DU/DHHS/DoJAR Strategic Alliance

The Deakin/DHHS/DoJAR Strategic Alliance (Barwon South Western Region) is quite complex. There are various elements and stakeholders at different levels of the continuum. The degree of engagement varies from 'Associate Membership' (a networking group for stakeholders external to the formal alliance) through to the Alliance Executive, which collaborates and shares resources and strategic goals.

The structure of the alliance is adapted from the governance model for the World Health Organisation's 'Healthy Cities and Communities' and 'Health Promoting Universities' initiatives. It reflects the various degrees of commitment based upon our strategic objectives and the various levels of alliance required to fulfill them.

The Alliance Executive represents top level collaboration between the three formal partners of the alliance.

The Alliance Executive consists of:

• Regional Director, Barwon South West Health, DHHS
• Executive Dean, Faculty of Health, Deakin University
• Area Director, Barwon DHHS
• Executive Director, DoJAR West Area and Barwon South West Region
• Professor and Chair in Health Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University.

Topic: The Social Determinants of Health and Collective Impact: Making the case for investment in prevention
Speaker: Dr Angela Donkin, Joint Deputy Director, Institute of Health Equity, University College, London
Date: Monday 20 November 2017
Venue: Deakin University Geelong Waterfront Campus

The 2017 Peter Quail Oration was delivered by Dr Angela Donkin to an enthusiastic audience from a range of key agencies across the Geelong region.

Dr Angela Donkin leads a range of Institute of Health Equity (IHE) programmes at the University College London which aims to evaluate, improve and disseminate evidence based strategic policy advice to key stakeholders and Government agencies in the United Kingdom.

Angela has worked in applied social research for 25 years and is an expert on early years, health inequalities and improving work and income for health, sitting on a number of advisory and steering groups in this capacity. Prior to joining IHE Angela was a civil servant in the Office for National Statistics, Department for Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office. At the end of her civil service career, Angela managed the delivery of key Government reports on Early Intervention and Health Work and Wellbeing.

Angela also maintains research interests in sustainable international development and food and poverty.

Topic: Alcohol, Violence, Policy and Politics: Can we make progress?
Speaker: Professor Peter Miller, School of Psychology, Deakin University (Professor of Violence Prevention and Addiction Studies)
Date: Thursday 29 September 2016
Venue: Geelong Clinical School Lecture Theatre

Professor Peter Miller’s research interests include alcohol-related violence in licensed venues, the behaviour of vested interests, especially the alcohol industry, and predictors of violence (including family and domestic violence).

Professor Miller has published over 150 journal articles, books and peer-reviewed reports. He is currently running 12 projects focussed on alcohol, drugs and violence (including domestic violence) nationally and internationally. He has also authored numerous government reports including three of the largest studies ever conducted into licensed venues, comparing 11 Australian cities (and Wellington, NZ) over five years and talking to more than 20,000 patrons.

In 2013 Professor Miller was presented the Excellence in Research Award at the Australian National Drug and Alcohol Awards. His
presentation outlined the combined results of these studies and the need to adopt a public health approach to alcohol-related violence, both in terms of research and advocacy.

Download the 2016 Peter Quail Oration presentation (PDF, 2.27 MB)

Topic: Changing the Culture of Domestic Violence: New ways forward to address the unacceptable levels of family violence in our community
Speakers: Fiona Richardson MP, Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women, State Victorian Government and Professor Andrew Day, School of Psychology, Deakin University
Date: Thursday 5 November 2015 
Venue: Geelong Clinical School Lecture Theatre

The Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Fiona Richardson MP, provided an update on Australia's first Royal Commission into Family Violence and discussed policy initiatives to address the unacceptable levels of family violence in our community.

Professor Andrew Day, a forensic psychologist and specialist in domestic violence prevention, discussed the importance and challenges of behaviour change programs to prevent the harmful effects of violent victimisation.

