Introduction

This document is an evaluation tool designed to help you monitor how your organisation is progressing in appropriate inclusion of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) energy consumers’ perspectives and needs in its processes and practices. It also evaluates the use of the guidelines for CALD customer inclusion, Cultural Connections: Engaging CALD energy consumers. It consists of a few short questions (page 1), a table in which to select your organisation's current progress level (Table 1, page 2), a place to provide some details on this progress (Table 2, page 3) and some questions on what you found helpful in making progress (page 4).

Background questions

1.	Name of agency	Click here to enter text.

2.	Your position/role	Click here to enter text.

3.	Date of this report	Click to enter a date.

4.	Number of times previously your agency has completed this form:	Choose how many times please.

Table 1

The table on the next page shows steps in progress towards best practice in inclusion of CALD consumer needs and perspectives in your agency.

The table consists of six levels from no action to best practice in three different streams of agency activity. Within each level are a series of actions or strategies which your agency would need to be undertaking to have achieved this level.

Please review these steps and then select the progress level at which you believe your agency sits for each stream. The level chosen may be the same or different across the streams. Review each action/strategy at the level chosen and indicate whether your business is doing or not doing or the statement is not applicable by clicking on the ? symbol.

In the adjacent summary box, select your overall achievement of this level for this stream from the drop-down list. If you have indicated your agency is doing all the actions or strategies, select ‘achieved’. If your agency has done some but not all, select ‘in process of achieving’. Exclude those actions or strategies you consider ‘not applicable’.

LEVEL	STREAM
CUSTOMER FACING	INTERNAL PROCESSES	EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
1. NO ACTION	? No differentiation between CALD and other customers/consumers ? No relationships with CALD agencies ? No relationships with CALD consumers	Choose a response	? Staff training does not include CALD perspectives ? Resources not allocated for CALD needs eg interpreters, translated materials ? Operational manuals do not include CALD aspects and perspectives ? Organisational vision/mission/goals/aims do not include CALD needs specifically	Choose a response	? When talking to other agencies and energy businesses CALD issues are not on the agenda ? Organisation does not put forward CALD issues to other organisations ? CALD issues not referenced/recognised specifically in draft and final issues papers, determinations and proposals	Choose a response
2. AWARENESS	? Recognition of CALD diversity and their specific needs ? Getting some input on CALD customer perspectives ? Some recognition of different and differential needs of CALD customers	Choose a response	? Some individuals are interested and aware of CALD issues and are promoting them internally	Choose a response	? CALD issues occasionally discussed but limited outcomes	Choose a response
3. PLANNING AND STRATEGY	? Commitment to active inclusion of CALD communication in any customer engagement strategies ? Active engagement of CALD representative on Consumer Council or equivalent ? Research specifications specify for CALD demographics and questions ? Develop plan for culturally appropriate consultation/information provision with CALD consumers and/or agencies	Choose a response	? Strategic organisational commitment to CALD area ? Active and documented managerial level commitment to CALD strategies ? Review of current practices and processes for CALD issues ? CALD perspectives an internal agenda item in organisation ? Role-specific training instituted in CALD issues and perspectives	Choose a response	? Commitment at managerial level and below to regular interrogation of CALD issues in dealing with other agencies, organisations, businesses	Choose a response
4. EARLY IMPLEMENTATION	? Research CALD customer needs in a culturally appropriate way ? Institute appropriate CALD specific consultation ? Provide information in CALD effective ways	Choose a response	? Budget allocation to staffing and resources for training in CALD issues, translation of materials ? Institute monitoring of agency approaches to CALD consultation and engagement ? Development of appropriate staff training packages ? Develop translated materials ? Trial and refine translated materials ? Review operational manuals	Choose a response	? Develop partnerships with other agencies and businesses for CALD research, consultation and information transfer ? CALD issues and perspectives begin to be included in issues papers, forums, draft and final determinations and decisions	Choose a response
5. CONSOLIDATION	? Where appropriate, dedicated CALD phone access provisions with provisions to deal with all languages ? Regular consultative processes in place with CALD groups and advocates ? Use of a variety of dissemination methods and techniques for information transfer ? Diverse CALD representation in decision- making forums re consumer processes	Choose a response	? Regular monitoring and evaluation of CALD consultation and engagement mechanisms ? Regular staff training in CALD perspectives and specific issues ? Regular review of translated materials to reflect new language needs by CALD communities ? Regular use of translated materials for all CALD communities ? Operational manuals updated regularly for CALD issues	Choose a response	? Active partnerships with CALD agencies and energy businesses on phone access, customer service, translated materials, interpreter services etc ? Detailed inclusion of CALD issues in draft and final issues and discussion papers and determinations	Choose a response
6. BEST PRACTICE BAU	? Agency ensures that CALD consumers access the same quality of customer experience as non-CALD consumers	Choose a response	? Integration of CALD perspectives in all areas as BAU	Choose a response	? Integration of CALD issues in meetings, forums, submissions, draft and final papers and proposals etc as BAU	Choose a response

