Community Services Sector

Queensland’s Community Services Sector provides effective, inclusive human services by supporting communities in building skills, finding solutions and promoting social justice.

The Community Services Sector employs over 100,000 Queenslanders and over 66,000 people volunteer their time to support the Sector and the community. In 2008-09, organisations in the Sector spent $5.2 billion on direct and indirect community service activities (QCOSS, 2010).

A strong and sustainable Community Services Sector is crucial for providing effective and inclusive human services that support communities to build skills and find solutions. The Sector also plays a vital advocacy role to remedy disadvantage in our society. Community services have consistently demonstrated enormous benefits to Queenslanders, including enhanced responsiveness, cost effectiveness, flexibility and innovation.

Investment in the community services sector strengthens these benefits and builds the capacity of organisations to deliver crucial services, ensuring a solid base for preventative approaches.

Unit Costing Project

To support organisations in the transition to output based service agreements, QCOSS has self funded the development of a Unit Costing Tool.

This is a strategic tool that organisations can use to determine the full-cost of service delivery, including what proportion of services are self-funded.

For organisations who have yet to negotiate their output based service agreement, this tool will allow them to determine what level of outputs can be delivered within existing resources.

Summary: 
To support organisations in the transition to output based service agreements, QCOSS has self funded the development of a Unit Costing Tool. This is a strategic tool that organisations can use to determine the full-cost of service delivery, including what proportion of services are self-funded. For organisations who have yet to negotiate their output based service agreement, this tool will allow them to determine what level of outputs can be delivered within existing resources. The tool is currently being piloted and will be available on Community Door by late August, early September 2011.
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this tool extracts powerful information that will enable organisations to enter confidently into service agreement negotiations
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Local Diverse and Strong Project

The Local Diverse and Strong research project originated from a number of discussions among representatives of the Queensland Not for Profit sector who were specifically interested in the concept of the optimal organisation size  within the community services sector.

QCOSS has undertaken an initial literature review to provide a platform which will inform our discussion and considerations in regard to issues of sustainability and service system development for the sector.

Summary: 
The Local Diverse and Strong project explores specific attributes which describe the role, value and contribution of a range of service models and types within the broader not for profit sector that are essential to sustain in vibrant, vital and healthy communities.
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exploring specific attributes which describe the role, value and contribution of a range of service models and types
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Queensland Community Services Sector Development - QCOSS' role

In moving towards a fair, inclusive and sustainable Queensland, the role of Sector Development is to value, promote, support and develop the capacity of non-government organisations to provide assistance to vulnerable Queenslanders and to contribute to policy making on sector issues.

We advance this key outcome area by:

Summary: 
In moving towards a fair, inclusive and sustainable Queensland, the role of Sector Development is to value, promote, support and develop the capacity of non-government organisations to provide assistance to vulnerable Queenslanders and to contribute to policy making on sector issues.
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Pay Equity Project

Background

In March 2010, unions representing social and community sector and disability workers lodged an application for an equal remuneration order with Fair Work Australia (FWA). The application aims to increase the pay of workers covered by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Industry Award (formerly SACS award).

Summary: 
Information on the federal Equal Remuneration Case, the Vital Services, Decent Pay campaign. This page also includes resources for organisations to lobby for pay equity and funding to match and to address the workforce and organisational implications of their industrial relations obligations.
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There is not equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal or comparable value by comparison with workers in state and local government employment - Fair Work Australia decision, 16 May 2011.
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Pay equity
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$2 bn announcement will help disadvantaged in Qld.

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Media Release

The Prime Minister’s announcement today that the Federal Government will fund the outcome of the national Equal Pay case is good news for disadvantaged Queenslanders, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.

“A guarantee by the Federal Government to fund its share of pay rises for community service workers is something we have been lobbying for since before the Queensland Pay Equity Decision in 2009 and is more than welcome,” says QCOSS President Karyn Walsh.

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The Prime Minister’s announcement today that the Federal Government will fund the outcome of the national Equal Pay case is good news for disadvantaged Queenslanders, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.
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Services can’t meet demand as thousands turned away

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MEDIA RELEASE

More and more Queenslanders are turning to community and social service organisations for help. However, an increasing number are turned away by a sector struggling with demand. The annual Australian Community Sector Survey released by the Australian Council of Social Service today shows Queensland organisations provided services on 1,682,781 occasions during 2009/10. This is an increase of 7 per cent. On 44,292 occasions clients were turned away. This is up 6 per cent.

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More and more Queenslanders are turning to community and social service organisations for help. However, an increasing number are turned away by a sector struggling with demand. The annual Australian Community Sector Survey released by the Australian Council of Social Service today shows Queensland organisations provided services on 1,682,781 occasions during 2009/10. This is an increase of 7 per cent. On 44,292 occasions clients were turned away. This is up 6 per cent.
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44,292 clients were turned away
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Newly Qualified Workers Project

Project Summary

Between 2001 and 2006, the Australian community services workforce increased by 35.6%, making it one of the fastest growing sectors of employment in the country.

This research project seeks to create knowledge about newly qualified workers' workplace support and development needs across diverse fields and geographical contexts when delivering human services. It will examine factors impacting on job satisfaction and retention, and aims to develop practice models for workforce support and development.

Summary: 
This research project seeks to create knowledge about newly qualified workers' workplace support and development needs across diverse fields and geographical contexts of service delivery. It will examine factors impacting on job satisfaction and retention, and aims to develop practice models for workforce support and development.
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This project will examine factors impacting on job satisfaction and retention, and aims to develop practice models for workforce support and development.
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Community Services Futures Forum

The Queensland Community Services Futures Forum (the Futures Forum) is a coalition of 50 state-wide human services, peak organisations, service providers and networks across the whole of Queensland.

The Futures Forum brings together the collective wisdom of the Queensland Not-for-profit Health & Community Services Sector (the Sector) to:

Summary: 
The Futures Forum is an independent coalition of 50 state-wide human services, peak organisations, service providers and networks in Queensland that serves as a vehicle to identify state-wide strategic issues of concern for the sector and to explore collaborative action to address these issues.
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The Futures Forum brings together the collective wisdom of the Queensland Not-for-profit Health & Community Services Sector
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Useful Links to External Resources

QCOSS does not necessarily support the views contained in the sites below and does not take any responsibility for the material they may contain.

Australian Council of Social Service, www.acoss.org.au

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Community Services Sector Charter

The Community Services Sector Charter is a statement of who we are as a sector, what we stand for, and provides a shared vision of what we aim to achieve.

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Provides information on how the Community Services Sector Charter was developed through extensive consultation with the community services sector.
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Who we are as a sector, What we stand for, and What we aim to achieve.
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