Frequently Asked Questions
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« closeAs the publishing arm of St Luke’s (now a division of Anglicare Victoria), Innovative Resources creates and publishes card sets, stickers, books and picture books that are informed by ‘strengths-based practice’. This is an approach to working with others that seeks to build and mobilise people’s strengths. It focuses on what is working well and hopes for the future, rather than on problems and deficits. The strengths approach includes principles of social justice such as ‘power with’ and respect. This approach has formed the basis of St Luke’s programs for children, youth, families and communities for more than 25 years. To discover more, see The Strengths Approach. product page or read our Blog
« closeYes, we offer various ‘Strengths Approach’ trainings. We also offer ‘Tools of the Trade’ workshops in which participants experiment with using our resources and take away lots of creative ideas they can use in their work. Please see our Training Page.
« closeYes and yes. Give us a call. Let’s talk possibilities tailor-made for you. Your place or ours. Experimenting with resources is lots of fun for everyone. Meaningful too. We call it ‘seriously optimistic’. People come away invigorated and energised. Great PD for staff—so get your creative spark on with a kit bag of resources and lots of ideas about how to use them!
« closeWith the development of strengths-based and solution-focused ideas in the early 1990s, St Luke’s underwent a profound shift in its way of working. St Luke’s foray into the world of publishing began with a print run of 500 sets of Strength Cards—a set of 48 cards that each named a strength and featured a simple line illustration. This was followed by The Bears—a set of bear characters showing a range of emotions. These two products have been in continuous print since then, and Innovative Resources now has over 60 card sets.
« closeWe publish card sets, stickers, books and picture books, and a range of tactile resources. Our resources are for children and adults, and are used for conversation and reflection about strengths, emotions, values, goals, stories, hopes, team-building, community-building and social justice. They are used by counsellors, teachers, social workers, HR professionals, managers, life coaches, careers advisors, mentors, supervisors, chaplains, parents, creative writers and journallers, art therapists, group facilitators and trainers—anyone who works with others to create positive change.
« closeNo. Our resources do not espouse any particular religious tradition. We hope that anyone will be able to use our resources regardless of religious or cultural background.
« closeOur resources are purchased primarily online. Customers from all over the world purchase via our website. People can also visit us and purchase in person by appointment in Kangaroo Flat (Bendigo) Australia. In addition, we have resellers in various places in Australia as well as in Singapore, England, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand. Some of our resources have been translated into Japanese, Finnish, Swedish, and Spanish.
« closeWe have over 30 card sets. Some have been developed specifically with children in mind, some are designed to appeal to youth, some are more suitable for adults and others have a more corporate feel. We use a range of different graphic styles. Some card sets have words and others use images only. Don’t assume that cartoons only appeal to children! While our card sets can be used for multiple purposes, some lend themselves to specific purposes, for example, team-building. Choose a card set you think is suitable for the people who will use it. Consider: age, literacy levels, graphic style, purpose, cultural background. Some people like to leave cards on a table, counter or noticeboard and let people ‘bump into them’ for themselves. We also have value packs of bundled resources. Please feel free to give us a call to discuss which cards sets might be most suitable.
« closeAnyone can pick up and use our cards. However, we always recommend that attention be paid to doing so in a respectful way. While our cards are informed by strengths-based practice and principles of social justice, the cards alone do not guarantee a respectful conversation. Ensuring respect for people is the responsibility of people facilitating activities using the cards. This includes making sure everyone is heard respectfully, taking care regarding privacy, thinking about timing, venue, cultural background, literacy levels, and much more. Please see our on-line booklets on the product pages of this website for our suggestions about ‘taking care before you begin’.
« closeEach resource comes with a booklet of suggestions for using it. The booklet also gives background information about the purpose of the resource, the development team and the practice wisdom behind the resource. The booklets are not instruction manuals, but we hope they will give you lots of immediately-applicable ideas for using the cards. In addition, each product page has an Ideas Bank—a quick grab of terrific ideas for using the cards. You will also find Stories and Reviews on the product pages. These are full of ideas about using the resource. You are also welcome to give us a call.
« closeAs a not-for-profit publisher, Innovative Resources is a social enterprise. Sales revenue supports the development of further resources, and the child, youth and family services of Anglicare Victoria. Innovative Resources does not receive government funding.
« closeThe ideas for most of our resources are generated in-house, but arise out of close contact with staff at St Luke’s and others working in direct service delivery. We are in close contact with teachers, managers, supervisors, counsellors, chaplains, facilitators, and others involved in a variety of human service, social enterprise and business services. Sometimes a person or organisation contacts us with an idea, and that idea is then developed in partnership. It can take between 18 months and 4 years for a card set to be ready to go to press.
« closeYes, we appreciate and value partnerships. A number of our publications have been jointly published with other organisations. Co-publishing with other organisations is a way of pooling practice wisdom, and sharing the cost (and risk) of investing in development, publication and marketing. Feel free to approach us.
« closeYes, we would! Please email or phone us. Your stories and feedback are highly valued.
« closeInnovative Resources has very limited capacity to take unsolicited material to publication. As a non-commercial publisher, most of our card sets are generated from within our team and via colleagues in direct service delivery. The motivation of authors and other contributors and partners is primarily to provide great resources. However, it has happened from time to time in the past that we have been able to move forward with one of the many unsolicited manuscripts we receive. If you would like to submit an idea or proposal, please give us a call first. We are very appreciative and respectful of people’s creativity, and love to connect with others.
« closeYes, we sell through a network of resellers both in Australia and overseas. These include bookshops, facilitators and trainers.
« closeCall for information anytime. Office hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Or you can visit the website for information about all our products. You can search via key subject word or title. You can view and download our mini catalogues here. Each product page includes stories and reviews. This enables you to get a better idea of what resource might suit your needs. Before or following your purchase, you can call us anytime to discuss ideas or experiences using the resource. We have a wealth of stories, ideas and suggestions to share.
« closeWe love to work with others in a way that spreads the message of strengths-based practice, and helps to promote our resources. We ask that you email us for permission and we can outline our requirements.
Many researchers use our materials in their focus groups. We love hearing about how our products are being used in this way.
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