5
15
0
15
2.5
7
0
7
Day 7 - Tues
16.5
15
4
15
1.25
7
5.5
7
Day 8 - Wed
16.75
15
0
15
2.5
7
6
7
Day 9 - Thurs
15.75
15
4
15
0
7
2.5
7
Day 10 - Fri
27.5
16
1.5
16
1.25
7
0
7
Day 11 - Sat
23.5
16
5
16
0
0
0
0
Day 12 - Sun
0
15
4
15
0
0
0
0
Day 13 - Mon
4.5
15
5
15
1.25
7
14
7
Day 14 - Tues
13
15
3.5
15
4.5
7
10.5
7
Day 15 - Wed
15.75
15
3
15
0
7
6
7
Day 16 - Thurs
15.75
15
7
15
0
7
4
7
Day 17 - Fri
16.5
16
1.5
16
0
7
0
7
Day 18 - Sat
14.5
16
5
16
0
0
5
0
Day 19 - Sun
30
15
15
15
15
0
15
0
Day 20 - Mon
8
15
4.25
15
1.25
7
2.5
7
Day 21 - Tues
16.25
15
6
15
2.5
7
6.5
7
Page 1
Banquet /
Acitivty
Hall Actual
Hours
Hired
GOODWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Actual
hours of
available
use
Boardroom
Actual Hours
hired
% of
actual
use
Interview
Room Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Group
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Day 22 - Wed
10.25
15
0
15
0
7
6
7
Day 23 - Thurs
15.75
15
0
15
2.25
7
4
7
Day 24 - Fri
7.5
16
4.5
16
1.25
7
3
7
Day 25 - Sat
30.5
16
5
16
0
0
5
0
Day 26 - Sun
5.5
15
4
15
0
0
0
0
Day 27 - Mon
4.5
15
2.5
15
2.5
7
3
7
Day 28 - Tues
17
15
0
15
0
7
6.5
7
Day 29 - Wed
16.75
15
0
15
3.75
7
6
7
Day 30 - Thurs
15.5
15
6.5
15
4.5
7
0
7
18
16
1.5
16
1.25
7
0
7
440.5
474
111.25
474
60
161
131
161
Day 31 - Fri
TOTALS
92.93
23.47
37.27
% of
actual
use
81.37
CLARENCE PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Main Hall
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Available hours for Hire Sunday to Thursday 9am to
10pm (13 hrs/day) and
Friday and Saturday 9am to
midnight (15 hrs/day)
% of
actual
use
%
Clarence
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Available hours for Hire Sunday to Thursday 9am
to 10pm (13 hrs/day) and
Friday and Saturday 9am
to 11pm (14 hrs/day)
% of
actual
use
%
Black
Forest
Room
Actual
Hours
hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Available hours for Hire Sunday to Thursday 9am
to 10pm (13 hrs/day) and
Friday and Saturday 9am
to 11pm (14 hrs/day)
% of
actual
use
%
Childrens
Hall Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Occupancy in this area is
classed as 100% (9am5pm)
Computer
Room Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Occupancy in this area is
classed as 100% (9am10pm)
% of
actual
use
%
Day 1 - Wed
7.5
13
57.69
6
13
46.15
6
13
46.15
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 2 - Thurs
13
13
100.00
4
13
30.77
4
13
30.77
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 3 - Fri
15
15
100.00
5
14
35.71
2
14
14.29
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 4 - Sat
15
15
100.00
7
14
50.00
6
14
42.86
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 5 - Sun
6.5
13
50.00
6.5
13
50.00
0
13
0.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 6 - Mon
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
7.5
13
57.69
8
8
100
13
13
100
Page 2
CLARENCE PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Main Hall
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Day 7 - Tues
12.5
13
Day 8 - Wed
8.5
13
Day 9 - Thurs
13
13
Day 10 - Fri
6
15
40.00
Day 11 - Sat
11.5
15
Day 12 - Sun
0
13
Day 13 - Mon
13
13
Day 14 - Tues
10
Day 15 - Wed
13
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Black
Forest
Room
Actual
Hours
hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Childrens
Hall Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Computer
Room Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
5
13
38.46
6.75
13
51.92
8
8
100
13
13
100
65.38
6
13
46.15
6
13
46.15
8
8
100
13
13
100
100.00
4.5
13
34.62
2
13
15.38
8
8
100
13
13
100
2
14
14.29
3
14
21.43
8
8
100
13
13
100
76.67
7
14
50.00
3
14
21.43
8
8
100
13
13
100
0.00
4.5
13
34.62
0
13
0.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
100.00
8.75
13
67.31
7.5
13
57.69
8
8
100
13
13
100
13
76.92
3.5
13
26.92
8
13
61.54
8
8
100
13
13
100
13
100.00
7
13
53.85
6
13
46.15
8
8
100
13
13
100
6.75
13
51.92
5.5
13
42.31
7
13
53.85
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 17 - Fri
6
15
40.00
3
14
21.43
2
14
14.29
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 18 - Sat
12
15
80.00
7
14
50.00
0
14
0.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 19 - Sun
6.5
13
50.00
3
13
23.08
0
13
0.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 20 - Mon
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
7.5
13
57.69
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 21 - Tues
10
13
76.92
6.5
13
50.00
6.25
13
48.08
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 22 - Wed
13
13
100.00
7
13
53.85
10
13
76.92
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 23 - Thurs
13
13
100.00
5
13
38.46
6
13
46.15
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 24 - Fri
15
15
100.00
9
14
64.29
14
14
100.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 25 - Sat
15
15
100.00
9
14
64.29
9
14
64.29
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 26 - Sun
12
13
92.31
9
13
69.23
13
13
100.00
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 27 - Mon
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
7.5
13
57.69
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 28 - Tues
10
13
76.92
3.5
13
26.92
8
13
61.54
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 29 - Wed
8.5
13
65.38
7
13
53.85
6
13
46.15
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 30 - Thurs
6.75
13
51.92
3.5
13
26.92
5
13
38.46
8
8
100
13
13
100
Day 16 - Thurs
Day 31 - Fri
TOTALS
96.15
Clarence
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
6
15
40.00
5
14
35.71
3
14
21.43
8
8
100
13
13
100
324
421
76.96
198.75
412
48.24
172
412
41.75
248
248
100.00
403
403
100.00
Page 3
FULLARTON PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Fullarton Park
Banquet
Hall Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
%
Lounge/Din
Actual Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
%
Board
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
%
Study
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Howard
Room
Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
%
Day 1 - Wed
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
Day 2 - Thurs
5
13
38.46
5
13
38.46
13
13
100.00
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Day 3 - Fri
2
15
13.33
0
15
0.00
8
15
53.33
15
15
100
10
15
66.66
Day 4 - Sat
0
15
0.00
0
15
0.00
9
15
60.00
15
15
100
15
15
100
Day 5 - Sun
0
13
0.00
0
13
0.00
0
13
0.00
13
13
100
13
13
100
Day 6 - Mon
10
13
76.92
13
13
100.00
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
13
13
100
Day 7 - Tues
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
Day 8 - Wed
3
13
23.08
13
13
100.00
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
Day 9 - Thurs
6
13
46.15
9
13
69.23
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Day 10 - Fri
3
15
20.00
0
15
0.00
10
15
66.67
15
15
100
15
15
100
Day 11 - Sat
0
15
0.00
0
15
0.00
0
15
0.00
15
15
100
4
15
26.66
Day 12 - Sun
0
13
0.00
0
13
0.00
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
Day 13 - Mon
9
13
69.23
9.5
13
73.08
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
Day 14 - Tues
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
5
13
38.46
Day 15 - Wed
13
13
100.00
10
13
76.92
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Day 16 - Thurs
5
13
38.46
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
13
13
100
13
13
100
Day 17 - Fri
2
15
13.33
2
15
13.33
8
15
53.33
15
15
100
15
15
100
Day 18 - Sat
11
15
73.33
11
15
73.33
0
15
0.00
15
15
100
0
15
0
Day 19 - Sun
10
13
76.92
10
13
76.92
0
13
0.00
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
Day 20 - Mon
9
13
69.23
9
13
69.23
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
5
13
38.46
Day 21 - Tues
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
8
13
61.54
13
13
100
5
13
38.46
Day 22 - Wed
11
13
84.62
11
13
84.62
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Day 23 - Thurs
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
13
13
100
13
13
100
Day 24 - Fri
10
15
66.67
13
15
86.67
10
15
66.67
15
15
100
4
15
26.66
Day 25 - Sat
10
15
66.67
10
15
66.67
6
15
40.00
15
15
100
6
15
40
Day 26 - Sun
10
13
76.92
9
13
69.23
0
13
0.00
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Page 4
FULLARTON PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Fullarton Park
Day 27 - Mon
10
13
76.92
13
13
100.00
4
13
30.77
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
Day 28 - Tues
13
13
100.00
13
13
100.00
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
5
13
38.46
Day 29 - Wed
13
13
100.00
11
13
84.62
13
13
100.00
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
Day 30 - Thurs
4
13
30.77
5
13
38.46
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
15
15
100.00
15
15
100.00
8
15
53.33
15
15
100
4
15
26.66
249
421
59.14
269.5
421
64.01
234
421
55.58
421
421
100.00
240
421
57.01
Day 31 - Fri
TOTALS
Community
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
% of
actual
use
Lounge/Din
Actual Hours
Hired
Parkview
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
Board
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Banquet
Hall Actual
Hours
Hired
% of
actual
use
Actual
hours of
available
use
Study
Actual
Hours
Hired
% of
actual
use
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
Howard
Room
Actual
Hours Hired
Actual
hours of
available
use
% of
actual
use
CONTINUED: FULLARTON PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Actual
hours
of avail
use
%
% of
actual
use
Gallery
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
%
% of
actual
use
Art
Studio
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
%
% of
actual
use
%
Retreat
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
%
% of
actual
use
Reiki
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
avail use
%
4.5
13
34.61
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
%
9
13
69.23
10
13
76.92
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
13
13
100
4.5
15
30
8
15
53.33
16
16
100
0
10
0
16
16
100
16
16
100
5
15
33.33
15
15
100
16
16
100
10
10
100
16
16
100
16
16
100
13
13
100
15
13
115.38
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
0
13
0
10
13
76.92
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
8
13
61.53
6
13
46.15
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
13
13
100
9.5
15
63.33
7
15
46.66
16
16
100
0
10
0
16
16
100
16
16
100
16
15
106.66
15
15
100
16
16
100
10
10
100
16
16
100
16
16
100
5
13
38.46
13
13
100
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
Page 5
Community
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
% of
actual
use
Parkview
Room
Actual
Hours
Hired
9
13
69.23
4
13
8.5
15
CONTINUED: FULLARTON PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
% of
actual
use
Art
Studio
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
% of
actual
use
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
100
13
13
100
9
53.33
16
16
100
0
73.33
16
16
100
13
38.46
13
13
7
13
53.84
13
76.92
6
13
46.15
13
0
13
13
13
13
100
9
13
5
15
33.33
9
9
15
60
10
5
13
38.46
4
13
6
Actual
hours
of avail
use
% of
actual
use
Gallery
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
13
13
100
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
15
65.38
13
13
100
8
15
0
15
0
11
15
5
13
38.46
5
9
13
69.23
10
13
0
Retreat
Actual
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours
of avail
use
% of
actual
use
Reiki
Actual
Hours
Hired
13
13
100
13
13
100
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
69.23
13
13
100
13
13
100
10
0
16
16
100
16
16
100
10
10
100
16
16
100
16
16
100
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
100
69.23
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
13
13
100
15
60
16
16
100
0
10
0
16
16
100
16
16
100
15
66.66
16
16
100
10
10
100
16
16
100
16
16
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
30.76
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
0
13
0
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
46.15
7
13
53.84
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
13
13
100
13
13
100
4
13
30.76
10
13
76.92
13
13
100
9
13
69.23
13
13
100
13
13
100
9
15
60
15
15
100
16
16
100
0
10
0
16
16
100
16
16
100
211
421
50.12
331
421
78.62
430
430
100.00
157
376
41.76
430
430
100.00
430
430
Actual
hours of
avail use
100
100.00
Page 6
UNLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Main
Hall
Actua
l
Hours
Hired
Available for Hire
Mon - Fri 8.30am 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