Table 2

COMMENTS and EXPLANATION

In the table below, please detail how you believe your agency is in the process of achieving or has fully achieved the level you selected in each of the three columns in the table above. You only need to give information about the level you feel your business has achieved in each column.

If you indicated your agency was at the NO ACTION level, in the table below please indicate if your agency has plans for change in that area.

If your agency has moved to a new level this time, please include what your agency has done differently to achieve the change.

If you have indicated your agency is exhibiting best practice in an area please explain your rationale for thinking this.

LEVEL	STREAM
CUSTOMER FACING	INTERNAL PROCESSES	EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
1. NO ACTION	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked
2. AWARENESS	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked
3. PLANNING AND STRATEGY	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked
4. EARLY IMPLEMENTATION	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked
5.CONSOLIDATION	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked
6. BEST PRACTICE BAU	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked	Click here to record your response to the box you ticked

PLEASE COMPLETE ONLY THOSE BOXES THAT YOU HAVE INDICATED EARLIER THAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ACHIEVING

SUPPORT QUESTIONS

5. If you selected any Level above No Action, for any stream, please rank the factors that initiated or prompted your organisation to undertake these strategies/actions. Please add and rank any which are not listed.

Organisation reputation and credibility	Please rank 1 - 9

Regulatory requirement for action	Please rank 1 - 9

Specific senior managerial commitment and/or Board support	Please rank 1 - 9

Interest and promotion from other individuals in the organisation	Please rank 1 - 9

Recognition of customer demands/needs for services	Please rank 1 - 9

Necessary component for long term business growth and sustainability	Please rank 1 - 9

Industry trends and organisational drive to be the best in field	Please rank 1 - 9

Other (please specify…. Click here to enter text)	Please rank 1 - 9

6. In deciding what to do/how to go about it, what or whom did you consult or seek assistance from? Select as many as responses as are relevant.

CALD organisations or their representatives	☐

Customer data	☐

ABS data	☐

Research on CALD customer/consumer needs	☐

Cultural Connections guidelines (*SEE LINK BELOW)	☐

Expertise within the business	☐

Other organisations with some experience in this area	☐

Relevant State government department(s)	☐

None/nothing	☐

Other (please specify)	Click here to enter text.

If you selected response ‘e’ in the last question, please answer Questions 7 - 9. If you did not select response ‘e’ in the last question, please go to Question 10. (* SEE LINK BELOW)

7. Please indicate which sections you used and for each selected please indicate whether you found it helpful. Select as many as sections as are relevant

Section 2: Identifying and understanding CALD communities	Used?	Click here to indicate how helpful if used

Section 3: Best approaches for CALD communities	Used?	Click here to indicate how helpful if used

Section 4: Practical examples from other organisations in this sector	Used?	Click here to indicate how helpful if used

Section 5: Measuring success	Used?	Click here to indicate how helpful if used

8. If you indicated that one or more sections of the Guidelines were helpful, what were the key things that made the document helpful? Select as many as are relevant

The information had resonance for us and could be used to raise awareness in our organisation	☐

It laid out clear strategies and courses of action to follow	☐

It gave examples very relevant to our needs/situation	☐

It encouraged us to ask ourselves the most pertinent questions, then seek the answers	☐

It provided practical tools to guide implementation	☐

Other (please specify)	Click here to enter text.	☐

9. Please give any other comments on helpfulness - anything you particularly liked about the existing guidelines, anything not included that would have helped you.	Click here to enter text.

10. If you did not select response ‘e’ at Q6 what was the main reason you did not?

We checked the Guidelines document, but it did not have anything helpful to what we wanted to do	☐

We overlooked using the Guidelines	☐

Other (please specify)	Click here to enter text.	☐

* A digital copy of the Cultural Connections Guidelines can be downloaded at http://www.eccnsw.org.au/What-we-do/Advocacy/Guidelines.aspx

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION