Page 3750 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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Questions without notice taken on notice
Budget—welfare services—Wednesday, 30 June 2010
MS BURCH (in reply to a supplementary question by Mrs Dunne): The information in these tables is not portfolio based and includes the financial and economic activity of several portfolios. The most accurate representation of my portfolio’s expenditure is contained in the relevant chapters in Budget Paper 4.
ACT Treasury have provided a description of the tables as follows:
“... the functional expenses in tables F17 and F18 do not directly relate back to agency financial statements. The functional expense tables are based on consolidated data and as such transactions relating to Other Economic Flows are excluded from this presentation. Individual agencies may have expenditure allocated across several functional expense categories, and, specific categories may relate to components of several agencies.”
If you require further information on this presentation, please refer questions to the Treasurer
Children—grandparent and kinship carers—Wednesday, 30 June 2010
MS BURCH (in reply to a supplementary question by Mr Hanson):
• The Department has consulted extensively with ‘Grandparent and Kinship Carers ACT’ and has committed to paying for six members of the Committee to attend the National Foster Care Association in Hobart in August this year, including flights and hotel costs. The Department has also agreed an equivalent level of support for another three kinship carers to attend a conference in Melbourne later this year. Currently the Department has committed $10,000 to kinship carers for conference attendance.
• Following consultation with kinship carers a number of courses have been provided and others planned including topics such as ‘Guilt, Grief and Loss’ and ‘Life Story Work’. In addition the Australian Childhood Foundation were funded to provide training in ‘Understanding and Responding to Complex Trauma’. The estimated cost of this training is a further $10,000.
• The Department has established a Carer Liaison Officer (CLO) to act as a point of contact for information and problem solving for carers. This position is an acknowledged success. The CLO distributes a newsletter to all carers with information, details of courses and contact details for a range of useful supports. $60,000 of the funding for this position has been deployed.
• The Department funds a range of supports for carers and families through its programs including the Family Support Program and Youth Service Program. Carers have access to the full range of services and supports in the community for all families in need of help including Child and Family Centres, Parenting Programs and other government and non-government services.
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