Sat/Sun 8hrs/day
Day 1 Wed
4.5
Day 2 Thurs
6.5
Day 3 Fri
7.5
Day 4 Sat
4
Day 5 Sun
8
Day 6 Mon
6.5
Day 7 Tues
10.5
Day 8 Wed
2
Day 9 Thurs
2.5
Day 10 Fri
7.5
Day 11 Sat
0
Day 12 Sun
1.5
Day 13 Mon
1.5
Day 14 Tues
5.5
Day 15 Wed
2
Day 16 Thurs
5.5
Day 17 Fri
7.5
Day 18 Sat
1.5
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
% of
actual
use
%
Actual
Dinin
hours of
g
availabl
Room
e use
Available for Hire
Mon - Fri 8.30am
- 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
Sat/Sun 8hrs/day
% of
actual
use
%
Actual
hours of
Kitche
availabl
n
e use
Available for Hire
Mon - Fri 8.30am 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
Sat/Sun 8hrs/day
7.5
60.00
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
7.5
86.67
100.0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
50.00
100.0
0
0
8
0
8
8
8
0.00
100.0
0
8
8
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
7.5
86.67
140.0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
7.5
26.67
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
7.5
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
7.5
33.33
100.0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
8
18.75
0
8
7.5
20.00
6
7.5
73.33
7.5
7.5
% of
actual
use
Souther
Actual
n
hours of
Meeting availabl
Room'
e use
Available for Hire
Mon - Fri 8.30am 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
Sat/Sun 8hrs/day
% of
actual
use
Norther
Actual
n
hours of
Meeting
availabl
Room
e use
Available for Hire
Mon - Fri 8.30am 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
Sat/Sun 8hrs/day
% of
actual
use
%
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
% of
actual
use
Available for Hire 1
day a week 8.30am
till 4.30pm
(7.5hrs/day)
%
Podiatr
y Room
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
2.5
7.5
33.33
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0.00
0
7.5
0.00
4
7.5
53.33
4
7.5
53.33
0
7.5
0.00
3.5
7.5
46.67
0
0
0
0.00
100.0
0
106.6
7
106.6
7
0
8
4
8
0
8
8
8
50.00
100.0
0
0
8
0.00
100.0
0
7.5
7.5
0
100.0
0
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
2
7.5
26.67
2
7.5
26.67
0
0
0
2.5
7.5
33.33
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
0
7.5
0.00
3
7.5
40.00
0
0
0
7.5
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
0
7.5
0.00
3.5
7.5
46.67
0
0
0
0
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
8
0.00
0
0
0
0.00
0
8
0
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
0
0
0
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
0
7.5
0.00
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
2.5
7.5
33.33
4
7.5
53.33
0
0
0
26.67
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
2.5
7.5
33.33
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
0
7.5
0.00
4
7.5
53.33
4
7.5
53.33
7.5
73.33
100.0
0
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
0
7.5
0.00
3.5
7.5
46.67
0
0
0
8
18.75
0
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
4
8
50.00
0
0
7.5
8
8
7.5
0
Page 7
UNLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE OCCUPANCY RATES MONTH OF MAY 2013
Day 19 Sun
Day 20 Mon
Day 21 Tues
Day 22 Wed
Day 23 Thurs
Day 24 Fri
Day 25 Sat
Day 26 Sun
Day 27 Mon
Day 28 Tues
Day 29 Wed
Day 30 Thurs
Day 31 Fri
TOTALS
Main
Hall
Actua
l
Hours
Hired
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
8.5
Dinin
g
Room
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
8
% of
actual
use
106.2
5
8.5
8
% of
actual
use
106.2
5
Kitche
n
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
3.5
7.5
46.67
6
7.5
6.5
7.5
86.67
6
2
7.5
9.5
7.5
7.5
7.5
11.5
8
26.67
126.6
7
100.0
0
143.7
5
0
8
5
8.5
8
80.00
8
7.5
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
6
7.5
8
7.5
11.5
8
80.00
143.7
5
11.5
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
0
8
7.5
66.67
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
5.5
7.5
73.33
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
2
7.5
26.67
3
7.5
40.00
0
7.5
6.5
7.5
6
7.5
80.00
8
7.5
6
7.5
80.00
8
151
236.5
63.85
172
7.5
7.5
86.67
100.0
0
160
236.5
67.65
Podiatr
y Room
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
7.5
7.5
% of
actual
use
100.0
0
80.00
0
0
0
7.5
26.67
0
0
0
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
0.00
3
7.5
40.00
0
0
0
3.5
7.5
0
0
11.5
8
46.67
143.7
5
0
8
0.00
143.7
5
0
0
0
0
8
0.00
0
8
0.00
0
0
0
0
7.5
0.00
0
7.5
0.00
0
0
0
2.5
7.5
33.33
2
7.5
26.67
0
0
0
2.5
7.5
33.33
3
7.5
40.00
0
0
0
0
7.5
0.00
3
7.5
40.00
4
7.5
53.33
7.5
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
0
7.5
0.00
3.5
7.5
46.67
0
0
0.00
236.5
72.73
53
236.5
22.41
89.5
236.5
37.84
27
37.5
72.00
% of
actual
use
106.2
5
106.6
7
106.6
7
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
143.7
5
0.00
106.6
7
106.6
7
Souther
n
Meeting
Room'
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
8.5
8
% of
actual
use
106.2
5
Norther
n
Meeting
Room
Actual
hours of
availabl
e use
8.5
8
% of
actual
use
106.2
5
0
7.5
0.00
6
7.5
2.5
7.5
33.33
2
2.5
7.5
33.33
0
7.5
0
7.5
11.5
Page 8
APPENDIX 4
2012-2013 COMMUNITY CENTRES – Clarence Park, Fullarton Park, Goodwood and Unley
Percentage of Council’s Total Expenditure Budget: 2.7%
Human Resources (FTE): 9.23
Budget
Unley Community Centre
INCOME
User Charges
Facility Hire
Facility Hire - RSL
Other User Charges, Programs
Other Inc - Catering
Total Income
EXPENDITURE
Contractual Services (Cleaning)
Freight & Postage
Volunteer Services
Catering Service
Security Service
Purchasing Services - other
Contractual Services Total
Employee Costs Total (including casuals)
Materials Total
Other
Publicity
Program Expenses
RSL Reimbursement
Other Total
Asset Maintenance
Depreciation
-27 810
-14 400 offset by $12600
-20 335 offset by expenses below
-46 968 offset by expenses below
-109 513
4 000
1 300
3 600 reimbursements
24 000 refer income above
660
4 215
37 775
230 241
13 753
3 020
28,180 refer income above
18 670 refer income above
49 870
51 036 Includes cleaning, utilities, repairs, water
5 782
EXPENDITURE Total
388 457
Unley Community Centre Net Total
278 944
Fullarton Park Centre
INCOME
Artist Exhibition Income
Facility Hire
Other User Charges - Programs
Other Income
Total Income
Comment
-10 160 see offset expenses below
-121 120
-11 750 offset expenses below
-2 200
-145 230
Page 1
EXPENDITURE
Contractual Services
Cont Svc Off Equ Maint
Temp Contract Staff
Freight & Postage
Catering Service
Security Service
Contractual Services Total
Employee Costs Total (including casuals)
Materials Total
7 500
3 500 cover leave commitments
1 000
600
1 292
13 892
160 757
22 911 $14k phone expenses
Other
Publicity
Program Expenses
Artist Exhibition Reimbursement
Other Expenses
Other Total
5 500
12 900 refer income above
8 300 refer income above
12 900
39 600
Asset Maintenance
76 669 Includes cleaning, utilities, repairs, water
EXPENDITURE Total
Fullarton Park Centre Net Total
313 829
168 599
Goodwood Community Centre
INCOME
Operating Grants and Subsidies Total
Other Income Total
INCOME Total
-15 383
-70,000 offset expenses below
-85 383
EXPENDITURE
Contractual Services Total
Employee Costs Total (including casuals)
5 100
193 741
Materials Total
Asset Maintenance
Other Total
Depreciation
EXPENDITURE Total
Goodwood Community Centre Net Total
15 471
84 489 Includes cleaning, utilities, repairs, water
58 700 $42k offset income above
4 125
361 626
276 243
Page 2
Clarence Park Community Centre
INCOME
Operating Grants and Subsidies Total
-14 800
EXPENDITURE
Contractual Services Total
Employee Costs Total (including casuals)
7 400
151,688
Materials Total
Asset Maintenance
Other Total
Depreciation
EXPENDITURE Total
Clarence Park Community Centre
Net Total
Total Net Cost of all Centres
21 968 $16k phone expenses
64 920 Includes cleaning, utilities, repairs, water
8 990
4 193
259 159
244 359
968 145
Page 3
APPENDIX 5
COMMUNITY CENTRES DIRECTIONS PAPER
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT April 2013
1. Background
As part of the research stage of developing the Community Centres Directions Paper, a community
engagement process was undertaken in March 2013. The consultation program targeted key
stakeholders, centre users and non-users.
2. Consultation Methodology
The consultation program was aimed at encouraging community input into the future directions of our
community centres.
The consultation program was aimed at key stakeholders, Centre users and non-users to:
•
•
•
•
develop an understanding the needs of the community
determine levels of satisfaction and gaps with current service provision
understand future aspirations
understand community perceptions relating to Community Centre operations.
The City of Unley collected the views of the community via our online Community hub, Your Say Unley,
as well as via a printed survey made available from the Community Centres, the Community Bus, and
the Civic Centre Library.
In addition, printed surveys were distributed at:
•
•
•
the Heywood Park ‘Footstomping, Fables, and Film event on Saturday, 16 March 2013
the community information day held at Forestville Reserve on Sunday, 24 March 2013 for the
Forestville/ rail projects
the Unley Shopping Centre on Thursday, 28 March 2013
During this phase a number of ‘face to face’ opportunities were also available for community input.
These included:
•
•
•
•
Eight community focus groups, with a daytime session and evening session being held at each of
our four Community Centres.
Two focus groups were held for the Boards of Management, one for Goodwood Community
Services and one for the Clarence Park Community Centre Board.
One focus group specifically for volunteers.
One focus group for relevant Council staff.
The City of Unley collected the views of the community via 12 community forums, our online
Community hub, Your Say Unley, via a printed survey made available at the Community Centres and the
Civic Library, and through surveys distributed at community events and the Unley Shopping Centre to
Page 1
catch the non-users of the Community Centres. A quick poll was also included in the Your Say Unley
home page. The initiative was promoted via the local Messenger on 20 February and 6 March 2013 and
on Council’s website.
3. Key Findings And Results
This community engagement initiative commenced on Monday, 4 March 2013, and concluded on
Thursday, 28 March 2013.
A total of 241 people participated in this initiative. Of these: 126 attended one of the 12 focus groups
available, 115 people completed a survey (97 completed a hard copy survey and 18 completed the online survey through the Your Say Unley site).
The following feedback was captured during the focus groups:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Community centres have a positive impact on people's well-being, sense of connection and
community spirit.
Community centres provide a hub for council and other information.
The importance of volunteers and need to continue to support their involvement in addressing
local needs and to be actively involved in running the Centres.
Affordability and accessibility are key factors in success of the centres in Unley.
Access to transport is a critical factor to attendance at community centre activities.
There is an opportunity to strengthen linkages between community centres, libraries, and
Council’s community services team.
Staff at our community centres are friendly, approachable and well informed.
There is a lack of awareness about what is provided at community centres and an opportunity to
improve promotion through website and local media.
The following feedback was provided in response to the survey questions. The majority of respondents
that had used a community centre in the last 12 months had attended:
•
•
•
•
playgroup/childcare
fitness
education
social gatherings
They reported that they felt part of the community and developed friendships from using a community
centre.
Page 2
The majority of respondents that had not used a community centre in the last 12 months identified the
following barriers:
•
•
•
don’t know what is available
times of activities not convenient
lack of transport
Some suggestions for other activities and improvements were mentioned a number of times – these
included:
•
•
•
•
•
better promotion of what is available at community centres
community garden sites at community centres where possible
more interaction with local schools
cooking programs
language classes
4. Stakeholder Recommendations
1.
