IRAAC Have Your Say Monthly Report

What we heard

Both respondents requested contact, selected an in-person pathway and identified a support requirement. Culture and connection appeared in both responses. One respondent also selected a home or community visit.

No names, contact details, locations or private written responses are included. The small number is useful for direct follow-up and for identifying questions that deserve more attention, but it is not enough for population-level conclusions.

The two responses should be read as individual requests that may point towards themes worth exploring. They do not establish how common a concern is, how experiences differ across places or age groups, or what the wider community would prioritise. This distinction matters because a monthly report should create accountability without giving a small set of answers more weight than they can carry.

The strongest shared message is about the pathway into support. Both people chose human contact rather than a purely digital next step. Their answers reinforce the need for IRAAC to offer several ways to continue a conversation after a form is submitted, including options that are practical for people who prefer face-to-face contact.

How to read a report based on two responses

This is an early-signal report. It records what was present in the July responses and uses those answers to improve follow-up and future questions. It does not estimate community-wide demand, compare communities or claim that the two respondents speak for anyone else.

A small response set can still be useful when the limits are visible. It can show whether the survey pathway works, whether people are choosing contact, whether the available response options make sense and whether IRAAC can follow through safely. It can also reveal topics that staff should listen for in community conversations before drawing broader conclusions.

Future reports should keep the number of responses beside any summary of themes. If IRAAC combines survey responses with conversations, program feedback or staff observations, it should label each source separately. This prevents different kinds of evidence from being blended into a single number or presented as though they were collected in the same way.

What the questions tell us

The survey records topics and provides an entry point into a conversation. A person who asks for contact should not have to complete another long process before someone acknowledges the request. The immediate service standard is simple: confirm receipt, explain who will respond and give a realistic next step.

The July answers also show why broad categories should not become rigid boxes. Culture and connection may relate to young people, family, wellbeing, Country, events, transport or support from a trusted person. Follow-up should allow the respondent to explain what the selection means to them instead of assuming the category already provides the answer.

• Connection should come before asking a person to navigate service categories.
• Face-to-face contact must remain visible and easy to request.
• Culture, family, young people and practical support can be closely connected.
• Online forms should lead to a human response rather than another dead end.
• Location, transport and the choice of where to meet can determine whether someone participates.

The importance of choice and human follow-up

People should be able to choose how IRAAC contacts them and where a conversation happens. An office may suit one person, while another may prefer a community setting or a home visit. A telephone call can be convenient, but it should not be treated as the default when the person selected face-to-face support.

Choice also applies to timing, support people and the amount of information shared. Staff should check whether it is safe to leave a message, whether the person wants anyone else involved and whether accessibility or communication support is required. Consent to one form of contact does not automatically cover every channel or future campaign.

Good follow-up closes the loop. After listening, the staff member should explain what IRAAC can do, what requires another organisation and when the person can expect an update. If the answer is not yet known, an honest holding message is better than silence. The person should have a named route back into the conversation without submitting the survey again.

What July suggests for service design

The responses support a service design that begins with the person rather than a directory. A welcoming first contact can help identify whether the need relates to an IRAAC program, another Aboriginal organisation, a specialist service or several connected supports. The process should remain simple even when the underlying service system is complicated.

Digital access should complement this human pathway. The survey can collect a preference and provide a clear confirmation, but it should not suggest that a form has solved the request. Staff need a protected source record, a way to assign responsibility and a visible follow-up status. Public reports should describe the process without publishing information that could identify a respondent.

A small monthly report is also an opportunity to improve the questions. IRAAC can examine where respondents paused, which options were chosen together and whether the final contact choices were clear. Any material change to the survey should be reviewed and versioned so that answers collected under different questions are not silently treated as equivalent.

Priorities for the next month

The first priority is not to increase the headline response number. It is to complete the commitments already created by the two responses. IRAAC should confirm that each request reached the right staff member, that the person’s contact preference was respected and that any agreed referral or visit had a clear owner.

The second priority is careful outreach. IRAAC can invite more people to participate through existing trusted pathways, but the invitation should explain why the survey is being run, how information will be used and that participation is voluntary. Newsletter distribution, survey follow-up and service contact are different activities and should use the permission appropriate to each one.

• Follow up each request through the protected source record.
• Keep office, home and community visits easy to find.
• Tell each person what will happen next and who is responsible.
• Include transport and access needs in the first conversation.
• Collect more responses before making broader conclusions.
• Continue reporting themes without publishing personal information.

How future monthly reports should improve

As the response base grows, IRAAC may be able to compare recurring themes over time. That should happen only when the questions, reporting period and source records make the comparison fair. A change in the number of mentions can reflect outreach, question wording or access to the survey, not necessarily a change in community need.

A useful monthly series should therefore combine consistency with honesty. The same core headings can help readers compare reports, while a short evidence note can explain what changed in collection or coverage. This gives community members a clearer view of what the report can and cannot show.

• Show the reporting period and the number of responses included.
• Separate direct survey responses from program feedback and staff observations.
• State when a theme is an early signal rather than a reliable pattern.
• Report whether requested follow-up was completed without revealing personal details.
• Explain what IRAAC changed after listening and what remains open.
• Invite corrections and further community input through a clear pathway.

Questions to carry into August

IRAAC should listen for what culture and connection mean in practical terms to different people. This may include access to events, time on Country, support for young people, a trusted person to speak with or a stronger link between programs and family. The answer should come from further participation rather than being defined in advance by the organisation.

Staff should also examine whether people can move from raising an issue to receiving a response without repeating their story. Where a referral is needed, IRAAC should ask whether the receiving service was available, appropriate and explained clearly. Where IRAAC retains responsibility, the next report should say what action was taken.

August reporting should retain the same privacy standard. Public information should describe shared themes and organisational actions. Names, contact details, locations and private written comments belong in protected operational records and should never be copied into a public report merely to make it feel more detailed.