I gave some thought about the conference’s theme for this year – Defining Diversity.
I found it interesting that it was not “celebrating diversity” or “achieving diversity”.
I imagine that, quite deliberately, ACTCOSS wanted us to first consider what we mean by “diversity”, and then think about how we as a sector, or as a government, see ourselves moving in partnership towards it.
Because it is important that we first be clear about what it is we want to achieve before we map out a path towards accomplishing it.
I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about how we, as a Government, define diversity in service provision to the most vulnerable in our community, and the value that this Government places on ensuring that we only preserve this diversity, but that we strengthen and grow it through our partnerships with the community sector.
To describe the range of services provided by the organisations represented here today as diverse would be an understatement.
The support that you provide, the personal contributions that you make and the relationships that you have with your clients could not be provided by government alone, and it is in the Government’s – and the community’s – interest that we preserve this model.
Having worked extensively in the community sector throughout my career I can relate to, and even sympathise, with the agencies and organisations gathered here today. It’s not easy.
Operating within tight budgets and with finite resources to service clients that sometimes have nowhere else to turn to is challenging, and driven by a desire to help those in our community who are vulnerable – whether they be homeless, refugees, women fleeing domestic violence or children in out-of-home-care – your employees and volunteers go beyond the call-of-duty day in, day out, to help as many as they can, as best they can.
And for this the ACT Government says thank you.
This Government recognises the hard work of the community sector, and commits to supporting and working with the sector to achieve our mutual objectives.
To this end, the ACT Government recognises that partnerships are important in tackling disadvantage. The ACT Government, through its various departments and agencies, and indeed through our own hard-working and dedicated staff, has forged strong relationships with the community sector, and the community as a whole is well served as a result.
We know that most citizens in Canberra enjoy a good standard of living. The ACT has, on average, the best household incomes and education levels, and by far the lowest unemployment rate in the country. But those gathered here today know that this does not apply to all Canberrans.
In 2007-08, 10.7% of ACT households were classified as low income, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The 2006 Census reports that 1,364 people experience homelessness in the ACT on any given night, with 47% relying on friends or family for temporary accommodation.
The 2003 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers reported that 11,300 people in the ACT had a profound or severe core-activity limitation.
And in August 2010 there were 547 children in statutory care in the ACT.
These figures highlight the real and ongoing disadvantage that many citizens face, and the need to work together to tackle disadvantage through strong and effective community and Government partnerships.
The community sector and Government have distinct and complementary roles to play in the delivery of public policy and services that build healthy communities for people in the ACT and tackle disadvantage.
The partnership between the two sectors is significant because we share many goals and values and are interdependent in many roles and functions.
And the community sector and Government cannot achieve their goals without a relationship built on mutual understanding and respect.
Our joint aim is to reduce disadvantage through the provision of appropriate and timely supports.
Building partnerships with community organisations and citizens through community engagement and consultation is also important to ensure services meet the needs of all members of our community, and I believe this is something this Government does very well.
What we are doing:
In 2009-10 the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services made $79 million available to non-Government organisations for the direct delivery of services to clients in the ACT.
The community sector delivers these services to many Canberrans and employs more than 6,580 workers.
The Government has set out whole-of-Government strategic directions, developed consultative forums and undertaken specific initiatives to develop partnerships with the community sector to promote inclusion and tackle disadvantage in the ACT community.
The key document that outlines the relationship between the Government and community sector is The Social Compact (2004). The Compact describes both parties as partners working together to deliver better human services.
The Compact outlines principles for good partnership, such as mutual respect, community participation and continuous improvement.
Alongside the Social Compact are the Canberra Social Plan, which includes a commitment to increase the viability of the community sectorand the Community Sector Funding Policy, which moves away from the ‘purchaser/provider model’ to ‘partnerships’.
The priorities in the Canberra Social Plan 2011, to be released early next year, were developed through community consultations and will set the policy focus until 2013.
The 2011 Social Plan will further support the ACT Government’s commitment to the Social Inclusion Policy Agenda.
With Canberra’s population expected to grow by a further 80,000 in 2030, the ongoing Time to Talk consultations will provide important feedback for the ACT Government.
Looking around the room I see a lot of familiar faces – representatives of organisations that the Government has long-standing partnerships with, and that deliver high-quality services, whether it is through government grants, contracts or funding agreements.
To list them all would take up the rest of my time, but you know who you are and let me just say that we value your work and look forward to strengthening the partnership.
Instead I would like to talk about some of the recent initiatives and partnerships that this government has formed, and where we see ourselves going.
