Public health planning for local government

WA Health has produced two guidelines that are available to assist local governments to understand their role in helping to influence the determinants of health and to help get started in developing a local public health plan. 

Public health planning guide

1. Public Health Planning Guide for Local Government - Public and Aboriginal Health Division: March 2018 (PDF 3MB) summarises key provisions of the Public Health Act 2016 related to Part 5 (public health planning), and aims to provide practical advice to support people who are responsible for commencing the development of a local public health plan.
2. The Pathway to a Healthy Community – A Guide for Councillors and Local Government, South Metropolitan Public Health Planning Guide: Second Edition (PDF 1.86MB) aims to assist Councillors and local government staff to understand their role in influencing the determinants of health and preparing a local public health planning that results in healthier communities. 

Local government funding opportunities

• Healthy Partnerships - Healthway (external site)
• Lotterywest grant (external site)

Local government resources 

• Healthy Partnership Toolkit - Healthway (external site) includes tools related to increasing healthy eating, increasing physical activity, improving mental health, preventing harm from alcohol and creating smoke-free environments

Overweight, obesity, smoking, alcohol, skin cancer

• Local governments polices and prevention - Cancer Council WA (external site) including tools related to overweight and obesity, smoking, harm from alcohol. skin cancer
• Guide to promoting safety and prevent injury for local government - Injury matters (external site) including tools related to falls, transport, intentional self harm and non-suicidal self injury, violence, poisoning, burns and scalds, drowning

Sports

• Sport and recreation and public health - Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (external site) 
• True sport mental health and wellbeing initative (external site)

Mental health, wellbeing and alcohol use

• Managing alcohol in our communities - WA Local Government Association (external site) and Mental Health Commission Local Government Resources (external site)
• Mental Wellbeing Guide - Mental Health Commission (external site)

Community evaluation framework

• Evaluation Framework and Implementation Guide - Department of Health
• Community Development Framework - Local Government Professionals (external site)
• Community Development Evaluation Toolkit - Local Government Professionals (external site) includes online e-learning modules

Partner agencies - list of non-government organisations, programs and support services

• Health promotion inventory 
• Mental health support services - Think mental health (external site)
• Mental health and alcohol and other drug services (external site)

Local governments are encouraged to contact your local Population Health Unit, of the relevant Health Service Provider, for support and guidance with the public health planning process.

• North
• South
• East
• WA Country Health Service

Population Health Units work closely with local government in the primary prevention of chronic disease through education, community improvement and development with a focus on healthy eating, healthy weight, a more active WA, making smoking history and reducing harmful alcohol use.

Population Health Units help build the capacity of local government with a focus on organisational development, workforce development, resource allocation, leadership and partnerships to enable local government to effectively improve health and address the determinants of health through an integrated health promotion approach.

Examples of local government capacity building by Population Health Units include:

• health and wellbeing policy development
• public health planning including support in obtaining health status data to inform population scanning and community needs analysis 
• local government health and wellbeing profile development
• creating and advocating for environments that support healthy lifestyle choices
• health grant and funding application support
• community engagement, with a focus on vulnerable populations
• health and wellbeing programs - planning and evaluation support.

Alternatively email publichealthact@health.wa.gov.au

All local governments are required to produce a plan for the future under section 5.56(1) of the Local Government Act 1995. The minimum requirement to meet the intent of the plan for the future is the development of a:

1. Strategic Community Plan and a 
2. Corporate Business Plan. 

To minimise the number of separate strategic planning processes required by local government, section 45(3) of the Public Health Act allows for a Local Public Health Plan to be integrated within the existing planning process required under the Local Government Act 1995 and Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996.

The Department of Health encourages local governments to incorporate public health planning into the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework (external site) as an informing strategy. Informing strategies (including financial, asset management and workforce) inform the local government of how capable it is to deliver the services and assets required by the community. Informing strategies allow a local government to set its priorities within its resourcing capability and deliver short term, medium term and long term community priorities and aspirations.

Integrated Planning and Reporting - Department of Local Government and Communities

• Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework and Guidelines - Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (external site)

Search the WA Health Promotion Directory for health promotion agencies and programs in your area that may be able to support your planning priorities.

The Public Health Act does not require any mandatory spending by local government. Therefore the delivery of any public health initiative, project or programs will be at the discretion of the local government, based on the public health needs and expectations of their local community.

There are a range of external grants and funding available to support local government to plan and implement specific projects that help to improve the health of West Australians. These grants are managed by various external agencies detailed below.

Healthway

Healthway (external site) operates under the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation Act 2016.  Healthway’s role defined in the Act, is to “promote and facilitate in Western Australia good health and activities which encourage healthy lifestyles.” Healthway’s role is:

• to fund activities related to the promotion of good health in general with particular emphasis on young people
• to support sporting and arts activities which encourage healthy lifestyles and advance health promotion programmes
• to provide grants to organisations engaged in health promotion programs
• to fund research relevant to health promotion; and
• to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the performance of the Foundation in achieving health promotion activities.

Local governments are encouraged to check out the Healthway website www.healthway.wa.gov.au (external site) and subscribe to the newsletter.

Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

The Department of Local Government and Communities (external site) (DLGC) provides one-off grants to community sector organisations and local governments to plan and implement projects, events and initiatives that help to improve the lives of West Australians programs. This includes sporting and recreational grants (external site).

Lotterywest

Applications for a Lotterywest grant (external site) can be made throughout the year. Generally it takes 3 months for applications submitted with all required information to go through the Lotterywest assessment and approval process. The process can take longer for applications which require additional information or further development from what’s been submitted. Please factor in the time needed for assessment and a decision when planning your event or project. There are a range of grant types which can be viewed on the Lotterywest website.

GrantsConnect - Federal government

GrantConnect (external site) provides centralised publication of forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded.