1996-1997
4.2: Family Services
The 1996-97 Portfolio Budget Statements, informs Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to portfolios outcomes and their objectives and targets including the agencies within the Health and Family Services portfolio.
Objective
- To respond flexibly and efficiently to support families and people in crisis, with a particular focus on assisting disadvantaged families, children at risk and homeless people.
Goals
- To promote the independence and self reliance of people who are homeless through implementation of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme's reform objectives.
- To help community welfare agencies to respond to the immediate needs of the most disadvantaged in the community.
- National leadership in the prevention of child abuse and neglect and in the support of families experiencing difficulty in child-rearing.
- To assess the community sector's capacity to support young people and their families where young people are homeless or there is a risk of homelessness.
Strategies
- Collaborate with States and Territories in continuing to fund and administer the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme.
- Progress the implementation of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme's reform strategy and agree with State and Territory Governments to increase the accountability and quality of Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme services.
- Review with the States and Territories roles and responsibilities with regard to support for the homeless and families at risk.
- Administer the Emergency Relief Programme.
- Conduct a review of the formula that determines the Emergency Relief Programme appropriation so that the funding formula appropriately reflects the Programme's client group.
- Implement the revised strategic planning and accountability model for Family Resource Centres.
- Develop an agreed strategy with stakeholders to implement the Commonwealth's directions in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
- Establish and evaluate a number of pilot projects which test, within a national evaluation and reporting framework, hypotheses established under the Youth Homelessness Pilot Programme.
Performance Indicators and Targets
Effectiveness
- Extent to which the target group, as identified by Australian Council of Social Service data, are able to improve access to emergency relief with reasonable expectation of receiving assistance.
Target: To collect base line data. - Extent to which best practice standards in family service delivery occur within the target communities serviced by the Family Resource Centre Programme.
- The ability of a comprehensive system of data collection measures for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme to determine the costs per client and staff-to-client ratio.
Target: Data collection system operational by 1997. - Numbers of young people assisted by the projects funded under the Youth Homelessness Pilot Programme to re-engage or maintain links with family, work, education, training and the community.
Target: Performance comparable with equivalent services provided through other community sector or government agencies under other programmes (including pilots).
Efficiency
- Extent to which new guidelines for the Emergency Relief Programme assist officers involved in administration of the Programme to answer queries from service providers.
- Unit cost per successful outcome achieved by projects funded under the Youth Homelessness Pilot Programme.
- Administrative costs (Departmental) as a percentage of Programme costs for Youth Activity Services, Family Resource Centres, and Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agencies.
Quality
- Proportion of Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme clients satisfied with their case plans.
Target: To collect base line data.
Equity
- Extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are able to improve access to emergency relief with reasonable expectation of receiving assistance.
Target: To collect base line data. - Number of children accompanying adults using the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme whose needs are met through use of a comprehensive management approach.
Target: To collect base line data. - Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people assisted by the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme, compared with the rest of the population.
Budget Measures
Election Commitment
Youth Homelessness Pilot Programme
Financial Implications
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
2.6 | 4.0 | 1.6 | - |
Purpose of Measure
To identify and promote models of community-based service provision for homeless and at-risk young people and their families, which set new standards in services aimed at achieving reconciliation of the young people with their families, through mediation and early intervention and coordinated service delivery practices.Expected Implementation Strategies for Measure
The pilot programme will utilise the expertise of the community sector to assist young homeless people, or those at risk of homelessness, to reconcile with their families and/or to remain in education or training and to maintain involvement with the community.Tenders from community-based organisations will be invited in August/September 1996 with the first pilot project operational by the end of October 1996. All projects will be operational by 31 January 1997.
Intended Impacts of Measure
The pilot is likely to result, in the short term, in a net increase of $8 million in Commonwealth expenditure. Over the longer term, the pilot should lead to a net decrease in Budget expenditure through assistance being targeted more effectively to those who need it, and more effectively coordinated and cost efficient service delivery to the target group. This measure is intended to ensure that homeless young people, and those at risk of homelessness, are more engaged in family, work, education, training and the community. It is also intended to reduce the level of youth homelessness.Spending
Additional Funding for the Emergency Relief Programme
Financial Implications
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
5.0 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
Purpose of Measure
The purpose of this measure is to provide additional funding to respond to the immediate needs of clients of the Emergency Relief Programme.Expected Implementation Strategies for Measure
Payments are generally made to agencies twice a year, in July and December. The additional funding for 1996-97 emergency relief will be distributed to agencies in December 1996.Top of page
Intended Impacts of Measure
This funding will allow emergency relief service providers to meet a larger number of requests for assistance from people who are experiencing financial hardship. As such, it is totally in keeping with the performance indicator which measures improved responsiveness to the needs of the most disadvantaged in the community.Savings
Reduction in outlays arising from changed Administrative Arrangements Orders following the change of Government in March
Financial Implications
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.3 | -0.2 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
Application of Efficiency Dividend to Commonwealth Own Purpose Outlays and Specific Purpose Payments of a Running Costs Nature
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.1 | -0.2 | -0.3 | -2.2 |
Across-the-Board Reduction of 2% in Running Costs
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.04 | -0.04 | -0.04 | -0.04 |
Top of page