Let me begin by announcing this government’s latest development, by naming Carers ACT as the organisation that will manage the Carers Advocacy Service.
In the 2010-11 ACT Budget the Government provided $424,000 over four years to establish a Carers Advocacy Service, and I’m pleased to announce Carers ACT was the successful tenderer for this important service.
The service will provide carers with a central point of access to information on a range of matters, including respite care, financial and legal advice, education and training opportunities, and employment and community activities.
This is a good example of where we listened to the community, we listened to the sector, and we pledged the funds needed to establish this service, and I have full confidence that Carers ACT will deliver it to a high standard.
Also this week, on 1 November, First Point was launched as a central intake service. This Housing ACT-funded service is being delivered by Connections ACT, and it represents a significant step forward in the way we deliver crisis accommodation services.
The free-call service means that for the first time people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless in the ACT have a central point of contact to access emergency accommodation and related services.
The service will be operated by Connections ACT at a cost of $2.8 million over four years with funding provided by the Federal and ACT governments.
And in the disability sector a partnership project, ‘Transition to the Community’, has been established to develop policies that support people with complex needs from hospital to the community in a safe, timely and sustainable manner.
One of the most significant partnerships for the Office for Children, Youth and Family Support is the partnership of the Youth Service and Family Support Programs with community funded services.
Late last year a process began to redevelop the model of service delivery for these programs to increase their focus on helping disadvantaged children and young people.
This redevelopment will increase the alignment of youth and family support function.
This approach will call for new partnerships between services to close gaps and focus on evidence based approaches.
The focus on referral pathways, joint training, common tools for assessment and case management will support the effective joint working between services.
In April 2010 the ACT Government released the ACT Elder Abuse Prevention Program Policy, which provides a framework for ACT Government agencies and funded community partners to prevent and respond to abuse of older people in the ACT.
The Office of Ageing works with a network of agencies in developing the Elder Abuse Program.
Arising from that program, last month I called for tenders to run the ACT Older Persons Abuse Prevention, Referral and Information Line (APRIL), a new helpline which will provide information, support and confidential reporting of elder abuse, and I look forward to a new partnership being formed, or an existing one strengthened, through the delivery of that service.
The ACT Government also delivers some excellent migrant and refugee programs through organisations such as Companion House and Multicultural Youth Services, whom the Federal Government also supports.
The ACT Government has also committed to providing Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS) with $200,000 over four years to undertake programs for after-school studies, men’s African cooking classes, English language classes, homework classes and recreational activities such as the Harmony Players basketball team.
Grants are also an excellent way that the ACT Government can support our vulnerable, and the ACT Office for Women is a good example of program delivery straight to the client.
Our Return to Work Grants Program helpswomen on low incomes face many obstacles when trying to re-enter the workforce.
Accessing affordable child care, finding flexible working hours that allow a mother to meet continued caring responsibilities, the cost to get qualifications or pay for courses to have work-ready skills are just a few of the barriers.
One woman, a mother of four children who fled the conflict in Sudan and is making a new life for her family in Canberra, decided to study for a Bachelor of Nursing degree, and her heartening story received some well-deserved recognition in the local media recently.
She found it hard to put food on the table as she struggled to buy the textbooks and pay the fees needed for her education.
The $1000 grant gave her financial relief and comfort, as it enabled her to buy the textbooks and pay her course fees.
Consultation
Listening to the sector goes hand in hand with working with the sector, and across Government we are having conversations with stakeholders to improve outcomes for everyone in our community.
Just yesterday I held a roundtable with representatives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services to discuss the specific issues presented by the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people involved in the ACT Youth Justice system.
It is hoped that this initiative will strengthen existing partnerships and lead to better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
The Department has developed and strongly supports a number of consultative forums with the community sector, which encourage strong working relationships:
· The Joint Community Government Reference Group (JCGRG) is made up of ACT Government, Peak Body and Community Sector representatives. The JCGRG meets seven times a year to monitor community sector viability and provide strategic advice to Government.
· In 2010, the Joint Community, Government Reference Group has committed to reviewing the Social Compact to foster even stronger partnerships in the ACT.
· Another regular joint community/Government forum is the Vulnerable Families Reference Group. This outlines strategic direction and informs service delivery to disadvantaged vulnerable families in the ACT community.
· The Children and Young People Sharing Responsibility Steering Committee helps Government and community agencies work together by sharing information to improve outcomes for children and young people. The rationale for the committee is that services for the care and protection of children and young people in the ACT extend beyond Government to include community organisations.
