How to use this document

This document is designed to reach a wide readership with varying levels of pre-existing knowledge and interest.

For an ‘executive summary’

To learn what we’re doing, where this project came from, and what we’re asking you to do, read the next section, under the title “Imagining a Centre of Excellence”.

This section concludes with links to feedback options so that you can easily tell us what you think.

For a brief explanation of key discussion points

The subsequent sections (prior to the appendices) provide important discussion outlining our system analysis, initial ideas for the support offer of a Centre of Excellence, and operating model options.

Within this, our long list of possible support activities for a Centre of Excellence is shown in the section titled "Possible mechanisms for change".

For in-depth discussion of specific problems and opportunities

The remainder of the document provides three appendices which can be read as extensions of the content in the above sections, or as discussion topics in their own right.

These are useful reference material explaining our thinking and prompting sector feedback, both on our problem analysis and on the validity of our early support ideas, but you can still provide us feedback before you’ve read them.

To provide feedback

Advocating for this work across organisational hierarchies means reaching not only analysts and other technicians, but the leaders who rely on them, and the social workers who create the data which is their working material.

Each page footer contains a feedback form for your contributions, corrections or comment on the direction of specific page content. We welcome your thoughts and engagement with the suggested topics.

Additionally a broader, general feedback page offers further options to shape future Centre of Excellence focus. We very much welcome your input via this general feedback form, regardless of how much time you've had to review the rest of this document.