Annual Report 2002–03 Volume I
Performance information Administered items
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- Price $3.9 million Commentary
- Quantity Number of clients receiving Double Orphan Pension
- Price $4.9 million Family Tax Benefit Effectiveness—Take-up/Coverage
- Quality—Access and choice
- Price $10 473.8 million Commentary
- Grants to Family Relationship Support Organisations
- Quantity Number of clients
- Family Relationships Services Program
- Quantity Number of sessions provided
- Indigenous Parenting and Family Wellbeing
- Price $1.7 million Commentary
- Quantity Number of clients receiving Maternity Allowance
- Price $216.6 million Services for families with children Effectiveness—Capacity
- Quality—Assurance Percentage of funded projects meeting milestones agreed with FaCS
- Stronger Families and Communities Strategy: Families Initiatives
- Quality—Client satisfaction
- Price $14 million Commentary
Performance informationAdministered itemsChild abuse preventionEffectiveness—CapacityAverage number of members of the child protect email discussion list—493 Number of hits per annum on the National Child Protection Clearinghouse Web Site—483 373 Quality—AssurancePercentage of completed funded projects meeting objectives/outputs agreed with FaCS 100 per cent, based on those service providers who completed their contractual obligations. Percentage of funded projects meeting milestones agreed with FaCS Approximately 95 per cent, based on over 50 contracts current in 2002–03. Price$3.9 million CommentaryA review of the Early Intervention Parenting Program began in 2002–03 and is expected to be completed in early 2004. It will determine whether the program’s focus continues to be relevant to, and consistent with, future policy directions and program priorities-in particular the National Agenda for Early Childhood. The National Child Protection Clearinghouse web site (www.aifs.org.au/nch) provides a range of information resources, including online versions of its Child Abuse Prevention newsletter, issues papers and discussions papers; helpline, counselling and Internet safety information; curriculum and training materials, reference lists and videos on child protection. The child protect email discussion list was developed to provide a venue for the discussion of child abuse prevention/protection research, policy and practice issues and to facilitate discussion and dissemination of good practice knowledge.
Double Orphan PensionQuantityNumber of clients receiving Double Orphan Pension—1137 as at 27 June 2003 Price$2.1 million Family and Youth Support (National Illicit Drugs Strategy—NIDS)Effectiveness—CapacityPercentage of people with positive outcomes as defined under the program and measured through the evaluation process conducted by each state and territory, which will help measure: increased parents’ knowledge of various illicit drugs and their effects on young people (pre and post assistance) increased awareness of other Council of Australian Governments NIDS measures and how to access appropriate services increased community perceptions that families are better equipped to cope with the young person’s illicit drug use. Most projects under the NIDS ‘Strengthening and supporting families coping with illicit drug use’ measure have been piloted and recently implemented. An evaluation will be finalised by 1 October 2003 and will provide the required data. The Australian Government will evaluate the measure overall, and state and territory governments will evaluate their specific projects. Price$4.9 million Family Tax BenefitEffectiveness—Take-up/CoverageNumber of 16-24 year olds, not receiving Youth Allowance, who attract Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A—242 057 Average duration of payment—994 days Number of families entitled to Family Tax Benefit who claim and receive their entitlement within the two-year period allowed for their claim Around 2 million families claimed and received the benefit for the tax year 2000-01 by the cut off date of 30 June 2002. It is estimated that only a small percentage of families likely to be entitled have not claimed. Quality—Access and choicePercentage of clients choosing fortnightly payment compared with end of year lump sum through the taxation system Centrelink fortnightly payments: 2 022 071 clients (93 per cent) *Centrelink lump-sum payments: 59 323 clients (3 per cent) *Taxation system lump-sum payments: 97 778 clients (4 per cent) * Clients who claimed assistance using more than one payment method during the year may be included in more than one of the above categories for example, a client may have received fortnightly payments from Centrelink for part of the year as well as a lump-sum payment through the taxation system.