Industrial Relations in the sector
As you are all aware now is a very significant time for industrial relations and working conditions for the community sector.
Fair Work Australia’s ongoing case before it regarding pay levels in the community sector could have significant financial implications, and we all await the outcome of this case with interest.
I reiterate what I said at an Australian Services Union rally on the matter earlier this year, thata thorough examination of the need for a rise in pay and conditions for the community sector is a step in the right direction towards valuing those in our community who deliver services to our community’s most vulnerable.
And the ACT Government is committed to working with the sector to work through the outcome of this case and to support the sector through any necessary reforms.
The ACT Government is laying the foundations for improved partnerships and community workforce sustainability through a review of Industrial Relations in the ACT Community Sector, Portable Long Service Leave Scheme and Working with Vulnerable People Checks.
The Government worked with community organisations and the Australian Services Union to develop a report on industrial relations in the community sector.
In July 2010 the report was released - Industrial Relations Review of the Community Sector by HBA Consulting. The Government has agreed to the report’s recommendations regarding an assessment of wages, conditions and service delivery in the ACT community sector.
An Inter-departmental Committee for the Equal Remuneration Case has been established to implement the FWA decision and help the Government estimate the cost of the decision on community sector organisations and the Government itself.
The second phase of the IR Review will increase the capacity and understanding of individual organisations, and work towards achieving the best employment conditions for community organisation workers.
The introduction of a Portable Long Service Leave scheme for the community sector was a significant achievement for this Government.
Following community consultations in 2009, the ACT was the first jurisdiction to implement a Portable Long Service Leave Scheme for Child Care and Community Sector Workers, commencing on 1 July 2010.
The ACT Government has established a Transition Fund to help community organisations funded under an ACT Government Service Funding Agreement to implement the Scheme.
Up to $50,000 is available to support organisations this financial year. The scheme will support community organisations to retain a skilled workforce that fosters a more sustainable child care industry and community sector in the ACT.
It will provide enhanced opportunities for workers to stay engaged in the workforce, with a resultant improvement in the quality of life for those being cared for.
One of the biggest projects currently before the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services is implementig our Working with Vulnerable People Checks policy, which we continue to work with the sector on to ensure that employers, employees and clients are well served by this reform.
Consultations on the policy were undertaken in 2009. Over 2,000 organisations were provided with the draft policy and further consultations are also occurring.
The checking system will be phased in over a number of years from late 2011.
Once established, employees and volunteers seeking to work with children, the aged, those living with physical and intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions must apply for registration with a centralised Screening Unit before commencing work.
The future for partnerships between Government and the community looks exciting:
Disability ACT is developing flexible funding arrangements and piloting a mobile on-call attendant care service in partnership with community-based service providers. Future Directions: Towards Challenge 2014 is being implemented by Disability ACT in partnership with people with disability, their families and carers and service providers.
An ACT Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Strategy will be developed as a whole of community approach to preventing violence against women and children.
A third Child and Family Centre will be opened in West Belconnen to offer a range of programs that have been developed based on consultation with the local community including a focus on targeted services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
The Child and Family Centres continue to build and maintain strong partnerships with a range of community groups and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
The new community hubs and community halls offer additional high quality community spaces for all age groups and community services organisations.
The Multicultural Festival will be held again in February 2011 offering opportunities for Canberra’s cultural diversity to be showcased.
A new Purchasing Framework for Government funded services is being developed. This will develop a population approach for a whole of Government/whole of community outcomes based service funding agreement - for vulnerable Canberrans accessing funded human services in the ACT.
Providers delivering human services will have a Pre-qualification system and a maximum 10 year contract consisting of a fixed term, with option periods and agreed performance milestones. This initiative is being progressed with the community sector’s involvement.
Conclusion:
These are a few of the many reforms, services and priorities that the Department is working alongside the community sector, to promote inclusion and tackle disadvantage.
As stated in our Service Delivery Platform, we will endeavour to provide connected services to our clients and build closer relationships with community organisations and the wider community to maximise client outcomes.
We respect the diversity and independence of community organisation and groups in the planning and coordination of services.
And so I conclude by commending ACTCOSS for holding this conference, for putting some of these questions on the table, and for given us all an opportunity to listen and to voice our views, our visions and our hopes for the future.
So as we ponder about how we define diversity and the partnerships that underpin it, let us also think about how we can redefine it. How we can strengthen these partnerships, and how we can build new ones.
Because at the end of the day we have the same objectives – to help those who need our help most, and it is they who will benefit most from these conversations.
Thank you
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