March 2025 update
March 2025 Update
Dear Families ACT members and subscribers,
Edition highlights include:
Families ACT’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030 release;
the Child First Forum;
an update on commissioning;
evaluation of the Workforce Development and Training Fund;
members’ training portal;
meet our new board member, Alex Nichols;
Families ACT membership update; and
help raise funds for local charities across Canberra - supported by Hands Across Canberra.
Welcome to Families ACT’s March 2025 update .
Since our last update in October 2024, Families ACT has been busy finalising its Strategic Plan, preparing for the Child First Forum and supporting members with the recent announcement concerning commissioning. This work is in addition to our ongoing engagement with members and other stakeholders on key developments and pressing issues faced by children and families in the ACT, and across the community sector.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Families ACT is excited to announce its Strategic Plan 2025-2030. This plan will guide our activities and priorities over the next five-years. The plan outlines our vision and priorities, which include:
Increase shared understanding of the drivers of and solutions to childhood vulnerability in the ACT;
Increase responses to childhood vulnerability in the ACT;
Support the development and growth of the community services working with children and families in the ACT; and
Provide leadership for a shared vision for the wellbeing of current and future generations of children and families in the ACT.
You can access Families ACT’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030 here.
The team here at Families ACT would like to thank everyone who were consulted as part of this Strategic Plan development process, and we look forward to working in collaboration with our members to progress our 2025-2030 priorities and vision.
Child First Forum
As many of you would be aware, Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data has shown child developmental vulnerability in the ACT is increasing. In 2021, the ACT reported the second highest percentage of child developmental vulnerability of any Australian jurisdiction (26.7%), after the Northern Territory (39.2%) (AEDC, 2021). Further, it is reported that an estimated one in 12 children in Canberra are living in poverty, with families struggling to meet basic needs such as housing, food security and education opportunities (ACTCOSS, 2024). Anecdotally, service providers across the community sector, including Families ACT members, are reporting an increase in demand for services, driven by cost-of-living pressures, housing insecurity and increased instances of domestic violence. In addition, service providers are reporting an increase in complexity in case work presentations across the Territory.
Overall, Canberra is a great place to live, with high standards of living. However, the true extent of disadvantage in the ACT is underreported, because of the diversity of wealth found across many suburbs, with high numbers of both the most and least disadvantaged individuals living side by side.
It is for these reasons that Families ACT, in partnership with the ACT Commissioner for Children and Young People, Woden Community Services, YWCA, Capital Region Community Services and Barnardos, is hosting the Child First Forum on Monday, 13th May 2025. This forum provides a unique opportunity for service providers, researchers, government representatives, politicians and peak bodies to gather and assess existing measures to understand and address childhood vulnerability, disadvantage and poverty in the ACT. The Child First Forum will seek to establish a shared understanding of child vulnerability and poverty at a systems-level, including sharing effective strategies, drawing from innovative ideas and solutions to address these issues in the ACT.
We’ll be joined by the New Zealand/Aotearoa Chief Children’s Commissioner, Mana Mokopuna/Children and Young People’s Commission, Dr Claire Achmad, the Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, and the ACT Commissioner for Children and Young People, Jodie Griffiths-Cook. The event will also include a presentation of the latest AEDC data.
More information about the Child First Forum, or to register your interest, visit here.
Commissioning update
The Community Services Directorate (CSD) recently informed Child, Youth and Family Services Program (CYFSP) funded services that funding for the majority of CYFSP programs will be rolled over for an additional one to two years. This decision continues the pattern of commissioning rollovers that has been in place since 2015.
In response, Families ACT partnered with the Youth Coalition to gather feedback from child, youth, and family services, including both CYFSP and non-CYFSP providers. To provide stakeholders had an opportunity to share their perspectives, concerns, and questions about the implications of the funding rollover, Families ACT and the Youth Coalition hosted three online feedback sessions, creating a platform for discussion on service delivery and future commissioning.
