27 July 2023

27 July 2023

Indexation. Yes, it's 5.75% across eligible grants
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With service providers at the coal face stretched to the limit, it was a real relief to get clarification that the 5.75% indexation across certain, identified DCJ and Health community services grants will be delivered, as promised. Now more than ever, every dollar counts.

Indexation for our sector shouldn’t be a yearly guessing game – organisations need certainty. That’s why we’ve called on the NSW Government to commit to a consistent, evidence-based approach. One that applies across the board, and ensures that the real value of grants isn’t being continuously eroded. In the leadup to the 2023-24 state budget being handed down, we will again be advocating for this mechanism.

NGO Flood Recovery Program – Grant applications now open
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On 25 July, DCJ announced that $6.5 million is available through the NGO Flood Recovery Program – Open Competitive Grants for any NGO providing critical services to vulnerable individuals and families in the highly impacted Western, Murrumbidgee, Far West and New England DCJ Districts. For more information, including how to apply, scroll down to Grant Opportunities or visit the NGO Flood Recovery Program page on DCJ's website.

A further $1.1 million is available to services who are DCJ-contracted under the NGO Flood Recovery Program – Closed Competitive Grants. Application for this funding is by invitation only and DCJ will contact eligible service providers.

Meanwhile we continue to advocate for the Northern Rivers Flood Support Program to be ongoing, given the long recovery road ahead for many, particularly more disadvantaged and vulnerable community members.

NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast – 26 September 2023
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I'm very pleased to let you know that NCOSS' Post Budget Breakfast will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, in the Strangers Dining Room at NSW Parliament House. The Treasurer, the Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC, and the Shadow Treasurer, the Hon Damien Tudehope MLC, will be there to outline their priorities for tackling the widening inequality in NSW, and supporting our sector in this task.

The discussion will be moderated by a prominent journalist and we encourage you save the date for this important event, which is your opportunity to hear directly from our political leaders on the issues that matter to our sector and the communities we serve.

This year, the NSW Government has indicated that it’s not calling for pre-budget submissions from advocacy and interest groups. As we have our 2023 Cost of Living research due out in a few weeks – and as this is the number one challenge facing households in NSW – we will use it to draw attention to the actions we believe should be prioritised to better support disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in NSW.

Watch this space for more information about the Post Budget Breakfast and how to register.

Upcoming FONGA meeting. Not to be missed!

Our next Forum Of Non-Government Agencies (FONGA) meeting is coming up on Friday, 4 August. We're excited to be previewing our Cost of Living in NSW (CoLiN) 2023 report.

For this year’s report, we wanted to put a spotlight on the experience of CALD communities.

The sampling methodology involved respondents selected from locations and demographic groups representative of metropolitan and regional communities across NSW, and enabled us to focus on culturally diverse households. This provided statistically significant data broken down to the SA4 level, and paints a rich picture of how households on low incomes or living below the poverty line are coping with the current cost-of-living crisis, and how things have changed since last year.

This session is not to be missed!

Meeting with the Emergency Services Minister

It was great to meet last week with the Member for Bankstown, the Hon Jihad Dib MP, Minister Customer Service and Digital, Emergency Services and Youth Justice, at his Punchbowl electorate office.

We talked about the disproportionate impact of disasters on disadvantaged communities and the role of trusted local organisations – first on the ground, and there for the long haul. We also discussed our upcoming Cost of Living research, which shows that hardworking households are cracking under the strain and running out of options in the face of cost increases on multiple fronts. As someone deeply connected with his community, Minister Dib knows how tough it is, and the need for government to work in partnership with our sector to deliver support where it's most needed.
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Mapping Economic Disadvantage in Western Sydney
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Last week, I attended forums in West and South West Sydney to present the key themes from our Mapping Economic Disadvantage in NSW report. Organised in collaboration with the Western Sydney Community Forum, the focus was on the deepening divide and what that means for Sydney's West. You can read more about the forums in the article below.

We also encourage you to get online, explore the research and use the interactive maps and dashboards in your service planning, submissions, grant applications and advocacy work for your communities.

Independent Panel on gaming reform & ClubGRANTS review announced
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On 13 July – while the last edition of eNEWS was landing in your mail boxes – the NSW Government announced the establishment of the Independent Panel, including NCOSS, to oversee the cashless gaming system trial for pokies and the development of the gambling reform roadmap for the state.

