People matter to us

All those who contact the team at Better Place Australia, regardless of background, will be treated with care, promptness, respect, professionalism and dignity. We want people to become empowered by providing them with support and assistance to learn and grow and achieve goals that they otherwise may not have been able to achieve.

We strive to do things better – always looking to innovate our services and make access easier and the experience more fulfilling for our clients. A core principle is the safety of both our clients and employees, this is a paramount non negotiable principle. Our focus to deliver these guiding principles is determined by the strength of four key business pillars. When delivered, each of these pillars will see Better Place Australia achieve it’s goals.

Strategic Pillars

Make a Difference

The overall aim of this strategic pillar is to ensure Better Place Australia achieves a positive impact on its clients, staff and the communities it serves. The two underlying premises of this aim is that staff are critical to good client outcomes, and that by adopting a public health approach, with stronger focus on prevention, Better Place Australia will make a stronger positive impact on people’s lives.

Key priorities:

• Identify service gaps and systemic failures and establish approaches to make a greater social impact
• Strive to make Better Place renowned for FDR and mental health service excellence, high professional standards and steadfast in creating a safe and supportive environment for clients
• Safe and Secure – Strengthen responses and capability to prevent and manage incidences of family violence and improve staff and client safety
• Embed the Voice of Client in service design and improvement
• A better place for staff – engaged and high performing workforce and a culture where diversity and inclusion are embraced
• Better Results – sustainable outcomes through effective evidence-based services

Growth and Sustainability

With a long and successful history spanning 35 years the overall aim of this strategy pillar is to ensure Better Place Australia prospers well into the future, and continues to provide much needed services to those people most in need. Continued growth and sound financial management will enable Better Place Australia to invest in new approaches to support individuals and communities, and grow the sector knowledge base through sound research.

Key priorities:

• Consolidate Better Place position as a community focused organisation that invests in projects that improve the access and equity of disadvantaged community groups
• Strengthen financial position through sound financial management and well considered investment
• Further expand and diversify funding and income sources
• Create a culture where Better Place makes sound strategic decisions based on rigorous evidence-based assessment, clinical appraisal, sound methodology, and transparent decision-making processes

Enterprising

With a rapidly changing sector, growing population, increasing diversity and community needs, this strategic pillar aims to build a dynamic, creative, inventive and daring organisation that pushes boundaries and explores new frontiers.

Key priorities:

• Establish a business model to provide sustainable hard-to-access mental health services to vulnerable communities
• Achieve stronger integration and automation of internal systems
• Enhance the client journey through Better Place services by implementing integrated digital and communications platforms
• Establish Better Pride within the LGBTIQ community

Brand and Reputation

Often described as a quite achiever, for over 36 years Better Place Australia has delivered much needed services across Victoria and has now grown to an organisation that sees 9,000 new clients per year, has over 125 staff across 23 locations in Victoria. A leader in delivering high quality services, Better Place Australia’s next stage of development is to build stronger awareness of the Better Place Australia brand and gain a reputation as a thought leader, influencer and innovator.

Key priorities:

• Increase brand awareness within the communities we serve
• Grow our influence across stakeholders and policy makers at the State and Federal levels including Primary Health Networks
• Establish Better Place as a considered stakeholder in state-based policy reform
• Establish and promote a narrative communicating what distinguishes Better Place from other organisations
• Position BPA as a key contributor to the development of the new National Elder Abuse strategy
• Raise the awareness and impact of the Centre for Better Relationships