Part 2: Management and accountability
Partnerships for people
This section describes how FaCS implements the Government's commitment to encouraging the wider community to become involved in creating and delivering its policies, programs and services.
To help make this happen, FaCS:
- administers Australian Government funding to service providers and peak community organisations
- works collaboratively with business, the community and other government organisations through a 'social coalition'
- works with Centrelink to make sure government policies are effectively delivered to the Australian community.
Service providers
Funding to communities and organisations to deliver services
FaCS has a service delivery relationship with nearly 16 000 non-government service delivery outlets, funded either directly—for example, Personal Support Programme, Disability Employment Assistance, and Job Placement, Employment and Training—or indirectly—Supported Accommodation Assistance Program and child care providers receiving Child Care Benefit.
In 2003–04, FaCS administered $969.2 million in direct funding to non-government service delivery outlets to deliver services to individuals, families and communities on behalf of the department. The funding covered a diverse range of services that strengthen families, communities and economic and social participation, including:
- employment assistance and other services for people with disabilities
- child care support through direct subsidies to child care providers
- family support, including child abuse prevention, family relationships support and services for families with children
- community support, including emergency relief and homelessness
- support for youth and students.
FaCS also administered $1.898 billion in special purpose payments to states and territories in 2003–04. These payments include:
- the Commonwealth–State Housing Agreement (CSHA), which provides affordable public housing
- the Commonwealth–State/Territory Disability Agreement, which provides services for people with disabilities
- the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), which provides crisis intervention and stabilisation for people who are homeless
- compensation for the extension of fringe benefits (such as transport concessions) provided by state and territory governments to pensioners and other beneficiaries
- concessions for Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card holders.
FaCS service delivery framework
In 2003–04, FaCS has been developing a service delivery framework that will provide the basis for FaCS business to be managed in a consistent way. The aim of the framework is to encourage accountable and transparent practices between FaCS and organisations funded to deliver services on the department's behalf.
As a first step toward establishing a 'FaCS way of doing business', FaCS has commenced work on developing a practical guide that sets out the currently accepted best practice for program administration with FaCS-funded service providers. This practical guide will also reflect what the minimum requirements are from a FaCS perspective—what is mandatory and what is optional for managing relationships with FaCS-funded service providers. The guide will include chapters on developing program guidelines, management of funding agreements, program review and evaluation, policy development, program design and selection of service providers.
Working collaboratively
FaCS is committed to using a partnership approach to service delivery, working collaboratively with other agencies—those of the Australian Government, state and territory governments and the non-government business community sector—to develop, plan, fund and deliver services. The transfer of some ATSIS programs into FaCS and the establishment of 22 Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) across regional Australia are a current example. FaCS is using the new whole-of-government mainstreaming approach to work collaboratively and flexibly with others to address both the challenges and opportunities that this new model presents for FaCS in the way it delivers programs and services.
State and territory office network—engaging the community
Lead state roles
Various offices within the department's state and territory office (STO) network take on 'lead state' roles, contributing to specific policy areas (see Table 71).
With their unique expertise and local networks, lead states added value to FaCS' work by:
- assuring ministers that FaCS' advice is informed by community input
- enhancing the department's capacity to do business in a 'joined-up' way
- providing links across programs and with other levels of government
- using local knowledge to give FaCS a competitive advantage in a contestable policy environment
- highlighting hot spots and trends
- gathering and disseminating information within the department and between Centrelink and other service providers.
Engaging the community
The development of the Family Homelessness Prevention and Early Intervention Pilot (FHPEIP) scheme is an example of how the department, through the state and territory office network, engages the community. The FHPEIP was announced by the Government in the 2001–02 Budget. The aim of the pilot was to identify and help families at risk of homelessness before homelessness became a reality for them. Many families had been seeking help only when they reached a crisis point. FaCS wanted to trial early intervention to prevent families getting into crisis.
The FHPEIP program was developed in the FaCS National Office. Each state and territory office contributed local knowledge to the process of site selection. They researched areas of disadvantage, looking for locations with the greatest need for a homelessness prevention program. The Minister for Family and Community Services approved the selection of eight FHPEIP sites across the country—one in each state and territory. The Wyong Shire was the area selected in New South Wales for the pilot.