Our role will be to ensure that the interests of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities are front and centre, and we are pleased to be joined by Wesley Mission, the United Services Union, academics and a representative with lived experience. At the same time, the NSW Government announced that the ClubGRANTS scheme in its entirety would be reviewed in a process separate from – but run in parallel – with the work of the Independent Panel.

Gambling harm most hurts those who can least afford the losses. We're looking forward to seeing the public interest at the centre of gambling policy in NSW and sensible reforms flowing from the processes now underway. You can read coverage of the announcements in the NCOSS in the News section below.

On 7 July, The NSW Government opened its Improving Rental Laws consultations, releasing a discussion paper. The consultation is open until 11 August, and covers important areas for rental reform including ending 'no grounds' evictions, pets and renting, renters' data privacy, and rental affordability. Everyone can have their say through completing the consultation survey or emailing written submissions.

NCOSS has recently distributed a short member survery to help inform our submission.

In the meantime, our colleagues at the NSW Tenants' Union have developed resources for renters and their supporters, to help them understand the consultation process and how they can contribute – Renters, have your say! These resources include a guide for completing the online consultation survey and a submission template.

The Tenants' Union would love you to share these resources with your supporters, members, and networks if you think they might be useful! Image seen on Make Renting Fair.

What a great response to our Mapping Economic Disadvantage in Western Sydney series, held last week with Western Sydney Community Forum, Nepean Community & Neighbourhood Services at their place in Penrith, Karabi Community & Development Services at the PHIVE in Parramatta, and Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections at their Warwick Farm premises.

The focus was on the key themes from our Mapping Economic Disadvantage in NSW report and the implications from the data for Western Sydney, as well as what’s going on in these communities.

The sessions were well attended, and a great opportunity to connect with services at the coal face of this cost-of-living crisis, trying to plug the many gaps in our service system and well and truly going above and beyond to meet skyrocketing demand. As always, they put a human face to the research and told the stories behind the statistics. The resourcefulness and commitment of sector is nothing short of amazing. At the same time, it's hard not to wonder how much further frontline services, and their mainly female workforce, can stretch themselves.

A big thanks to Western Sydney Community Forum for arranging and facilitating these sessions, and to Joy Impiombato, Vicki Wilde, Pat Hall, Carole-Anne Priest and the teams at Nepean Community & Neighbourhood Services, Karabi Community & Development Services, and Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections for hosting us and for their valuable insights. Image provided by the WSCF team.

Over 40 participants engaged in the online discussion we hosted on 24 July. The theme was around building cultural humility and safety within the workplace.

We started the conversation by looking at some research findings from UTS' Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research's, and the Australian Diversity Council's, 2020 Gari Yala – Speak the Truth: Centering the Work Experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians report. This included statistics around:

Clear connections between cultural (un)safety and racial discrimination/harassment (e.g. 64% likelihood of Indigenous workers hearing racial or ethnic slurs or jokes at work)
Identity strain (e.g. 65% reported having to work harder to prove that an Indigenous person can do the job sometimes, often, or all the time)
Cultural load (e.g. 66% reported having extra Indigenous-related work demands placed upon them).

Two rounds of break-out sessions provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on cultural safety in their own organisations (progress, barriers and commitments), especially in the lead-up to the Voice to Parliament referendum.

As agreed with participants, these sessions are not recorded for confidentiality and trust-building purposes. Instead, broad themes and resources are published on the NCOSS Building Cultural Safety in Times of Change event page.

While the session yielded fruitful insights, we echo the sentiment of one attendee who said, “My best learning has come through [direct] conversations and relationship building with First Nations colleagues and community members.” May such relationships and trust-building continue to grow in our sector, in these times of change.

The image is a detail from our RAP artwork, One Step of Many More, by Wandi Wandian artist, Karlie Stewart.

On 13 July, the NSW Government announced the membership of the 16-person Independent Panel that will oversee the trial of a cashless gaming card and the development of a gaming reform roadmap. NCOSS and our member organisation, Wesley Mission, were announced as members. The Panel is being headed by Michael Fogo, a former liquor, gaming and racing commissioner, with former Labor Senator Ursula Stephens and Deputy NSW Nationals leader Niall Blair.

