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ANZSOG Study

One of the studies the community wants released in a study by Australia and New Zealand School of Government. The Explanitory Statement (reproduced below) states that "at the completion of the project, subject to Housing NSW agreement about any potential confidentiality concerns, interviewees will be offered the opportunity to view the final report or part thereof following submission." The report has not been made available with various reasons being given including that it was just a a student study. Below we have reproduced two letters sent by HNSW to participants. The letters show that participants were asked to be involved in a study being undertaken for HNSW and that HNSW recognise that there was good co-operation from respondents and that respondents also wanted the final study released which HNSW said they would consider.

Letter Requesting Participation in the Research

I am writing to ask you to consider participating in a research project that is being undertaken for Housing NSW, Central Sydney Housing Services Division.

The research is being undertaken by a team of postgraduate students who are completing an Executive Master in Public Administration through the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. The research team comprises experienced public sector employees, working in government and the not for profit sector in the Commonwealth, NSW, Queensland, Victoria and New Zealand.

Housing NSW, Central Sydney Housing Services Division is sponsoring the research team to undertake this project, as the culmination of their Masters course. The team will explore the research question:

How can Housing New South Wales best respond to the cross-sectoral barriers that limit effective strategies for responding to substance abuse and mental health related issues in public housing in central Sydney?

It is envisaged that the outcome of the research may be used to inform further research in this area or to develop policy to respond to this issue.

The project team would like to interview key people whose work interacts with that of Housing NSW.

Members of the project team will be coming to Sydney to conduct structured interviews on 29 and 30 July 2009. The interviews will take around 1 hour, and the project team will either come to you or will arrange a mutually convenient location.

A member of the project team will contact you shortly to ask if you are willing to participate, and if so to arrange a suitable interview time. The team will provide full details about the process and how the interview data will be used. However, I assure you that your participation is entirely voluntary, and all comments made in interviews will be confidential. Please refer to the attachments, "Explanatory Statement for Interviewees" and "Consent Form for Interviewees."

On behalf of Housing NSW and the research team, I encourage you to participate in the research. Should you wish to discuss this matter further please do not hesitate to contact Scott Chant on 9203 8430 (Research Team member) or Karen Walsh on 8753 8924 (Housing NSW contact person).

Catherine Stuart A/General Manager, Central Sydney Housing Services Division 

Letter Thanking Research Participants 

I am writing to thank you for your recent participation in the research interview conducted by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) concerning barriers to working effectively with Housing NSW and addressing the impact of providing housing assistance to people with mental health or drug and alcohol related issues.

The students from ANZSOG have been very complimentary of the cooperation of all interviewees and remarked on the commitment of all parties to a collaborative approach to improving the way we provide services to our clients.

The research team is currently analysing the data it has collected and we expect that the final report will be available to Housing NSW in December this year. I am aware that many people are interested in the final report and as agreed with the researchers, Housing NSW will consider how to best use and if appropriate circulate the report following its receipt.

Thank you again for your assistance and I look forward to working with you all again in the future.

Yours sincerely

Kathy Roil, General Manager Central Sydney, Housing Services 23/09/09

Explanatory Statement for-prospective Interviewees

How can Housing NSW best respond to the cross-sectoral barriers that limit effective strategies for responding to substance abuse and mental health related issues in public housing in central Sydney?

Purpose

This statement provides an overview of the work based project being undertaken by students of the Executive Masters of Public Administration (EMPA) of The Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).

The information will assist prospective interviewees to consider whether they wish to participate in this project (see attached consent form).

Background

ANZSOG require teams to. undertake 'real world' research projects as part of the EMPA. The purpose is to enable students to:

1.   apply relevant theory and concepts to an actual problem confronting government in order to develop genuine and sustainable solutions to this problem.

2.   develop the skills to conduct a major piece of applied research from problem recognition and definition through to completion.

3.   utilise appropriate strategies to respond to the challenges of working with others to complete the task and achieve an effective outcome.

The project is being sponsored by Housing New South Wales (HNSW) and the outcomes of the project may be used by HNSW to inform policy development in the future.

The Academic Supervisor for the project team is Zina O'Leary, Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney.

Statement of the Purpose of Study/Research Project

The key task of this project team is to undertake research and prepare a major report for HNSW and ANZSOG.

This project will explore the research question:

How can Housing NSW best respond to the cross-sectoral barriers that limit effective strategies for responding to substance abuse and mental health related issues in public housing in central Sydney?

The research will include scoping the current policy environment, a literature review, interviews with key informants within government agencies and non-government organisations and analysis of data.

Prospective interviewees have been identified by HNSW and the project team as people within organisations impacted by or concerned with the issues of substance abuse and mental health of public housing tenants and within public housing communities and their surrounds. They are considered to be well placed within their organisation to understand both direct service delivery issues and managerial concerns and imperatives.

Interviews

Interviewees are asked to participate in a semi-structured interview to assist the research team to:

      • Identify what barriers exist that limit effective strategies for responding to substance abuse and mental health related issues in public housing in central Sydney
      • Consider whether these barriers are specific to central Sydney or are prevalent in other public housing communities;
      • Consider what strategies, initiatives, policies or practices may be utilised to overcome the barriers;
      • Identify what HNSW may do to implement, lead or participate in the identified strategies, initiatives, policies or practices.
  • The interviews will be conducted between late May 2009 and July 2009.
  • They are expected to take approximately 1 hour.
  • The interviews may be conducted on the phone or in person by a member of the project team
  • The interviews will be audio-taped to assist the project team with note taking. The audio-tapes will be destroyed once research is completed.
  • Only the project team (including the academic supervisor) will have access to the record of interviews.
  • Interviewees are free to provide their personal views as part of the interview rather than those of their organisation.
  • The project team will seek to minimise any inconvenience to the interviewee by agreeing to a mutual time and mode for the interview to occur.
  • Interviewees will be offered an opportunity to review interview notes and amend should they wish to do so.
  • Participation is voluntary and interviewees are free to withdraw from the project up to the time of confirming the record of interview.
  • All information provided during the interviews (and all references to the interviews in the final report) will remain strictly confidential.
  • In keeping with the ANZSOG Human Research Ethics Committee requirements, you will be asked to complete a consent form prior to participating in an interview. This can be completed prior to or at the time of the interview.
  • Should an interviewee decline permission to be identified, care will be taken to ensure the report is written in a manner that ensures privacy and anonymity for both interviewee and the organisation they work for.

Feedback

At the completion of the project, subject to Housing NSW agreement about any potential confidentiality concerns, interviewees will be offered the opportunity to view the final report or part thereof following submission.

ANZSOG Human Research Ethics Committee (AHREC)

Should you have any complaint concerning the manner in which this research project is conducted, please do not hesitate to contact the ANZSOG Human Research Ethics Committee at the following address:

The Secretary

AHREC

ANZSOG

PO Box 4023

Parkville VIC 3053

Telephone: +61 3 8344 1990

Fax:     +61 8 9349 5849