Better linkages between community services, libraries, and community centre programs need to be
developed to deliver a ‘seamless’ service to the community.
2.
Investigate the potential for a ‘shuttle bus’ service to operate between each community centre and
library service site.
3.
Install Wi-Fi/Broad Band for free community access at all community centres.
4.
Encourage training through Communities SA for new Board Members of Clarence Park Board of
Management and Goodwood Community Services Board of Management, and address this as part
of a review of the Partnering Agreements.
5.
Develop a central ‘waiting list register’ for the four community centres and review regularly to
identify opportunities for popular programs to be duplicated at other community centre sites.
6.
Develop a ‘Welcome Pack’ for new residents of the City of Unley. Include in this pack details of the
four community centres and the full range of programs; details of the Unley Library service; and
information about community service programs (could also include some promotional vouchers
from local businesses).
7.
Community Centres host a ‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood’ group meeting or function for new
residents.
8.
Develop a marketing and public relations strategy for the City of Unley Community Centres
Program.
9.
Meet with the University of the Third Age to canvas opportunities to provide a suite of language
classes based at our community centres.
Page 3
10. Compile a list of current opportunities at our community centres to access food related activities
(e.g. cooking; nutrition education, food production/purchase) and scope the potential to include
food production sites at community centres.
FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK - COMMUNITY
How important are community centres? Why?
• Great social interaction (7 comments).
• Availability of Council information – a hub for council and other information including business (4
comments).
• Central place for community – meeting point (3 comments)
• Very important – good places to go, particularly when retired (3 comments)
• People developing own independence, yet still feeling supported – Office staff important resource in
supporting local based initiatives (2 comments)
• Keeping Fit - exercise groups provide access at reasonable cost, swimming, aquacise classes (2
comments)
• For older age bracket – transport, meal service.
• Some live alone, without transport, would be difficult to access.
• Exchange of news/ideas.
• Bus trips, low cost, see other places.
• Regard Unley Community Centre as “home”.
• Food cooperative Saturday morning market at Clarence Park a wonderful service. Fresh produce /
organic. Community Harvest program at Unley Community Centre also has great variety, fresh,
cheap.
• Excellent service from Council staff member who coordinates transport.
• Films, concerts at Unley Community Centre are great.
• Meet other people, coffee
• Pass the time
• Creating new friendships through various classes
• Computer classes at the library fit with community centre activities, started at UCC
• The libraries should be considered as part of the community centres direction paper
• Life of the community through involvement and help, mental and physical and social activities.
• Front line for Council but with a friendlier, informal focus.
• Non-threatening and welcoming.
• More than road, rates and rubbish.
• Important when first moving into a district – a first port of call?
• Close proximity to residences.
• Nearness of the respective four community centres provides a good service to all residents of Unley –
local nature important.
• Local, can address issues at a local level and respond to local needs
• Services that represent local needs
• Local ownership
• “Community Glue” Supports the sense of community and community connection
• Accessible
Page 4
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provides affordable activities
Venue to fill gaps, where other services unable to provide services
Atmosphere is not threatening/ friendly for people to engage services
English language courses
Promotes integration and diversity
Access to diversity of activities, appeal to different interest and needs (i.e. TOYS shed)
Inspires people to want to contribute to community
Multigenerational connections (i.e. TOYS and children connection)
Education, social and fitness – important because of the social with a purpose connections
Help make communities liveable – proliferation of high-rise living and higher density housing areas.
Centres are a gathering space as a continuum of public spaces (community centres, open space,
community gardens, swimming centres, skate parks, playgrounds, libraries).
Centres have a roof and can provide shelter in inclement weather and in the evenings (open public
space with a roof).
Once gone, never regained. An investment for the longer-term.
Need to view community centres in the same way as our open space and ensure that this is retained
for our community.
Connections to community and area
Opportunities to contribute
Public neutral meeting space
What makes a good community centre?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Flexible, friendly and informed staff to provide support when needed (6 comments)
Accessible to local community (3 comments)
Welcoming atmosphere (3 comments)
Availability of facilities, which are always well maintained, which assist with staging of events (2
comments)
Presence of volunteers engaged in the service delivery (supporting volunteers to become
independent and have active involvement in running of the centre) (2 comments)
Affordability (2 comments)
Accessibility (in terms transport, disability access/parking) (2 comments)
Connecting to other people/participants with a shared point of interest – new friendships, feeling
included (2 comments)
Meeting the needs of the community.
Marketing – knowledge
Identifying getting the word out on local needs
Close to public transport
Cater for different age groups – mums, older people.
Council needs to take advantage of other property purchases – parking an issue.
Need parking nearby.
Modern conveniences, kitchen, air conditioning, showers.
View that a central location is important.
Staff/Teachers
Acceptance and help
Social time in between activities
Page 5
• Open times – varied and availability – when people need or want to use the service
• Variety of activity
• Variety of sizes of the rooms, in particular Fullarton Park Centre, and the availability of kitchens and
other facilities such as coffee-making
• Flexibility of room size and add-on kitchen facilities regardless of size of group.
• Ability to cross-pollenate between groups in each Centre
• Acoustics: varies – not always good in all centres
• User friendly – instructions on how to operate facilities, i.e. dishwasher.
• Welcoming to wide range of people/ cultural background/ ages/ interests (e.g. Islamic Community)
• Wide range of activities during wide range of times
• Physical aspects - Variety of places that people can gather inside/outside
• Demonstration of activities in which community members could be involved in, i.e. environmental,
sustainability
• Flexibility of space – walls v. sliding panels.
• Welcoming with a variety of spaces that are not structured.
• Provide for innovation, i.e. trial site for innovative programs/industries – giving people the
opportunity to start in an activity/program/industry.
• Demonstrate strategies that encourage people to follow the principles of food security such as
growing their own food, or similar activities.
• Offer programs – short and longer term – that encourage people to grow their own food
• Friends groups
• Offer programs that encourage people not only to grow their own food, but on how to cope with
over-abundance, i.e. preserving
• Transport – parking/accessible
• Good kitchen facilities and
• Equipment for functions - tables / chairs, stage, lighting, sound equipment
• Plenty of people
• Relevant and in demand programs
• Availability
• User friendly – especially out of hours, emergency procedures
• Clear communication between staff & users, user procedures
• Ability to book more than 12 months ( 2 to 3 years) in advance
What do you like most about the centres in Unley?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Friendly and helpful staff (6 comments)
Unley Community Centre – good location, near shopping centre, central location (2 comments)
Cater well for need
Based close to public transport
Close to other services
Vibrant
All Centres have differences
Welcoming and friendly
Flexibility to meet the community’s needs
Opportunity to meet other locals that may be isolated – social connection/ relationship building
Support base which is important at times of grief
Page 6
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Availability of classes
Range of opportunities
Do a lot of different things
Good feeling of inclusion
Social interactions are good – UCC
Convenience of living near to centres
Affordable
Very well resourced and provide excellent services as a whole, as well as providing different themes
Identity of individual centre important to preserve
Diverse range of activities at each centre
No competition between centres
The variety - different ‘feel’ at each centre
Community connection – familiar faces
Some people not qualify for HACC services, i.e. transport. Location important. Allow people to walk
to a centre
‘Any further away would be too hard’
Unley compares well against other Council’s
View that a central location wouldn’t suit Unley, not preferred option
Residents from other Council’s attend Unley community centres
Community discussions important.
Unley’s centres are active / things happening
Diverse services/ activities provided
Fullarton support groups (i.e. mental health groups)
Catering to the different ages
Programs across all four are diverse
Affordable – prices kept low allowing community members to participate in numerous activities each
week
Access is good/ parking, etc.
Ability to access local activities and not the need to travel too far
Physically close – ability to walk to a local centre
Support to maintain the 4 so is a centre physically located near to people
Well serviced by public transport
Resource for those coming from other countries – social connections/ and connecting to other
services/ centres including Eastwood
Fitness Classes
To feel part of the community and make friends (class or activity is the attraction, but with the
outcome being social connections and friendships)
Particularly important for people without children as without difficult to have avenues to meet
people
Connecting with people on own interest
Diversity of people at any one time – Lack of judgment and promotes tolerance
Space for people – no one has more rights than others. Access to all
Libraries also raised as accessible Childcare high quality service, but also access to target groups for
service provision
Complimentary service
Unley Council’s support (starting, maintaining Com Centres, providing staff and supporting
volunteers)
Page 7
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Availability, moderate parking available, allows a number of groups to come together
Ease of parking and an attractive space (Fullarton)
Kitchen at Fullarton centre
Function area at Clarence Park
Variety of spaces for use/choice
Safe
Flexibility of payment
School holiday activities – low cost activities
Fullarton – building and grounds
Clean
Central location
Very accessible, no steps and electronic door
Car park entrance signs
What else do you need?
• Covered outdoor area such as a pergola for shelter in hot / inclement weather, with tables and chairs
(3 comments)
• Cooking classes for men and/or multicultural meals (specific cuisines) (2 comments)
• Upgrade kitchen facilities (2 comments)
• More car parking (2 comments)
• Continuity of staff at centres with local knowledge of how the respective centre operates (2
comments)
• Bus service that links the community centres (2 comments)
• Computer programs
• Community gardens driven by the community
• Clearer signage
• Dance classes
• Meditation group – Wednesday afternoon at Unley Community Centre?
• More space for classes – e.g. a gym space
• Men’s Shed – e.g. T.O.Y.S at Clarence Park
• More programs for multicultural groups (e.g. Indian, Vietnamese, Philippines, Chinese)
• Resume meals at Clarence Park – used to be well attended, link with dancing group at RSL
• Chess Classes
• link Council run programs to private programs better
• An additional aquacise class to allow for those on waiting list
• Regularly updating facilities to modern standards. Some areas looking tired
• Acoustics in Clarence Park main hall – need to reduce echoing
• Staff to be aware of compatibility of activity for noise levels
• A larger centre! (Unley Community Centre)
• Dances, Health, beauty, lifestyle, massage, well-being, haircut
• Larger space. One hall, too much going on in one spot. Be able to hold a variety of activities at once.
Flexible
• Interaction with smaller HACC groups. Some groups house-bound, opportunities to bring people
together
• Need to promote HACC and other services better
Page 8
• New centres – include other uses, i.e. offices, retail, etc. Services that suit the centre
• Question regarding other Council’s using Unley services. Needs to be looked at. Consider ERA links.
Sharing across regions
• Include in comparison service – meal service
• After hours trouble shooter available – floating trouble shooter between centres
• Kiosk / café arrangement could be explored
• Community should be provided information across a region, more collaboration between Council’s.
Recognition of issues across region
• Caution regarding commercial activity / balance of activity. Marion Community centre, have business,
not busy
• Program list each day – make programs inclusive for people of all abilities instead of segregated
activities for people with disabilities
• Trade/share instructors between centres
• Fullarton – potential for community/ sensory garden
• More spinning groups (knitting – wool crafts)
• Personal safety classes for all ages
• ‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood’ – group/meeting/functions
• Improved sound proofing between the 2 halls (Goodwood Community Centre)
• Colour coding - centre V’s library programs
• Make sure community centres are well used, hire income put back into the community
• Promote in Goodwood area – promote to businesses and residents
• Contact list for other services e.g. Caterers
• Survey / letter drop local area
• What cultural groups are in the area?
• Health services located at the Centres
• Activities for aged – local residents
Barriers to accessing activities and services
• Awareness or lack of awareness of services (4 comments).
• Affordability (4 comments)
• Transport: (3 comments)
o in particular access cabs, for which there are logistical problems – if not able to walk freely, not
always able to use this form of transport because of mobility restrictions
o taxi drivers don’t like short trips
o transport to activities when buses are not running as frequently, particularly on weekends
• Adequate car parking (3 comments).