Advertisements for tenders were published in newspapers, and FaCS staff presented the concept to non-government organisations that were interested in operating the program in and around Wyong. FaCS NSW staff received the applications from interested organisations and worked with their colleagues in the FaCS National Office on the tender assessment process to select the successful tenderer.
In June 2002, the Minister announced the Wyong Burnside Uniting Church as the successful tenderer. They called their new homelessness pilot program 'Habitat'.
Staff from the NSW FaCS office worked closely with Habitat from the start as they established the program—building partnerships, recruiting staff, drafting a memorandum of understanding with Centrelink, their close partner and the source of many of their referrals. FaCS NSW staff also worked with Habitat on defining what 'homelessness' meant in Wyong. Together they talked through the referral process and other ways to make the program successful.
NSW FaCS staff played an important role in building the partnership with Habitat and Centrelink. Habitat and Centrelink work closely to identify families at risk. They discovered that single fathers were not accessing many services around Wyong. Habitat was instrumental in setting up the first men's program in the region—the Men's Advocacy and Practical Strategies (MAPS) group. Habitat and Centrelink began building relationships with other agencies in the area that could potentially identify and refer families at risk. These organisations have now themselves formed successful partnerships.
Throughout the pilot, NSW FaCS staff monitored Habitat's contract with FaCS and assisted the organisation in developing its annual plans and the other reports required under the agreement. FaCS staff attended face-to-face meetings with the organisation on a monthly basis until the program became established, when meetings were held once every two months. At the end of June 2004, NSW FaCS staff met Habitat workers to help them plan and prepare their final evaluation report.
In 2003–04, almost 100 families at risk of homelessness in the Wyong Shire had been in contact with Habitat.
The second phase of the homelessness pilots—the Household Organisational Management Expenses (HOME) advice program—will be coordinated through FaCS National Office.
Funding for peak bodies
Through the National Secretariat Program, FaCS supports peak organisations to contribute to government policy and service delivery and to channel information between their membership and government. It also provides a consultative mechanism for the ministers and the portfolio.
The National Secretariat Program provided financial support to 20 national community peak bodies representing six portfolio programs: community services, homelessness, welfare, disabilities, children's services and family relationships.
Total expenditure in 2003–04 was $3 871 212 (GST inclusive).
| Peak body | Funding ($) |
|---|---|
| Secretariat support | |
| Blind Citizens Australia | 132 000 |
| Deafness Forum of Australia | 132 000 |
| Head Injury Council of Australia | 132 000 |
| National Council on Intellectual Disability | 132 000 |
| National Ethnic Disability Alliance | 132 000 |
| Australian Association of the Deaf | 132 000 |
| Physical Disability Council of Australia | 132 000 |
| Women with Disabilities Australia | 132 000 |
| Peak body | Funding ($) |
|---|---|
| Program support grants | |
| Catholic Welfare Australia | 118 492 |
| Family Services Australia | 169 204 |
| Relationships Australia | 116 303 |
| Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care | 142 763 |
| Lone Fathers Association | 55 000 |
| National Council of Single Mothers and their Children | 55 000 |
| Australian Early Childhood Association | 55 000 |
| Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations | 55 000 |
| Australian Association of the Deaf | 44 000 |
| Blind Citizens Australia | 44 000 |
| Deafness Forum of Australia | 44 000 |
| Total | 3 871 212 |
Note: The nature of this program means that some funding is also reported in the individual output group performance reports.
FaCS–Centrelink relationship
FaCS–Centrelink Business Alliance
Alliance 2004 project
The Alliance 2004 project was the main vehicle for building a new relationship between FaCS and Centrelink. The project aimed to improve the outcomes for customers and community, provide better reporting to government and improve the FaCS–Centrelink relationship.
The business alliance frameworks that FaCS has developed with Centrelink will reshape the relationship from one that has been largely focused on inputs and processes to one that is more clearly focused on achieving government outcomes. In addition to providing a clear 'line of sight' from inputs to outputs and outcomes, they provide FaCS and Centrelink staff with:
- clearly articulated roles, responsibilities and accountabilities
- an improved focus on what each organisation contributes to government outcomes and outputs, with fewer disputes about expectations
- evidence that gives confidence that the business relationship is effective, and risks to achieving business objectives are managed.
