Jill French Consultants delivers business development, project management, community capacity building, community engagement, social Impact assessments and monitoring and evaluation services. These attributes and strengths form the building blocks of community and enterprise development.
There are several fundamental steps which are critical to success in community and enterprise development, these include
- identifying and understanding the value of the many assets and diverse resources that may already exist in a business, a community or a region;
- engaging fully with stakeholders or potential clients and their networks; and
- identifying the local values and characteristics which contribute to the overall sense of place and define difference.
These attributes and strengths form the building blocks of community and enterprise development and establish the basis for a community or enterprises comparative advantage.
Project Management
At Jill French Consultants, we have a very practical grasp of the processes required for effective project management, which includes:
- Project planning and scope definition;
- Clearly identified objectives and performance indicators;
- Development of a practical schedule;
- Implementation;
- On-going monitoring and evaluation; and,
- Reporting and funding acquittals.
Our approach will build local organisational skills and capacity through team development, mentoring local leadership, clear strategic plans and tailored communications.
Community planning and capacity building
At Jill French Consultants we advocate for a community centred, or place based approach to planning. We work with community groups to build a rich picture of their assets, resources and strengths, identify their shared values and sense of place, and develop a strategic vision to inform decisions and drive practical community plans.
Our participatory planning processes are designed to provide stakeholders with support to build their capacity and decision making skills. Clients benefit from structured opportunities to address local development issues, identify strategic connections, and to build on their strengths and assets.
Participatory planning is a valuable learning process, it can build:
- a shared understanding of issues and resources;
- effective partnerships and strategic links;
- clear decision making processes; and
- collaboration and achievable solutions.
Our investment in people and processes develops local capacity; which in turn leads to greater community ownership of plans and an increased ability to positively manage change.
Indigenous community development and capacity building
Clients benefit from Jill French Consultants responsive planning processes and experience gained working with Indigenous communities and groups in remote Australia.
We take a capacity-building and “action learning” approach with Indigenous communities and groups, which includes:
- working together to build respect and strong working relationships;
- encouraging the sharing of ideas and Indigenous approaches to planning and governance;
- developing step by step processes to build confidence in the method;
- identifying cultural skills, strengths and values and any local assets and strategic links which could support enterprise;
- building partnerships to invest in local people and the group’s organisational capacity to ensure they own the planning and decision making process; and,
- providing on-going support and mentoring to support the implementation of plans and to monitor and review outcomes.
We are advocates for social learning partnerships where the skills, knowledge, training, mentoring, strategic links with training and industry partnerships are all part of a responsive and coordinated planning process.
Stakeholder engagement strategies
Our stakeholder engagement is founded on well-designed strategies and the extensive experience of Jill French in working with diverse groups and this fou
ndation will:
- support broad democratic participation in planning processes
- foster inclusion and open discussion, and
- build stakeholder confidence and ownership of outcomes.
Inclusion is taken seriously. Our facilitation methods cater for small group processes, focus groups, workshops, and public forums. We are flexible and creative.
Engagement opportunities are designed to fit the needs of various groups and ages and address the barriers for special needs groups. Our inclusion practices are based on the International Association of Facilitators “Statement of Values and Code of Ethics for Facilitators”.
Social Planning
Social planning goals of environmental responsibility, economic health, social equity, and cultural vitality are all critical to the quality of community life and well-being, and long term viable planning outcomes.
Jill French Consultants provides social planning to clients in the local government and corporate sectors. JFC’s rigorous research methods combined with considerable practical experience, results in:
- clear application of social policy and planning legislation;
- qualitative and quantitative methodologies to support social research, including community profiles, social plans, monitoring and evaluation;
- development of local strategic plans;
- development of social indicators with reliable and valid concepts and measures;
- monitoring and evaluation services to support implementation of change; and,
- reporting and organisational reviews.