Introduction
On 16 February 2009, The Hon Jenny Macklin MP announced the establishment of the Family Support Program. An extensive consultation process was conducted in 2009 to inform the design of the Family Support Program.
On 3 November 2010, Minister Macklin outlined reforms to the Family Support Program to better target vulnerable and disadvantaged families and coordinate services for families and children, reduce red tape and paperwork for service providers and enable them to work more flexibly to meet the local needs of children and families.
The Family Support Program supports the Australian Government's commitment to the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children by complementing state and territory services through early intervention and prevention support for children and families. It also supports the Government's commitment to putting the safety and wellbeing of children at the heart of the Government's social policy agenda.
The Family Support Program will work with and support families and nurture children, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, to enable them to better manage life's transitions, ensure children at risk are protected and contribute to building stronger, more resilient communities.
The Family Support Program brings together a number of existing family, children and parenting services with a common purpose to provide more flexibility, while making sure the important elements of the current program are retained.
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Family Support Program service streams from 1 July 2011
From 1 July 2011, the Family Support Program will comprise two core streams:
The Family and Children's Services will be streamlined to four services types:
- Communities for Children Services: including Indigenous Parenting Support Services to provide prevention and early intervention services to families with children up to age 12 and who are at risk of disadvantage;
- Family and Relationship Services: dealing with adult relationship issues, counselling for young people and children, and broader parenting support;
- Specialist Services: which have particular knowledge and skills for dealing with vulnerable families affected by issues such as drugs, violence and trauma; and
- Community Playgroups: to support parents with young children.
Streamlining these services, along with Family Law Services, into the Family Support Program provides a significant opportunity for the community sector and government to collaborate in response to a wide range of social needs. They will be supported by national services.
Responsive and flexible services
The Family Support Program will enable services to better focus on the needs of families and children, particularly those at risk, by way of:
- linking services more effectively;
- facilitating greater flexibility and responsiveness of services; and
- moving towards a 'no wrong door' seamless approach so clients requiring assistance can access services through any Family Support Program service.
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A Collaborative approach
The Family Support Program has a strong collaborative approach with:
- the Government and community sector working together to support children and families;
- increased opportunities to work with state, territory and local governments and the legal system; and
- streamlined program management to reduce red tape burden on service providers.
The collaborative approach will build on and expand the existing strong relationships between Family Support Program providers and Government so we can reduce red tape, increase service flexibility and better meet the needs of families and children.
Consultation on the implementation of the Family Support Program
To support the implementation of the changes to the Family Support Program from 1 July 2011, FaHCSIA is providing stakeholders with updated information on the program reforms and consulting them on implementation issues for the sector, including reporting and performance requirements and collaborative service delivery.
On 9 November 2010, the Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, the Hon Julie Collins MP and Departmental staff met with national stakeholders including peaks and major service providers. Meetings were held in every state and territory throughout November and early December 2010 resulting in 20 consultations taking place in 17 different locations. Feedback from the consultations has provided broad endorsement for the direction of the program and is providing valuable input into implementation of the FSP from 1 July 2011.
Consultations
Funding
Program Guidelines and Related Information
The Program Guidelines Suite of documents provide information relating to the Family Support Program.
Fact Sheets
Frequently asked questions
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Family Support Program Reform e-News
Peak body - Family Relationship Services Australia (FRSA)
Family Relationship Services Australia (FRSA) is the representative body for the Family Relationship Services sector and receives funding each year from the Department as well as its membership. FRSA aims to be a collective voice for the sector. The body was established on 1 July 2007.
Visit the Family Relationship Services Australia website for more information.
Clearinghouses
Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse (AFRC) and Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia (CAFCA)
The Australian Government funds two clearinghouses under the Family Support Program (FSP). The Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse focuses on a range of topics related to family, family relationships and issues that affect Australian families. The Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia concentrates on topics relating to the delivery of services to children and families in disadvantaged Australian communities.
Under the FSP these clearinghouses:
- provide support for FSP organisations;
- facilitate access to relevant research;
- showcase innovative and effective service delivery; and
- provide catalogues of relevant research, electronic journals, useful abstracts.
For more information visit the Clearinghouse websites:
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Complaints process
All Family Support Program (FSP) providers are required to have procedures in place to receive feedback on their services, including complaints. Information on a service provider's complaints policy is available at the service outlet. If you wish to make a complaint about a FSP Service, contact the service provider management directly in the first instance.
If you are not comfortable talking directly with the service provider or if you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled by the provider, please contact the National Office Complaints Team in any of the following ways:
Ph: 1800 634 035
Fax: (02) 6204 4587
Email: complaints@fahcsia.gov.au
Post:
Complaints
PO Box 7576
Canberra Business Centre
ACT 2610
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Contact Details
FaHCSIA will continue to update information on this site so please visit again. For further information regarding the Family Support Program, please contact the project/program officer in your FaHCSIA State Office with whom you usually deal or email: family.support.program@fahcsia.gov.au