Centrelink annual report 2003 – 04 Contact officer
PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SERVICE OFFERS FOR CUSTOMERS’ LIFE EVENTS
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- More Choice for Families
- Carers (including grandparents) providing out of home care for children
- Slovenian agreement implementation
- BROADMEADOWS—HELPING WOMEN UNDERSTAND FAMILY TAX BENEFIT
- Complex Assessment Officers
- EXPOSURE 2004—GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE OPTIONS
- Inner City Community Team
- Sugar industry reform assistance
- Delivery of the Australian Government’s drought assistance package
- Farm Help—Supporting Families through Change
- Bushfire ex-gratia payment
- Environmental Management Systems Incentives Program
- Centrelink Call Social Workers
- RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE WITH AWARENESS AND COMPASSION
PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SERVICE OFFERS FOR CUSTOMERS’ LIFE EVENTSLife eventsThe creation of the ‘life events’ service delivery approach by Centrelink came about in response to an identified need to:
The life events service delivery approach is seen as the best way forward for Centrelink to take when it comes to making it easier for customers to access government support. Delivering holistic services requires a shift from applying technical rules and determining a customer’s eligibility as a primary focus, to one where access channels, plans for meeting agreed outcomes, and managing ongoing relationships with customers become equally important aspects of service delivery. The life events approach, which was market tested with and overwhelmingly supported by customers, is framed around 11 questions:
Structuring a service offer in response to what a customer tells us is their current ‘life event’ means that people don’t need to know the names of the payments or services, or the right questions to ask, before we help them. Instead, we match the person’s circumstances with the payments and/or services appropriate for them. Centrelink is reviewing its life events model to identify whether—in addition to providing a successful front-end approach to service delivery—there are opportunities or gains to be made from more fully integrating the concept into back office processes, procedures, systems and structures. More Choice for FamiliesIn September 2002, the Government announced its More Choice for Families package of measures which included new ways for families to receive their family assistance (Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Benefit) payments. The new payment options are to help families better match their payments to their circumstances to reduce the risk of being overpaid. Centrelink implemented the new payment options progressively from November 2002. The payment choices allow families to choose to receive some of their family assistance entitlement during the year and the rest after the end of the financial year when their actual income is known. From July 2003, families whose income increased during the year could choose to have their future rate of family assistance adjusted to account for any amounts they may have already been overpaid. Families are able to access the new payment choices at any Family Assistance Office, located in Centrelink, Medicare, and ATO access sites, as well as over the phone or online. More Help for FamiliesIn the May 2004 budget, the Government announced its More Help for Families package of measures to increase the level of financial assistance provided to Australian families. The first of these measures was to deliver a one-off bonus payment to families and Carers by the end of June 2004. Around 1.96 million Family Tax Benefit and 298 400 Carer Allowance recipients received a $600 bonus payment and 84 300 Carer Payment recipients received a $1000 bonus payment. The remaining measures including the introduction of a non-income tested Maternity Payment and a Family Tax Benefit Part a Supplement, will be introduced progressively in the first quarter of the 2004–05 financial year.
Coordinated by Tasmanian Centrelink Youth link staff, Exposure 2004 followed the first successful expo held in Hobart in 2002. Designed to make the transition from study to careers easier, Exposure 2004 used a unique combination of entertainment, demonstrations and interactive stalls to provide young people with health, job and recreation options. Each event was attended by around 1500 students. Organisations participating in Exposure 2004 included Job Network members, TAFEs, the University of Tasmania, Tasmanian Police, the Department of Defence, Youth Health Centres, the Cancer Council, the Drug Education Network, and Sexual Health. Generous sponsorship from the Department of Education, Science and Technology provided financial assistance to rural and remote schools needing transport, and there was particularly strong participation from schools as far way as Scottsdale, St Helens, Deloraine, Oatlands and Geeveston. Former AFL footballer and president of the juvenile justice program ‘Whitelion’, Glenn Manton, assisted with promotion before the events and attended both to meet students and to host the days. The success of Exposure 2004 shows that events like these are very successful in passing on information to young people about the range of services available and for truly ‘giving them options.’