Commissioning Information
CYFSP Commissioning update webpage - currently holds the draft Strategic Investment plan and information specific to CYFSP commissioning
Commissioning Conversations mailing list - subscribe to the ACT Government Commissioning email list for future updates
Evaluation of the 'WDT': Workforce Development & Training Fund and Sub-Committee
The Youth Coalition and Families ACT are conducting an evaluation of the ‘WDT’: The CYFSP Workforce Development and Training Sub-Committee and Fund, and its contribution to supporting the CYFSP sector.
The CYFSP (Child, Youth and Family Services Program) is a sub-sector funded through the Community Services Directorate, providing funding to 23 community organisations to deliver programs for children, young people and families across the ACT. View a list of CYFSP services here.
About the Evaluation
The evaluation seeks to better understand the role, value and benefits of the WDT; and the key learnings that can be drawn from its delivery, including potential improvements. It will deliver findings for the consideration of the CYFSP and Community Service Directorate, to inform future delivery of CYFSP system support functions. The evaluation will be completed by 30 June 2025.
Evaluation Survey
We invite CYFSP program staff to complete an online survey about the WDT. People working in child, youth or family sector programs that are not CYFSP-funded are also welcome to complete the survey (a limited version), if they would like to provide their views about the WDT as external stakeholders.
The primary target group is anyone currently working in or managing a CYFSP-funded program, or who has done so within the last 3 years. This includes people working at frontline, team leader, middle manager and executive levels.
No prior knowledge of the WDT is needed to do the survey.
More information about the survey, including management of confidentiality, is available at the survey link, prior to providing consent to proceed.
The evaluation will include a limited number of interviews, in March to May 2025. If you are interested in participating in a confidential interview, please contact erin@youthcoalition.net.
Machinery of Government changes and the ACT’s fiscal situation
The ACT Government has implemented structural changes to the ACT Public Service as part of its efforts to improve efficiency. The Machinery of Government changes include merging the Community Services Directorate with ACT Health, as well as combining Transport and City Services with Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development.
Additionally, on 30 January 2025, the ACT Government announced it would increase health services funding by $227 million to address growing demand for medical services across the Territory. This announcement brings the ACT’s deficit to almost $1 billion. At the time of this announcement, the Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith noted that all directorates would be required to review their discretionary expenditure due to the financial impact of the increased funding for Canberra Health Services.
Families ACT continues to closely monitor the ACT Government’s fiscal situation and its potential impact on our members, as well as the broader community. We remain attentive to budgetary changes and funding allocations that may affect essential services, advocacy efforts, and community programs.
Government response to the Inquiry into Raising Children in the ACT
In February 2025, the ACT Government released its response to the 33 recommendations and three findings made by the Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing Inquiry into Raising Children in the ACT.
Members’ Training Portal
Are you a Families ACT member offering training in 2025? If so, please let Families ACT know and we’ll include your training on our sector development webpage. Contact Joshua from Families ACT with a link to your training and it will made available on our webpage.
Meet Families ACT new Board member
The Families ACT Board is pleased to announce its new Board member, Alex Nichols.
Alex brings to the Families ACT Board skills in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and business development experience. Alex has led large behaviour change strategies for significant national reforms including the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse, the National Broadband Network, the Digital Switchover and the Australian Government's response to the Gonski Review of School Funding.
Alex joins Families ACT’s incredible skills-based Board, which includes: Alison Lendon (President), Sarah Murdoch (Vice President), Andrew Stephen (Finance Officer), Anne Daly (Public Officer), Paul Carr and Zakia Patel.
New Families ACT members
Families ACT would like to acknowledge and welcome our new members:
ACT Down Syndrome & Intellectual Disability Association (ACTDSID)
ACT Playgroups
Kidsafe ACT
Families ACT looks forward to working closely with these new members, alongside our entire membership network to continue to advocate for children and families in the ACT.
Help raise funds for Families ACT’s members, with the Hands Across Canberra’s Canberra Day Appeal
A number of Families ACT’s members are seeking raising funds through the Canberra Day Appeal ran by Hands Across Canberra.
You can donate directly to the Canberra Day Appeal, or to any of the following member organisations:
comms@familiesact.org.au
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