• Look at the ways in which council communicates to residents, e.g. through one channel, such as an
email advising what’s on locally, what’s on sale? (3 comments)
• Teachers should be assessed (e.g. bad experience with a computer course teacher who talked too
quietly, didn’t stick to the notes, etc.) Hard to be critical when teachers are volunteers (2 comments)
• Infrastructure surrounding the Centre
• Carrying heavy items to Centre
• Traffic issues
• Not knowing about services e.g. T.O.Y.S
Page 9
• Popularity of classes/teachers – people on waiting list (e.g. yoga - Wed and aquacise - Mon, computer
classes at library, art class - Fri)
• Capacity in classes (e.g. RSL dance – 30 people on the floor at one time for dancing, limiting total
numbers registered to 40)
• Bad experiences with other classes (customer service experiences)
• Could use the Unley Life Column in messenger for advertising/promoting – one or two a column
• Volunteer assistance to bring people to activities at centres.
• Community services and community centres appear to operate as separate Council “identities”. Cross
pollination?
• Computing classes.
• No decentralised services for payment of rates, dog registrations, etc. – need satellite offices or one
stop shop service.
• Board of management structures –impediments to funding?
• Lack of access to space for activities.
• Being under 50, not eligible for services at Unley Community Centre
• Consider review of Unley Community Centre – active focus, age limitations
• Opportunities in other facilities, but could be barrier, i.e. for parents, young children
• History of Unley Citizens Centre review
• Waiting list – investigate ways to enable people to access easier, i.e. someone away for 1 month,
could give their access to someone on waiting list
• Opportunity to run more fitness classes, strong need for these
• Times programs are offered not convenient
• Language barriers, information not translated into languages other than English
• What I don’t like is a small group meeting in a large hall – doesn’t lend itself to flexibility
• Services/ and activities at capacity due to physical space
• Need to cater to the changing demographic
• Perception that the Centre is only for people that need it
• Flexibility spaces to diverse range of community needs
• Disability awareness – catering for members of the community with a range of disabilities (and
physical amenities can be a barrier)
• Consider disability awareness training at Centres
• Stepping out of comfort zone. Highlights need for word of mouth/ buddy to bring to the centre
• Welcoming committee/ pack for new community members (business put incentives in the pack to
use their services) – could be run by volunteers
 Historical perspective of a building such as the formerly named Unley Citizens Centre (now Unley
Community Centre).
 Knowing what funding is available for micro projects – a communication issue?
 Open front door (Fullarton) or sign
 Non-inclusive groups (no cliques) - consider running “awareness” training/package to promote
inclusiveness
 Surrounding activities impacting on centres (e.g. Royal Show and parking at Goodwood Community
Centre)
 Funding – lack of/reduced state government support
• Signage for main entrance to centre from car park, possible below the public toilet sign and same
colour as car park entrance signs
• Noise between the 2 halls
 Improve promotion through website and local media
Page 10
FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK – STAFF
What are the strengths of the Community Centres in Unley?
• Networking between Centre staff, involving sharing of knowledge and opportunities, assists in
making referrals (5 comments)
• Variety programs/ sites
• Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (CALD) programs
• Meal service
• Exercise classes
• Flexibility of Com centres to provide services that meet local need
• 4 satellite sites
• Individual focus, diverse nature of 4 sites
• Central focus (for greater metro area)
• Close to public transport
• Clarence Park – no other resources in the area, creates a hub
• Clarence Park – Environmental focus (food co-op)
• Markets
• Fullarton and Goodwood = parking strength
• Fullarton – untimed parking meters
• Programs ability to reach most vulnerable people in the community
• The Shed – Men’s Shed Program (TOYS)
• Linkages with other community organisations and groups
• Volunteer opportunities
• Variety of opportunities for involvement for community members (casual use, through to active
involvement through volunteering)
• Support offered to people new to the area – connecting them to information, services, opportunities
• While people attend information for a program, they access information about other services and
centres.
• Goodwood & Fullarton links to the Unley Library service
• Community Centres staff ability to link community members to all Council services and Departments
• Referring potential hirers to other centres when needs cannot be accommodated (outlook system
gives some indication)
• Local knowledge to match complementary bookings in neighbouring rooms – skills of staff for teasing
out information of potential hirers
• Staff responsible for booking hall hire often act as ‘gate keepers’ for activities that are appropriate for
the City of Unley and ensuring minimal impact on neighbours
• Developing relationships with potential hirers to assist them to provide needed programs in the
community
• Support to residents that have an idea and providing them with confidence
• Unique arrangements at Clarence Park and Goodwood. Empowered communities. Ultimate
empowerment model and enables the attraction of other funding
• Continuation of programs, and different generations using the same Centre
• Centre that focus on the 50+ to cater for particular needs of this demographics
Page 11
What are the weaknesses?
• Opening hours 9am-5pm, spread of activities and interaction with after- hours groups limited (2
comments)
• Ageing assets
• Lack of parking - Unley Community Centre (and to some extent Clarence Park)
• Unley Community Centre only open four days (yet programs running six days a week) – resourcing
not allowing the Centre to be open five days.
• Focus areas of each centre can prevent them providing local service (i.e. Unley being only 50+
prevents them from responding to needs of young families in the local area). Each Centre cannot be
everything to everyone.
• Lack of understanding of technology, not keeping up with community needs
• Unley Park has limited access to Community Centres
• No youth specific in any Centre run these programs
• Limited men’s health (under 50) at Centres. No council run programs, but do have hirers that offer
some support in this area
• Renaming of Unley community centre has resulted in some increased expectations from the
community for programs to be broader that just for the over 50’s. Some demand for alternative
demographic needs
• Labels e.g. centre for over 50 tells people where they need to go. More people focused centres
• Challenge to look at programs as a whole, or each centre meeting all needs of local community
• Lack of technology, i.e. inability to access Wi-Fi/ broad band not catering to changing demographics
• Limited aged services run out of the other Centres
• Build on strengths rather than trying to meet every need - Weakness trying to meet all needs.
What are the opportunities?
• Facilitate and expand the opportunities for people to come together (example given of people who
use mobility needs). Potential for volunteers to run these groups (2 comments)
• Ability to be both facilitator and net-worker. Bringing people together around the table and provide
support rather than ‘lead’
• Re-focus on Council’s role and put resources into areas where we can have the biggest impact
• Pioneering ‘roundtables’ bringing likeminded people, organisations together
• Using community centres for community engagement/ consultation on local issues
• Wi-Fi/ broad band to cater for changing needs of community (is some demand for this)
• Citrix system used at the Com Centres, has significant impacts on time taken for administration/
promotion
• To actively seek out groups and services to operate from the Centres, targeting areas where
increased services are required (i.e. youth organisations)
• More of drop-in facility
• Change volunteer roles and opportunities to fit with the changing needs of volunteers
• Council Principle around the locality of Centres (accessibility). Direction on this required
• Marketing and promotion to target young people, utilising the Unley Youth Facebook page
• Integrating young people to the wider community, services outside of the school structure
o consistency in the hiring process between centres - and perhaps streamlining the process
o we may need to question why we do things
o working smarter not harder
Page 12
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Bringing schools together at a community centre
Are the community centres an appropriate venue for young people
Elected members using the community centres for consulting with constituents
Opportunity to further improve marketing and communication of services offered by community
centres to broader community
• Transport Link between centres
• Limited linkages between community services and the Centres (especially in the context of less
funding and increased needs of socially isolated people). Improved sharing of information between
Community Services and Community Centres
What are the threats?
• Volunteer reliability and turn over (change of focus, more short term before they move on to paid
employment) (2 comments)
• Aging Assets (cost to rebuild unsuitable/ unsafe sites)
• Some elected members desire to reduce the number of centres
• Economic view - lack of qualitative data
• Lack of understanding of the value of community (EM’s)
• Lack of consistent measurement for services
• Not being prepared for the next generations (facilities/ volunteer opportunities etc.)
• Lack of technology
• Resourcing ( providing buildings and technologies that community expects)
• Council amalgamation
• Location of Centres not viewed as priority – 4 locations currently provide a good barometer
• Centralisation - threat to local knowledge and the connections that occur (models in other Council
area of a centralised booking centre was not successful)
• Transport (lack of transport options) – particularly for aged
• Retirement village with on-site community centres (both threat and opportunity)
• Likely loss of funding through the Family and Communities Program
• Reliance on external funding (impact on current community services program)
• Change of government
• Decisions made by other levels of government impact on local government
WRITTEN COMMENTS – STAFF
How important are community centres? Why?
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For those that know about them they are very important
For some people they are the most significant thing in their day and life
Keep the mind and body active
Offer social and personal connections
Provide opportunities for friendship
Positively aid conditions of depression and issues of isolation.
Provide attention to those that are seeking it and make people feel wanted and valued
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Their affordability can be the sole reason why a person even has the opportunity to receive a service
or participate in a program
Community centres are very important because it's a point where locals go for information.
It's safe, patrons are supported and informed of services and programs that are run in this Centre or
are given information on other community centres if they wish.
What makes a good community centre?
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Welcoming environment
Helpful and attentive staff providing a high level of customer service
Vibrancy, offering, variety
Affordability
Location and access
A friendly staff team can assist with their individual needs.
What do you like most about the community centres in Unley?
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Variety
Accessibility
Location
Affordability
Personal service , level of service provided by staff
Uniqueness of each Centre
Active, things are happening
Appeal to a cross section of the community
They provide lots of recreation, health services to the community.
Recognising the commitment Unley Council has made to its community centres in the past. Funding
both Clarence Park Community Centre and Goodwood Community Centre since inception and then
taking on the role as provider of staffing, maintenance, overheads and in one instance the volunteers
in 2000. Building the new centre at Goodwood and purchasing the House Next Door at Clarence Park
Community Centre and being the first Council to build an over 50’s Centre in this state. I do think this
all needs to be recognised.
• One of the great things about the Community Centres in Unley is that they have been a leader in the
state for Centres. Many are only Hall For Hire and/or only offer limited/ community development
and support.
What else do you think the community needs from its community centres?
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Variety
Promotion - needs to know what we offer
Adequate support through staffing and volunteers when accessing the Centre
Swimming is something lots of older adults need for rehab by their doctor.
And a reliable efficient affordable transport system to get them to their appointments be it lunch
podiatry doctor etc.
Page 14
Have you heard about, or observed any barriers experienced by community members in accessing
activities and services in community centres?
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Access due to location or transport
Affordability can still be an issue for some
Community Centre opening hours
access to an indoor swimming pool suitable for the frail aged for rehab.
transport access e.g. community bus into and out of the Unley Community Centre
Do you have any ideas for service delivery improvements?
• Access to better opportunities for promotion
• Stronger internal partnerships within business units of Council. I.e. Goodwood CC with Goodwood
library. Unley Community Centre with HACC.
• car transport service, local indoor swimming pool suitable for the frail aged for rehab.
• Ethnic groups don't always understand our information that is written all in English.
• For staff to do home visits to explain to people from a non-English speaking background about
cultural groups that meet in their local community centres e.g. Italians, Greeks
• Exploring what is the optimum resources for Community Centres i.e.; hours open, staffing
etc. Currently they are all different – does the staffing/open hours match the centres
FOCUS GROUP FEEDBACK – BOARDS OF MANAGEMENT
What are the strengths of the Partnering Agreement?
Goodwood Community Services Board of Management
• Roles and responsibilities are clarified
• Community members empowered to make decisions
• Closer ties with Community - direct access to community members for consultation
• Ride on the coat tails of Council’s promotion
• Savings gained from having partnership by the (power, etc.)
Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management
• Hall Hire money has given flexibility and the ability to do other maintenance work (i.e. playground,
safety lighting) (2 comments)
• Flexibility to cater for the needs to different groups, no need to charge hire fees to new groups, can
support their growth (2 comments)
• Ability to access casual staffing crucial for events, school holiday program and backfilling (plus
flexibility it creates) (2 comments)
• Clarity on roles and responsibilities
• Maintenance and upkeep of the Centre outlined in partnering agreement and support provided by
Council
Page 15
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Community empowered to make decisions on how many is spend to best meet needs.