397 744 (88.5 per cent) FTB claims were finalised within 21 days. QuantityTable 5: Family Tax Benefit—number of clients assisted fortnightly (as at 27 June 2003)
Note: Figures are customers paid on fortnightly basis, based on income estimates. Does not include clients claiming through tax system. Price$10 473.8 million CommentaryFamily Tax Benefit Part A clients receive an average of $172.30 a fortnight or $4492.80 a year. On 30 June 2003, the average estimated 2002–03 taxable income for Family Tax Benefit Part A families was $43 264, excluding sole parents receiving income support. Family Tax Benefit Part A makes up 9.08 per cent of clients’ average annual income including their family payment. Family Tax Benefit Part B clients receive an average of $73.70 per fortnight or $1920.50 a year. In late 2002 the Government announced a package of measures to give families more choice in the way they receive their Family Tax Benefit. This package gives families the ability to better deal with changing family circumstances. Families who have been overpaid for part of the year because of a change in income or circumstances can choose to be paid for the rest of the year at a rate that reduces the potential for any overpayment. Families can also choose to receive part of their entitlement to Family Tax Benefit during the year and the rest as a lump sum after the end of the year. Grants to Family Relationship Support OrganisationsCommonwealth Financial Counselling ProgramCostAverage cost per session and per client—approximately $150 Effectiveness—AdequacyPercentage of clients whose problem was resolved 59 per cent, based on all clients receiving services from the 43 community organisations operating 45 services. Percentage of total clients with improved ability to manage financial affairs in the future 81 per cent QuantityNumber of clients—Around 16 000 CommentaryFinancial counsellors can help clients by assisting them in negotiating with creditors; advocating on their behalf; looking at options and explaining what they can do in relation to outstanding bills; explaining the debt recovery process and assisting them to take the appropriate course of action; assisting them to develop a budgeting plan to suit their circumstances; helping them gain financial management skills; providing information in relation to such things as mortgages, housing, residential tenancy issues, bankruptcy; and referring them to other appropriate services. Family Relationships Services ProgramCostAverage cost per session and per client Approximately $180 per session and approximately $350 per client. Effectiveness—CapacityPercentage of clients recording improvement in their present relationship issue Approximately 75 per cent, based on intended client benefit ratings reported in departmental performance data for 2002–03. Quality—AssurancePercentage of service providers meeting Family Quality Information Strategy Tier 1 standards At the end of 2002–03, 105 organisations funded through the program were required to meet the quality standards contained in the approval requirements. During 2002–03, a sample of 25 of those organisations have been independently assessed for compliance with the standards. Of those, 24 were fully compliant or had agreed on a strategy and date to achieve full compliance. The remaining one is finalising negotiations with FaCS. QuantityNumber of sessions provided—Approximately 240 000 Number of clients—Approximately 130 000 Price$26.6 million CommentaryThe importance of family relationships in influencing outcomes across the life course is being increasingly recognised across the broader government policy agenda in initiatives such as the National Agenda for Early Childhood Development, Work and Family, AWT and Family Law Pathways. The future directions of the FRSP will be shaped by an evaluation of the program, expected to be completed towards the end of 2003-04. An independent evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships Program examined the operation of the services funded under it as well as the experiences of a sample of clients. The evaluation found that the program: engaged a diverse range of men used a variety of innovative approaches to the delivery of services to men provided effective assistance to men to help them manage relationship problems was strongly supported by the men who used the men’s services. The Men and Family Relationships Program also funded Men’s Line Australia, a national 24-hour telephone counselling, information and referral service for men faced with disruptions to their family life or their primary relationships. It also provides support and information for women and family members who are concerned about the welfare of their partners, husbands or fathers. In 2002–03, Men’s Line answered over 16 100 calls and had around 568 000 hits to their web site (www.menslineaus.org.au). In additional estimates, the Government provided $2 million to improve access to personal counselling services for families and individuals under stress in drought-affected areas. Around $1.5 million of this funding was allocated to the FRSP to ensure maximum coverage for families in drought-affected areas through an existing network of skilled providers.
