State Commissioning Strategy for Community Services

The State Commissioning Strategy for Community Services is an aspirational document for a future we are working towards. It outlines the strategic role commissioning will play in transforming the delivery of community services in Western Australia. It provides a high-level strategic approach that includes key themes, guiding principles and initial actions to provide a platform for a driven and focused implementation period enabling positive long-term change.

Commissioning is the cyclical process of planning, purchasing, managing, monitoring and evaluating services with the aim of ensuring that every available dollar is allocated in the optimal manner.

This Strategy aims to change the way government delivers community services in Western Australia. The Strategy will drive to achieve a holistic and sustainable community services system through a commissioning approach. Commissioning is a strategic approach that will enable a fundamental shift in the system of managing the delivery of services, to provide better services to Western Australians that: 

• meets the needs of users, at the right time and in the right place
• are sustainable and delivered by organisations with the right staff and systems in place
• are evidence based with robust quality standards, and
• are culturally safe and tailored to local community needs.

The future of community service delivery will be grounded in key principles applicable to both government and the community services sector:

• A community and person centered approach focused on outcomes.
• A sustainable system.
• Inclusive services – focus on Aboriginal outcomes and partnerships.
• Well-led, supported and transparent system.

The Strategy has an initial Implementation Plan with eight key priority areas. The priorities and the range of activities required to implement the Strategy will drive progress towards embedding a commissioning approach, improving outcomes and achieving positive long-term change.