Support from Council in terms of attracting funding (i.e. partnership approach to writing grants)
Cost effective (i.e. ability to utilise hall hire to fund community events and programs)
Ability to respond quickly and easily to the changing needs of community, through the Board
Independent board gives direct interface with the community
Partnership agreement complements CPCC Board constitution
Ability to review the Partnership Agreement every 3 years and modify as needed
Volunteers managed through Unley Council (additional support, reimbursement policies, etc. for
volunteers)
Utilising the policies and procedures of Council
Gives security and saves on resources (i.e. OHS&W support/ volunteer programs)
Support Unley provides for staff resourcing. Board could not afford to employ the quality of staff
and support the training and development
Council Staff networking and support between the centres, takes the pressure off
Support provided to the board through Council staff/ Coordinator
Staff support crucial in attracting and retaining the Board members
Council support in dealing with staffing issue, i.e. when staff sick on leave. Other team members
throughout Council to access
Strong support for the partnership agreement, seen as a healthy way to operate and recognises the
strength of community
Centre struggled before agreement as time taken in dealing with maintenance and funding issues.
The way the partnership agreement is implemented demonstrates real commitment from both the
centre and Council with both parties working closely together
Having Council’s Manager Community Development on the Board of Management (as stated in the
constitution)
What are the weaknesses of the Partnering Agreement?
Goodwood Community Services Board of Management
• Three years too long to make changes when there is a need to constantly make changes (2
comments)
• Need to constantly recruit Board members resulting in inconsistency of Board as members change (2
comments)
• Conflict of interest for Council staff
• High level of responsibility of Board members to take on, and yet Board members are volunteers
• Rules and regulations scare people from participating as Board members
• Weakness – lack of flexibility both in terms of focus and physical space for more of a drop in centre
• Partnering Agreement and physical space of building feels constricting
• Decision making by Board held back by board meetings that are held infrequently
• Lack of clarity on the land surrounding the community centre – can the Board make decisions in
relation to this?
• Lack of community awareness of programs offered
• Building has a lack of personality, feels more like a gymnasium
• Identity of GCS lost/no one knows about GCS – makes it difficult to attract board members
• No indicator of success – in order to measure difference people make
Page 16
Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management
• Transition of staff resulted in uncertainty around staffing replacement (recent issue with
Administration Officer at CPCC resigning). Fortunately the partnership agreement assisted to resolve
this
• The partnership agreement may conflict with a policy of Council
• Two governance sides, policy and procedures for the 2 entities (duplication)
o e.g. OH&S requirements for Council but need separate requirements for the Board.
o e.g. chemical register for Unley, but then separate for Board for OHS&W
 Board has liability for OHS&W yet all managed by Unley. Need to have formal engagement on what
Council has in place and Board can be assured that the policies and procedures in place complies with
legislation
• Instances where the Board and Council’s view differ, i.e. Evacuation procedures - still some grey
areas
• Not all departments/ Council staff understand the partnership agreement
• Non community staff may not be aware of the opportunities that exist at the community centres for
engaging community, example community meetings and focus groups held in the Civic Centre
• Physical structure of two separate buildings at Clarence Park (not as much as issue as one would
expect)
• Visibility of what is happening in centre
What are the opportunities for the Board and Council?
Goodwood Community Services Board of Management
• Creating more of a drop in (extending hours, people to stay and gather after the activities finish)
• Changing purpose of the building from primary hall hire to more of a drop in functions
• Better use of the area in between the car park
• Creating greater sense of Village
• Creating outdoor space linked to the Community Centre
• Better utilization of the green space (playground/ community garden)
• Include some of the outside space in the future partnering agreement
• Greater promotion of programs and services
• Improvement of signage
• Foyer drop in
• Being more Council run
• When only attending a specific activity do not get opportunities for social connection
Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management
• Induction of new staff on the partnering agreement. Process of educating staff
• Initiate formal discussions to make amendments to partnering agreement
• Improved communication between Council and Board
• Exploring increasing the hours of childcare
• Responding to future needs of access/mobility
• Improve marketing and promotion of Centre programs, services and opportunities Centres offer
community members
Page 17
• Board can also do independent marketing to ensure the unique look and feel required
• More consultation meetings to be held in community centres (currently tend to occur in Civic Centre)
• Spaces for drop in function; Café at the centre, outdoor deck, community garden – neighbourhood
development – creates a linkage between the two buildings. May further support security issues that
can arise between the two buildings
• Greenway project opportunity to promote the centre to Bike users and potential opportunities to
create community space around/ making the street one way
• Increasing utilisation of Centre on weekends (through the creation of outdoor community space)
• French doors in Clarence rooms leading to outdoor deck and consider using as a café.
• Review key documents in particular the Coordinator’s job description to capture requirements of the
partnership
Goodwood Community Services Board of Management
• Short terms of board members can limit effectiveness (too short time to have significant impact) (6
comments)
• Losing government funding
• Risk of over reliance of Council coordinator
Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management
• Losing hall hire income
• Council elections and changes to Ward Councillors on the Board
• Potential Council decisions – could reduce the support to the Centre
• Community centres viewed as opportunity to reduce expenditure
• External funding (Department of Family and Community Services no longer providing grant funding to
neighbourhood development programs – funding has been redirected)
• Legislative requirements
• Childcare, i.e. wages increasing, cost recovery issue, affordability
• Future of occasional child care in question, occasional care may no longer be possible due to
legislative requirements
• Key staff changes, transfer of history, knowledge, commitment to community
• Staff work load (increase in governance responsibility)
• Casual staffing (loss of)
SURVEY RESULTS
115 people completed a survey: 97 completed a hard copy survey and 18 completed the on-line survey
through the Your Say Unley online community engagement tool. The responses are provided below.
Page 18
1.
What is your level of awareness about our Community Centres?
What is your level of awareness about our community Centres?
Other
1
Never knew any of them existed
6
I know of and have used more than one of the
Centres regularly
47
I know of and have used one of the Centres
49
I know of all the Centres but haven't used any of
them
4
I know of my local Centre but haven't used it
9
0
2.
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20
30
40
50
60
Have you used a Community Centre in the City of Unley in the last 12 months?
If you answered "yes" to question 2, what was the activity or
service?
* Other
28
Playgroup childcare
25
Social gathering
27
Hall/room hire
16
Meal service
6
Fitness
29
Education
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Page 19
If you answered ‘Yes’ to question 2, what was the activity or service?
3.
If you answered "yes" to question 2, what was the activity or
service?
* Other
25
Playgroup childcare
23
Social gathering
25
Hall/room hire
15
Meal service
6
Fitness
28
Education
23
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
*Other
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4.
Together Offering Your Skills (TOYS) – (4 comments)
Food Cooperative (Clarence Park Community Centre) – (5 comments)
Men’s Shed in Clarence Park Community Centre
Embroidery/patchwork/quilting
How satisfied were you with the program offered at the Community Centre?
How satisfied were you with the program offered at the
Community Centre?
*Other
4
Not satisfied
1
Satisfied
30
Very satisfied
63
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
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5.
How satisfied were you with the facility or room that you hired?
How satisfied were you with the facility or room that you
hired?
*Other
7
Not satisfied
0
Satisfied
33
Very satisfied
51
0
6.
10
20
30
40
50
60
If you answered ‘No’ to question 2, please let us know if you encountered any of the barriers
listed below.
If you answered 'No' to question 2, please let us know if you
encountered any of the barriers listed
Other
6
Language barrier
0
Times of activities not convenient
5
Lack of confidence
2
Disability access
2
Don't know what is available
10
Cost
0
Lack of transport
4
0
7.
2
4
6
8
10
12
What other activities/services would you like to see?
• A community garden (3 comments).
• I think the Centre offers a good mix of activities. Congratulations to the staff. From my experience I
would be very lonely and isolated as my family live in Melbourne.
Page 21
• Social activities for retired to soon to be retired.
• Activities/learning direction for school leavers/unemployed, i.e. how to write resumes, job
applications, interview.
• Talks from local business – what looking for, even giving job experience.
• Community centres interacting with local schools more by providing facilities for activities and
working together in community.
• I have used the services of the podiatrist over the last few years. It is a convenient location and
reasonable price.
• Feldenkreis.
• Travel discussion group.
• Physical fitness, e.g. aerobic or zumba.
• An 18 month+ pre-school music program that is affordable, i.e. under $8/session) at Goodwood
Community Centre would be perfect.
• Satisfied with all activities and services. Maybe have surveys for people to offer suggestions.
• More educational and fitness workshops. I specifically enjoy yoga, Strength for Life and tai chi.
Educational on dealing with mental and emotional issues.
• A philosophical group.
• I am quite happy to attend a keep fit class once per week on a Monday morning with Marian
Saunders which caters for the senior people very well. I don’t go out at night as my husband and I do
not own a car and won’t go out walking after dark. As we have home duties to attend to we don’t
envisage joining any other activities.
• Some services can happen a bit early or in afternoon.
• Some cooking activities for mothers and other ladies and in playgroups, kids should have some poem
competitions and extra activities.
• Some more structured activities for young kids (2-5 years) after 3 or 4 in the afternoon during the
week and Sunday programs.
• Diversity food cooking program.
• English and other language program.
• Open at night for social evenings/bush dances, etc. or bands playing.
• Band rehearsal centre for age group between 12-25.
• Gym area for those who can’t afford gym prices.
• Community garden and an outdoor area to gather and commune.
• Shared community meals.
• Information sessions on healthy food choices.
• Dancing classes (affordable ones).
• Discussion group on current topics.
• More for disadvantaged groups – old people, children, sick and disabled people.
• Access to free Wi-Fi for use with tablets.
• Meditation.
• Bolivia cards/canasta
• Course in use of motorised wheelchairs for new users of the device.
• Book club perhaps using the library’s book club books.
• Maybe short (2-3 weeks) general interest talks by Unley Council staff, e.g. health, environment.
• Modern board gaming, e.g. Eurogames.
• Singalongs, cooking classes.
• Live concerts, free entertainment, fetes and children’s activities.
• Regular (not just holidays) activities for 10-13 year olds (and then 14-18).
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Chess and other games – an opportunity for kids to play non-digital games, make friendships.
Writing/drama/art/cooking (special interest activities) for kids of 10-13, 14-18, 19-25.
Education activities.
Yoga at Clarence Park Community Centre.
Second language learning, especially French.
I would like to see an emphasis on growing food locally in line with Council’s Food Security Strategy.
Community Centres could help by encouraging and inspiring people to grow more locally. A useful
start would be to have a community orchard and vegetable garden at the community centre.
Access to computers.
Open community gatherings without necessarily having to hire a hall or have a special interest group.
Anything to help and assist local residents with support from local businesses for the benefit of all.
Language classes – e.g. Italian for pre-school children – and pre-school painting classes for adults and
children.
Concerts by local music, dance and ballet groups for the community to attend and visit concerts be
performed at local age care facilities.
School holiday program for teenagers.
More of a focus to children and youth particularly of ages 12-25, e.g. fitness, healthy living,
educational support.
Band practices, i.e. hiring room or hall.
Consider community centre offer many good programs.
I think the different centres are diverse in the facilities and courses they offer.
The TOYS Shed is very important to me as my wife has Alzheimer’s and this respite is important.
Yoga (a range of classes but particularly one for more experienced/younger participants).
Language classes or conversation groups (Spanish)
Languages for pre-school and school; painting for school age
Concerts – community groups or other groups; ballet groups
Hip hop
Karate/martial arts
Affordable, family friendly movies
8. What do you gain from using a Community Centre?
What do you gain from using a Community Centre?
*Other
21
Friendship
67
Fitness
29
Education
33
Feeling part of the community
86
0
20
40
60
80
100
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9. Do you have any suggestions for improving our Community Centres?
• Car parking (4 comments).
• Advertise the various groups more widely and better advertising of available programs (2 comments).
• Keep promoting them. I always mention the food cooperative to people and they often haven’t
heard about it. A listing in Unley Life isn’t really enough – there needs to be regular articles and
promotions about what goes on.
• Better advertising – not everyone would be aware of their local community Centre.
• In the Messenger have a write-up on each community centre to make the public aware of their
benefits.
• More facilities that improve the quality of people in the community like medical centre (also
including pharmacy/medicine/medical needs) – retired professionals/ doctors/physiotherapists, etc.,
who like to contribute ½ days to the medical centre.
