23 November 2023

23 November 2023

16 myths for 16 days: Debunking DVF myths
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This year, DVNSW is running a campaign called “16 Myths for 16 Days” where, every day, problematic myths about domestic and family violence are debunked by featuring sector experts and research. Considering the ongoing blight of violence and the well-publicised events in recent months, this is a campaign that I’ll be keenly watching.

DVNSW will be releasing short videos on their socials, so give them a follow (Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter/X, Facebook and LinkedIn) and share in your own networks!

Secure Jobs and Funding Certainty Taskforce

Last week, I attended an initial briefing alongside many of our peak colleagues. It was comforting to hear the Department of Communities and Justice articulate their dedication to the process, and to see the good work that is going in to it. There are a few elements that we are providing feedback on, to ensure that the Terms of Reference meet the expectations of the sector and give us the best opportunity to achieve the desperately needed change.

Rest assured, NCOSS and others across the sector will be a strong, united voice for the sector and community. As with a few things going on at the moment, watch this space!

#RaiseTheAge

The Lead Group of the re-booted NSW campaign met last week with the Attorney General, and the Ministers for Youth Justice, Youth, and Aboriginal Affairs. If you want to know more, you can attend a briefing tomorrow to hear an update from the campaign: Briefing Call - 11am AEST via Zoom.

The greatest thing organisations can do to support the campaign right now is to help us build momentum. Spread the word and invite organisations and individual supporters to join us.

From Friday 24 November to Friday 1 December 2023, the national campaign is also calling for a Week of Action to demand Attorneys-General #RaiseTheAge to at least 14 now, and get the youngest kids currently in prison out. You can read more about how to take action here.

Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Money matters

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index is a 22-year study into the wellbeing of Australians, conducted in partnership with Deakin University. It shows a clear link between low income and lower levels of personal wellbeing. Past research found that people managing on a household income of less than $60,000 had their personal wellbeing most affected. However, the 2023 Index, launched yesterday, showed that all groups on a household income of $100,000 or less had personal wellbeing scores below the normal range.

According to Dr Kate Lycett, lead researcher, that's 50% of the population who are significantly feeling the pain of this cost-of-living crisis as what they have to spend buys less and less.

This research lines up with the findings of our latest Cost of Living in NSW report, Barely Hanging On, and we we pleased to share our perspectives in this article, published on on the launch of the 2023 Australian Unity Wellbeing Index.

Taree Regional Meeting

One of our Policy Leads, Francesca Cathie, our Senior Project Officer with the CSDC Project, Eleanor Harris, and I headed to Taree on 14 November, where we met with a range of sector organisations and others to discuss key issues in the region.

It was great to connect, in person, with so many brilliant advocates for their local community. Scroll down to NCOSS in the News for some media coverage of the meeting.

Pokies reform

ClubGRANTS
NCOSS ended our 25-year association with the scheme in August 2021, when our review of NCOSS’ role on Local Committees – purportedly charged with the local administration of CAT 1 grants – showed significant problems with governance, transparency, and accountability. Noting NCOSS’ association with the scheme had been in name only for many years, the NCOSS Board decided that any further association with ClubGRANTS was untenable.

Since the recent consolidated publication of recipients of Category (CAT) 1 and 2 grants under the ClubGRANTS scheme, there’s been a fair bit of media interest including increased attention to the scheme rules for CAT 2 grants. These allow Clubs to claim tax deductions including large grants made to themselves and associated entities. You can read more about this in NCOSS in the News below.

Cashless Gaming Trial
There’s also been recent media attention on the number of pubs and clubs who have applied to be part of the cashless gaming trial, being overseen by the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform. NCOSS and our member organisation, Wesley Mission, are part of that panel.

NCOSS is dedicated to ensuring that NSW implements reforms that effectively minimise harm in the community, most of which is experienced by those doing it toughest. Scroll down to read the coverage, and the Panel’s communiqué, in NCOSS in the News.

