Table 18: Output Group 1.4—Child Care Support
|
(A) Budgeta 2002–03 $’000
|
(B)
Actual 2002–03 $’000
|
Variation (column B minus column A) $’000
|
Budgetb 2003-04 $’000
|
Administered Expenses (including third party outputs)
|
Child Care Assistance
|
1 000
|
120
|
-880
|
0
|
Child care for eligible parents undergoing training
|
14 043
|
12 985
|
-1 058
|
14 969
|
Support for Child Care
|
180 906
|
180 639
|
-267
|
191 523
|
Support for Child Care SPP
|
10 301
|
10 067
|
-234
|
9 520
|
Special Appropriations
|
Child Care Benefit (ANTS (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999)
|
1 479 563
|
1364358
|
-115 205
|
1595 632
|
Child Care Rebate (Childcare Rebate Act 1993)
|
0
|
20
|
20
|
0
|
Total Administered Expenses
|
1 685 813
|
1 568 189
|
-117 624
|
1 811 644
|
Price of Departmental Outputs
|
Policy Advice
|
3 701
|
2 860
|
-841
|
8 855
|
Purchasing, Funding & Relationship Management
|
24 980
|
19 308
|
-5 672
|
11 633
|
Research and Evaluation
|
2 158
|
1 668
|
-490
|
2 786
|
Service Delivery (Centrelink)
|
93 780
|
92 036
|
-1 744
|
95 712
|
Service Delivery (other)
|
8 310
|
8 310
|
0
|
8 485
|
Revenue from Government (Appropriation) for Departmental Output Groups
|
132 929
|
124 182
|
-8 747
|
127 471
|
FaCS Componentc
|
39 149
|
32 146
|
-7 003
|
31 759
|
Centrelink Component
|
93 780
|
92 036
|
-1 744
|
95 712
|
TOTAL FOR GROUP 1.4
|
1 818 742
|
1 692 371
|
-126 371
|
1 939 115
|
Staffing Years (Number)
|
|
|
2002–03
|
2003-04
|
FaCS (including the Social Security Appeals Tribunal)
|
|
|
291
|
311
|
a. Final estimates have been used for special appropriations while additional estimates have been used for annual appropriations.
b. Budget prior to additional estimates.
c. FaCS includes the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
Performance information Administered items Effectiveness—Affordability
Child care out of pocket costs as a proportion of weekly disposable income before and after child care subsidies
For a low-income family (with an income of around $31 000) with one child in full-time care, government assistance now covers around 71 per cent of the average fee in long day care centres and around 78 per cent of the average fee in Family Day Care. For a middle-income family (earning around $45 000 a year) with one child in full-time care, government assistance covers around 57 per cent of the average fee in full-time long day care and 64 per cent in full-time family day care.
Percentage of families claiming:
maximum Child Care Benefit—37 per cent
partial Child Care Benefit—48 per cent
minimum Child Care Benefit—15 per cent
Figure 8: Child care gap fees as a proportion of weekly disposable income before and after Child Care Benefit—one child in care
Source: based on June 2003 full-time long day care fees—2003 Child Care Fee Survey by Datacol.
Figure 9: Child care gap fees as a proportion of weekly disposable income before and after Child Care Benefit—two children in care
Source: based on June 2003 full-time long day care fees—2003 Child Care Fee Survey by Datacol.
Effectiveness—Independence
Percentage of Australian Government-funded child care that is used for:
work-related purposes—91 per cent
non-work-related purposes—9 per cent
Quantity
Number of calls to the Child Care Access Hotline—49 766
Number of child care places available—500 027 (as at June 2001)
Number of eligible approved services funded—10 050 (as at June 2001)
Number of families using approved Australian Government-funded child care services and claiming Child Care Benefit—517 000 families in the September 2002 quarter
Number of children using approved Australian Government-funded child care services and claiming Child Care Benefit—736 000 children in the September 2002 quarter
Price
$1 364.4 million
Commentary
The number of children using child care has continued to increase. A record number of families now receive Child Care Benefit as a fee reduction. This number is 28 700 more than last year.
While gross fees represent a decreasing proportion of income as income rises, the effect of Child Care Benefit means that child care gap fees represent a similar part of the disposable income of a family,regardless of that family’s income. For instance, families with a combined income of $50 000 and $100 000 both pay child care fees of 11 per cent of disposable income for one child in full-time centre-based long day care at average fees. A family using part-time centre-based long day care for one child at average fees pays 7 per cent of disposable income at incomes of $45 000 and $100 000. This ‘levelling out’ effect helps working families have access to quality, affordable, flexible and accessible child care services on an equitable basis, regardless of their incomes.
Child care for eligible parents undergoing training Effectiveness—Take-up/Coverage
Number of children in child care—12 941
Price
$13 million
Support for child care Effectiveness—Take-up/Coverage
Level of demand for child care places that is met nationally
94 per cent (based on demand for places from service providers)
Effectiveness—Targeting
Number of children with additional needs using Australian Government approved child care services by target group
FaCS supports children with additional needs through the Supplementary Services Program, the Special Needs Subsidy Scheme, and the Special Services Program.
Table 19: Support for child care—number of children with additional needs using Australian Government-funded child care services (categorised by needs group)
Category
|
Number of children
|
Child with disability
|
16 377
|
Aboriginal, Torres Strait and Australian South Sea Islander children
|
10 431
|
Children from culturally and linguistically diverse background
|
78 399
|
Total number of children
|
105 207
|
Note:
—Some of these children may be in more than one category.
—Figures represent only those children identified by child care services as having additional needs. Source: Data from 2002 Census of Child Care Services.
Quality—Access and choice
Number of Indigenous specific services—211 (can vary according to community needs)
Number of services specifically targeted to rural and remote areas—2049
Number/volume of services that provide child care services (that is, choice for shift workers, families working non standard hours, those with a sick child or who live in rural areas without access)—94
Quality—Assurance
Percentage of centres accredited under the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System
Quality Improvement and Accreditation System—92 per cent
Family Day Care Quality Assurance—100 per cent
Percentage of Family Day Care services satisfactorily participating in Family Day Care Quality Assurance—100 per cent
Percentage of centres satisfactorily participating in Quality Improvement and Accreditation System—100 per cent
Development of a quality assurance scheme for the outside school hours sectors—Complete, now being implemented from July 2003
Quantity
Number of children with a disability assisted into mainstream services—16 377
Number of child care places assisting families to fulfil work and family responsibilities through alternative child care arrangements as assessed by increases in the number of places for:
in-home care—803 places in 2002–03; 3039 places since 2000
private provider incentive—474 places
Number of new child care centres in rural areas that received establishment set up equipment—36
Price
$180.6 million—Support for Child Care
$10.1 million—Support for Child Care Supplementary Services Program
Commentary
FaCS continued to work towards making the most effective use of available resources. To this end a number of child care places have been reallocated from low-demand areas to high-demand areas. The number of Family Day Care places reallocated since July 2001 is 2712. The number of outside school hours places reallocated since July 2002 is 6215.
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