Regulatory Services and Community Safety
Developing the Local Government Authorised Persons Professional Framework
Authorised Officers within local government undertake a vast array of legislative duties and their roles and responsibilities have expanded significantly over the last decade. There is a recognised workforce shortage of people with these skills and Healthy Environs was engaged to help.
The Authorised Persons Association engaged our team to develop the Local Government Authorised Persons Professional Framework to help councils to attract, appoint and develop appropriate staff to fully meet the needs of the role of an Authorised Person.
The Framework was developed through consultation with council officers and management and reflects significant changes in responsibilities and legislation over the past 15 years. It was also influenced by our team’s experience working with Authorised Persons and Safety and Compliance teams in local government to develop the sector broadly, and review council services and management plans.
Designed to foster consistency in the appointment, development and management of Authorised Persons, key components include an entry guideline, competency matrix and career pathway guideline to help both councils and Authorised Persons to understand potential career paths and required skills and knowledge needed for various roles.
Supporting continuous improvement
The City of Salisbury engaged Healthy Environs to undertake a comprehensive program and service improvement reviews of its Environmental Health and Inspectorate Services. Our consultancy team applied a technical, financial and governance lens to review service delivery with consideration to the council’s Corporate Plan, community expectations, legislative requirements and policy directions, benchmarked service approaches and standards, organisational partnerships and requirements for facilities and infrastructure.
Our knowledge of local government legislative requirements pertaining to community safety and environmental management is extensive. We worked with various councils in South Australia to review the resourcing implications and prepare for the introduction of the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016. We were pleased to have recently worked with Adelaide Hills Council on the development of an Animal Management Plan in accordance with the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995. Recognising that pet ownership is popular in the region, the Plan explored the community benefits as well as safety and environmental considerations for effective animal management in the council area.