Our Strategic Plan describes how we will achieve our Goals and Purpose from the enablers and resources available to us.
Our Strategic Plan 2020-24 includes five key areas of focus which will further our work in supporting and assisting women in the ACT to make informed health and wellbeing choices, and to assist health related services and policy to be responsive to ACT women’s needs.
Our Strategic Plan is described visually in this Strategy Map.
We have five Strategic Priorities
- KNOWING WHAT MATTERS!
- COMMUNICATING WHAT MATTERS!
- INFLUENCING WHAT MATTERS!
- EMPOWERING WOMEN IN WHAT MATTERS!
- DOING WHAT MATTERS!
Read below to find out more about each.
KNOWING WHAT MATTERS!
We work with women in the ACT (especially those who are experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation and/or who have specific gender related needs) to:
• gain knowledge and evidence about the economic, social and environmental issues affecting women’s health and wellbeing in the ACT;
• understand the ‘lived experience’ of women and the gaps and barriers that impact on their health and wellbeing;
• understand the health and wellbeing services and support available; and
• identify the health and wellbeing needs of women that are new and emerging issues or which are inadequately responded to by current policy and service responses.
Our strategies and actions will include the use of research, forums and consultations with ACT women; working with networks, service providers and peer led groups to identify emerging issues; gender analysis; safety audits; attending conferences; and using gender based data from other sources to inform our work.
COMMUNICATING WHAT MATTERS!
We communicate the evidence and lived experience gained from women in the ACT to inform and educate others (including government) about the views, needs and preferences of women in the ACT, and the gaps and barriers they face in meeting their health and wellbeing needs.
Our strategies and actions will include developing and launching reports using evidence and lived experience; the use of submissions and advocacy to consultations, committees, advisory groups and working groups; media releases about the issues and the evidence; support for specific sectors or services about the needs of women; training/ awareness raising to build an understanding of the gender issues for services/sectors; supporting health literacy in women/groups of women; online support and information for women; health promotion events; providing information to support women to understand changes in the policy and service environment; development of community sector planning, training and support; skills development/ training of vulnerable groups of women; and awareness raising in the broader community about specific gender and equity issues.
INFLUENCING WHAT MATTERS!
We use the evidence to work with others to:
• encourage the health and wellbeing support systems to be more responsive to the needs of women;
• promote the participation of women in health decision making and management (particularly the most marginalised), and to promote health equity among women;
• build knowledge, coordinate effort and create change; and
• influence gender sensitive policies, and service design and implementation responses (both government and non government) and inform responses that will promote authentic gender responsive approaches.
Our strategies and actions will include advocacy and lobbying, awareness raising, and highlighting gender and equity issues in the design and implementation of policies and services; writing submission; participating in consultations; representation on committees, advisory groups and working groups; providing support to community sector in responding to any reviews or policy changes that impact on the delivery of services.
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN WHAT MATTERS!
We support women and groups of women:
• to make informed health and wellbeing choices, and to understand how to access appropriate gender-sensitive services and information that support their health and wellbeing;
• by providing capacity building and organisational support for small NGOs and peer-led support groups; and
• by using the evidence to support and educate services, government, systems and sectors to better understand and adapt the provision of services and systems to the needs of women.
Strategies and actions will include developing and delivering support for specific sectors or services about the needs of women; training and awareness raising to build understanding of gender issues for services/sectors; capacity building for small organisations; building health literacy in women/groups of women; information provision for women; online support for women; health promotion events; support for women to understand changes in the environment (changes to Medicare, e-health, NDIS); community sector planning, and training and support; skills development/ training of vulnerable groups of women.
DOING WHAT MATTERS!
We ensures that we represent a strong and diverse membership; are actively engaged with the women we represent; are a well governed and managed organisation with accountability and transparency for members, staff, funders and stakeholders; and have controls in place which ensure compliance with obligations and legislation.
Strategies and actions will focus on:
• Improving our organisational profile
• Ensuring viability, including financial sustainability
• Effective risk management
• Maintaining the quality of our work
• Keeping members and stakeholders informed of WCHM’s activities
• Recruitment and retention of staff
• Succession planning to ensure there are diverse skills on the Board
• Engaging our membership
• Supporting Board members through training and the provision of resources
• Ensuring WCHM continues to meet the requirements of our charity/DGR status
• Good governance and accountability as an organisation and Board
