A key priority for human service reform is industry capacity, sustainability, and innovation. Specifically, how commissioning adds value and builds a diverse, responsive, and capable non-government sector, including through a focus on workforce.
Twelve months on from the ACT Government tabling its Government Response to the Counting the Costs: Sustainable Funding for the ACT Community Services Sector report, and agreeing or agreeing in principle to all recommendations; it is timely to consider progress that has been made.
Of note is the Government’s funding of an 18-month start-up Phase of the Sector Sustainability Program to progress implementation of recommendations, which is known as the Sector Sustainability Project (the Project).
Susan Helyar (from Capital Region Community Services) has been appointed as the Community-Based Project Co-Lead and Susan is working with Yasir Zaidi on sector engagement, dialogue with ACT Government, and design and delivery of practical actions to progress Recommendations in the Counting the Cost Report. Both Susan and Yasir are working closely with Fiona May, who is the Government-Based Co-Lead for the Project.
The first 6 months of the Project has included:
- three face to face workshops on fully costing service delivery, funding efficiencies and evaluation planning (72 people attended) that identified practical actions that could be taken to progress implementation of Recommendations 2, 3 and 4 in the Counting the Costs Report. These actions are underway with the goal of changes being implemented this year
- Tailored meetings with 31 government and non-government participants to contribute to project activities and share their expert advice on priorities for action
- Sharing insights and advice from the Project to ACT Government Officials to inform future policy development
In the coming 6 months, the Project will focus on:
- completing development of tools and resources to support fully costed services
- progressing a short list of funding efficiencies that can be implemented within current ACT Government policy and capacity
- reviewing the impact of the updated community sector indexation formula on covering the increasing costs of human service delivery
- working with ACT Government and NGOs on scoping a separately commissioned data sub-project to progress implementation of Recommendations 5 and 6 through improved evidence for funding unmet need, and increasing funding for prevention and early intervention
If you would like to participate in these activities, please email yasir.zaidi@crcs.com.au so we can add you to the Sounding Board mailing list.
Find out more: Sector Sustainability Program
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Page updated: 02 May 2025
