Communities, Action and Inter--action: A framework for mediated communication exploring service delivery and planning of community care services

Abstract

This chapter outlines the conceptual framework, methodology and initial interpretations of a pilot study undertaken by a state government agency and coordinated by the Human Services Network (HSNet). The study, conducted in a rural community in NSW, Australia, approaches the communication between the service delivery and consumer as a dialogue. A dialogue between two parties can be positioned to trace and reflect on: (1) the governmental planning model of service delivery and (2) the community that experiences these services as individuals. Such experiential knowledge can be gained from understandings from a range of client stories that reflect the community interaction with service delivery. The design problem focuses on how to increase the bandwidth for such interactions so that all parties can derive meaning. The long term goal is to position the health service network in a role where such mediation between parties can: (1) be explicitly and implicitly linked to action that affects service planning and community delivery, and (2) that the experience of the individual in the community can be incorporated actively into the process of such planning. The chapter concludes with summary of preliminary insights from the project and a brief overview of future developments.