Quality—AssurancePercentage of completed funded projects meeting objectives/outputs agreed with FaCS Around 70 per cent, based on the three projects completed in 2002–03. Percentage of funded projects meeting milestones agreed with FaCS Around 90 per cent, based on 22 ongoing projects in 2002–03. Price$1.7 million CommentaryProgress with some Indigenous Parenting and Family Wellbeing initiative projects has been slower than expected. In some circumstances there has been limited community awareness of this initiative. As a result, a review of the initiative is to begin in late 2003-04 to identify strategies to improve service delivery and increase awareness. One of the endeavours funded under the Indigenous Parenting and Family Wellbeing initiative is The Border Rivers Families Project, which focuses on early intervention and prevention activities supporting Indigenous families and communities in the three regional communities of Goondiwindi, Queensland and Boggabilla and Toomelah, New South Wales. Mission Australia undertook an internal evaluation of this project using small focus groups. It showed that there was an increased sense of community through participation in men’s and women’s groups in the Boggabilla and Toomelah communities; an increased awareness of health and wellbeing issues; noticeable change in the engagement of other service providers within the communities; and identification of the differing issues and needs.
Maternity AllowancesQuantityNumber of clients receiving Maternity Allowance—207 029 clients, 210 504 children Effectiveness—TargetingNumber and percentage of clients paid Maternity Immunisation Allowance on completion of immunisation (that is, not on the basis of medical and non-medical exemptions from the immunisation requirement)—203 900 clients, 206 253 children Price$216.6 million Services for families with childrenEffectiveness—CapacityNumber of hits per annum on the national playgroups web site—11 000 Percentage of families with children under five years of age participating in playgroups Approximately 15 per cent Quality—AssurancePercentage of funded projects meeting milestones agreed with FaCS Approximately 90 per cent Price$6.9 million CommentaryUnder the Services for Families with Children appropriation, programs such as AICCAs and the Playgroups Program (including Intensive Support Playgroups) were funded. In addition, funding was provided for around 40 projects to help families with children develop their parenting skills, confidence and self-esteem. Some AICCAs have experienced governance and financial management issues. A staged review of all Australian Government-funded AICCAs will begin in 2003-04 to identify strategies to build capacity and improve governance in these services, and provide assistance to focus on early intervention and prevention. Two state governments have initially been invited to participate in the review. The Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle completed an action research report on the Intensive Support Playgroups/Family Crisis Caravan Park Pilots. The report looked at a holistic problem-solving approach to help solve the multi-dimensional difficulties of targeted families. The report suggested an improved service delivery model based primarily on the Save the Children Fund Queensland model. FaCS has taken up this recommendation. Intensive Support Playgroups will continue to be offered over the next two years in piloted areas of Queensland, northern New South Wales, South Australia and Northern Territory based on the improved service delivery model.
Effectiveness—CapacityFamily participation in communities increases as indicated by: number of stakeholders participating in activities 34 440 stakeholders participated in Stronger Families Fund and Early Intervention project activities increased networks 1280 new networks of families participated in communities under the Stronger Families Fund and Early Intervention projects Quality—Access and choiceServices to be provided in areas of identified priority and targeting high need groups 100 per cent of services under the Stronger Families Fund and Early Intervention projects have been provided in areas of identified priority, targeting high-need groups. These include multicultural and Indigenous groups, people with disabilities and teenage parents. Quality—Client satisfactionMechanisms in place to monitor client feedback (satisfaction and complaints) Over 170 mechanisms, including training evaluation forms, surveys and focus groups. QuantityThe following information relates to the Stronger Families Fund and Early Intervention parenting projects that have been reported under the Strategy. Table 6: Stronger Families Fund and Early Intervention parenting project
Price$14 million CommentaryDuring 2002–03, 164 projects were approved under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy which will enable government to work with communities to help them identify their needs and develop their own solutions. The formal evaluation of the strategy that is providing data to contribute to the evidence base for strengthening families and communities in Australia continued. Early results are demonstrating that all completed Families Projects have achieved most of what they set out to achieve with half of these exceeding what they set out to achieve. The outcomes from completed projects for individuals, families, communities and organisations provide significant evidence to support this. The evidence base for the effectiveness of early intervention strategies in the Australian context is being built through the data being produced by strategy projects seeking to strengthen families. These data are being collated through the Stronger Families Learning Exchange (SFLEX), established by the Australian Institute of Family Studies under the auspices of the strategy. SFLEX provides information, resource sharing, training and advice on family wellbeing, primary prevention and early intervention through its bulletin, published twice a year, and through the web site. SFLEX conducted a two-day national workshop in Melbourne during April 2003 for Stronger Family Fund projects. The workshop provided projects with opportunities to network and learn from each other about the effectiveness of their work.
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