[CARPA] Some thoughts on the future of CARPA

[Chris Wilson]

On 23/01/2008, at 3:30 PM, Fran Vaughan wrote:
G'day Fran and all other carpaites,

Some thoughts on CARPA

How do members see CARPA progressing into the future?

I think new remote area workers especially (and presumably there will  
be many more of them to address the increasing need) will need the  
excellent support that CARPA was able to give us when we worked  
remote. This support came in the form of the manual initally but of  
as much importance were the conferences which gave substance,  
experience, allowed dissemination and development of ideas and  
allowed the all important networking to progress. The manual also  
developed from the new knowledge gained from this process.

I think the main challenge for CARPA (apart from surviving), is to  
ensure an effective Aboriginal participation in order to promote a  
true Primary Health approach. This means engaging further with  
Indigenous organisations, institutions, communities, consumers and  
workers in order to fully reflect the needs and wishes of those people.

I strongly advocate a continuation of CARPA but with the obviously  
necessary salaried person responsible for editing, organising  
conferences, preparing the journal and maintaining the website. As  
this most likely would be a public funded organisation this would  
have to be governed by a board presumably, and it would be crucial  
that the funding include governance training on a regular basis for  
those individuals. This will not be cheap but the output would be  
worth it, it already has earned its keep.

Is there a need for CARPA the organisation to exist apart from  
producing manuals?

Definitely. The NZ experience which I was a peripheral part of was  
disastrous in comparison. They developed a manual, but because it had  
no input from practitioners, no body of knowledge or experience on  
which to base itself, it was an irrelevant product. Certainly it was  
produced in record time but was universally regarded as useless, in  
complete contrast to CARPA. CARPA used to be a living organism,  
largely because of the efforts of a very small core of people,  
usually only one person, who found that commitment unsustainable over  
a period of time.

Although I have not been closely invovled over the past three years,  
having been working in NZ, I gather this is still the problem. I  
firmly believe there needs to be a core group but the efforts of the  
person doing the bulk of the work needs to be rewarded financially as  
it has become a considerable commitment, in fact it is a full time  
position. The various parent groups, CADPHC GPHCCNT CRANA need to  
lobby for funding for a full time project officer to drive  
membership, conferences, the journal and website in order to breathe  
new life into the organisation.

  How best to involve membership if it is to continue?

A formalised organisation with a board and all the usual  
responsibilities to share the load and a salaried manager to do the  
hack work. I would argue that such an important organisation should  
have the funding to renumerate the board especially those positions  
with responsibilities, and to fund governance education programs for  
the board members. CARPA always has been its members, they have been  
its life blood

Do the conferences provide a valuable forum for remote practitioners?

Very much for me in the years I spent as a remote practitioner. They  
were invaluable in assisting my development as a remote health  
practitioner. The journal followed up on the conferences and both led  
into the developing manual. The conferences were often organised  
around other activities, physicians meetings, nurses study days etc  
and with good marketing were well attended. There is a need to get  
more Aboriginal input and involvement and this will be a hallmark of  
the organisation's success or otherwise.

Can other organisations take over this role?

Perhaps, but the unique quality of CARPA is its multidisciplinary and  
informal approach. I am not sure if this can be captured in a formal  
organisation and this debate has been had before. There are others  
more familiar with these topics and more able to speak to them. I  
feel strongly though that should CARPA be taken over by any other of  
the organisations present in Central Australia that it will lose  
these qualities and tend to become a manual more for that particular  
discipline.

So yes I very much favour the continuation of CARPA, I think it has  
done invaluable work and has the potential to continue to do so. The  
work done by a very few people, Sabina in particular, Fran more  
lately, was voluntary and this commitment is increasingly difficult  
to realistically uphold give the fact that these people all held full  
time jobs. The work needs to be renumerated as does the work of other  
key people in the organisation, as well as the crucial governance  
training for those with the considerable responsibility of being  
board members. Given the increasing importance of remote health to  
Australia the investment will be well justified.

A Primary Health Care philosophy also demands more consumer  
involvement and CARPA needs to take this on and engage more with  
Indigenous clients, communities  and workers, mining companies,  
tourist ventures and there is a huge scope for international  
consultations and operations as well as seafaring/marine consultancy.

Just thinking with the big picture in mind.

Cheers and best wishes,

Chris Wilson, Midwife, ex RAN currently on work experience for an  
active retirement

375 Abels Bay Road
Abels Bay Tasmania 7112
Ph: +61 3 62978338, mobile 0488978338
ccccoco at bigpond.com
skype: christoson




On 23/01/2008, at 3:30 PM, Fran Vaughan wrote:
Please see attached for notice of a planning meeting to discuss the  
future direction of CARPA. I hope as many people as possible can come  
but if you can't, perhaps this forum is a good place to discuss some  
of the issues and the discussion can be tabled at the meeting.

Fran

<Planning day flyer  
Feb08.doc>_______________________________________________
CARPA mailing list
CARPA at ozdocit.org
http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/carpa

> Please see attached for notice of a planning meeting to discuss the  
> future direction of CARPA. I hope as many people as possible can  
> come but if you can't, perhaps this forum is a good place to  
> discuss some of the issues and the discussion can be tabled at the  
> meeting.
>
> Fran
>
> <Planning day flyer  
> Feb08.doc>_______________________________________________
> CARPA mailing list
> CARPA at ozdocit.org
> http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/carpa

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