Shawn Boyle Associates
Shawn Boyle
With a 40-year career in consulting, senior management and social service delivery, Shawn brings his unique insights and skillset to assist organisations working in the health and social services sectors.
From helping grass-roots agencies to advising Premiers, Shawn has always strived to bring the best analysis, expertise and strategies to make a tangible difference to long-standing and complex social issues impacting on the wellbeing of people and communities in Australia.
From Working with youth….
Shawn's career started as a youth worker helping those who were homeless and in the justice system. An advocacy journey saw him represent youth in detention centres, head the new Youth Legal Service in the 1980's, be the senior advisor to the Minister for Juvenile Justice and Community Services, serve as Principal Policy Officer at the Aboriginal Legal Service WA, and become CEO of WACOSS by 1995.
The 80's and 90's were a period of tremendous growth and change in the community services sector. The richness and complexity of this sector emanated in this era with unprecedented funding growth to address issues such as crime prevention, domestic violence, family support, homelessness, long-term unemployment, drug addiction and much more. At the same time, the call to professionalise the sector and incorporate business management techniques and competitive tendering models of funding – came to a crescendo.
"At WACOSS between 1995-2003 I was able to lead a great team who rebuilt the organisation as a respected advocate, social policy driver and support service for the community services sector and its many client groups. It was an era of great funding and tax reform, presenting many threats and challenges that WACOSS weathered and thrived on by creating fresh policy initiatives and a new unit providing sector development and management services."
The helicopter view
Shawn took this accumulated experience of working with not-for-profit organisations and their client groups, to his new position as head of the Social Policy Unit in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Holding this position between 2003-2011 Shawn advised three consecutive Premiers and their respective Ministerial sub-committees on Social Policy. In addition, he was the WA lead government representative to the Council of
Australian Government's (COAG) senior offices committee of Aboriginal Affairs, Social Inclusion, Early Childhood, and the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services. In WA, Shawn was responsible for many State-wide social policy and Aboriginal Affairs strategies and reforms, including developing an Australian first industry policy for the non-government community services sector.
"It was a privilege to have that helicopter view, sitting across all government social portfolios and working in a joined-up and holistic approach with Ministers, the Federal government, States and Territories, government agencies and the community services sector, to make a difference in issues such as closing-the-gap, social inclusion, children's rights and tendering reform".
Back to community
While the high-level dealings in federal-state affairs, cabinet briefings, state budgets, state legislation and across-government strategies were challenging and rewarding, Shawn felt the pull of getting back to grass-roots agencies to where the "rubber-hits-the-road".
"You can develop great evidence-based policy and strategy but implementation and demonstrated results, is the holy grail! How a community-level service can use the funding and community resources to address a local issue and know they are making a meaningful impact – is the challenge for all who work in this sector from the top to the bottom."
Shawn Boyle Associates
Thus, in 2011 Shawn established Shawn Boyle and Associates a boutique consulting agency to assist organisations working in health, community services and Aboriginal Affairs get "traction" with their strategic goals, dreams and service offerings. The firm assisted over 100 different service organisations in government, the not-for-profit and private sectors, in strategy, program design,
partnership development, community engagement, performance evaluation and funding applications over the last decade. Shawn uses his insights and experience of working in both government and community, melding the top-down and bottom-up perspectives to social issues to identify, develop and evaluate innovative strategies, programs and services.
A new partnership: Push Consulting
This consulting journey has highlighted that we are in an unique and challenging period to harness coalitions of expertise and goodwill in this country to make a tangible difference to long standing and complex issues that are impacting negatively on the economic opportunity and social wellbeing. Organisations, governments, and local services need a more human-centric and dynamic approach to policy and planning, community engagement and service design and delivery. Innovative and efficient strategy and communication services and tools are integral to the way forward.
With their paths crossing with common clients, Shawn Boyle and Associates and GDA Consulting identified an opportunity to address this service gap. A new Consulting service combining the strengths, networks and capabilities of both businesses, and working for all stakeholders in the community service sector, was born. With an unique offering of Strategy, Program Development and Communication services, Push Consult is ready to help you whether you work at the highest policy level to the grass roots community – to make a difference and improve the wellbeing of the people.
Pro Bono
Every month we allocate a fixed amount of Pro Bono time to help organisations.