Page 1319 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 May 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
All of the funds identified for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Funding over this period were expended by the Government through a service funding agreement between ACT Health and SIDS and Kids ACT. Further, I can assure the Member that financial statements provided by SIDS and Kids ACT to ACT Health under the terms of the service funding agreement indicate that SIDS and Kids ACT expended the entire amount of the purchase price in support of the agreed activities.
(2) The entire sum of the Budget line allocated to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Funding is directed to SIDS and Kids ACT through a service funding agreement.
(3) As noted above, the Member’s queries regarding the sum of $412,000 over four years budgeted by the previous Government for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Funding fails to account for the fact that $440,251 has actually been provided to support people in the ACT living with the loss of an infant, child or young person.
In terms of what was achieved for this expenditure, the activity statements provided under the terms of the service funding agreement between SIDS and Kids ACT and ACT Health indicate that between 2001-02 and 2004-05 SIDS and Kids ACT provided:
• The distribution of 40,819 brochures on SIDS to hospitals, GPs, community health clinics and other appropriate locations;
• Telephone support for 2,670 callers enquiring about SIDS and the support available for families affected by the loss of an infant, child or young person;
• The delivery of seminars to 1,208 persons on safe infant sleeping and SIDS;
• The delivery of seminars in schools to 961 young people on safe infant sleeping and SIDS
• The training of 125 volunteer support workers to effectively support bereaved families;
• The provision of 2,796 hours of bereavement support to families affected by the loss of an infant, child or young person;
• The provision of 684 hours of counselling to families affected by the loss of an infant, child or young person;
• The provision of 358 hours of advocacy on behalf of families affected by the loss of an infant, child or young person;
• The provision of training to 297 police, emergency workers and other staff who work with families who have lost an infant, child or young person; and,
• The provision of free, handmade coffins and burial clothing as required by bereaved families.
(4) The funding provided to SIDS and Kids ACT each year from 2002-03, as indicated in my previous response to Question on the Notice No. 943, is not provided as grant funding. As indicated above, SIDS and Kids ACT holds a service funding agreement with ACT Health. This agreement is managed through the Policy Division of ACT Health.
(5) The allocation under the current Government for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Funding is not in addition to the funding program administered by the former Government, nor does it replace it. The current allocation is a continuation of the program administered by the former Government, with a substantial increase in the total amount of support offered to bereaved families through this funding.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .