We all deserve to have access to the resources, information and support networks we need to live healthy lives.
Continence Health Australia (CHA) is dedicated to prioritising continence health by raising awareness, enhancing education, advancing research, and fostering partnerships to drive positive change.
Formerly the Continence Foundation of Australia, CHA is the nation’s peak body for continence health and works alongside individuals, families, and communities to provide information and support.
To inform the development of their Strategic Plan 2025–27, CHA spent several months collecting valuable insights from their team members, management committee, and board. Team members attended workshops and meetings, and had opportunities to contribute through other feedback channels.
With a vision to expand, CHA’s aims for their future Strategic Plan were to clearly outline their goals, foster team alignment, guide decision-making, and uphold accountability and transparency. They also wanted to understand the deeper challenges and motivations informing the insights shared by their team.
With a wealth of information and feedback to synthesise, CHA engaged Escient to help develop a structured approach to shaping the direction of the Strategic Plan. Our role was to evaluate the insights and collaborate with senior leaders to develop a current-state analysis and, ultimately, support CHA’s broader growth strategy for the years ahead.
We started by organising the team’s feedback by theme and focus to uncover common threads, prioritise key areas, and identify underlying patterns. This initial mapping laid the groundwork for defining CHA’s strategic pillars, which we then supported with research into the market conditions that could affect CHA’s goals.
Working closely with key stakeholders, we validated our understanding to ensure our interpretation aligned with reflections from the CHA team. This approach allowed us to capture the team’s diverse perspectives within CHA’s strategic direction.
Drawing on the insights from our analysis, we crafted a purposeful and adaptable draft for the Strategic Plan. Designed for flexibility, the Plan was developed to support a range of audiences and applications, from actionable strategic guidance for CHA’s operational teams to high-level stakeholder presentations.
Along with a comprehensive draft Strategic Plan, Escient offered guidance on CHA’s roll-out and communications approach for the Plan, considering their broader goals and timeline.
Working with Escient on our most recent Strategic Plan was a fantastic experience. Their team was professional, insightful, and fully committed to understanding our unique needs. The process provided valuable insights, offered creative solutions, and kept us on track. We are very happy with the outcomes.
— Paula Hay, Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Continence Health Australia
A considered roadmap for the years ahead.
Equipped with a preliminary Strategic Plan and supporting resources, CHA is well prepared for their next steps.
By facilitating an internal feedback process, then working alongside Escient to unearth further insights and opportunities, CHA has created a shared vision for its team and strengthened their capacity to engage meaningfully with key stakeholders and the communities they serve.
As the final format takes shape, the Strategic Plan will guide CHA’s direction moving forward, allowing the organisation to move forward with confidence and evolve as they support continence health for Australians, now and in the years to come.