NCOSS 2023 AGM

Our 2023 AGM is tomorrow, 24 November 2023 on Gadigal land at Yirranma Place. Registrations for those attending in-person begin at 10:00am, and we'll be serving tea and coffee. We will kick off the proceedings at around 10:20. I look forward to seeing you there!

The NSW Office of Energy and Climate Change (OECC) has released a public consultation paper on the proposed reforms to the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme on the NSW "Have Your Say" website. Submissions close at 11:59pm (AEDT) on Wednesday, 6 December 2023.

NCOSS is currently drafting a submission for the review. As it is a quick turnaround, we will be conducting a consultation via this online survey. We will be using the responses to broadly support our call to fund NGOs to be EAPA providers, as well as providing guidance on how to improve awareness and uptake of the scheme. These recommendations will be in line with the work we have done through our Cost of Living reports.

Please email advocacy@ncoss.org.au if you have any questions or would like to provide feedback over a call. Feedback for our survey will close on Monday, 27 November at 5pm.

NCOSS attended Day 1 of the National Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Conference, hosted by the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) on 21 November 2023.

More than 200 health experts and representatives from across the country attended to share knowledge, experience and ideas to create better outcomes from people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

There were some incredibly powerful stories, particularly from keynote speaker Dr Dinesh Palipana from Gold Coast Hospital, who shared his experience from working in an emergency department to becoming a patient after becoming quadriplegic following a car accident. While he loves his job, his experience of the healthcare system as a patient left him with mental scars. "I would never go to hospital unless I’m dying because of my experience," he said, stressing that healthcare is not just about treating medical conditions, it’s about helping human beings.

Some of the common themes throughout the conference included:

There is a lack of representation of multicultural communities in the health workforce, particularly leadership roles. We need to ensure that our leaders reflect the communities that they represent
Multicultural communities and migrant populations are often excluded from data and research and aren’t considered in health promotion activities.

The Hon Ryan Park MP, NSW Minister for Health and Regional Health, gave an opening address, reiterating the need to collaborate, listen and empower our multicultural communities to achieve the best outcomes.

NCOSS attended the Quarterly Sector Forum held by AbSec on 21 and 22 November. The two days involved robust discussions around many topics such as Aboriginal-led children and family research, carer support and training, and community-led restoration.

A particularly critical discussion was had in the opening session around the importance of having an Independent Commission and Aboriginal Child and Family Commissioner in NSW. Currently, NSW is the only state that does not have an Aboriginal Child and Family Commissioner despite this being a recommendation in the 2019 Family is Culture report. The session involved a cross-jurisdictional learning panel with Commissioners from SA, WA and the ACT and the Office of the Children's Guardian in NSW.

The panel emphasised the particular powers and functions an Aboriginal Commissioner should have in order to make a genuine impact on re-shaping the child protection and out-of-home care system in NSW. One of the key elements discussed was that the development of the position should be guided by the Paris Principles. It must be identified, independent legally and respected in practice, and resourced adequately. Some of the powers of the Commissioner should include the following for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children:

providing individual and systemic advocacy
developing culturally safe and informed strategies for the safety and well-being
intervening in relation to decisions that will affect their rights or interests, including in relevant court proceedings
investigating individual and systemic issues and making recommendations for change, to government ministers, state authorities and non-government organisations.

Pictured (L-R) are John Leha (CEO, AbSec), Shannon Thorpe (NSW Aboriginal Advocate for Children and Young People), April Lawrie (Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, SA), Jacqueline McGowan-Jones (Commissioner for Children and Young People, WA), Barbara Causon (Advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, ACT), Steve Kinmond (Children's Guardian, NSW Office of the Children's Guardian).

The Community Sector Disaster Capability (CSDC) Project Local Teams in Hawkesbury, Northern Rivers, Snowy Monaro and Eurobodalla/Bega have been gathering findings and connecting with emergency services as part of the first stage of the Project – which is being led by NCOSS in collaboration with the Local Community Services Association and AbSec.

