Measuring Social Progress.

Tony Keenan

Chief Executive Officer

Hanover Welfare Services

Federal Labor Social Policy

•Social Inclusion•Evidence Based Solutions•New Federalism - Specific Purpose Payments reduced and reformed•Outcomes and Targets•Human Rights Sleeper

What is Social Inclusion?• Still contested

• 'Social inclusion is the process by which efforts are made to ensure that everyone, regardless of their experiences and circumstances, can achieve their potential in life. To achieve inclusion income and employment are necessary but not sufficient. An inclusive society is also characterised by a striving for reduced inequality, a balance between individuals’ rights

and duties and increased social cohesion' – Centre for Social and Economic Inclusion UK

Social Inclusion Approaches• Has economic and social inclusion central

to approaches and the necessary supports to achieve

• In a modern economy this means education and training is a vital component

• Sees services and programs client focussed and outcomes focussed

• Placed based initiatives• Various services and programs work

together to achieve the one global aim of inclusion

• Flexible and disproportionate resourcing

Social Inclusion Changes the Focus

• Social inclusion approaches have to be concerned with outcomes, whereas many of our current approaches are simply concerned about service delivery and throughputs.

• Interventions will need to be based on individual circumstances and cannot be a one size fits all

• By it’s nature it will require services, programs, laws and department to “join up”

• While the global aim is inclusion, the interventions and foci will vary according to the individual

Current Approaches

• Current Program Responses are concerned with throughputs e.g. X episodes of support provided - not effectiveness

• Current responses are disjointed and sometimes work against each other

• Not concerned about change – often “parking” problems

Homelessness as an example• 100,000 on any given night across Australia.• 14% are sleeping rough (primary

homelessness)• Indigenous Australians comprise 16% of

those accessing homelessness services, 69% in rural services and 88% in remote.

• Children accompanied by their parents are the single biggest groups accessing homelessness services (56,800)

Homelessness as an example• Of all children living in Australia now -

one in fifty will access a homeless assistance service.

• There are now more women than men in the homelessness service system

• In Victorian alone there are over 35,000 people on the public housing waiting list

• Rental vacancies are at a record low in Melbourne and other cities

What are our current services?• SAAP

• Housing

• Legal

• Mental health

• Centrelink

• Employment

• Education and Training

• Drug and Alcohol

What are our current measures?

• Throughput and episodes of support

• No measure of quality

• No measure of effectiveness

• No measure of human rights

Current Approach in Practice• Sandy, Shari & Ben• Escaped a violent partner Werribee, couch

surfed at sisters in Moorabbin, rough sleeping in car, came to Hanover

• One week in a motel in Oakleigh, into our crisis accommodation at South Melbourne for four months

• Transitional housing for 12 months in Kensington

• Permanent found in Frankston

Current Approach in Practice• No linking with schools

• Significantly contributed to risk of children underachieving or not attending school

• No linking with legal system

• No linking with employment, childcare etc

Importance of Outcome Measures & Targets

• Holds governments to accounts• Strengthens resourcing debates• Forces coordination and joining up• Need to be durable and sustainable

over time• If the measures are right, can

deliver real change

Ten outcome measures for Homelessness

• Halve homelessness by 2020 & eliminate rough sleeping by 2020

• Increase the total stock of public and social housing to X% of total housing

• A reduction of X % of homicides resulting from domestic violence

• An increase in child clients of homelessness services attending four year old kindergarten

Ten outcome measures for Homelessness

• Reduce the gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non indigenous Australians by X years.

• An improvement over time in the performance of child clients of homelessness services in Year 3,5,7 & 9 Literacy and Numeracy tests

• A positive improvement in the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) for the 20 collection areas with the highest number of child clients receiving homelessness support services.

Ten outcome measures for Homelessness

• An increase in the number of young clients of homelessness services who complete Year 12 or equivalent

• An increase in the number of clients of homelessness services entering and maintaining paid employment or further education and training

• A decrease in the number of young people entering the homelessness service system when they leave state care