Contract funding eligible for State ERO payment
Earlier this year WACOSS, CEWA and a number of Peaks distributed a list of State Government contracts that pre-dated 1 July 2013 to ensure all eligible services received the supplementary ERO payment from the State Government.
We have now received a list of all State Government contracts funded after 1 July 2013. Once again we ask that you examine the attached spreadsheet for all of your contracts. If you identify errors or omissions, please let us know by emailing [email protected] so that we can alert the Department of Finance. Responses via email by Friday 31 July would be appreciated. COVID-19 has taught us many things, one being the need for accurate data on the community service system. Checking this list will ensure we have this data.
We are also pleased to report that WACOSS and CEWA have advanced in discussions with the Department of Finance to establish a new DCSP Working Group. This group will comprise senior government people from a wide range of line agencies and a number of NFP sector representatives. Its functions will primarily be to focus on a community service system that can sustainably meet the needs of Western Australians, improve future procurement practices, and provide advice on implementing the Outcomes Measurement Framework. We will circulate more information on the DCSP Working Group when it comes to hand.
Pilbara Family and Domestic Violence Network
Celeste Stephens, WACOSS Pilbara Manager, is facilitating a Pilbara Family and Domestic Violence Network (PFDVN) that aims to eradicate domestic violence in the region by co-designing solutions with social services, health professionals, relevant state peak bodies, government agencies, industry partners and those with lived experience. Supported by Creating Communities Australia, the Network meets monthly to discuss, plan and collaborate on sustainable, place-based solutions alongside smaller local working groups currently focussing on three priority areas: men’s and perpetrator programs; community awareness/education campaigns and; sector connectedness to improve information sharing at a case level. Local interviews were conducted to provide context for the Network, consolidated into a report that outlines innovative ideas for systemic change.
Community Services: survey of experiences during COVID-19
We want to hear from community sector staff about their experiences during COVID-19. In partnership with ACOSS and the COSS network across Australia, we are wanting to know what the experiences have been during COVID-19, so that we can inform Governments and other policy makers of the gaps in social services emerging during the recovery period. Take the survey, available until Tuesday 21 July 2020.
WACOSS Community Sector Recovery Webinar Series
WACOSS is launching a series of webinars about key topics facing the community services sector in WA. The eight webinars will run weekly on Wednesdays at 1pm, starting from 22 July 2020, and will be co-hosted with our partner organisations. We are inviting input and engagement from our members, and the broader community services sector, into our initial thinking about what an inclusive plan for recovery needs to look like for Western Australia in order to leave no one behind. One of the webinars includes the launch of the Food Stress Index, in Connecting to secure healthy food for all Western Australians: Food Stress Index – A world first, presented in partnership with Curtin University and the Public Health Advocacy Institute WA. Register for one or any number of the free webinars.
Lotterywest Grant Opportunities
Lotterywest is prioritising funding for communities and organisations affected by COVID-19. While the immediate health crisis has passed in WA, it has resulted in hardship and secondary impacts alongside a potential risk of a future pandemic crisis. Read more about the grant opportunities, grant programs, and new grant processes and subscribe to their newsletter to stay up-to-date.
Campaign to reduce the number of young people locked up
In one year across Australia, nearly 600 children aged between 10 and 13 were locked up, and many more were hauled through the criminal legal system. Overwhelmingly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are impacted by these laws, and punished into prison cells at higher rates - accounting for 70% of younger children in prisons. Join the Raise the Age campaign and sign the petition to ensure that children are supported and loved so they can reach their full potential, not get locked up.
HESTA pledges to be net zero by 2050
Australian super fund HESTA should be applauded for working towards reducing absolute carbon emissions in its investment portfolio by 33 per cent over the next decade, as part of a plan to be net zero by 2050. HESTA’s Climate Change Transition Plan (CCTP) seeks to align the $52 billion fund’s actions and investment portfolio with the Paris Agreement. Read more about their commitment. Hesta has been a long-time supporter of the community service sector, and is a sponsor of the upcoming 2021 WACOSS Conference.
An implementation update on Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019
The VAD website has been updated to include new information releases, for both general community and health service providers. A range of fact sheets can be downloaded, that are tailored for service providers to share with their staff.
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