Pictured are attendees at the Disaster Ready Together: Community Sector Capability Workshop on 6 November, where NGOs from three Northern Rivers LGAs discussed their disaster experiences and capability requirements. This was also a chance for the Disaster Ready Together Team to present their vulnerability mapping results and preliminary findings of their sector survey.

Pauline Cook, CEO of Monaro Family Support Service, the CSDC Local Team in Snowy Monaro, attended the National Disaster Preparedness Summit in September in Canberra.

Pauline was an expert speaker at the Summit breakout session on Disability and Vulnerable Communities, where she highlighted the important but often unrecognised roles of place-based organisations in disasters. Monaro Family Support Service has been delivering disaster preparedness support sessions, using Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness Principles, to higher risk communities and cohorts in the region, in collaboration with the Red Cross and representatives of local emergency service agencies.

Caption: Pauline Cook from Monaro Family Support Service in Canberra for the National Disaster Preparedness Summit.

The word map above comes from answers to the question “What would help services and communities in the Hawkesbury be better prepared and linked in when the next emergency happens?” This was asked of Hawkesbury NGOs, community groups and emergency services at the Peppercorn Services Community Organisations Breakfast on 26th Octobe and reported in the previous issue of eNews. Peppercorn, with local partner Bligh Park Community Services, has been conducting surveys and consultations to understand NGO and community disaster experiences and capability requirements across the Hawkesbury LGA.

The CSDC Local Team at Katungul Aboriginal Corporation has been focusing on engaging with Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Emergency Services about the CSDC project, considering disaster readiness from a perspective of caring for Country and more culturally inclusive communications.

The CDSC Project runs to June 2024 and is funded through the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund, which is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments. 

For more details, visit the project webpage or email Project Director, Megan Nicholson.

"Community can be agile in a way the government cannot and will never be able to be.”

“There will always be the need for government and community-led groups to work alongside one another.”

A new report Community Sector Involvement in Disaster Management has been published by Southern Cross University, highlighting the critical role NGO services played in the Northern Rivers floods and the need for greater community sector involvement in disaster preparedness and planning.

The research was undertaken in collaboration with NCOSS and place-based services active in the Northern Rivers flood response and recovery.

The report includes a cross-jurisdiction analysis of Australian and international disaster management practices, a review of examples of how NGOs have been working with government in disaster management in Australian jurisdictions and overseas, and the results of a series of focus groups held with local NGOs across the Northern Rivers.

“The Report provides important and compelling detail of the role played by Northern Rivers services in the 2022 floods,” NCOSS Acting CEO Ben McAlpine said. “It’s a must read for anyone interested in understanding the Northern Rivers flood response, and in better preparing for large scale emergencies in the future.”

The report is available free to download and share through Creative Commons with the citation Donnarumma, S., Doyle, K., & Russ, E. (2023). Community sector involvement in disaster management. Lismore, Southern Cross University.

Following the recent publication of consolidated ClubGRANTS category (CAT) 1 and 2 data, there's been a number of articles published over the past couple of weeks on the ClubGRANTS scheme and the pending review, announced recently by the NSW Government.

In a 13 November article published by The Sydney Morning Herald, NCOSS Acting CEO, Ben McAlpine, was cited, indicating the scheme did not reflect modern-day expectations for a taxpayer-funded grants program:

“The fact that clubs are feathering their own nests by funnelling vast sums of money into their own operations, like football clubs – and that the scheme rules allow this – shows how fundamentally flawed the whole scheme is,” McAlpine said.

“NSW is in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis that is unrelenting on all fronts. Instead of funding well-heeled football clubs, this scheme should be doing more to support those who can’t put food on the table or a roof over their head.”

