Australian Council of Social Service

Who is ACOSS The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) is the peak council of the community services and welfare sector and the national voice for the needs of people affected by poverty and inequality A fair and inclusive Australia where all individuals and communities have the resources they need to participate in and benefit from social and economic life

What does the community sector do? nursing homes child care housing services legal services emergency relief health family services counseling aged care disability services residential care services non-residential care services employment placement services interest groups involved in community service advocacy

What else does the community sector do? The community sector is more than a provider of services. Promotes heightened sense of community and social responsibility which goes far beyond the provision of services. Educates the general public, to aid communication between different parts of society Builds empathy for disadvantaged groups and to provide a voice to marginalised people Shapes priorities for governments, highlighting areas of need and providing on-the-ground experience of policy in action.

Size of the Sector. $ 11.2 Billion – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare The ABS has estimated that as at the end of June 2000 there were 9,287 employing businesses and organisations involved in the provision of community services. The 9,287 businesses and organisations comprised 2,800 ‘for profit’ organisations, 5,938 ‘not for profit’ organisations and 548 government organisations

Sector. The community services workforce increased by 22.6% from , double that of the average of all occupations (10.5%). Employment growth was particularly high in child care (42%). Community services now employs 23% of all women workers aged years old, compared to 18% in 1984; conversely the main employer of men years old was manufacturing and this employment declined from 21% in 1984 to 15% in 2004.

Who do we serve ? Housing – over 100,000 people are homeless Almost one million low income people receiving Rent Assistance from the Government spend more than 30% of their income on rent People who have not completed high school have an unemployment rate of 11.3% compared with 3% of people with a bachelor degree. In 2004, 97.5per cent of the 236,000 new jobs created went to people with skills and a university degree, a TAFE diploma or equivalent work experience. Life expectancy of an Indigenous child is 17 years less than for a non-Indigenous child in Australia today

In what environment do we serve? Rising individualism Greater Government contracting Greater complexity of need Intergenerational poverty Poverty post codes Fear

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007 Demand for services In respondent agencies provided services to 1,459,184 people, which is an increase of 4% on the number of people who received a service in In respondent agencies turned away 93,961 people who were eligible for the service. Of the people turned away in it is estimated that: 28% were not eligible for the service or needed a different service 44% were eligible for the service and the service provided the person with only basic information and assistance 28% were eligible for the service but were turned away from the service without assistance.

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007

Community Sector Survey

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007 Figure 1.3: Referrals into agency: proportion agree/disagree with statement: ‘other agencies referred fewer clients to our organisation this year’

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007 Targeting services: proportion agree/disagree with statement: ‘this organisation is targeting our services more tightly than in the past’

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007 Waiting List - Our waiting list was shorter this year than it was last year’

Key finding of Community Sector Survey 2007 Complex Needs - Complexity of client need: proportion agree/disagree with statement: ‘our clients have more complex needs than last year’

What Services are needed 2007 ? Service typeRankScore[1][1] Long term housing Health care (including mental health and drug and alcohol services)278.1 Crisis and supported accommodation367.4 Income support462.0 Aged and disability services557.8 Employment, education and training programs651.3 Transport740.8 Family relationship services839.6 Legal services926.8 Assistance with the cost of energy, water, telecommunications Child care Cultural, arts, recreation, sport, information and social activities Child welfare services1319.1

Work force As identified by the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council: ‘Some of the more intractable current social problems (for example youth and aged unemployment, child abuse, alcoholism and mental health problems such as dementia) are all largely managed by the community services workforce.’[i]As identified by the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council: ‘Some of the more intractable current social problems (for example youth and aged unemployment, child abuse, alcoholism and mental health problems such as dementia) are all largely managed by the community services workforce.’[i][i] The community services workforce increased by 22.6% from , double that of the average of all occupations (10.5%). Employment growth was particularly high in child care (42%). Community services now employs 23% of all women workers aged years old, compared to 18% in 1984; conversely the main employer of men years old was manufacturing and this employment declined from 21% in 1984 to 15% in 2004.

Workforce Issues Employee category Hired (FTE) Left (FTE) Difference (FTE) Management Service worker 1,731 1, Clerical/administration Total 2,300 1, Staff hired and left

Workforce Issues While 64% of managers from alcohol and drug services had difficulty filling staff vacancies, 78% of managers in non-metropolitan areas reported this as a concern

Workforce ?

Unpaid Work Use of unpaid work: proportion agree/disagree with statement: ‘compared to last year unfunded work by staff and volunteers has increased’

Workforce Issues 2007 Training needs by category

What Services are needed 2007 ? Work categoryNumber of people% Paid staff (full time equivalent)13,45726% Voluntary board/management4,94010% Voluntary service delivery32,73964% Total51,136100% Workforce by category

Conditions Examining overall rates of pay in community services compared to other industries and fields, illustrates community service workers are paid less than average wages. In 2004 the average weekly wage for a full time worker was $916 per week (full-time non-managerial employees). In each of the community services occupations, wages were lower than this average - the highest average total weekly earnings in community services were paid to social workers ($909.89) and counsellors ($905.95) and the lowest to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers ($547.76) and child care workers ($570.09). By contrast, workers in property and business services, earned $1,000– $1,500

The environment A growing casualisation of the workforce also exists particularly in relation to low paid work and care work in many States and Territories. This is a particular concern for new and young recruits to community services – the Australian Services Union Members Survey 2007 indicates while overall 88% rate ‘increasing outsourcing and casualisation’ as an important issue to them personally, 99% of workers under 35 years old and 92% of workers aged rate the issue as a personal concern. The administrative, program and reporting requirements of government funding contracts add to the workload of community service workers Further complexity, particularly for managers, human resource personnel and accountants of community services organisations, is created by Australia’s definition and regulation of charity status More insecurity

Income Year Total operating expenses ($ millions) Total income ($ millions) Deficit/Surplus ($ millions) 2005/ / Difference

What sources of income - national

Funding Sources NSW

COAG In 2006, COAG announced its Human Capital Agenda in response to reports of ‘skills shortages’. The Human Capital Agenda encompasses goals of improving workforce participation and productivity while increasing flexible work arrangements in the interests of individual, family and community. It may raise expectations concerning care, employment, education, health, early childhood and child care services in particular and the workforce in each of these services will be critical to achieving its aims. Other recent COAG agendas that will affect community services include its recent focus (including funding) for mental health services, its summit on violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities and its focus on early childhood education as a priority area. COAG also adopted a strategy to strengthen the health workforce with a focus on increasing supply through more spending on education and provision of tertiary education places.

Future of the Sector Day A recent ACOSS consultation over the future of the community services sector provides a useful summary of some of the workforce needs the sector itself could address: provide better access to professional services especially legal and accounting services establish workplace policies that encourage a diverse workforce that can meet the needs of a diverse community work with unions to achieve pay equity with the public service advocate for policies to eliminate barriers to workforce participation for people with disabilities establish workplace policies that encourage the employment of clients

Challenges ? Values Ensure Diversity Accountability Government contracting Infrastructure Efficient and Effective Sustainability Policy debate Research Partnerships

Values – why you should care ? Better at defining uniqueness Local accountability International movement is small is beautiful? The “non” debate Community interaction

Accountability Multiple stakeholders - to whom are we accountable? Members Owners Donors Government Staff Communities Clients As Government increasingly contracts community services there is increasing accountability mechanisms Outcomes for services??

Capacity Building ? Staffing issues – who is going to looking after you in old age? Capital Costs Reserves Service transaction Maintaining diversity