Public Health Planning Consultants
Working closely with Councils and public sector organisations, The Social Planners leads the development of public health focused Strategies and Plans, including:
- Local Public Health Plans
- Community Health Visions
- Health Needs Assessments
Our approach enables our clients to recognise and respond to local public health needs and deliver practical, outcomes focused change in their community. We believe this requires plans that are actionable, locally relevant, and realistic. Therefore, we work with clients to design short-to-medium term plans that prioritise initiatives capable of being delivered within existing or foreseeable resources, while still achieving measurable, sustainable improvements over time.
Bringing together population health evidence, lived experience, policy obligations, and local service contexts, we develop plans that move confidently from strategy to delivery.
Local Public Health Plans (LPHPs)
We excel in developing Local Public Health Plans that transform legislative commitments into outcomes-focused, intentional planning frameworks with a real ripple effect on the ground.
With several states and territories now mandating that Councils develop and enact Local Public Health Plans on a four year cycle, and with growing expectations around delivery, monitoring and reporting, we help our clients level-up their planning performance in this space, moving them from a place of compliance to being catalysts for coordinated action, smarter investment and measurable community change.
Our approach to Local Public Health Plans us grounded in population health data, local evidence and lived experience and are deliberately designed to integrate with our clients wider planning ecosystem. By aligning public health priorities with community strategic plans, corporate plans, service delivery, asset planning, communications, and reporting frameworks, we embed public health into everyday decision-making, where it can influence outcomes and hold intentional relevance.
Community Health Visions
We work with Councils and communities to develop Community Health Visions that articulate a share, long-term aspiration for improving health outcomes at a local level.
Health Visions provide a unifying narrative that brings together community values, lived experience and evidence to define what a healthier future looks like for a place. They are particularly valuable in supporting integrated planning, partnership development and advocacy across government, health services and the community sector.
Our approach combines data-informed insight with out-of-the-box consultation that meets people where they live, work, play and learn, ensuring the vision is grounded, inclusive and locally owned. The result is a clear, compelling health narrative that guides decision-making and investment over time.
Health Needs Assessments
We undertake Health Needs Assessments to build a robust evidence base that informs strategic planning, investment and service prioritisation.
Our assessments include detailed population health data mapping, analysis of the social determinants of health, and assessments of local services, programs and system capacity. This is complemented by local intelligence gathered through targeted engagement with communities, service providers and stakeholders.
Health Needs Assessments provide our clients with clarity on current and emerging health challenges, gaps in service provision, and opportunities for targeted action. They can be delivered as standalone projects or as foundational inputs into Local Public Health Plans and Community Health Visions.