Noting NCOSS ended its 25-year involvement in 2021 after an internal review found it was “seriously flawed, rife with opportunities for conflicts of interest, and had no real enforcement of the rules," The SMH's 14 November editorial stated:

“There is no need for the Minns government to conduct a review of a controversial grants program that has allowed NSW licensed clubs to legally claim tax breaks on millions of dollars of poker machine revenue by donating money to themselves.

"Clubs have been feathering their own nests for years, funnelling vast sums of money into their own operations. This practice, which started off with altruistic attentions, is little short of a rort. It should be stopped."

Meanwhile, the South Coast Register reported that the Acting CEO of NSW Hospitality and Racing Tarek Barakat said the government was doing a root and branch review of the grant scheme:

"In the past, organisations like [the NSW Council of Social Service] raised some concerns about the operation of the scheme, so given those concerns and the fact that [its] been a while since the scheme has been looked at, the government has decided to take a look at it," he said. "Looking at how the funds have been spent would form part of any kind of review of the scheme."

Read the full article by Harriet Alexander's and Nick Gladstone's, Clubs donate generously... to themselves, Michael McGowan's article, Future of NSW clubs grants scheme under review, published in The SMH on 14 November and The SMH's 14 November editorial, Stop clubs helping themselves to a piece of the action.

Read the South Coast Register's Kate McIlwain's 15 November article Illawarra clubs direct millions to their own operations under pokie tax-break scheme.

The SMH also published an article on progress with the cashless gaming system trial, being overseen by the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform of which NCOSS is a member, and an editorial warning that the rush of pubs and clubs to join the trial needs to be treated with caution as cashless technology "just happens to be the area of reform most vigorously contested by ClubsNSW and the NSW branch of the Australian Hotels Association."

The editorial states:

"While it is sensible to have industry figures on the panel overseeing the trial (the gaming sector will need to work with the government on an eventual rollout), the government and reform advocates should remain on their guard because the cashless card is still not a done deal and some forces would still like to kill it and ensure no change occurs."

Read Alexander Smith's and Harriet Alexander's article, Ten times more pokies in cashless trial than flagged by NSW Labor, published inThe SMH on 10 November, the The SMH's 11 November editorial Gambling industry ups the ante on Labor’s cashless gaming trial, and the Panel's 30 October communiqué.

The Manning River Times reported on our Regional Meeting in Taree in partnership with local hosts, Zac Carter from Manning Valley Indigenous Community Support Services and Corinne Stephenson from Forster Neighbourhood Centre, noting that NCOSS acting CEO, Ben McAlpine, said the event was an important opportunity to hear from front line services about their experiences:

"Too often the regions are forgotten by our policy makers, and it is our job to ensure their voice is heard," Mr McAlpine said.

"Our members tell us that the perennial issue for the regions is that services are increasingly centralised when we know place-based approaches work best. At the same time, funding is fragmented and inconsistent, and nothing will change if the policies don't.

"I am particularly looking forward to our discussion on risk reduction and disaster preparedness which will hone in on the importance of social connections and local networks for disaster recovery and preparedness."

Ben was also interviewed on ABC Mid North Coast Breakfast.

Read the full Manning River Times article and listen to Ben here and here.

A couple of weeks ago First Nations leaders, communities and organisations who supported ‘yes’ shared their collective insights and views following the referendum.

In the statement they said, “We have faith that the upswelling of support through this referendum has ignited a fire for many to walk with us on our journey towards healing and justice.”

As we continue to process what the referendum outcome means, our sector will need to consider how we can commit to walk with First Nations communities in their ongoing fight for sovereignty and self-determination.

As a first step, we’re working with our colleagues at ACOSS to encourage NSW community sector organisations to sign on to sign on to a statement of solidarity with First Nations Communities. Will your organisation sign the statement?

First Nations Elders and leaders demonstrated incredible strength and generosity in extending an invitation to non-Indigenous Australia to join them on this journey.

