DIMA Annual Report 2000-01

Overview of performance of administered items for outcome two - continued

Grants for migrant community services

Description

The Government provides funding for grants to community-based organisations under the Community Settlement Services Scheme (CSSS) and core funding to the national network of Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) and Migrant Service Agencies (MSAs) to deliver settlement services. During 2000-01 the Government provided $13.705 million through 323 grants under CSSS and a further $9.631 million in core funding to 30 MRCs and four MSAs.

These services are principally for recent arrivals and migrants with limited English proficiency (excluding TPV holders) whose particular needs arise from their migration experience. This includes refugee and humanitarian entrants (except those who are eligible for Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) services), those whose communities are small and emerging, and migrants living in remote areas.

Funding priority is given to services that facilitate access to mainstream services. To the extent that organisations succeed in drawing mainstream attention to specific needs, the grants also contribute to achieving the access and equity principles of Output 2.4.

Organisations funded under the CSSS deliver outputs that include raising awareness of community needs with mainstream service providers, providing information about settling in Australia, referring clients to appropriate mainstream services, identifying and addressing particular service gaps, producing newsletters and other publications, holding forums and information sessions and establishing support groups.

The core funding to the network of MRCs/MSAs provides the infrastructure and support for building a range of services to clients, for actively participating in settlement planning and networking, and for supporting volunteer work. In addition to DIMA funded settlement services, MRCs/MSAs also attract and manage grants from other Commonwealth agencies and State/Territory governments. This enables the provision of a wider range of culturally and linguistically diverse services in their local area.

Key results

• outputs were delivered as specified in the service agreements in four milestone reports per grant. Payment of installments is dependent on meeting required performance outcomes. In 1999-2000 approximately 99 per cent of 1,428 work program outputs were satisfactorily delivered
  
  
• statistical data is collected in the form of six-monthly client service statistics by organisations providing direct client services. According to data submitted by 217 organisations, clients sought advice on more than 3.9 million settlement issues or concerns over the twelve month period. The largest number of direct face-to-face client services related to immigration and citizenship, income support and accommodation and housing issues.

Supervision and welfare support for humanitarian minors without parents in Australia

Description

The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program helps minors (under the age of 18 years) who are accepted for resettlement or granted bridging or protection visas and do not have parents or relatives accompanying them. The program provides support for care-givers to maximise the successful settlement of the minor.

The Minister is empowered under the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946 as the guardian of certain unaccompanied refugee minors, to delegate responsibility for the care of these minors to the appropriate State/Territory government authorities. The unaccompanied minors program is therefore implemented by DIMA to help State/Territory government child welfare agencies fulfil this delegated responsibility.

Under the Commonwealth-State cost-sharing program for refugee minors, DIMA shares with these welfare agencies the costs of providing settlement assistance. In addition, the Commonwealth provides funding for payment of a maintenance allowance for eligible unaccompanied minors.

Key results

• under the Commonwealth-State cost-sharing program for supervision and welfare support of refugee minors without parents in Australia, $0.231 million was spent in 2000-01 to help 238 minors who were eligible for assistance (compared with $0.033 million for nine minors in 1999-2000).

Grants for living in harmony

Description

92 grants were managed in order to foster community harmony among individuals and groups of culturally diverse backgrounds by addressing local issues at the local level.

Key results

• there was a high level of achievement and community support through the Living in Harmony grants. Successful projects in the areas of youth, education, media, workplaces, sport, law/justice and in rural locations have involved curriculum development, revising sporting codes of behaviour, schools' outreach to local communities, multi-faith projects, the arts, and many projects to enhance relationships between Indigenous and non-indigenous people. Building on this success, a $2.5 million extension to Living in Harmony was announced in the Budget for 2001-02, which included $1.5 million for additional grants.

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