• Is there a possibility of another aquacise class as Monday is so full. Preference should be given to
Unley residents if classes are full.
• Courses on how to play croquet.
• Our Centre is friendly, accessible and helps us improve in our craft – sewing, pattern making, etc. and
makes me feel very happy to have the companionship we have shared for 25 years. Thank you.
• The native garden tends to get quite messy – should there be a gardener more regularly and paid?
(relates to Clarence Park Community Centre)
• The air-conditioning system is a bit inadequate in really hot weather in the Black Forest room.
• More activities, open days, interaction with the community, e.g. schools, shops, council, etc.
• Goodwood Community Centre relatively more expensive for room bookings and classes.
• No – we love our community centre.
• Having a café/kiosk at the community centre.
• I have only attended the Goodwood Community Centre and taken a grandchild to a chocolate making
activity at the Clarence Park Community Centre. Both centres were very well appointed and activities
very enjoyable.
• Maybe post out a leaflet twice a year listing all the community centres and what they have to offer
and how to contact them/enrol for activities, etc.
• I have really appreciated Unley and Clarence Park, which I regularly use. Another valuable service is
the food cooperative and markets. The services for seniors are great. These should continue.
• More programs – tai chi.
• I am quite happy with the community centres – I did attend the meeting at Clarence Park Community
Centre on 13 March and made comments (verbally) then and agree with the suggestions made at
that meeting.
• When designing centres in the future tea/coffee/wet area/toilets/kitchen should be accessible from
all separate areas available for hiring without going through another area/space, e.g. as at Goodwood
Community Centre cupboard hire for regular users is something that is much discussed. As regular
users of Goodwood Community Centre we appreciate the excellent service Mara and her staff
provide us.
• Look at ways of making existing services available for the future.
• Big sign of “Goodwood Community Centre” visible in both side streets (Rosa and Florence).
• Maintain low cost of activities.
• Target men for group activities.
• Would like to see easier access to disabled toilets and showers.
• Wish we could have more lanes at State Swim at deep end. Hope we (I mean the Council) is not
paying for shallow half end which we can’t use anyway.
Page 24
• Really like yoga on Wednesday and Thursday Strength for Life.
• The Centres are great as they are.
• Updated services – notice boards out of date so arriving at activities listed to find the centre deserted
is no good. Information needs to be easily updated – this may mean having notice boards that can be
accessed without several people or a tradesperson in attendance.
• More an “open door” centre let’s say 10am to 3pm to meet people in the community. Now it looks
like people come to a program, stay for 2 hours and go home after. Program for retired people like
bingo days, etc.
• The Goodwood Community Centre is an excellent facility that is a wonderful ‘home’ for the SA Bonsai
Society. It is fairly central in the Adelaide metropolitan area; therefore members are attracted from
all across the wider Adelaide region. Staff are very supportive and helpful, the facility provides
sufficient storage space for our equipment and library, the rooms are substantial and suitable for our
purpose ... to provide ongoing education and support to members of the SA community who would
like to pursue the art and science of bonsai.
• I have been twice to the Goodwood Library on a Saturday morning to some knitting/crochet and
enjoyed it very much. I help at the Unley community computing which I enjoy very much, but there
are other things that I have read and would like to do but it is either time or lack of confidence that
stops me.
• Increased communication from across Unley area about what is going on in Unley - Continue to
employ excellent staff who assist with community building - Support/information packs to develop
groups that are starting in their first year e.g. to assist with public liability insurance issues, etc. Reduced hire fees for groups that are not for profit/ community groups.
• I believe that Unley City Council has taken over, or resumed, half of Sturt Football Club's clubrooms in
order to reduce the club's rental of these premises. I would be interested to know whether the UCC
has actually used or hire out its portion of the clubrooms, for what purpose/s and for what income;
and whether the UCC has incurred costs in maintaining its portion of the clubrooms, apart from the
council having foregone half the income from this venue. I hope that the UCC's "tenancy" of this
venue is not competing with the availability of venue hire at the four official Community Centres. Is
the UCC monitoring the use/hire of this Sturt Football Club venue? If so, when will the council review
the "deal" which it made with Sturt Football Club and report to the public?
• Make sure local residents know what is available for everyone to use and enjoy as well as the
benefits for all.
• The role of active fitness classes cannot be discounted – especially as far as older persons are
concerned. They need to be accessible both by venue and cost. Your Council says it has a
commitment to ageing services. These classes are important and must be continued.
• Keep the Food Coop. as is.
• Gate at Goodwood Community Centre can be hard to shut.
• More awareness for activities, offer more openings for young people to hold events such as clubs,
music practice, fitness sessions.
• Allow band practices.
• Access and egress can be difficult due to speed of traffic from Canterbury Terrace into East Avenue
(from “house next door”). Some sort of traffic plan or study may be needed.
• Great experience as a user of community centres.
• I think the web page is not very friendly.
• Funding by government.
• I find the Clarence Park and Fullarton Community Centres are well run and serve my needs very well.
The staff are dedicated and obliging and they cater well for the needs of the public. I’ve been a
Page 25
•
•
•
•
•
•
volunteer with the council for the past 15 years so I’ve had a long association with the centres. Keep
up the good work.
Management is very cooperative and always friendly. Thanks to all of them.
Cheap room/hall hire for charity events. Love the food coop. and fresh food swap.
Web site information – use of twitter and Facebook.
More information on Unley Council web site.
Moving Madness toys cleaned regularly, mat covers washed regularly.
Please keep going. I have watched them close over the years. Keep them affordable, not corporate
money-making centres.
WRITTEN SUBMISSION
Four written submissions were received:
12 March 2013
“I was unable to attend the workshops to discuss the future directions of the Community Centres but
would like to congratulate the City of Unley on the services they have been providing. It seems to me
that they are meeting the needs of a broad spectrum of the community.
I attend yoga classes on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and Strength for Life classes on Thursday
mornings. I have been a long term regular member of these classes and have benefited from them
immensely. Our instructor, Saroj Suri is exceptional and inspires us to greater achievements both
physically and socially.
The main concern of the groups that I attend classes with, is that the Centre at Arthur Street will be
closed and sold. If that is the case, will Council move these classes in another centre? Are facilities and
time available to accommodate the whole range of classes available now at that particular Centre.
We were disturbed also to hear of the plans to be demoted i.e. put on a waiting list if we are away from
our classes for longer than three weeks. It would be a rare occurrence that a regular is away for so long
however some people holiday for four+ weeks. Is it possible for us to pay a nominal fee to retain our
position in the class while giving someone else the opportunity to 'trial' the class while we are absent? If
demand for classes is so high can other classes be arranged for those already on the waiting lists?
I hope a satisfactory solution can be found - it is difficult to accommodate everyone and I am sure
financial considerations will play a large part in the final decisions but I believe that it would be a loss to
the community if classes are cut because of lack of space.”
Page 26
13 March 2013
“Perhaps once the old jacaranda dies (not too healthy at present) plant one of the Black Forest trees and
have one or two interpretive panels about what was here before Europeans came (– better soils, bigger
trees, etc. I could help with this project. A grant perhaps?
I used the centre often for the Food Cooperative, hiring, yoga in the past, Muslim women’s events and
the workshop area – bike maintenance. Hope it stays strong and vibrant. Love the bush garden.”
28 March 2013
“I have become aware of the wide range of activities at very affordable prices that the Unley
Community Centre offers. I think this is an excellent benefit to the community and urge Unley to keep
up the good work.
I have also attended classes at the Fullarton Park Centre and use their photocopying facility quite
frequently. I am particularly impressed with the courtesy and helpfulness of the staff (not to mention
the quality of the surroundings).
So I think Unley Council deserves congratulations for the energies it puts into making these centres
diverse, accessible and ‘user friendly’. The low cost of the Unley Community Centre activities is also
important.
(1)
What makes your community centre special and unique?
I like the location. Great access to public transport. The environmental garden. The good, steady
management. The great variety of programs and services offered to the community. The yummy
food at the AGMs. Since 1995(?) I have been bringing foreign students to look at the centre. It
gives them a good overview over the centre and also other community centres in Adelaide.
(2)
What current services and programs do you value and enjoy?
I like especially the ones which have been going for a while - food co-op (everyone likes food),
childcare, markets on Saturday mornings (great feeling), occasional hire of one of the halls
(birthdays) and the uniqueness of the TOYS workshop.
(3)
What are your needs and aspirations for the future?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make the bush garden a stronger feature of the centre, maybe with the addition of some
more interpretive panels.
Maybe a community garden (not quite sure, where??)
Make the centre even a stronger show piece for environmental features: skylights, low
energy and water consumption, information.
Keep it as multicultural as possible.
Maybe some language classes (Arabic? Farsi? …)
Maybe some guest speakers about various topics, e.g. rainwater tanks, transport in Unley,
fruit flies, how to start a garden.”
Page 27
APPENDIX 6
helen smith consulting
Community Centres Comparison Study
Findings
May 2013
Executive Summary
helensmithconsulting in collaboration with Dijana Jevremov, was engaged by the City of Unley to
undertake Community Centres Comparison Study.
The Project Brief
Undertake a Comparison Study of Community Centres as nominated. The Study forms:
 A component of the larger Community Centres Direction Paper project to review the model and
operations of the Community Centres located the City of Unley
 Research and analysis into the model and operations of Community Centres, including
comparative studies across local government and current industry trends and implications
Key Objectives of the Comparison Study included:
•
•
•
Comparison with other councils and other providers,
Service and resourcing comparison, and
Industry trends relating to Community Centre operations
Methodology consisted of the following:
•
•
•
•
A survey of identified Councils and follow up discussions,
Desktop review, industry trends and benchmarking,
Present preliminary findings to the Community Centres Direction Paper Reference Group,
Prepare a final report
Survey Methodology
This section covers the results from both web based site research of each Councils pages, plus the
findings from an online survey. Both were necessary to complement each other.
An online survey tool was chosen to allow respondents time to gather the information they needed to
answer 10 questions with the ability to stop and start at will. Several weeks were allowed for responses.
An introductory email came from Unley Council to pave the way for support to the consultants prior to the
survey link being emailed to all participants. Phone calls were made and follow-up emails over the
weeks to remind them of the emails sent. Burnside councils were too busy over the period to oblige.
The Surveyed Councils
1. Marion
2. Unley
3. Mitcham
4. Tea Tree Gully
5. Holdfast Bay
6. West Torrens
7. Norwood Payneham St Peters
8. Charles Sturt
9. Adelaide
10. Burnside Council unable to participate
Holdfast Bay, Norwood Payneham Saint Peters Councils are the closest in both population and surface
area to that of Unley. Burnside Council is the next closest.
The number of community centres/neighbourhood houses ranges from 1 for Norwood Payneham to 7 for
Holdfast.
Page 1
Survey Responses Snapshot
The Councils are very different in the programs and numbers of them that they
offer as well as the number of Centres and facilities.
• The lowest number of Centres is Norwood Payneham St Peter’s with only one community centre.
Holdfast Bay has the highest with 7 centres including a Youth Centre.
• The lowest number or programs is conducted at Norwood Payneham St Peter’s council with only
2 on offer at its single Centre. The highest offering is at Charles Sturt with 72 separate listings
across its 5 Community Centres. These figures are based on their website statements.
• The main common offerings are venue hire with everyone offering this, some facilities use such
as faxing and photocopying, groups gathering, and computer training. Beyond these, the
differences start to emerge.
Dominant Management Model for Centres
• 44% of Councils said that all centres are Council managed.
• 33% said that some Centres were Council managed.
Council involvement in the Buildings of the Community Centres
• 44% own the buildings
• Another 44% own some of the buildings.
Council Buildings
• Unley has the oldest building at 103 years; West Torrens has the youngest at 1 year old.
Council Involvement in the Programs of the Community Centres
• 44% of Councils share the funding of the Programs offered with others.
Services Provided
• Everyone hires out their facilities.
• 8 of the 9 Councils have an equal mix of Programs organised by themselves and by others.
• 7 of the 9 have a Home and Community Care program (HACC).
Participation
• Unley has by far the highest participation levels in their community centres compared to all
councils.