Now more than ever, it’s critical we come together, continue the work, and unite in solidarity with First Nations peoples. Register your commitment to continuing to support the sovereignty and self-determination of First Nations communities.

NSW Health is holding a webinar for social and health NGOs on Thursday 7 December on the health risks of heatwave and bushfire this summer and how people and services can prepare. The webinar will cover:

Forecasted risks this summer - heat and bushfire
Effects of heat and heatwaves on the body
Emergency management heatwave planning and how communities and services can prepare
Key messages and resources of the NSW Health – Beat the Heat campaign, launched by NSW Health on 17 November.

The briefing is designed for service managers looking to prepare their organisations for the risk of heatwave this summer and frontline staff working with at risk groups and individuals. The sector briefing was requested by NCOSS after a National Emergency Management Agency briefing in October advised of an increased risk of heatwave and bushfires this summer.

Carer Gateway is a nationwide program that aims to support the wellbeing of carers of all ages, including young carers.

Carers suitable for the program are those looking after a family member or a friend with a disability, a medical condition, a mental illness a drug, alcohol condition or who are frail due to age. Funded by the Australian Government, Carer Gateway delivers a range of services in-person, by phone, and online. This includes Coaching, Counselling, Emergency Respite, Peer Support, Carer Directed Packages for practical and other support, and Online Courses to upskill. No referral is required. There is no citizenship, residency, or specific visa requirement to be eligible for the program.

Simply call 1800 422 737 (Mon-Fri) between 8am-5.00pm and speak to a Carer Gateway representative who can assist you. More information is available on the website.

The NSW Government is conducting Bus Passenger Forums across the state to speak with the community face to face on what they want to get from their bus services. Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Dr Marjorie O'Neill, will chair these forums. Members of the public and community groups, local businesses and non-government organisations are invited to have their say.

The following dates have been scheduled. (Note, they may be subject to change):

Broken Hill
Broken Hill Civic Centre, 31 Chloride St, Broken Hill 2880

Saturday, 25 November 2023, 9:00am-10:30am

Chatswood
Chatswood Interchange, Concourse (Station) Level, 436 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood 2067

Monday, 27 November 2023, 3:00pm-6:00pm

Batemans Bay
Bay Pavilions, 12 Vesper Street, Batemans Bay 2536

Friday, 1 December 2023, 1:00pm-1:45pm
Friday, 1 December 2023, 2:00pm-2:45pm

Northern Beaches
Hunter
South East Sydney Parramatta
Liverpool
Wollongong
Epping
Gosford
Mittagong
Nowra
Orange
Marsden Park (community pop-up)

You can also have your say by completing the Taskforce's survey or making a submission.

NSW Legislative Council Parliamentary Inquiries Workshop
NSW Parliament House, 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Wednesday, 6 December 2023 @ 8:45am-1:00pm
Free | Register

How to have your say and maximise your influence

Do you work for a non-government organisation and want to know more about Parliamentary Inquiries, so that you can participate and influence policy decisions? Do you want to build your skills in writing submissions or in appearing as a witness?

Facilitated by staff members of the NSW Legislative Council parliamentary committees, as well as by the NCOSS Policy & Advocacy team, this workshop is most useful for people who have limited or no experience in writing submissions or taking part in hearings. It is also well-regarded by those who would like to refresh their knowledge and skills in the subject areas.

More information is available on the NCOSS website.

Domestic & Family Violence and Centrelink - Community Legal Education
Welfare Rights Centre

Tuesday, 5 December 2023 @ 2:00-4:00pm. Online
Cost| Register

Want to gain a better understanding of Centrelink payments and services targetting domestic and family violence?

This free online session will outline income support available to victims and survivors of domestic and family violence, including Parenting Payment, JobSeeker Payment, Crisis Payment and Special Benefit. It will cover how to establish entitlement to payment, timeframes for claiming, residential qualifications, and presumptions of shared income under the Member of a Couple rule.

