DIMIA Annual Report 2001-02
GRANTS FOR MIGRANT COMMUNITY SERVICES
Objective
To assist migrants and refugees to settle and participate equitably in Australian society.
Description
The Commonwealth provides funding for grants to community-based organisations under the CSSS and core funding to the national network of MRCs and MSAs to deliver settlement services. These services are intended principally for recent arrivals:
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whose communities are small and emerging
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who live in rural or remote areas
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who are refugee and humanitarian entrants whose particular needs arise from their migration experience [except those in the immediate post-arrival period who are eligible for special services provided under the IHSS].
In 2001-02 approximately 21.6 per cent of CSSS funds were directed towards small and emerging communities, 13.4 per cent towards rural and remote communities, and 31.7 per cent towards refugee and humanitarian entrants.
Through the CSSS, the department is able to respond to factors such as changes in the composition of the migrant intake and settlement patterns and high priority needs that may emerge.
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 mainstream service providers' awareness of community needs, snapshots of community demographics and identification of service gaps, newsletters and other publications, forums and information sessions, establishment of support groups and undertaking casework and referrals.
Core funding to the MRC/MSA network provides the infrastructure and support for building a range of services to clients. MRCs/MSAs carry out the following four functions to support migrants in their target areas:
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provide information, referral and outreach services to assist migrants to settle and participate in the social and economic life of the community
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initiate and engage in planning forums and networks to promote and implement access and equity, and the benefits of cultural diversity
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support the settlement, establishment and participation of people from diverse cultural backgrounds in the wider community
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ensure that core funding is spent in accordance with the service agreement.
MRCs/MSAs also attract and manage grants from other Commonwealth and State/Territory governments, actively participate in settlement planning and networking, develop service directories for the local area and develop and enhance volunteer work.
Key results
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the Commonwealth Government provided $15.75m. in the 2001-02 program year (October to September) under the CSSS.
Three hundred and thirty seven applications were received from 245 community-based organisations.
Funding was provided for 318 grants through 234 organisations, with a further $9.18m. in core funding to 30 MRCs and four MSAs -
outputs were delivered as specified in service agreements, which generally require four milestone/progress reports per grant. Payment of instalments to organisations is dependent on meeting required performance measures. In the program year, approximately 95 per cent of work programs satisfactorily delivered requirements specified in services agreements. Payment was delayed to the remaining five per cent due to unsatisfactory achievement of milestones or other performance issues. In all these cases appropriate remedial action was taken
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data provided by MRCs/MSAs for the period 2001-02 indicate that the top five issues managed by MRC/MSAs have been:
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immigration and citizenship
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settlement information
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housing and accommodation
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income support
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employment.
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SUPERVISION AND WELFARE SUPPORT FOR HUMANITARIAN MINORS WITHOUT PARENTS IN AUSTRALIA
Objective
To provide welfare supervision, support and settlement assistance to unaccompanied humanitarian minors under the Commonwealth/ State cost-sharing program.
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 close relatives accompanying them.
The program provides support for care-givers to maximise the successful settlement of the minor.
The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs is empowered under the
Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946 as the guardian of unaccompanied refugee minors, to delegate his guardianship to the appropriate State/Territory government authorities.
The unaccompanied minors program is therefore implemented on DIMIA's behalf by State/Territory government child welfare agencies.
Under the Commonwealth-State cost-sharing program for refugee minors, DIMIA 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
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under the Commonwealth-State Cost Sharing Program for Supervision and Welfare Support of Refugee Minors without parents in Australia, $0.317m. was provided in 2001-02 to state authorities to assist minors under the program.
At 30 June 2002, 264 minors were covered by the program, 74 of whom had arrived from offshore and 190 granted Temporary Protection onshore.
GRANTS FOR LIVING IN HARMONY
Objective
To provide funding to eligible community organisations to address local issues affecting community harmony.
Description
Sixty Living in Harmony grants were managed through the service agreements with concrete milestones and outcomes.
Key results
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a $2.5m. extension to the Living in Harmony initiative was announced in the Budget for 2001-02, which included $1.5m. for grants.
The extension built upon the success of previous grants, in the areas of youth, education, media, workplaces, sport, law/justice and in rural locations.
New projects have adopted a range of strategies to promote harmony and address issues of racism in local communities, such as through youth forums, camps, performance pieces, sports, school visits, stories, sound recordings, radio, and a harmony bus tour discussion forum.