Simplified Funding and Reporting for Aboriginal
Community Controlled Organisations
Department of Human Services Flexible Funding Model –
Departmental Guidelines (2011-2012)
1. Background
In March 2009, the Simplifying Funding and Reporting reforms for Aboriginal Community Controlled
Organisations (ACCOs) were endorsed by the Department of Human Services (DHS) Executive. The reforms
are now a joint initiative of DHS and the Department of Health following the subsequent machinery of
government changes in late 2009.
One of the components of the reforms is the ‘flexible funding’ arrangements that aim to provide flexibility in
the use of funding to ACCOs to further reflect community needs and reduce administrative burden.
2. How does the DHS Flexible Funding model work?
The ‘flexible funding’ arrangements for DHS apply to some recurrently funded service activities.
The DHS flexible funding model provides ACCOs an opportunity to adapt these service activities to local
community needs. ACCOs can continue to deliver their current service activities, or they can opt to change
some or all of their service activities to further meet the needs of their local community.
Changes to service activities are negotiated between relevant staff within the ACCO and the local Children,
Youth and Families Services regional staff and will require endorsement by the Regional Director. Service
activity changes should reflect the local community needs and the broader department, regional and
state/national objectives.
For Children, Youth and Families service activities, the broader objective is the provision of services that
reduce the risks to Aboriginal children and young people and strengthen families to provide a safe
environment. These services will work to reduce the number of children and young people entering out of
home care placements, and to reduce their level of involvement in the Child Protection and Youth Justice
statutory service systems. The Planning Process Template is used for recording the service changes
proposed by the ACCO.
These guidelines will be reviewed for use in the 2012 – 2015 service agreement with ACCOs.
January 2012
3. What’s new for ACCOs?
Recurrent funding lines for Children, Youth and Family (CYF) service activities have been consolidated to
make up two new ACCO Services:

ACCO Services – Family and Community Services (31260)

ACCO Services – Youth Justice (32136)
Within these new ACCO Services some recurrently funded activities are in scope for the flexible funding
arrangements. Refer to point 4 in the guidelines for details of the in scope activities.
Children Youth and Families Division Planning Process Template 2011–2012
Where a change in service activities is negotiated, Children, Youth and Families Services regional staff in
conjunction with ACCO staff must complete a planning template documenting the changes. Regional staff are
responsible for sending the Regional Director’s endorsed template to the CYF divisional contact for information.
4 In Scope Service Activities
4a. ACCO Services - Family and Community Services (31260)
Objective
The objective of this activity is to promote the health, well being, safety and development of Aboriginal children,
women and families.
Description
This ACCO Services 31260 – Family and Community Services – comprises the following activities:




Aboriginal Family Services – Aboriginal Family Decision Making, Aboriginal Family Preservation and
Restoration Services (31165)
Integrated Family Services (31245)
Integrated Family Services - Indigenous (31246)
Child Protection and Family Services Sector Development (31301)
Internal/External Service Delivery
ACCO Services – Family and Community Services are provided by Aboriginal Community Controlled
Organisations.
Target Group
Aboriginal children, young people and families whose health, wellbeing, safety and development are at risk or
those who have come into contact with the child protection system.
Output
Family and community services.
Performance Measures/Targets
Number of clients (quarterly).
If you require additional information please contact the CYF Division within Central Office –
Attention: Feodora Fomin, Manager, Planning, Analysis and Review, Children, Youth and Families.
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January 2012
4b. ACCO Services – Youth Justice (32136)
Objective
The objective of this activity is to divert young Aboriginal people from the criminal justice system and to reduce
the likelihood of further offending.
Description
This ACCO Services 32136 comprises the following activities:



Youth Services and Youth Justice Development (31302)
Youth Justice Support Services (32124)
Youth Justice Koori Services (32131)
Internal/External Service Delivery
ACCO Services – Youth Justice is provided by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
Target Group
Young Aboriginal people at risk of entering or involved with the criminal justice system.
Output
Community-based services.
Performance Measures/Targets
Number of clients (yearly)
Note: If you require additional information please contact the CYF Division within Central Office –
Attention: Feodora Fomin, Manager, Planning, Analysis and Review, Children, Youth and Families.
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January 2012
5. Out of Scope Service Activities
Please note that these will be reviewed during 2011– 2012.

Non-recurrent, one off funded programs and pilots.

Disability Services – all activities are exempt as current funding is predominantly non-recurrent or
specifically assigned to Individual Support Packages which are based on flexibility in order to meet
client needs.

Housing and Community Building – all activities are exempt as funding is predominately matched
to Commonwealth funding and associated reporting requirements.

Children, Youth and Families (certain activities are exempt). These include:
o Out of Home Care: maintaining out of home care places is an essential component of out of
home care service delivery a set number of funded placements must be available to meet
demand.
o Aboriginal Child Specialist Advice Support Service (ACSASS, 31263): a statutory obligation,
integral in ensuring that child protection intervention is culturally appropriate.
o Aboriginal Services Capacity Building (31166): an activity that is marked for a different
purpose every year.
o Indigenous Family Violence (31244) – the majority of these are community led initiatives
6. Resources
DHS Flexible Funding Model Internal Guidelines includes Frequently Asked Questions; refer to
section 7 within this document.

