Elements and Performance Criteria
- Promote community awareness of the clients, their needs and their importance
- Promote the service to increase its profile in the community
- Identify stakeholders and supporters in the community and their particular interests and resources
- Target communications to areas where the profile needs raising or clarifying
- Facilitate opportunities for the community to view and contribute to the service
- Prepare and use a range of materials and resources providing information to the community
- Use a range of different methods of promotion
- Develop and use a strategy to review the profile of the service in the community
- Develop information campaigns to address particular issues, as required
- Consider and utilise as relevant opportunities for involvement in the community
- Encourage staff to participate in appropriate forums
- Utilise press and other publicity appropriately
- Provide accurate and positive information to the community to develop a positive community image
- Represent the service
- Clearly and accurately represent the philosophy, purpose, policies and procedures of the service
- Respond to and follow up questions and concerns about the service
- Represent the service's need for resources to appropriate forums/organisations
- Represent the perspective and experience of the service to relevant forums
- Respond to negative publicity and perceptions, as required
- Analyse negative publicity and perceptions for potential outcomes and implications for the service
- Listen carefully to spokespersons in order to develop an understanding of their position
- Seek advice from stakeholders and supporters in the community if required
- Nominate a spokesperson to represent the service if required
- Ensure communications used do not exacerbate existing negative perceptions
- Review organisation policies in light of issues raised, as appropriate
- Develop and implement a strategy to deal with negative publicity and perceptions