The Alliance 2004 project consisted of six frameworks:
- Outcomes and Outputs Framework (OOF)
This framework increases transparency to government by setting out performance measures for service delivery outputs, improving each organisation's focus on what it contributes to government outcomes, and showing that the success of one organisation is integral to the success of the other.
- Business Assurance Framework (BAF)
This framework allocates responsibility for managing key risks and, for ensuring that appropriate controls are in place to mitigate these risks and that processes are in place to show that the controls are working.
- Centrelink funding model
This cost-based model ensures that Centrelink is funded for the work it undertakes on behalf of Australian Government agencies. The model improves the 'line of sight' from inputs through outputs to outcomes, provides transparency to government and enables FaCS and Centrelink to be more responsive to issues affecting our business.
- Information and evidence base
This framework improves FaCS and Centrelink's transparency to government (on current measures) and their responsiveness to government (on future directions); recognises that information is essential for supporting decision making; and provides evidence that the organisations' business relationship is being managed effectively.
This framework sets out the vision for the business alliance, clarifies the roles and responsibilities of FaCS and Centrelink, and acknowledges that each organisation makes different but equally valuable contributions to these outcomes.
- Business Alliance Agreement
This agreement documents the agreements between FaCS and Centrelink for all joint business interactions. It increases transparency to government and replaces the current 2001–04 Business Partnership Agreement.
Research partnerships
Longitudinal studies
The development of long-term partnerships with academic researchers and community organisations is a key factor in the success of FaCS' major longitudinal studies, including:
- the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey
- Growing Up in Australia: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
- Footprints in Time: Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).
All aspects of these studies—from the identification of research objectives to the type of information collected, the design of the study, and the use of the data—are supported by advisory committees involving academic experts in the subject matter, actual and potential users of the data sets, and community representatives who have knowledge of the issues and policy impacts. Other Australian Government agencies and state and territory government representatives are also actively involved in providing advice on the studies, recognising their important role as data users, policy makers and service providers.
The HILDA and LSAC studies are managed and operated by consortia of academic institutions representing experts in the relevant fields, in close partnership with FaCS.
The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne manages the HILDA survey itself, and a group of academic researchers who are keen users of the data provides advice and support to the Melbourne Institute. These researchers include labour market economists, sociologists and demographers.
LSAC is managed by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and a consortium of researchers from 10 academic institutions, including child psychologists, paediatricians, early childhood educationalists, sociologists, and psychiatrists.
This partnership arrangement means that FaCS, as a policy and service delivery department, can work closely with research experts and community groups to ensure the longitudinal studies produce data that are relevant to policy and of high-quality scientific value.
With LSIC, particular attention is being paid to engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, organisations and service providers in recognition of the critical importance that the study is accepted by the Indigenous community and that the data collected will meet their needs.
Social Policy Research Services
The Social Policy Research Services (SPRS) agreements (2001–04) comprise research partnerships between FaCS and three university-based research institutions: the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at the University of New South Wales; the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne; and the Social Policy Evaluation, Analysis and Research Centre (SPEAR) at the Australian National University.
The Melbourne Institute has expertise in empirical studies of the labour market and its interaction with the social security system, behavioural policy modelling, and economic and social research on families and communities. The SPRC focuses on the design and delivery of social policy programs and their impact on the living standards, behaviour and circumstances of income support recipients and their families, and community organisations. SPEAR has expertise in evaluation of the effectiveness of social policy programs and interventions, including alternative delivery options, advanced econometric and statistical methods, and longitudinal data design and analysis.
The SPRS agreements represent a mutually beneficial relationship whereby FaCS draws on the expertise of academics held in high repute who, in turn, benefit from access to FaCS' longitudinal data holdings.
In addition to the SPRS program, FaCS also has a research agreement with the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University. This work focuses on priorities identified in FaCS' Indigenous research agenda.
Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant projects
From time to time, FaCS acts as an industry partner with universities in ARC Linkage Grant projects. Examples of current involvement include:
- Labour supply and savings of older Australians: behavioural responses and economic impact—FaCS partnership with the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney
- Parents on low income study (POLIS)—FaCS partnership with the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Australian National University
- Intergenerational transmission of dependence on income support: patterns, causation and implications for Australian social policy—FaCS partnership with the Australian National University.