Sector development program
The Sector development program funds statewide peak organisations to support and resource their members working in the child, youth, family and community services sector.
Many of the members are relatively small service providers and the program recognises their need for assistance in areas such as advocacy, policy analysis and program development.
Statewide peaks act as a link between those service providers and the government. Their role includes information dissemination, representation, advocacy, policy analysis and program development, and sector capacity building.
why is this program important?
The Sector development program is important because the funded services sector has a major role in providing services to children, families and communities in New South Wales.
In April 2011, Community Services funded approximately 1,780 service providers to provide well over 3,400 services. Over 60 per cent of Community Services budget, amounting to $773.4 million in 2010/11 has been allocated to funded service providers.
It is also expected that the sector’s role will become more significant in the future because under the NSW Government’s Keep Them Safe plan.
Community Services will focus its resources on those children and families who need a statutory response, while non-government agencies will have a greater role in getting help to vulnerable families earlier so they do not escalate into the statutory child protection system.
To support this expanded role, the Keep Them Safe plan includes commitments to develop the capacity of the non-government sector, as well as strategies to change the culture and develop skills and capacity across the public and non-government sector workforces.
In line with this, in 2010, Community Services reorganised its arrangements for peak bodies to establish a funding program that focused on their role in sector development.
who benefits?
The target group for the program includes:
- board members, paid staff and volunteers of member organisations
- organisations and client groups involved in or delivering direct services or policy development and advocacy in the sector
- individual clients and stakeholders receiving direct advocacy and/or support services clients.
The program has a focus on ensuring that the views of hard-to-reach services (e.g. in rural and remote areas) and communities (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups) are heard.
The program also benefits Community Services and other government agencies, as peak groups keep government connected with the sector and contribute to policy development and the implementation of program reforms.
what does the program deliver?
Statewide organizations have three main areas of activity which frequently overlap. These are
- to act as a link between service providers, government and other stakeholders by disseminating information and by consulting with the sector about policy and program developments
- to advocate on behalf of service providers, individual clients and the sector by providing feedback on policy and operational issues to government
- to contribute to sector development by a range of activities which include:
- promoting partnerships and cooperation
- undertaking research
- encouraging innovation and putting in place capacity building initiatives (e.g. developing training resources, piloting new service models or providing support to organizations that are having management problems).
how does it work?
The Sector development program provides funding for sixteen statewide peak organisations in the child, youth, family and community services sector which include:
- six family and community services peaks – Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies; The Centre for Volunteering; Local Community Services Association; NSW Council of Social Services; NSW Family Services Inc; Youth Action and Policy Association.
- four children’s services peaks - Community Child Care Cooperative NSW; Community Connection Solutions; Mobile Children’s Services Association of NSW Inc; Network of Community Activities.
- two out-of-home care peaks – CREATE Foundation; Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat NSW Inc.
- three homelessness peaks - Homelessness NSW; NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Working Party Inc; YFoundations Inc (formerly the Youth Accommodation Association of NSW).
Statewide peak organisations are legally constituted for the purpose of representing and supporting member organisations.
They are administered by elected representative boards and employ executive, policy and support staff to help carry out the organisation’s activities e.g. by representing the organisation on advisory bodies.
Funding from Community Services assists these organisations to participate in Community Services program development and reform initiatives.
what funding is attached to this program?
Total funding in 2010/11 is $4.995m.
what’s happening in 2011/12?
As responsibility for the administration of the Children’s Services program has been transferred to the Department of Education and Communities, it is expected that arrangements will be put in place to transfer children’s services peaks.
Generally, priorities for statewide services reflect developments in the programs which they support, so please refer to this section in the relevant program page.