Queensland Community Services Sector Charter

1 Queensland Community Services Sector Charter August 2007 Churches Community Service ForumCairns Alliance of Social ServicesQueensland Community ServicesSector CharterThe Charterhas been prepared on behalf of the Queensland Community Services Sector todefine and communicate to other sectors of society (Government, business and Community ) what the Community Services Sector is, and to raise awareness of its vital role and invaluable contribution to society. The Charter gives rise to a unified Community Services Sector by presenting a shared identity for the Sector - outlining a collective vision and shared values.

2 It is intended to empower Community service organisations across Queensland by providing a vehiclefor asserting a strong collective voice to increase our influence and enable us to achieve our visionof a fair and just society for all. The Charter has been developed through extensive consultation with the Community Services Sector . The developmentof this document is an initiative of a collaboration of state-wide Community service peaks and networks, and is part of the ongoing Future of the Sector Project. For more information on the process and the organisations involved please see the Queensland Community Services SectorThe Queensland Community Services Sector incorporates a range of service delivery, Community development, social justice, and advocacy organisations operating across a range of areas, including but not limited to:health, housing, employment, disability, aged care, Services for children and young people, Indigenous affairs and multicultural affairs.

3 While the Community Services Sector may include organisations working within these areas, inclusion in the Sector is less about the specific service being provided and more about commitment to a shared vision and a set of values. Organisations which are not for profit, Community based and agree with the shared vision and central values as laid out in the Charter are considered to be part of the Community Services Sector . A Shared Visionfor the Community Services SectorThe QueenslandCommunity Services Sector will strive for a fair and just society for all.

4 We willdo this by providing effective andinclusive human Services ,by supporting communities to build skills and find solutions,and by advocating to remedy disadvantage in our we will build a Community Services Sector that is strong and sustainable, comprised of organisations that are committed to shared -Shared Valuesfor the Community Services SectorWe and Community and Torres Strait Islander self- a Sector , we uphold and advance fundamental human rights. We maintain that all people have the right to freedom, justice and equality.

5 We aspire to and work towards a fair and just societyfor all. We believe that all residents of Queenslandmust have access to decent standards of health, education, housing, safety and economic and social Sector s work is underpinned by a shared commitment to advancingthe well-being of individuals, communitiesand our society as a whole. Through our direct service delivery, Community development or advocacy work, we seek to help each personachieve his or herfull potential. We striveto enable communities to support and sustain people.

6 Weseek to influence change to systemic and societal factors impactingnegatively on people within our embrace all forms of diversity, including cultural and linguistic diversity. We strive to understand and respond appropriately to the needs of our communitiesand people who access our Services . We welcome differences of opinionandapproach, whether these differences be amongpeople who access our Services , our stakeholders or organisations within our rightsIndividual and Community wellbeingDiversity-2 stand for self-determination and an end to disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

7 We proactively seek to redress the inequitiesbetween the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and other communities. We work withAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations to achievejustice and improved quality of believe in cooperationand participation, rather than competition. We actively seek participation from communitiesand people who access our servicesin identifying needs and developing solutions. Wevalue the voices of our communities and people who access our Services . We will work to ensure they are heardby our own organisations, by the wider societyand by government.

8 We work together with other organisations from our Sector and beyond, to develop and deliver the best value the commitment, knowledge and skillsof the paid and unpaid workers within our Sector . We recognise that volunteers and paid workers enrich our governance and support our operations. We are committed to supporting and developing our Sector , our organisations, our volunteers and our workers so they can meet the changing needs of our communitiesand the people who access our affirm the importance of our autonomy from government and commercial interests to maintain diverse voices and approaches within a democratic society Our independence from government is one of our greatest strengths.

9 Within this context we strive for mutually beneficial relationships with our government partners. We are united by our emphasis on people, not profit. We believe that the Community Services Sector has a vital role in supporting and empowering the most vulnerable people and and participationExcellenceAboriginal and Torres StraitIslander self determinationIndependence-3 -Unique Contributionof the Community Services SectorThrough our work, the Community Services Sector has a positive impact on Queensland society and on the delivery of Community and human Sector s contribution is contribution to the social and economic well-being of societyincludes.

10 Promoting a fairer, more tolerant society through advocacy and awareness raising activities encouraging participatory democracy by fostering Community involvement in our organisations and in broader systems and processes buildingstrong, cohesive, self-reliant communitiesby bringing people and groupstogether buildingthe skills base of the Community through our development work with volunteers, workers, communityand people who access our Services undertakingwork that maynot be commercially viable, delivering needed Services to peoplewho would otherwise not have access to contribution to service deliveryincludes.