Community 1000
To gain better understanding of our customers, DCS staff spent a month doing volunteer work as part of the Community 500 project.
The project was set up to give staff a meaningful insight into the lives and issues of disabled people and carers.
Last year, over 600 staff took part and stepped into the heart of their communities as volunteer workers.
This year, the renamed Community 1000 scheme will give even more staff the opportunity to do voluntary work with customers.
The event took place the first two weeks of October 2007 and the first two weeks of March 2008. A great deal of feedback was received showing how beneficial this scheme is in enabling us to better understand our customers.
Word of Community 1000 has even reached Canada. The External Relations Team received a letter from a Senior Policy Advisor with the Government of Ontario's Ministry of Labour. The Advisor’s interest is in the sharing of best practice for the Community 1000 scheme, however they also state, “…your Community 1000 event sounds like an excellent way to encourage public sector staff to volunteer and gain meaningful insight into the lives and issues of people with disabilities and their carers...".