Boarding house closuresIn 2003, the Queensland Government introduced residential service reforms, including an accreditation system for boarding houses and supported ‘hostel’ accommodation, which have resulted in some boarding houses closing. This has affected some of Centrelink’s most vulnerable customers. As part of a multi-agency taskforce set up under the Queensland Government Interagency Protocol, Centrelink is listed as a stakeholder in the event of a closure. Its role at such times is critical to helping residents deal with the transition to new accommodation arrangements. For example, at the Fortitude Valley Customer Service Centre in Queensland, Centrelink staff assisted when a boarding house in Spring Hill closed. Staff interviewed customers onsite, took claims for payment, and assessed entitlement to crisis payment. In South Brisbane, Centrelink staff also assisted six Centrelink customers who were displaced after a fi re destroyed their boarding house. Under the Closure Response Protocol, staffs were part of a coordinated response, which included transport to the Office to assess customers’ eligibility for crisis payment, referrals for emergency relief and clothing, and issuing new pensioner concession cards. Centrelink worked with state government departments to check customers’ eligibility for the range of support available and with Queensland Housing to make sure customers’ immediate accommodation and future housing needs were met. Inner City Community TeamArea North Central Victoria has an innovative approach to inner city servicing where they are connecting customers and the community. Based at Fitzroy Customer Service Centre, the Inner City Community Team is a roving team of staff, operating 37 regular out-services from various community agencies. Centrelink Community Officers also provide out-servicing in the inner city to homeless people and people at risk of homelessness. As a result of these strategies many inner city customers no longer need to go to a Customer Service Centre to access Centrelink services as staff are available on site and use mobile computing technology to access customer information on the spot. The out-services are delivered through a range of community agencies including hospitals, Indigenous services, prisons, universities, youth services and aged care facilities which means services are targeted to meet specific needs of customers living in and around the inner city.
Bundaberg staff have been working closely with Sugar Executive Officers from the Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee, the Queensland Department of State Development and Innovation, and local cane grower organisations. Sugar farmers responded well to seminars organised by Bundaberg staff and more are planned for local professionals, including accountants, financial advisers, bankers and solicitors. Centrelink’s Maryborough Rural Call Centre also set up a team of professionals to provide advice on sugar industry reform via a special hotline.
The dedicated Drought Assistance Line delivered through Rural Call Centres in Maryborough (Queensland) and Port Augusta (South Australia) continued to take most of the farmer payment calls. The Toowoomba Call Centre handled enquiries about the small business component of the package. Claim forms and factsheets were available on the Centrelink website as well as through Rural Call Centres, Customer Service Centres and Centrelink Community Agents. Centrelink offered personal support and counselling services, which were well attended. Through these services Social Workers and Psychologists made contact with thousands of affected people. A key service element was the use of Social Workers in the Rural Call Centres to provide their specialist services to customers who may not be able to travel for face-to-face support. Centrelink’s Social Workers and Psychologists also established close working relationships with other service providers that were funded as part of the overall drought assistance package. More than 31 000 applications for assistance for various elements of the package were received by 30 June 2004. Farm Help—Supporting Families through ChangeCentrelink continued to deliver the Farm Help—Supporting Families Through Change program, which assists farmers through the process of considering their long-term viability in agriculture. Centrelink’s role is to assess the eligibility and entitlements of farmers, to make payments, and to work with farm families on their longer-term planning. The Farm Help program was extended as part of the 2004–05 Federal Budget. The extended program includes an increased emphasis on using strategic information, analysis and professional advice to support decision making. Bushfire ex-gratia paymentSome Canberra residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by bush fires in January 2003 were unable to rebuild or repair their homes because of a shortage of building contractors in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding areas. Under the Social Security Act, a person’s home is only excluded from the assets test for up to 12 months after it has been vacated. Therefore, residents who were unable to build and were receiving social security payments 12 months after the fires were at risk of having their payments reduced or cancelled in January 2004. To avoid this situation, on 5 January 2004, the Government approved ex-gratia payments from Centrelink in lieu of social security payments, for affected residents. These ex-gratia payments were paid to eligible income support customers:
The ex-gratia payments topped customers’ rates up to what they would otherwise have received had the 12-month vacation of principal home period not ended. Twenty-one homeowner customers contacted Centrelink to advise they had been affected by the bush fires. Of these customers:
As at 27 May 2004, two of the couples granted payments had returned to their homes and one couple remained on the ex-gratia payments. Environmental Management Systems Incentives ProgramThe Environmental Management Systems Incentives Program was introduced on 1 July 2002 and is delivered by Centrelink on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The program aims to encourage primary producers to adopt sustainable management practices and provide a management framework for continuous environmental improvement through a ‘plan, do, check, act’ cycle within which best management practices can be integrated and codes of practice upheld. The implementation of an environment management system can potentially reduce environmental impacts and also improve the financial and competitive position of an enterprise. The program is available for up to five years from 1 July 2002 and provides cash reimbursement of up to $3000 for eligible primary producers. Centrelink Call Social WorkersIn November 2003, the Centrelink Call Social Work Team celebrated five years of service delivery to the network. Established in 1998, the service started with 11 social workers. Originally designed to provide advice and support to young parents claiming assistance, the team has doubled in size and has representatives at most Centrelink Call Centres. The Call Social Work Team now delivers services to Centrelink customers who, on contacting a Call Centre, are identified as being distressed, in crisis or experiencing a difficult life transition. In 2003–04 alone, more than 400 customers at risk of suicide were referred to Call Centre Social Workers. Other major referral reasons include financial hardship, homelessness, domestic violence, separation and mental health issues. Call Social Workers also provide important links between customers and community agencies. Last year over 15 000 customers were either directly referred to other services or given community information by the team members.
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