SNAICC Newsletter

30 March, 2009: Th e federal government has announced the new Family Support Program. Th is new program will provide broad based family support and targeted, intensive services for the more vulnerable under Community and Family Partnerships.

FaHCSIA & SNAICC talk about it

In March this year, Jennifer Pitcher from FaHCSIA (Playgroups, Indigenous and Early Childhood programs) talked with the SNAICC Executive about the new program. She said that program details are yet to be developed and there will be consultations around program design over the next few months. Existing services were advised of the changes via email in March and services will have two years to move to the new structure.

Principles of the new program are:

Expansion of the age range for children from 0 – 12 years (previous age range from 0 – 8 years) ‘No wrong door’ – better integrated • child services and adult services Flexibility to meet local needs • Greater integration across state and • federally funded services Collaborative local service delivery, • seamless referral pathways Replacement of multiple service funding • agreements to a single Agreement for each Appropriation

Any interested peak body or service provider can be part of the consultation process which will consider the design of the new FSP. Th is will include revised funding arrangements for existing and new service providers. The plan seeks to dissolve boundaries between service types and open up service provision across programs to better meet needs.

The new Family Support Program will focus more on outcomes than outputs, on relationship management not contract management and a more risk management approach with less reporting requirements for services with proven track record.

SNAICC response to the program

SNAICC National Executive members had both praise and concerns about the new program, and their detailed and robust response was to:

Support the simpli?cation of the eight • existing programs Urge FaHCSIA to recognise Aboriginal • and Torres Strait Islander service providers for their capacity to support local families and children Express concerns that the proposed broad-based approach may mean Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations will lose ground Negotiate a minimum benchmark as to what proportion of funding will be allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander controlled services Assert that leaving service provision to the market forces is insufficient and FaHCSIA needs to identify current service gaps across Australia and where more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services are needed (the Executive noted the clear parallel between this family program reform and early childcare services reforms) Assert that to work better with • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids, mainstream services need support from local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services – otherwise, who will they learn from? Express disappointment at lack of • signi?cant additional funding streams Negotiate a bottom line of service • delivery proposal for areas with great need but lacking service infrastructure Request FaHCSIA ensure accountability • of state and territory governments in negotiating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and peak bodies in relation to the 35 new DEEWR funded Children and DEEWR funded Children and Family Centres (see previous page.)

The Executive also asked FaHCSIA:

How will potential new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service providers be made aware of new funding options and how long will they be given to develop their proposals? Where can Indigenous early childhood long-day-care services go for urgent additional support for high needs children? Can Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander • organisations apply for new Family Relationships Centres funding? Can FaHCSIA consider those services • which work on the calendar year, not ? nancial year How will emergency relief funding ? t in • with this program? Where does SNAICC lie within the new • program (being both a peak body and a service provider)? SNAICC wlll share FaHCSIA’s response to these questions in the next issue of SNAICC News.

Programs affected

Existing FaHCSIA programs under the new Family Support Program are:

Communities for Children • Indigenous Parenting Support • Services Invest to Grow Program • Child Care Links • Family Relationship Services • Responding Early Assisting • Children Indigenous Children Program • Playgroup Program

New C4C Plus funding

Under the new National Famework for Protecting Children (see over page) the Communities for Children Plus Program is funded by $10M over 4 years to establish up to eight innovative service delivery sites across Australia to reduce child abuse and neglect. This builds on the Communities for Children initiative, providing intensive early intervention services to an additional 1,200 children and families.