This issue

- commissioning consultants to enhance policy capacity 
- First Nations culturally safe evaluations 
- improving workplace gender equality 
- loneliness and social connectedness in Australia 
- Australia’s burden of disease 

Plus what I’m reading. 

Commissioning consultants to enhance policy capacity

Does the use of consultants by government hollow out capacity? Can consultants be used in better ways that enable the fundamental roles of public services to not only be preserved but enhanced? ANZSOG’s Catherine Althaus, Lisa Carson and Ken Smith have published a paper in Policy Sciences which introduces a model to harness the strengths of consultants and improve government policy capacity.

Read our brief on the article

First Nations culturally safe evaluations

The Australian Evaluation Society has released a First Nations Cultural Safety Framework. The framework provides guidance on culturally safe evaluation in all phases of the evaluation process, from design through to implementation and reporting. 

What is cultural safety? 
The concept of cultural safety was initially developed in Aotearoa-New Zealand by a Māori nurse. Cultural safety is a pre-condition for First Nations people to access, be involved in and thrive within workplaces and services. A culturally safe environment is created in policy development, evaluation, research and service design and delivery when the circumstances outlined in Figure 1 are in place. 

Figure 1: A culturally safe environment for Australian First Nations People

© 2021, beyond…(Kathleen Stacey & Associates) Pty Ltd and Sharon Gollan & Associates 

Principles of culturally safe evaluation There are 10 principles in the framework. Each principle is equally important and complementary to the other principles. 

1. Sovereignty: First Nations people never ceded sovereignty over their lands and now live in two worlds. 
2. Know and understand the truth: Reflect on the context of historical and ongoing colonisation of Australia that results in ongoing racism and intergenerational trauma. 
3. Diversity and uniqueness: First Nations cultures are diverse, as are First Nations people within nations.  
4. Time: Take time to develop relationships and build trust in every project. 
5. Decision-making: Commit to co-design – involve the community and/ or organisation in designing the process so their expectations are embedded into the work. 
6. Respect: Demonstrate genuine respect for cultural values, protocols and knowledges. 
7. Adaptability: Value and plan for flexibility so you can be adaptive in your approach and plans. 
8. Leadership and expertise: Create First Nations led or co-led teams – integrate cultural expertise into the team through different roles such as cultural advisors. 
9. Benefit: Discuss with First Nations communities and/or organisations what they will gain from the evaluation that will be valuable to them. 
10. Intellectual and cultural property: First Nations communities have ownership of the information or data you gather during the evaluation. 

Stronger together: Loneliness and social connectedness in Australia 

This report from Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre examines trends in social connectedness in Australia through an index that captures social interactions, social support, interpersonal trust and socio-economic advantage. 

Loneliness imposes economic costs on society. The report’s analysis estimates the economic cost of loneliness to be around $2.7 billion each year. There are strong economic benefits to be gained from programs and initiatives that mitigate loneliness, along with positive social and health outcomes.

At a glance 

• Social connectedness has declined in Australia over the last decade, with young women aged 15 to 17 reporting the greatest decline in social support. 

• There is a greater prevalence of loneliness among particular sections of society including people with disabilities, those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. 

• Social connectedness is lower in remote areas compared to major cities and regional areas. However, interpersonal trust is highest in remote areas. 

• Loneliness is associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes and more risky health behaviours. 

• Poverty contributes to loneliness. Those in the lowest income decile are more than twice as likely to report being very lonely most of the time, compared to those in the highest income decile (28 per cent vs. 12 per cent). 

Improving gender equality in the workplace 

A new guide from the UK Behavioural Insights Team outlines evidence-based approaches to improve outcomes for gender equality in the areas of: 

• leadership and accountability 
• hiring and selection 
• talent management, learning and development 
• workplace flexibility.

Leadership and accountability 
Leaders play a key role in driving gender equality in their organisations. Effective actions include setting internal targets and appointing diversity leads and/or diversity taskforces to hold all parts of the organisation accountable. 

Hiring and selection 
Unconscious bias and stereotypes can creep in at various stages of the hiring and selection process. An effective way to overcome bias is to standardise processes to ensure all candidates are assessed in the same way and according to the same criteria.  

Talent management, learning and development 
Many organisations invest heavily in learning and development, including unconscious bias and diversity training programs. There is little evidence suggesting these are an effective way to change behaviour. The report recommends employers focus on transparency across all processes and enabling women to access opportunities at equal rates to men. 

Workplace flexibility 
Sharing support at the local level for parental leave and flexible working can encourage take up of flexible working arrangements. Informing men about the high levels of support among their male colleagues increased rates of men intending to take 5–8 weeks of parental leave by 50 per cent. 

Australia’s burden of disease 

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has revealed that Australians are losing fewer years of healthy life to coronary heart disease, but it still remains the leading contributor to the nation’s collective ‘disease burden’.  

The Australian Burden of Disease Study measures the years of healthy life Australians lost due to 219 diseases and 40 risk factors. The report includes detailed information on disease burden for males and females and in different age groups.  

At a glance 

• Males experienced more burden (53 per cent of total burden) than females (47 per cent). 

• Dying from disease and injury (fatal burden) accounted for more burden in males while living with illness (non-fatal burden) accounted for slightly more burden in females (4 per cent higher). 
• Risk factors contributing the most total burden were tobacco use, overweight (including obesity) and dietary risks 
• The lowest socioeconomic group experienced a burden rate that was 1.6 times that of the highest socioeconomic group. 
• Remote and very remote areas combined experienced a total burden rate that was 1.4 times higher than major cities 
• The top five diseases causing burden in 2018 were coronary heart disease, back pain, dementia, pulmonary disease and lung cancer 

1. The psychology behind meeting overload

What will it take for us to break free from our collective addiction to meetings? This Harvard Business Review article explores the common psychological pitfalls that lead us to hold and attend more meetings than we should. These include the mere urgency effect, meeting amnesia and pluralistic ignorance. 
Read More

‘Til the next issue

Maria Katsonis