We'll tackle issues associated with demonstrating ‘care’ of children and removal of children by perpetrators which can impact both qualification and rate of payment. We'll also explain application of special circumstances in relation to debts.

Online Event - Economic Abuse and Coercive Control
Economic Abuse Awareness Day
Monday 27 November @ 2.30-4.00pm, Online
Free I Register

Did you know that from July 2024, coercive control will be a criminal offence in NSW? It occurs when someone repeatedly uses abusive behaviours towards an intimate partner to coerce or control them.

To recognise Economic Abuse Awareness Day (EAAD) 2023, which has the theme ‘counting the cost’ and is part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, Women NSW will be hosting a free online event on economic abuse and coercive control.

There will also be a deep dive into the Women’s Financial Toolkit to explore trusted resources that can help.

Understanding Contracts (New)
Justice Connect - Not-for-Profit Law
Tuesday, 28 November @ 12.45-2pm AEDT, Online
$49 - $85 I Register

Contracts are part of everyday operations for many not-for-profits. It’s important to know what issues to look out for when signing on the dotted line.

In this webinar, we’ll introduce you to the legal basics of contracting and give tips on what to think about when faced with a contract. We’ll also outline changes to laws about unfair terms and how they impact not-for-profits.

2023 Kim Santow Law & Social Justice Panel
The University of Sydney
Thursday, 30 November @ 6:00-7:30pm, Level 1 New Law Building Annex (F10A), Law Lounge, University of Sydney
Free I Register

Is there a looming crisis in social justice recruitment?

Supported by the Kim Santow Law and Social Justice Fund, Sydney Law School’s annual panel discussion closely examines contemporary socio-legal issues, with social justice and human rights considerations central to the discussion.

Not-for-profit agencies for a social justice purpose provide a wide range of essential public activities, from client services to advocacy for change, but these agencies are facing increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining staff. To discuss this difficult policy issue, this year’s eminent panel brings together a range of perspectives:

Dr Anna Cody, Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Thomas Costa, Assistant Secretary, Unions NSW
Emily Hamilton, Advocacy & Communications Manager, Community Legal Centres Australia
Rosa Loria, CEO, Sydney Multicultural Community Services
Ben McAlpine, Acting NCOSS CEO
Bailey Riley, President, National Union of Students

The panel discussion will be facilitated by Professor Simon Rice, OAM.

The panel discussion will be followed by refreshments, and presentation of the Kim Santow Law and Social Justice Essay Prize.

Cultural Connection
AbSec
Tuesday, 12 December 2023 @ 9:30am-4:30pm. Online
$450 per person, group bookings available I Register

It is a requirement in NSW that all Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care have a Cultural Care Plan and a Cultural Support Plan.

The Cultural Connections Workshop helps child protection practitioners and agency staff support Aboriginal children in care through effective cultural planning.

During the one-day workshop, AbSec's Aboriginal trainer will guide you through how to create meaningful and achievable cultural planning, and how to put it into practice. They will also build interpersonal skills to help you consult with Aboriginal families and communities; maintaining these relationships is central to forming complete and effective cultural support plans, and gaining the important input of all key figures in a child’s life.

This one day course is designed for those working or intending to work in the child protection industry as a service provider, case worker, manager etc.

Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Program
Department of Home Affairs (Aus Gov)
Closing Date: Wednesday, 6 December 2023

The Australian Government is inviting providers to apply for grants to supply services under the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Program from 2024 to 2027.

The purpose of the SETS program is to equip and empower humanitarian entrants, other vulnerable migrants and their communities, with the knowledge and tools to address their settlement needs in order to improve social and economic participation, and community connectedness. The program focuses on building independence, self-agency, self-efficacy, and personal well-being.

For more information, visit the grant information page.

National Justice Reinvestment Program
Attorney General's Department (Aus Gov)
Closing Date: Thursday, 7 December 2023

The Australian Government is inviting applications through an open non-competitive process to deliver justice reinvestment initiatives.