It's also pleasing that the NSW Government has announced a review of the so-called ClubGRANTS scheme, after years of advocating for an overhaul. NCOSS – and many of our members – has long had concerns that ClubGRANTS lacks strong governance and oversight, it doesn’t adequately manage conflicts of interest, and it doesn’t meet community expectations for a taxpayer-funded grants program. Our August 2021 report on our review of NCOSS' role in the scheme lead to the conclusion that we could play no further part in its operations.

The ClubGRANTS review will take place separately from, but concurrently with, the work of the Independent Panel.

Read our media release about the announcement. Read the coverage in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian. Watch Joanna and Wesley Mission CEO and Superintendent, Rev Stu Cameron, on ABC News. Listen to Joanna on ABC radio. Image by Peter Braig as seen on the SMH.

More than four in five renters are in housing stress, with homelessness the leading impact of the housing crisis, a report by national housing campaign Everybody’s Home has revealed. Based on surveys of almost 750 people, the Brutal Reality report found that:

Two thirds (67%) of people are in housing stress
Four in five (82%) renters are in rental stress
Three quarters (75%) of people are scared about their financial security because of the housing crisis
Two thirds (66%) of people are worried about their mental health and wellbeing.

The report also surveyed housing and welfare organisations across Australia. Nine in ten (89%) reported bigger and more complex workloads, while three in five (61%) said their staff were experiencing burnout or leaving their roles due to the crisis.

They'll be using the research to prepare the Everybody's Home submission to the Senate Inquiry into housing affordability. They're also calling on everybody impacted – or who cares about ensuring everybody has access to a safe, affordable home – to make a submission. Submissions close Monday, 13 September 2023.

Read Everybody's Home media release. Image seen on the Everybody's Home website.

MHCN (Mental Health Carers NSW) is the peak body for mental health carers in NSW. They represent the voices and lived experience of carers who help them to advocate systemically for mental health reform.

In partnership with NSW Health, they have been chosen to develop seven new resources for carers for specific populations and circumstances. MHCN will be holding for separate consultation groups in the coming months to assist in developing these resources and are offering paid consultations for people to participate in these groups.

If you're interested in participating and feel that you meet the criteria of having lived experience of one or more of the seven topic areas, then please complete the EOI form by 11.59pm on Sunday, 30 July 2023.

More information here. Image from MHCN website.

The Targeted Early Intervention (TEI) program evaluation is underway. DCJ wants to make sure that the evaluators hear from TEI service providers about what works and what doesn’t in TEI, and to help shape the future of the program.

The TEI Evaluation survey was sent TEI providers on Monday, 24 July. Service providers have until COB on Friday, 4 August 2023 to complete it. If your organisation has not received the survey, contact the TEI mailbox. This is an important opportunity for TEI providers to provide feedback to the evaluators.

If service providers have issues with completing the survey or any questions, please direct them to Social Ventures Australia, who are managing the survey process. Image seen on the DCJ TEI website.

Have you received disaster recovery grant funding? The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is conducting an independent review of Commonwealth Disaster Funding. They're seeking feedback on the impacts of short-term grant funding on community recovery and service delivery.

Grants such as the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF), the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund, and Recovery Support Service funding are all types of Commonwealth Disaster Funding.

The deadline for public submissions has been extended and now close on Friday, 4 August 2023 at 10.00pm AEST. Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash.

Inviting two more presenters for the 24 August NSW NGO Researchers Forum

There’s always something new to learn, or reflect on, at the NGO Researchers Forum. If you’ve completed (or are completing) an initiative that strengthens the way we analyse, use and apply data; uses data for advocacy purposes; improves outcomes for service users; and/or addresses specific sector issues – we’d love to hear from you.

Please fill out a quick EOI here before Thursday 10 August. We’re looking for two more presenters for our 24 August session and three for 26 October.

NCOSS NSW Budget on-line learning session – RSVP now for 15 August

The NSW Budget is the most important annual political, economic and social document in the state. Advocating for appropriate budgets – and scrutinising what's delivered – are important parts of NCOSS' work.

Join us online as Catherine McGovern, Principal, Evaluate Consulting, gives a primer as well as refresher on the NSW Budget process. View details and RSVP here. Image of the Legislative Assembly seen on the NSW Parliament website.

How do you change a bad law?
UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion
Friday, 28 July 2023, 6.00pm - 7.00pm (drinks and refreshments from 5.00pm)

In the May 2023 Federal budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced an important change to the welfare payment for single parents. Recipients could stay on it until their youngest child turned 14, up from the previous cut-off at eight years old.

The campaign that took place leading up to the budget is a success story of how lived experience, independent research, media attention, and a government-backed task force combined to reform a harmful policy.

Join us in conversation with Dr Anne Summers AO (UTS), Laura Tingle (7.30), and Terese Edwards (National Council of Single Mothers and their Children) on how researchers, activists, policymakers, and the community sector can join forces to navigate complex politics to advocate for – and achieve – reform. For more information and registration, go here.

Walking together towards reconciliation
City of Sydney
Wednesday, 9 August 2023 5.30pm - 8.30pm

Join a free workshop hosted by the City of Sydney to learn about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum.

Nicole Laupepa, a proud Gomeroi woman, and Jacqui Parker, a non-Indigenous educator, present this interactive session designed to empower you to take meaningful action towards reconciliation.

Together, they’ve developed the workshop to facilitate knowledge and understanding, using the Uluru Statement from the Heart as a framework. The training paves the way for participants to accept the invitation to walk together with First Nations peoples for constitutional recognition.

You’ll leave with a better understanding of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and how a Voice to Parliament will improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

To book and for information about future dates go here.

Homelessness Week
Homelessness Australia
17 - 23 August 2023

Every year, Homelessness Australia hosts Homelessness Week. This year the week will be held from Monday 7 August to Sunday 13 August 2023 with the theme "It time to end homelessness."

This theme was chosen because in 2023 the Federal Government will begin developing its 10-year housing and homelessness plan. This is a once in a generation opportunity to achieve the scope and scale of changes that are needed to end homelessness. But the Plan will only drive significant change, if the Government is ambitious about what can be achieved.

With your help Homelessness Australia can encourage the Government to adopt an ambitious aim for the 10-year housing and homelessness plan.

Download the supporter pack here.

Hawkesbury Suicide Awareness Campaign Day
Friday, 8 September 2023, 1.00pm to 5.00pm
EOI for local community groups and business groups

With Hawkesbury businesses and community providers, Hope4u Foundation is organising a Suicide Awareness Day in the lead up to World Suicide Prevention Day (Sunday, 10 September). Locals are encouraged to get involved and Hope4u Foundation is seeking Expressions of Interest.

Local providers include Flourish, Platform, Richmond Community Centre, Hawkesbury City Council, Peppercorn and Hawkesbury Women in Business.

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed in more than 60 countries, with the aim of promoting stigma reduction, policy change, help seeking, and remembering those we have lost to suicide, those who have attempted suicide, those who are living with the grief of losing someone. Almost 10 million Australians know someone who has been impacted by suicide, that's almost half the country.

More information here.

Welfare Rights Centre
Disability Support Pension Community Legal Education
Wednesday, 9 August 2023, 2.00pm - 4.00pm via Zoom

Want to gain a better understanding of Disability Support Pension (DSP)?

In this free online session Welfare Rights Centre will explain the complex DSP rules – working through the multi-layered assessment process including eligibility criteria, evidence requirements, and key steps in the claim process. Speakers will cover manifest eligibility, Impairment Tables, Programs of Support, and job assessment capacity. They'll also explain temporary exemptions from mutual obligations to look for work for those struggling to gain access to DSP.

Target audience: Community workers and volunteers, disability advocates, social workers and lawyers

More information here or register on Zoom for direct link.

Supporting Children who have Experienced Trauma – Micro-credential
Emerging Minds and Flinders University
First intake begins 28 August 2023, online

In collaboration with Flinders University, Emerging Minds is pleased to announce this micro-credential course, commencing late August 2023.

Join Professor Sarah Wendt (Director of Flinders University’s Social Work Innovation Research Living Space Centre) and Dr Dan Moss (Manager, Practice Development at Emerging Minds) for this 12-week program designed to support and guide participant’s learning on interpersonal trauma and its impacts on children. No matter which context you work in, this topic will help you to work with children and their families with increased confidence and skill, providing them with the support that they need.

The course includes four 90-minute seminars presented by Flinders University and Emerging Minds as well as fortnightly quizzes, a recorded presentation and subsequent self-analysis of the presentation where upon successful completion, you will be awarded the micro-credential in the form of a PDF certificate.