Topic: Breaking New Ground in Disability Service Provision: A National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to support all Australians with a disability as well as their carers
Speakers: Louise Glanville, Deputy CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency, Professor Susan Balandin, Chair in Disability and Inclusion, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Tina Gulino, Leading, Educating, Advocating for Disability (LEAD) member, and Krystyna Croft, LEAD member
Date: Tuesday 29 July 2014 
Venue: Geelong Clinical School Lecture Theatre

Louise Glanville discussed the three pillars that underpin the NDIS, how the National Disability Strategy fits into Australia's obligations under the convention and why the NDIS is a significant economic as well as a social reform.

Professor Susan Balandin discussed the expertise and objectives of Disability at Deakin, the role of research and the importance of links between universities and communities in meeting the challenges of facilitating meaningful choice for groups of people with a disability.

Tina Gulino and Krystyna Croft spoke about the lived experience of engagement with the NDIA, as a spokesperson with a disability and a parent or carer of a person with a disability.

Download Louise Glanville's presentation (PDF, 186 KB)

Download Professor Balandin's presentation (PDF, 244 KB)

Topic: Where next for prevention of chronic disease? Scaling up from community based obesity prevention in schools to whole populations
Speaker: Dr Steven Allender, Professor of Population Health and Co-Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University
Date: Tuesday 22 October 2013
Venue: Deakin University Geelong Waterfront Campus

Dr Steven Allender presented a summary covering the first ten years of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention and its current program of research. The program relates to the development of novel obesity prevention, as well as scaling up from community-based obesity prevention in schools to whole populations.

Dr Allender has an ongoing program of research on the burden of disease and obesity prevention. His recent work has seen a particular interest in the emerging burden of chronic disease in developed and developing countries and the possibilities for using complex systems approaches for community-based intervention.

Download Dr Steven Allender's presentation

Directed by Professor John Toumbourou, Chair in Health Psychology at Deakin University, the aim of the Delphi Study was to identify priority health and social problems across the Barwon South West Region of Victoria, as well as develop actions and research to address these priorities.

Using the Delphi survey, a forecasting and innovation consulting technique, the Deakin/DH/DHS Strategic Alliance Research Advisory Group consulted people with health and social planning expertise from across region in 2012/13. The sample invited to participate was identified using available databases of employees working in a range of sectors.

Now complete, the Delphi Study produced two reports disseminated to stakeholders associated with the SW Alliance. 

The first report presents the main priorities. The second summarises the recommendations for actions and research to address the issues of obesity and mental health that respondents indicated to be amongst their priority concerns. 

The findings revealed a number of stakeholders across the region recommended the use of evidence-based community-level approaches informed by research and evaluation that are supported by multiple systems.

Download Delphi Report 1

Download Delphi Report 2

• Deakin SEED Evaluation of Hesse Business of Aged Care Project 2016, PDF 532KB
• DHHS Change and governance 2016, PDF 822KB
• Case study Deakin DHS Partnership, PDF 85KB
• Deakin DHS partnership business plan, PDF 757KB
• Deakin DH DHS Strategic Alliance BSW model, PDF 208KB
• June 2008 Community Capacity Outcomes Deakin/DHS Partnership, PDF 30KB
• Student Placement Guidelines and Resources, PDF 221KB

• An overview of the literature on sustaining caring relations, PDF 577KB
• The impact of caring on caregivers' mental health: literature review, PDF 143KB
• Dental health in Geelong, PDF 274KB
• Development of community health, wellbeing and social capital indicators for the Colac Otway Shire, PDF 974KB
• Health promoting behaviours of residents of government housing, PDF 317KB
• Health and community participation in the Barwon and Otway Regions, PDF 523KB
• Health and participation rural and remote health, PDF 390KB
• Improving health outcomes for elderly people, PDF 1.6MB
• Older persons and health promotion: An overview of the literature, PDF 662KB
• Residents of Corio and Norlan: Enhancing wellbeing, PDF 701KB
• Self reported health beliefs of government housing tenants, PDF 333KB
• The Wellness Guide for carers, PDF 5.5MB
• The Wellness Guide for carers of people with a disability, PDF 4.7MB
• Intellectual disability and challenging behaviour report December 2003, PDF 369KB
• Parent Guide, PDF 5.8MB