Funding is available from 2023-24 to 2025-26 for up to 30 place-based community-led justice reinvestment initiatives. The National Justice Reinvestment Program is an ongoing program beyond 2025-26.

This grant opportunity aims to support the development and delivery of community and First Nations-led justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia, by supporting:

the development, implementation, and evaluation of local justice reinvestment strategies and activities
local project teams and leadership structures to undertake the work of developing, implementing and evaluating justice reinvestment strategies.

For more information, visit the grant information page.

Disaster Ready Fund - Round 2
NSW Government
Closing Date for EOI: Friday, 8 December 2023

The Australian Government has established the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), to help communities protect themselves against the impacts of natural hazards across Australia.

If you wish to apply to Round 2 of the DRF, you must participate in the NSW Expression of Interest (EOI), open from 6 November 2023 to 8 December 2023. This is a mandatory part of the process for applicants who wish to be considered for the DRF Round 2 NSW application.

More information here

NSW Storm & Flood Disaster Recovery Small Business Grant
Service NSW
Closing Date: Friday, 15 December 2023

If you're a small business or a not-for-profit organisation in NSW and you've been directly impacted by storms and floods from 4 August 2022 or 14 September 2022 onwards, you may be eligible for a storm and flood disaster recovery small business grant.

This disaster recovery grant of up to $50,000 is to help pay for the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of a small business or not-for-profit organisation’s operations.

For more information, visit the grant information page.

Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund - Flexible Initiatives Fund
NSW Department of Education

With a total pool of $20 million from the Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund, the Flexible Initiatives Trial will empower early childhood education and care providers to better cater for the needs of local families and increase the availability of places for children in New South Wales where and when they are needed most.

Services in areas with low socio-economic indicators, in remote regions, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services, Aboriginal Controlled Children’s Services and Aboriginal Child and Family Centres will receive extra consideration under the program, including allowances for higher costs in rural and remote areas.

Closing Date: Friday, 1 December 2023 . Apply

Individual Capacity Building Grant
Department of Social Services (Aus Gov)
Closing Date: Thursday, 30 November 2023

Funding of up to $90 million will be available to deliver one-off, time-limited activities to support systemic, nationwide access to peer support, mentoring, self-advocacy and other skills building for people with disability, their family and carers.

Activities should be co-designed with people with people with disability aligning with Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 and be about changing attitudes and practices, resulting in improved delivery of disability services and developing better practices to support people with disability in achieving their life goals.

Closing Date: Thursday, 30 November 2023 Apply.

Some of the latest from our Jobs Board:

Head of Policy, Advocacy and Communications (Sydney) - Jesuit Refugee Services - VIEW JOB

Direct Services Child & Adolescent Counsellor/Project Officer
(Sydney wide) - NSW STARTTS - VIEW JOB

Community Health Promotion Officer - Regional Services (North Coast NSW) - ACON - VIEW JOB

Aboriginal Case Worker (Macarthur) - Macarthur Family & Youth Services - VIEW JOB

First Nations Lead Practitioner; Abuse of Older People Lead Practitioner (Sydney) - Seniors Rights Service - VIEW JOB; VIEW JOB

Welfare Rights Solicitor (Wollongong/Shoalhaven) - Illawarra Legal Centre - VIEW JOB

Casual Alcohol And Other Drugs Worker, WHOS New Beginnings (Inner West Sydney) - WHOS - VIEW JOB

NCOSS gives its members the opportunity to share their stories, research, resources, events and more through NCOSS eNews. If you have something to share with the sector, send through a short blurb (50-70 words), image (250 x 250px) and relevant links to info@ncoss.org.au.

We will endeavour to add it to an edition of NCOSS e-News (goes out every fortnight on Thursday morning). Deadline for content is 5:00pm on Monday, the week of publication. The next deadline is Monday, 4 December 2023.