Family Relationship Services Guidelines

1 FRS Overview

Family Relationship Services (FRS) is the Commonwealth's major program response to supporting positive family relationships. These services aim to improve the wellbeing of families and children through prevention, early intervention and post-separation services.

These services provide a range of flexible and tailored supports through two complementary Family Support Program (FSP) service streams (Table 2). Family and Parenting Services focus on enabling children, young people, and adults in all their diversity, to develop and sustain safe, supportive and nurturing family relationships. Family Law Services have a focus on helping to minimise the emotional, social and economic costs associated with disruptions to family relationships, including separation and divorce.

1.1 Eligibility

Applicants must be an incorporated, not-for-profit organisation managed by an elected board, committee or equivalent, which is drawn from the community.
Applications for Family Relationship Centres are accepted from for-profit agencies.
Applications for the Family Relationship Advice Line are accepted from government, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Applications for the National Find and Connect Service are accepted from for‑profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Government agencies may participate in a consortium provided they are not the lead member and do not receive FRS funds as a result of their participation.
From time to time where there is no acceptable not-for-profit agency, the Commonwealth may approach another government agency to supply a service.

1.2 Selection

FaHCSIA conducts competitive selection processes to identify preferred FRS applicants and recommend them to the decision-maker³.
FaHCSIA may also conduct open competitive selection processes to reselect services where funding recipients have ceased operation.
Advertisements for new funds are placed on the FaHCSIA website www.fahcsia.gov.au/frsp; where relevant the Attorney-General's Department (AGD) website www.ag.gov.au; in the local press in areas of identified need and in the national press.
During selection processes details of advertised services and guidance on how to apply is subject to probity requirements. Information is made available in Application Guidelines and through a Question and Answer process.
Applicants must comply or demonstrate the capacity to comply with the FRS Administrative Approval Requirements (Appendix A) within a reasonable timeframe agreed with the Department.
Applicants can apply as a single organisation⁴ or a consortium, however only one application can be submitted for each advertised service in a particular location.

1.3 Consortia and Subcontracting

FaHCSIA provides funding to single agencies.
Where two or more organisations seek funding as a consortium, a member organisation must be appointed as a lead member⁵.
The lead member must submit the application.
The application should identify all members of the consortium and include a memorandum of understanding, signed by the proposed Consortium members, showing:
- their agreement to enter into a consortium arrangement
- the nature of the legal relationship between parties
- how the arrangements between the members will be managed and overseen by the lead member.
If a consortium is successful FaHCSIA will only enter into a Funding Agreement with the lead member.
Under the Funding Agreement, funding recipients can only subcontract services with the prior permission of FaHCSIA, and must remain responsible for the provision and quality of all services that they subcontract. Note: All consortium members are to be listed in funding agreements as ‘Sub-contractors' along with information on the service / service type they will deliver.

1.4 Funding

An applicant becomes a funding recipient when it enters into a Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth.
Most Funding Agreements for FRS have an activity period of 2 or more years.
Funding Agreements can be renewed but only when the funding recipient demonstrates compliance with the requirements of the documents that form the program management framework (see Introduction Page 6) and renewal has been agreed by the decision-maker.

1.5 Reporting and Assessment

Funding recipients are required to collect and transfer data to FaHCSIA within 28 days of service provision using FRSP Online or another compatible approved software application (excludes National Find and Connect Service).
Funding recipients must provide reports as required and in accordance with Item E of the Funding Agreement and participate in self-assessments, external assessments and evaluations as required.
National Find and Connect services are required to collect and transfer data to FaHCSIA within six months.

From time to time the decision-maker may direct additional or supplementary funding to pre-selected services. For example to service an area in emergency conditions (i.e. a bushfire) a FRS funding recipient may be asked to apply for time limited, short term funding. In addition, direct sourcing or selective processes may be undertaken in particular circumstances.
Single organisations are able to enter into subcontracting arrangements with other organisations
The lead member is the legal entity that, if successful, enters into an Agreement with the Commonwealth and who is authorised to negotiate and act on behalf of, and to bind each member of the consortium.

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