Please note, this micro-credential with Flinders University is at postgraduate level and incurs a fee of $1,200 + GST. Participants who successfully complete it may be eligible to obtain recognised prior learning towards further postgraduate study in a social work-related field.

Places are limited. To find out more, visit Supporting Children who have Experienced Trauma - Flinders University. Image seen on the Flinders University website.

Professional Development
For Purpose
Multiple sessions and times

For Purpose develops and delivers professional development by people working in the not-for-profit sector for people working in the not-for-profit sector. Over the next six months, they've scheduled several professional development sessions on topics including:

Facilitators include Morgan Cataldo, Edwina Pearce, Sarah Jackson, Gemma Pitcher, Nicole Deen, Kate Harvey and Caterina Giorgi.

All professional development sessions are delivered virtually, allowing you to connect with and meet people working in similar areas from across the country. You can find out more about the sessions here .

LivingWorks Suicide Prevention Skills Training Programs
Until 20 June 2024

LivingWorks has been awarded state-wide funding by the NSW Health, to enable every NSW community member to access suicide prevention skills training free of charge until 20 June 2024. They're offering the Start (90 minutes, self paced, online), SafeTALK (4 hours, in-person), and ASIST (2 days, in-person) programs.

ASIST is also availble Indigenous-ASIST (I-ASIST) and LGBTIQ+ ASIST. Please note that I-ASIST also includes a 2 hour community consultation on the day before the I-ASIST training.

Direct enquiries to Tim Day.

NGO Service Development Grant Program for AOD Prevention, harm reduction and treatment services
Closing Date: 31 July 2023

The Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA) invites non-government organisations (including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations) that receive funding from NSW Health to deliver AOD prevention, harm reduction and/or treatment services (via the NSW Ministry of Health or Local Health Districts) to apply for funding under the NGO Service Development Grant Program.

The program enables eligible organisations to undertake projects to improve their operations and amenities to better respond to the current demand for AOD services and future needs of people seeking AOD support.

Eligible organisations are invited to apply for one-off grants in one of three categories up to $25,000 (ex GST), up to $100,000 (ex GST) and up to $300,000 (ex GST) for costs related to information technology, refurbishment, amenity upgrades, and equipment that will support organisations to meet the key objectives of the NSW Health Future Health report and enable alignment with priorities of the Ice Inquiry.

The total funding pool available is $5.88 million. More information (including application forms) here.

Impact100 Sydney Grants
Closing Date: 4 August 2023

In 2023, Impact100 Sydney is seeking grant applications from charities offering solutions that support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the Greater Sydney region.

They accept applications from charitable organisations that:

Have Deductible Gift Recipient 1 (DGR1) status.
Have an annual revenue under $5 million (excluding pro-bono and in-kind)
Conduct projects within Greater Sydney and that benefit Sydney-siders.

More information here.

NGO Flood Recovery Program – Open Competitive Grants
NGO Flood Recovery Program – Closed Competitive Grants
NSW Department of Communities & Justice
Closing Date: Friday, 1 September 2023 at 5.00pm

Open Competitive Grants
Applications are now open for the the NGO Flood Recovery Program – Open Competitive Grants. There's a $6.5 million funding pool and eligible applicants are NGOS provising critical services in services to vulnerable individuals and families in DCJ's Western, Murrumbidgee, Far West and New England Districts.

The grant funding is one-off and available in four amounts:

$10,000
$50,000
$100,000
$200,000.

All grants must be fully expended by September 2024. Applications must be made online through the SmartyGrants online grant portal. For more information, visit the NGO Flood Recovery Program page on DCJ's website.

Closed Competitive Grants
A further $1.1 million is available to services who are DCJ-contracted under the NGO Flood Recovery Program – Closed Competitive Grants. Application for this funding is by invitation only and DCJ will contact eligible service providers.

Some of the latest postings on our Jobs Board:

Research and Evaluation Officer (Western Sydney) - NSW STARTTS - VIEW JOB

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Manager (Sydney CBD) - LGBTIQ+ Health Australia - VIEW JOB

Senior Solicitor, Women’s Homelessness Prevention Service (Sydney CBD) - Public Interest Advocacy Centre - VIEW JOB

Aged Care Advocate (Western NSW) - Seniors Rights Service - VIEW JOB

Case Manager - Young Carers (Canberra) - Anglicare NSW South I NSW West I ACT - VIEW JOB