The Tasmanian Community Services Peaks network comprises peak organisations covering a broad spectrum of the non-government health and human services sector. The Peaks Network and Government Strategic Forum is an opportunity for peak organisations to meet with representatives of DHHS and DPaC to work in partnership on strategic issues of mutual interest and benefit.
The community sector is an integral component of the service system and it is important that there is a positive and productive relationship between the sector and government.
Over the years there have been a number of Agency/Sector type forums. What differentiates this Strategic Forum from previous forums are three things: it is being established with Peak organisations, not individual organisations; it aims to focus on strategic, not operational issues; and it is broader than DHHS, involving DPaC, with a desire to expand to a whole of government forum over time.
The purpose of this forum is to:
- have strategic level discussions between the Peaks Network and Government
- exchange information and advice on key issues of significance to both the community sector and government, including Australian and State Government Agreements, policy development and reform directions
- facilitate information sharing and discussion from a collective point of view, to and from the entities represented by Forum members
- work in partnership to progress strategic issues, for example, workforce development, sector capacity, information systems, streamlined information sharing, integrated service delivery, State budget priorities (to be agreed)
- commission joint projects and working parties where required
- govern/guide the process of developing a Partnership Agreement between the community sector and DHHS and DPAC.