Budget Allocations
• The budgets applied by the councils to fund their community centres have mostly been
determined by percentage of overall budgets. Marion and Charles Sturt have supplied a dollar
figure rather than percentage and so direct comparison is not possible.
“A Community Centre is defined as:
A public place where members of the community can hire spaces and gather
for group meetings, activities, social support and public information. Often used
in responding to local community needs and supporting community to
undertake local action.”
(Community Centres Reference Group)
Page 2
Contents
DISCUSSION
1.
2.
Industry Trends
1.1
Purpose
1.2
Location
1.3
Programs / Funding/ Functionality
1.4
Partnerships / Ownership
1.5
Volunteering
1.6
Management Models / Governance
Survey Findings
Page 3
1. Discussion
TRENDS
Industry trends were researched to assess the common elements facing Community Centres in terms of
ownership, programs, functionality, governance, management and purpose. The following observations
are made for consideration as major findings of the Study.
1.1
Purpose – Well-being/ Functionality
“Community centres and neighbourhood houses are important to the well-being of communities because
they encourage:
•
•
•
1.2
Links to be made between all the people which make up a community – young, old, employed
and unemployed, established and new cultural groups, long term residents and newcomers, and
between people of varying physical or intellectual abilities, and everything between.
Involvement of local people in issues which affect their lives – involvement which frequently
becomes a focus for organised community action, and
Information, advice and encouragement to be given in a local, friendly setting rather than through
a large, impersonal or distant bureaucracy.
Location
A major element of a successful Community Centre is the quality of the centre and the range of facilities
provided which is of great relevance to the success or otherwise of a community centre network. In
particular, geographic relevance to areas of high need is a critical factor in locating community facilities,
as is the mobilisation of the community involved and sense of place tying a community to a specific
location.
There tend to be a move towards larger multiple-use facilities that provide a large range of facilities for a
large number of groups and communities involving improved transport services and rationalisation of
buildings. 1
1.3
Programs / Funding / Functionality
The number and variety of programs and activities available at Centres varies depending on available
resources, funding, staff and volunteer capacity as well as its ability to be flexible and responsive to
changing community needs. Successful Centres typically reflect the following characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1
increased community and enterprise development,
a variety of approaches to the provision of facilities and services provided by local government
across Australia, often depending on geographical need and individual circumstances,
the use of ‘themes’ to provide a market focus to selected facilities, thus creating a community
‘icon’,
common use of partnership and fund-sharing arrangements,
common use of facilities for hire to provide income to offset costs,
incorporation of private sector involvement, predominately in newer facilities and models,
reliance on volunteer support as a critical element of community focal points,
employment of a coordinator(s),
increased community enterprise opportunities associated with community centres,
a range of management styles are widely utilised, including independent, outsourcing,
partnerships, management committees and the use of ‘place managers’
Mitcham Community Focal Points Framework April 2003, City of Mitcham
Page 4
•
a general trend away from exclusive use of facilities by community groups, due to the need for
Councils to be more open and accountable to its community, the need for inclusivity and cost
effectiveness
“Community centres and neighbourhood houses can be shaped to become
anything their local residents want them to be - within the available resources,
of course”
(Practice Guidelines Version 3 Page 5 CANH, Version 3 16 June 2006)
1.4
Partnerships/ Ownership
Partnerships in the development and management of community centres are common throughout
Australia. Case studies indicate that joint funding through Federal, State, local governments, other
agencies and the community is likely to remain a commonplace feature of community centres. A
partnership could be reflected as an increased opportunity for private partnerships in capital
development and long-term agreements between local government and not-for-profit agencies in the
provision of services. 2 And include the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
better targeting of services and programmes to defined community needs
clearer definition of purpose and contribution to public value
tighter alignment of services and programmes to the strategic direction of council
greater connectivity across NHCs and similar services within council
enhanced performance measurement, reporting and monitoring
striking a better balance between community and business imperatives.
The benefit of “ownership by council” overcomes the lack of secure recurrent funding which is cited as
the most significant concern of NHCs in SA. 3 . The Neighbourhood Centres Service Review City of
Marion, undertaken in July 2012 indicated that staff and managers reported that many of the issues that
had plagued the governance of the Glandore Neighbourhood Centre when it was an independent
incorporated association have been removed through council ownership and management. Pg 18
By way of contrast 87% of Australian NHCs are independently incorporated associations with volunteer
committees or boards of governance 4. In SA this percentage is somewhat lower at 54.1%, with the
second largest group being those owned by council at 24.7% 5. Those organisations that are
independently incorporated associations generally receive funding from all three tiers of government with
8 centres in SA being eligible for Deductible Gift Recipient Taxation Status allowing them to access
philanthropic trusts and donations.
1.5
Volunteering
The nature of volunteering is changing within all communities, with proportionally fewer volunteers willing
to take on regular committee roles, in favour of flexible volunteering arrangements that mean that
volunteers may not be available when needed. Centrelink rules for volunteering in lieu of paid work have
2
3
Neighbourhood Centres Service Review City of Marion, July 2012, PKF
Mapping Survey of the CaNH Sector – Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association – March 2010
4
Strengthening Local Communities” – Aust Neighbourhood Houses & Centres Assoc – May 2011
5
Mapping Survey of the CaNH Sector – Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association – March 2010
Page 5
significantly increased the obligations of supervising organisations, and smaller Centres find it difficult to
resource supervision and support of Centrelink volunteers, with the inevitable loss of this resource.
A preferred approach includes the volunteer induction, mandatory training, and employment records to
be undertaken by Council - volunteers will become 'Volunteers of Council'. Recruitment and day-to-day
management of volunteers should remain the responsibility of Centres to support the connectivity
between volunteers and Centres. 6
1.6.
Management Models/ Governance
A variety of management models are currently being employed across the Councils that were surveyed
for the Study. These included:
Model 1 - All Centres Council managed
Model 2 - All Centres have an incorporated body management
Model 3 - All Centres are managed by a Service Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
Model 4 - Some Centres Council managed
Model 5 - Some Centres have an incorporated body management
Model 6 - Some Centres are managed by a Service Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
Model 7 - All Centres are a blend of management models
The councils where all centres are managed by the Council (Model 1 category) are; Charles Sturt,
Norwood Payneham, Tea Tree Gully and Marion. Only Adelaide, West Torrens and Mitcham directly
said they are Model 4 with some centres being council managed.
Research has indicated however that a preferred mode is the “Shared Services Model” that more clearly
articulates the community development goals and accountabilities of Council and Management
Committees, and provides some financial relief so that Centres can focus on delivering community
services rather than 'making ends meet'
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or
group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the
organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the
providing department effectively becomes an internal service provider. The key is the
idea of 'sharing' within an organization or group.
6
Final Report Community Centres Review, City of Onkaparinga, 2012, KPPM Organisational Strategies
Page 6
2. Survey Findings
COUNCIL’S SURVEY REPORT
Number of Community Centres
Includes Neighbourhood Centres, over 50s clubs, Recreation Centres, and Youth Centres.
Adelaide
Burnside
Holdfast Bay
Tea Tree Gully
Mitcham
West Torrens
Marion
Unley
Charles Sturt
Norwood Payneham St Peters
3
4
7
4
6
4
4
4
5
1
Considering Holdfast Bay and Norwood Payneham & St Peters Councils are the most like Unley in both
size and population, there is a great difference in the number of facilities.
COUNCIL PROFILES
Adelaide
Burnside
H’ fast
TTG
Mitcham
WTCC
Marion
Unley
Ch Sturt
NPSP
Population
19,639
44,000
36,000
98,028
65,000
57,000
85,000
38,300
105,000
33,500
Area in Ha
1560
2753
1370
9521
7570
3707
5500
1427
5214
1510
Page 7
Survey Monkey Web-based Survey Questions
1. What percentage of Council's annual budget is spent on Community Centres?
2. What is your total number of Full-time equivalent employees i.e. All staff hours totaled out to
fulltime equivalent hours?
3. Volunteer numbers, their role and title. Please provide details for each Centre
4. What is the management model used for each Centre?
Model 1 All Centres Council managed
Model 2 All Centres have an incorporated body management
Model 3 All Centres are managed by a Service Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
Model 4 Some Centres Council managed
Model 5 Some Centres have an incorporated body management
Model 6 Some Centres are managed by a Service Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
Model 7 All Centres are a blend of management models
*
5. What is the Council involvement in the Buildings and Programs of the Community Centres?
Owner of all the buildings only?
Owner of some of the buildings?
Provider of Programs only?
Funding contribution with others toward programs?
Building, programs and operating are all fully funded by Council at all Centres.
Are any Centres run independently of Council both in building and programs and operating?
*
6. Age of Community Centres? Last date of upgrade? Please provide details for each Centre
Page 8
7. Services provided at some or all Community Centres. Mark as many that are relevant.
Room or Centre Hire
Programs organised by Centre
Programs organised by outsider
Are any programs facilitated
Social support
Drop-In
Meal Service
Transport
Child Care
HACC
Other
*
8. Level of Usage: - Please answer both questions.
1. How often are all the Centres hired out per year in total?
2. How many people participate in programs and services offered by the Centres per year in total?
9. Future Plans and Policies;
Please outline the significant future plans and directions for any or all of the Centres that you are aware
of over the next 5 years. Separate out the details for the relevant Centres if they are not ALL part of
planned changes. Feel free to email this information separately if desired. ([email protected])
10. Last Question! Do you have any further comments of note to support your answers or other
valid information you would like to share? Thankyou very much for your time and cooperation.
Page 9
Survey Response – Summaries
Q1 What percentage of Council's annual budget is spent on Community Centres?
Council
Annual Budget
Marion
$1,124,561
Unley
2.89%
Mitcham
1.70%
Tea Tree Gully
0.58%
Holdfast Bay
Not provided. See note below
West Torrens
0.05%
Norwood Payneham & St Peters
0.003%
Charles Sturt
Adelaide
$465,000
0.08%
Gross budget for Adelaide City for community centres for 2012-13 is $451,000. 2012-13 break down of
Gross allocation / centre is as follows;
North Adelaide Community Centre - $151k
South West Community Centre - $113k
Box Factory Community Centre - $187k
Holdfast Bay Total community budget is $1.23 million for the 2013-14
Page 10
Q2 What is your total number of Full-time equivalent employees ie. All staff hours totalled out to fulltime
equivalent hours?
Council
FTE
Marion
9.73
Unley
9.53 Council staff + Independents
Mitcham
3.5
Tea Tree Gully
3.1
Holdfast Bay
1
West Torrens
?
Norwood Payneham & St Peters
1.4
Charles Sturt
5
Adelaide
3
Response Count
9
Because some centres are heavily managed by independents such as Anglicare, it is difficult to say what
the differences are in terms of staff required to run the programs and facilities versus the number of
centres operated. No council seems to have records of staff numbers of independents. It does however
appear that Unley does have a high proportion of Council staff relative to its size and number of centres
in comparison to others.
Q3 Volunteer numbers, their role and title.
Council
Volunteer #'s
Roles
Marion
160
Kitchen, Admin, Skilled
Unley
115 X 2 Centres
Skilled, Maintenance, Board, Admin
6 X 1 Facility
Admin & Setup
55 X 4 Centres
Tutors, Facilitators, Admin, Grounds
Holdfast Bay
?
Committees + others
West Torrens
5 X 2 Centres
Mitcham
Tea Tree Gully
Norwood Payneham St Peters
2
Educators
Charles Sturt
119 X 5 Centres
?
Adelaide
29 X 3 Centres
Tutors + Admin
answered question
9
Note: Numbers for Independents not all able to be captured in #'s
Page 11
Marion Council appears to have the highest number of volunteers but it also has more than double the
population of Unley which it can be said has a very high proportion of volunteers relative to all others
especially since it covers only 2 centres.
Q4 What is the management model used for each Centre?