Planning Process Template 2011-2012 – ACCO Services – Family and Community Services (31260)

Planning Process Template 2011-2012 – ACCO Services – Youth Justice (32136)
Access the Funded Agency Channel to obtain this guideline and further information on the initiatives for
Simplifying Funding and Reporting for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
Additional resources

Children Youth and Families – Victorian Acts and Statutory Rules are available from the Victorian
Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website: www.legislation.vic.gov.au
Children Youth and Families all other program standards and guidelines are available from the Children, Youth
and Families website: www.cyf.vic.gov.au
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7. Questions and Answers
Q.1
Is there a limited time-frame for implementing ACCO flexible funding arrangements?
A.
No, simplifying funding for ACCOs is an ongoing process that can be implemented at any stage
of the current or future service agreements.
Q.2
Is the DHS Flexible Funding Model the same as the Department of Health’s Block Funding
Model?
A.
No, the DHS’s Flexible Funding Model is different to the Department of Health’s Block Funding
Model Please refer to the Aboriginal Health Branch’s website or the Funded Agency Channel
(FAC) website to download information on the Department of Health’s Block Funding Model.
Q.3
Does an ACCO receive more or less funding as a part of this reform?
A.
No, existing funding amounts documented in the ACCO’s Victorian Indigenous Funding Agreement
will be maintained.
Q.4
Does this new flexible funding model apply to funds received from other State and
Commonwealth departments?
A.
No, the flexible funding model only applies to some recurrently DHS funded activities. Please refer to
section 4 of the guidelines for activities that are ‘in scope’.
Q.5
Can an ACCO redirect in scope funding from ACCO Services - Family and Community
Services (31260) to ACCO Services – Youth Justice (32136)?
A.
No, funding cannot be transferred between the two ACCO Services.
Q.6
Can an ACCO redirect funding between the in scope service activities within an ACCO
Services?
A.
Yes, funding can be transferred between the in scope service activities within the ACCO Services
activity.
Q.7
When can an ACCO start reviewing and adapting their in scope service activities?
A.
Staff within an ACCO can start reviewing all or some of their in scope service activities at any
stage during their agreement cycle. The review process must be in consultation with Children,
Youth and Families Services regional staff.
Q.8
If an ACCO is happy with their recurrent provision of services, do they need to change
their service activities?
A.
There is no need for an ACCO to change their provision of services if they are happy with the
services they provide to their community.
January 2012
Q.9
If an ACCO wishes to review and adapt service activities that are in scope for flexible
funding use, what do they need to consider?
A.
Changes to service activities should focus on the needs of the local community, but also take into
account broader department, and program specific objectives and requirements as well as your
organisation’s capacity to deliver outcomes.
Q.10
Who reviews changes to a service activity?
A.
The review process for redirecting all or some of the ACCOs recurrent service activities must be
in consultation with relevant staff within the ACCO and Children, Youth and Families Services
regional staff.
Q.11
How are the changes to service activities documented?
A.
Changes to in scope service activities are required to be documented on the Planning Process
Templates by Children, Youth and Families Services regional staff with ACCO staff. At this
stage, the only in scope activities for 2011-12 are those for the Children Youth and Families
Division. Children, Youth and Families Services regional staff, as per normal working processes,
are also required to document the variations within SAMS.
Q.12
Who endorses the CYF Planning Process Templates?
A.
The Regional Director (RD) is required to endorse the template/s prior to the ACCO implementing
service activity changes.
Q.13
What to do with the completed templates?
A.
The original signed copy of the completed template should be placed on the regional file for the
relevant organisation. Copies of the completed template must be forwarded to the ACCO for their own
reference and to the CYF Division within Central Office, Attention: Feodora Fomin, Manager Planning, Analysis and Review, Children, Youth and Families Division.
Q.14
Following the consolidation of recurrent funding, how can staff within an ACCO and the
department staff access reports that detail the ACCOs historical funding?
A.
Reports detailing an ACCOs historical funding can be accessed through Funded Agency Channel
(FAC). An itemised listing of activity and sub-activity funding can be obtained by utilising the 9a Sub-activity History report available through the Budget Builds section in the My Agency Module
of FAC.
Q.15
Where can an ACCO find a more detailed breakdown of the funding provided?
A.
Staff within ACCO’s can drill down to sub-activity level detail for their current and future
agreements through the Service Agreement Module in the My Agency section of FAC. More
information on how to use the Service Agreement Module is available at:
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/funded-agency-channel/spotlight/new-service-agreement-module-inmy-agency/how-to-use-the-module
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January 2012
Q.16
An ACCO has requested that we continue to provide a more detailed breakdown of the
funding provided. How do I reflect this request in the Service Agreement Management
System?
A.
These requests can be reflected by ensuring sub-activity detail is provided when entering funding into
the new SAMS application. Additional information/documentation on funding allocations can also be
attached to funding in the new SAMS2 application where required.
Q. 17
Who do I contact if I require additional information about the in scope activities for CYF?
A.
Contact the CYF Division within Central Office, Attention: Feodora Fomin, Manager - Planning,
Analysis and Review, Children, Youth and Families.
Q.18
Who do I contact if I require additional information about the Simplifying Funding and
Reporting reforms for DHS funded ACCOs?
A.
Contact the Sector Capacity Building Team within the Aboriginal Outcomes Branch, