STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS
2010-2013
Mission Statement
Knox Infolink Inc provides confidential and
impartial information to the community with the aim to empower
individuals to make informed decisions which will enhance their
quality of life
Introduction
Knox Infolink Inc is a not for profit organisation whose
principal function is community information provision. Employing
community development principles in our mode of operation, we offer
clients relevant, comprehensive and accurate information, support
and referral services to assist people to become more independent
and contributing members of the community.
Knox Infolink Inc is also the main provider of emergency relief
assistance for the City of Knox, our aim being to help and assist
the citizens of Knox who are finding themselves in necessitous
circumstances. All services are offered free by professional staff
and trained volunteers.
Knox Infolink Inc is governed by Committee of Management
(COM). The Community of Management role is to provide
leadership and overall strategy. The COM has the responsibility of
ensuring Knox Infolink Inc’s finances are sound, operations are
legal, and its procedures are functional.
Knox Infolink Inc is a member agency of Community Information
Victoria (CIVic), and is funded and supported by Knox City
Council.
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Services Knox Infolink Inc Intends to
Provide
- Information & referral
- Emergency assistance (food vouchers and food parcels)
- Budget assistance
- No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS)
- Tax Help (July-October)
- Telstra Assistance Program
- Interpreting Service
- TTY relay service for hearing & speech impaired people
- Fax service for unemployed people sending resumes to
prospective employees
Our Community
The City of Knox is located in outer-eastern Melbourne and is
one of the most populous municipalities in Victoria with almost
153,000 residents living in eleven localities.
These include the suburbs of:
• Ferntree
Gully
• Upper Ferntree Gully
• Boronia
• The Basin
• Rowville
• Wantirna
• Wantirna South
• Lysterfield
• Knoxfield
• Scoresby
• Bayswater.
Knox embraces the multi-cultural ethos of modern Australia, with
137,000 residents from different countries and 17% are from
non-English speaking backgrounds.
Strategic Directions 2010-2013
Strategic Direction 1 – Raising Our Profile
Networking
• Continue to promote Knox
Infolink Inc and its activities to the broader community, other
service providers and agencies through regular liaison, public
speaking, annual surveys and meetings, attendance at service
provider expos and other appropriate activities.
• Continue forging close
relationships with other agencies such as Knox Community Health
Service, Anglicare, Eastern Community Legal Service and Eastern
Access Community Health (EACH), enabling exchange of referral
services and extending provision of Knox Infolink’s emergency
relief services to clients who would not otherwise be aware of what
is available to Knox residents.
• Continue to build
relationships with regional service clubs (such as Apex, Lions,
CWA, Rotary etc) to identify new areas of support by sponsorship or
material donations.
• Continue to establish
relationships with educational institutions such as Swinburne
University, Monash University to assist current students in their
work placements and utilise their skills.
• Continue to attend and
work within network groups. Some of these include:
Ø Knox Accord Project
Continue involvement within the Knox Accord Project, a community
strengthening initiative aimed towards enhancing women’s safety
within Knox and raising community awareness regarding family
violence.
Ø Emergency Relief Network
–
Continue involvement in the Emergency Relief Network which is a
network of agencies and organisations that provide emergency relief
and material aid such as food vouchers and food parcels to people
in financial crisis living within the City of Knox.
Ø Aston Community Forum
Continue involvement in the Aston Community Forum which is the
coming together of community organisation to network and discuss
information, issues and receiving up dates arising in the Knox.
Ø No Interest Loan Scheme Regional
Network Meetings
Continue to attend the regional network meetings to gain updated
information on the No Interest Loan Scheme program and meet with
other No Interest Loan Scheme providers.
Improved publicity
• Continue to monitor and
prepare written materials (flyers, brochures etc) and resources to
present Knox Infolink in a professional and positive manner to the
broader community.
• Continue to develop and
encourage relationships with local community news publications
(such as the Boronia and The Basin Community news and the Rowville
Community News), to present Knox Infolink Inc articles on the
history of the organisation, ongoing service delivery, cameos on
previous local volunteers etc.
• Continue to promote
recruitment and training opportunities available at Knox Infolink
for prospective volunteers by using free advertising opportunities
through avenues.
• Explore opportunities in
non-traditional environments to promote Knox Infolink Inc
• Continue to seek public
speaking engagements
Agency website
Continue the regular update/expansion of the existing Knox
Infolink website with an emphasis on its potential to promote the
agency and its services to the wider Knox community. Also to
further develop the website to allow instant accessibility by
providing a multi user-friendly information service online for the
disabled, hearing impaired and CALD clients etc.
Explore other online technology.
Succession Planning
• Encourage Knox Infolink
Inc volunteers to actively participate as members of the Committee
of Management (COM) involved in the decision-making for running the
Agency.
• Regularly invite newcomers
to attend meetings and mentor for committee positions.
• Continue recruitment of
external members for the Committee of Management.
Strategic Direction 2 – Expanding Our
Service
Community Information services
Continue to update and maintain extensive pamphlet service,
community information database and website that inform the Knox
community of available services and information.
Staff training & skills
Continue to conduct ongoing training and skills assessment to
maximise efficient service delivery. Continue to investigate
new training opportunities to address the changing needs in the
community such as dealing with distressed clients. A
priority is extra training to volunteers regarding the proficient
use of the TTY machine, thus ensuring ready access to Knox Infolink
Inc services for the hearing impaired.
Community Directory
Continue to update the community directory to meet the needs of
the local community. The directory will continue to incorporate
such incidentals as budgetary tips as well as resource information
and popular community information, such as pre-school and childcare
centres, hall bookings, recreational activities and retirement
villages etc.
Expansion of Budget Service
Continue to network with the Eastern Access Community Health
Financial Counsellors (EACH) and to expand the existing budget
service by accessing extra funding initiatives and recruiting new
volunteers to form part of the budget team
No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS)
Continue in the provision of No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS)
through the Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service. The program
will continue to be available to eligible low income residents of
the Knox area.
Improved technology
Continue accessing improved technology where it is able to
enhance the quality and quantity of services offered to the
community. This includes the continual update/expansion of the
existing Knox Infolink Inc website to maximise its potential as a
community information service, including basic material on laws and
regulations.
Identify service gaps and needs within the
community
Utilise Knox Infolink Inc service information to identify trends
within the community, and address service gaps and needs as they
arise.
Explore a mailbox service for homeless people.
Strategic Direction 3 – Advocating For Our
Clients
Advocating to improve government policy/practice
Utilise our information and statistics to exercise a responsible
influence on the development of appropriate social policies and
services. An example would be the collation of rental
statistics in the region for analysis of low income recipients,
high costs of private rentals, lack of public housing availability,
increasing demands for emergency relief and financial
assistance.
Statistics collection
Review/update the existing statistics collection
sheet in order that it reflects the changing nature of community
service and the diversity of advocacy and assistance offered by the
agency.
Explore and develop alternative ways of dealing with client
information.
Developing work Projects/Plans
Continue to participate in workshops and seminars.
Identify initiatives that enhance service access and increase
community engagement, particularly for those who are disadvantaged
or marginalised.
Strategic Direction 4 – Exploring Additional
Resourcing Initiatives
Recruitment and support
Continue to explore and recruit volunteers in roles such as
receptionist, administration support, food donation and packaging,
and development of promotion material.
Further Funding
To seek additional sources of funding to expand the services
offered by the agency and enhance the current programs/services
offered.
Continue to seek cost effective alternative supplier for goods
such as stationery, nappies etc
VicRelief & Foodbank
Continue accessing the no-cost services of
VicRelief & Foodbank on a regular basis.
Grants/philanthropist trusts
Develop a calendrical index of philanthropist trusts and sources
of community grants in order to submit appropriate applications on
an annual basis for updating technical and office equipment,
specific media promotions, volunteer benefits and training
purposes.
Planning/Implementation & Review Cycle
Annual Plan
Ø Business Operational Plan
Ø Risk Management Plan
Ø Budget Allocations
Ø Annual review and update of policies
and procedures
Ø Represent the community within the COM
by attracting prospective Community Representative Member(s) from
the local community or business sources etc.
Ø Produce Annual Report
Review Processes
Ø Review all annual targets, policies
and procedures
Ø Employee Performance Reviews
Ø Volunteer Performance Appraisals
Ø Program Evaluations
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