We want to help our community more easily access information about local community service providers, community events, Council-facilitated community projects and other opportunities for finding support or enhancing wellbeing.

From March to April 2025, we sought to understand how Maitland residents currently access this information and asked what tools could help make it easier. Thank you for your contribution!

We're now reviewing your feedback, which will inform recommendations around what tools Council might use to better support the community services sector and increase information access going forward.

We also previously engaged with local community service providers in December 2024 to explore the benefits of a Maitland Interagency, as well as its possible scope and function. Both sets of feedback will contribute to our investigation into a potential Maitland Interagency, which is an action item in our Disability Inclusion Action Plan.

Find out what we heard by viewing the engagement outcomes snapshot below.

Community key findings

Level of interest
Top three sectors the community want in an interagency
Top three communication tools for improving information access

Service provider key findings

Level of interest
Top three sectors that service providers want in an interagency
Top four functions of an interagency

Frequently asked questions

We see community service providers as any non-profit, agency, charity or community group that supports the public. They specialise in looking after the needs of the community through providing information, advice, practical help, financial help or a combination of services. Some examples of different community services include:

  • Allied health and mental health services
  • Parenting, childcare, education and family support services
  • Access, inclusion and disability support services
  • Domestic violence support services
  • Housing assistance and homelessness support services
  • Emergency response services
  • Capacity-building services (e.g. Legal Assistance, Financial Assistance)
  • Community-building services (e.g. Neighbourhood Centres, First Nations support services, Multicultural support services)

Interagency meetings are where representatives from different community services come together to network and share information. They can be bi-monthly or quarterly. Sometimes they are closed and only for providers to attend, but sometimes they can be open to the public. As part of our Disability Inclusion Action Plan, Maitland City Council is investigating the possibility of facilitating interagency meetings.