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Model 1 All Centres Council managed
44.4%
4
Model 2 All Centres have an incorporated body
management
11.1%
1
Model 3 All Centres are managed by a Service
Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
0.0%
0
Model 4 Some Centres Council managed
33.3%
3
Model 5 Some Centres have an incorporated body
management
11.1%
1
Model 6 Some Centres are managed by a Service
Provider such as Mission SA or Anglicare
0.0%
0
Model 7 All Centres are a blend of management
models
0.0%
0
answered question
9
Page 12
The councils where all centres are managed by them or those in the Model 1 category are; Charles Sturt,
Norwood Payneham, Tea Tree Gully and Marion. Only Adelaide, West Torrens and Mitcham directly
said they are Model 4 with some centres being council managed.
Q5 What is the Council involvement in the Buildings and Programs of the Community Centres
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Owner of all the buildings only?
44.4%
4
Owner of some of the buildings?
44.4%
4
Provider of Programs only?
22.2%
2
Funding contribution with others toward programs?
44.4%
4
Building, programs and operating are all fully funded by
Council at all Centres.
22.2%
2
Are any Centres run independently of Council both in
building and programs and operating?
22.2%
2
answered question
9
Page 13
The 4 councils that own all of their buildings are Marion, Unley, Tea Tree Gully fully owned and
managed, and Holdfast. The 4 Councils that share the cost of their programs are West Torrens, Charles
Sturt, Unley, and Marion.
The 2 councils that fully operate and own their buildings are Tea Tree Gully and Charles Sturt. It is not
clear if this question was well answered as some included both being a co-funder as well as fully funded
by Council.
Q6 Age of Community Centres? Last date of upgrade?
Council
Age
Last Upgrade
Marion
> 25
nil
Unley
Unley 35
Fullarton 103
Clarence Pk 93
Goodwood 14
Nil
1971
1996
nil
Mitcham
all older buildings
?
Tea Tree Gully
Holden Hill 35
Greenwith 20
Jubilee 3
Surrey Downs 11
2011
2013
2012
2012
Holdfast Bay
Glenelg North 29
Brighton 41
nil for all
Holdfast Bay 15
Partridge House soon $550k
Glenelg 49
West Torrens
Norwood Payneham St Peters
Charles Sturt
Plympton 38
Thebarton 1
Camden 40
Reedbeds 40
?
Payneham 100
2013
?
?
North Adelaide 23
South West 7
Box Factory 4
?
Adelaide
Page 14
This question seemed difficult to get full answers as we expect this information was not readily to hand
and the correct council member with the information may well have been hard to identify. Unley has the
oldest building at 103 years; West Torrens has the youngest at 1 year old.
Tea Tree Gully has an impressive record of updating and upgrading over a short number of years with all
its centres included. Of its 4 centres, 2 have been complete relocations.
Q7. Services Provided at some or all Community Centres. Mark as many that are relevant.
Answer Options
Response Percent
Response Count
Room or Centre Hire
100.0%
9
Programs organised by Centre
88.9%
8
Programs organised by outsider
88.9%
8
Are any programs facilitated
66.7%
6
Social support
44.4%
4
Drop-In
33.3%
3
Meal Service
33.3%
3
Transport
22.2%
2
Child Care
33.3%
3
HACC
77.8%
7
Other
11.1%
1
answered question
9
Page 15
The Councils are very different in the programs and numbers of them that they offer as well as the
number of Centres and facilities. The main common offerings are venue hire with everyone offering this,
some facilities such as faxing and photocopying, groups gathering, and computer training. Beyond these,
the differences start to emerge.
The lowest number or programs is conducted at Norwood Payneham St Peter’s council with only 2 on
offer at its single Centre. The highest offering is at Charles Sturt with 72 separate listings across its 5
Community Centres. These figures are based on their website statements. The full summary of the
programs offered at each Council can be found in an accompanying Excel spreadsheet.
Page 16
Q 8 Level of Usage: - 1. How often are all the Centres hired out per year in total? 2. How many people
participate in programs and services offered by the Centres / year?
Council
Annual Facilities Hire
People participation in programs &
Services
Marion
?
47,200 enrolments
Unley
?
253,222 total
50-60 hrs / wk
31,200
?
132,611
Holdfast Bay
11250 hours / year
? All independents run
West Torrens
independents run
6000 +
Norwood Payneham St Peters
1040 hires / year
1900
75%
105,000
4,000 hiring’s
68,000
Mitcham
Tea Tree Gully
Charles Sturt
Adelaide
Response Count
9
Unley has by far the highest participation levels in their community centres compared to all Councils.
Again it seems that records of facilities hire and participation levels are poorly kept or relayed to the
Councils when they are independently run. While the Council staff supporting this survey contacted the
Independents to provide those details to consultants, none were forthcoming.
Page 17
Bibliography
An evaluation of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres Experiences in 30 Community Hubs,
David Perry and Angela Savage Association Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres, 2012
Final Report, Community Centres Review: City of Onkaparinga
9th January 2012, KPPM Organisational Strategies
Mapping Survey of the CaNH Sector – Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association – March 2010
Mitcham Community Focal Points Framework April 2003, City of Mitcham
Neighbourhood Centres Service Review City of Marion, July 2012, PKF
Practice Guidelines Version 3 Page 5 CANH, Version 3 16 June 2006
Page 18
APPENDIX 7
Summary of Proposed Staffing Changes At Four Community Centres
Area
Core Staff
Details
• Consistent allocation of hours at each centre:
o Coordinators 30.4 hours per week.
o One Customer Service officer at each centre.
Casual Staff
•
•
A reduction in annual budget allocation by $32 792 can be realised immediately.
Casual staff utilised to relieve core staff only. Ongoing coordination of programs
and events by core staff with support from community volunteers.
Changes to staff •
hours
•
The proposed reduction of 55.4 hpw will require changes to the service delivery
at each centre but no reduction of services.
Proposed reduction of current staff hours includes:
o The Community Service Officer position of 22.5 hpw is no longer required
to deliver the service at Unley Community Centre.
o The Men’s Shed Coordinator position of 10.5 hpw to be funded by the
Clarence Park Community Centre Board of Management. This will require
renegotiation of the Partnership Agreement.
o The Goodwood Community Services Administration Officer position of 26
hpw to be funded by the GCS Board of Management. This will require
renegotiation of the Partnership Agreement.
Implementation •
of changes to
•
staff hours
•
Within 12 months of Council endorsement of the Directions Paper report.
The modifications can be realised through natural attrition, redeployment and
negotiation with the effected staff members.
These potential changes are constrained in the short to medium term by current
employment conditions and/or Partnership Agreements, and require
consideration of Council’s current EB Agreement.
Reallocation of
staff hours
It is proposed that the 22.5 hpw surplus hours created by the redundant
Community Service Officer position of at Unley Community Centre be reallocated
to a ‘floating casual’ position, supporting to all community centres as required.
It is proposed that a 12 month contract for the new position of Community
Centre Team Leader be created at MOA Level 6, 0.53 FTE (20 hpw) utilising the
savings created through the reduction in staff hours outlined above. At the
conclusion of this 12 month contract, the position would be reviewed. It is
anticipated that the Team Leader would be responsible for the day to day
supervision of community centre staff and the implementation of Directions
Paper recommendations.
•
•
Note:
The following figures include base salaries, leave loading and the anticipated rise in pay rates as a
result of the current Enterprise Bargaining (EB) Agreement.
Page 1
Current staff model: 9.23 FTEs = $626 150 wages (base salary, leave loading and EB wage increase)
Coordinators
Unley Community Centre
1 FTE (38 hpw)
Customer Service &
Administration
Customer Service Officer
0.79 FTE (30.4 hpw)
Customer Service Officer
0.59 FTE (22.5 hpw)
Goodwood Community
Centre 38 hpw (includes
Team Leader role)
Customer Service Admin
Officer
0.83 FTE (31.5 hpw)
GCS Customer Service
Admin Officer
0.69 FTE (26 hpw)
Programs
Catering Coordinator
0.63 FTE (24 hpw)
Casuals
$15 900
$7 500
TOTALS
3.01 FTEs
2.52 FTEs
Fullarton Park Centre
0.84 FTE (32 hpw)
Customer Service Officer
1 FTE (38 hpw)
Clarence Park
Community Centre
0.79 FTE (30 hpw)
Customer Service Admin
Officer
0.71 FTE (27 hpw)
130.4 hpw
175.4 hpw
34.5 hpw
$27 980
Men’s Shed
Co-ordinator 0.36 FTE
(10.5 hpw)
$11 412
1.84 FTEs
1.86 FTEs
347.9 hpw
$62 792
Proposed future staff model : 7.21 FTEs = $480 756 wages (base salary, leave loading and EB wage increase)
COMMUNITY CENTRE TEAM LEADER (new 12 month contract)
Coordinators
0.53 FTE (20 hpw)
Goodwood Community
Centre
0.8 FTE (30.4 hpw)
Customer Service Admin
Officer
0.83 FTE (31.5 hpw)
Fullarton Park Centre
0.8 FTE
(30.4 hpw)
Customer Service
Officer
1 FTE (38 hpw)
Clarence Park
Community Centre
0.8 FTE (30.4 hpw)
Customer Service Admin
Officer
0.71 FTE (27 hpw)
Casuals
Unley Community Centre
0.8 FTE
(30.4 hpw)
Customer Service Officer
0.8 FTE
(30.4 hpw)
Catering Coordinator
0.63 FTE (24 hpw)
$7 500
$7 500
$7 500
$7 500
$30 000
TOTALS
2.23 FTEs
1.63 FTEs
1.84 FTEs
1.51 FTEs
292.5 hpw
Customer Service &
Administration
Programs
121.6 hpw
126.9 hpw
0.63 FTE (24 hpw)
Page 2
Community Centres
FTE
Unley Community Centre
Community Services Officer
Customer Service Officer
Community Catering Coordinator
Community Centre Coordinator
Fullarton Park Centre
Coordinator Fullarton Park
Customer Service Officer
Goodwood Community Centre
Customer Service Officer
Team Leader Community Centres
Administration Officer
Clarence Park Community Centre
Coordinator Clarence Park
Administration Officer
Coordinator TOYS
Customer Service Administration
TOTAL
CURRENT STAFF MODEL
Classification
Salary
0.59
0.79
0.63
1.00
3.01
MOA2.4
MOA2.4
MOA2.1
MOA5.2
35,652.48
47,706.65
35,005.45
76,636.99
195,001.57
0.84
1.00
1.84
MOA5.3
MOA2.4
65,903.05
60,428.42
126,331.47
0.83
1.00
0.69
2.52
MOA2.4
MOA6.3
MOA2.4
50,091.98
86,294.89
41,695.27
178,082.14
0.79
0.08
0.36
0.63
1.86
9.23
MOA5.3
MOA2.4
MOA3.4
MOA2.2
61,784.11
4,834.23
24,089.51
36,027.73
126,735.58
626,150.76
Page 3
Community Centres
FTE
Unley Community Centre
Community Services Officer
Customer Service Officer
Community Catering Coordinator
Community Centre Coordinator
Fullarton Park Centre
Coordinator Fullarton Park
Customer Service Officer
Goodwood Community Centre
Customer Service Officer
Team Leader Community Centres
Administration Officer
Clarence Park Community Centre
Coordinator Clarence Park
Administration Officer
Coordinator TOYS
Customer Service Administration
Difference
plus savings from Casuals
Total
Team Leader 12 months 0.53 FTE at
Bottom Line Savings with proposed
new staff model
PROPOSED FUTURE STAFF MODEL
Classification
Salary
Savings
0.00
0.80
0.63
0.80
2.23
MOA2.4
MOA2.4
MOA2.1
MOA5.2
0.00
47,706.65
35,005.45
61,309.59
144,021.69
35,652.48
0.80
1.00
1.84
MOA5.3
MOA2.4
61,784.11
60,428.42
122,212.53
4,118.94
0.83
0.80
0.00
1.63
MOA2.4
MOA5.3
MOA2.4
50,091.98
61,784.11
0.00
111,876.09
0.80
0.08
0.00
0.63
1.51
7.21
2.02
MOA5.3
MOA2.4
MOA3.4
MOA2.2
61,784.11
4,834.23
0.00
36,027.73
102,646.07
480,756.38
145,394.38
32,792.00
178,186.38
42,907.71
15,327.40
24,510.78
41,695.27
24,089.51
145,394.38
135,278.67
Page 4