Supporting Better Place Australia: A strategic approach to maximising impact

In Victoria, the demand for subsidised community services has escalated. This change has been driven by factors including housing insecurity, mental health challenges, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The Victorian Council of Social Services (2022) reports that these compounding issues have intensified pressure on community service organisations. This has increased demand for support across the state.

Government spending pressures are increasing competition for funding. Recent policy reviews and reforms are changing service delivery expectations at state and federal levels. At the same time, service funding and delivery have been reshaped by advances in technology. These include digital delivery, AI-enabled triage, and stricter cyber requirements.

Organisations like Better Place Australia (Better Place) are stepping up to the plate, iterating the best way that they can serve and support their community.

In 2024 and 2025, Right Lane Consulting supported Better Place to develop a new ambitious strategy that seeks to better meet increasing demand for a breadth of services.

Better Place Australia: Empowering communities for a better future

Better Place Australia is a community support provider in Victoria. They deliver 26 programs across four service areas: Mental Health and Wellbeing, Counselling (including financial counselling), Elder Services, and Mediation.

Its wide range of services has grown to meet the community’s diverse needs. These have been guided by a vision for an Australia where everyone enjoys positive relationships, mutual respect, and safer, more fulfilling lives.

With 23 sites across Victoria and over 125 staff, Better Place helps people build resilience, improve wellbeing, and take charge of their futures.

Right Lane Consulting’s role driving strategic growth and service innovation for Better Place Australia

Better Place engaged Right Lane Consulting to guide its strategic development, with a clear focus on strengthening impact through innovation and improved service delivery.

Through a series of collaborative sessions with the Board and management team, we facilitated engagement. We also co-created a shared understanding of the external trends shaping the community health services sector. Our approach took into account the specific operating environment in which Better Place works.

This partnership enabled Better Place to critically test their strategic thinking and define what the next five years should look like for the organisation and its people. Together, we developed a practical and measurable strategic plan. This was shaped with input and direction from the Board and leadership team. This plan reinforces Better Place’s strong organisational culture. It also builds the capability needed to meet growing community needs across all service areas.

The strategy, published on the Better Place website, articulates its 4 strategic goals:

1. Through the One Place cultural transformation, we will create a workplace that delivers a meaningful and distinctive client and employee experience
2. We will create a sector leading service delivery model that values client experience, measurable outcomes and financial sustainability
3. We will achieve meaningful and sustainable growth by pursuing new funding opportunities and investing in innovative solutions for greater social impact
4. To significantly grow our reputation as a respected and trusted provider, partner and sector influencer of social change

Together, these goals indicate that Better Place has a deep commitment to staff, providing the best for its community and responding to their needs. Better Place can encourage Australia to improve outcomes for all.

Building partnership capability to drive strategic collaboration

Right Lane Consulting supported the Better Place team in delivering their strategy and the internal partnership practice. This then built the team’s capability to organise their networks. In addition, we supported them to foster strategic relationships, and form purposeful partnerships. We engaged with complementary and adjacent community service providers, peak bodies, and government stakeholders. With our support, Better Place now has a structured approach to pursuing partnerships and a capable team to deliver it.

At Right Lane Consulting, our purpose is to help organisations that do good do better. We are also committed to supporting caring organisations to fulfil their purpose and potential in an environment of significant sector reform. If you would like to know how Right Lane Consulting can support you, please get in touch.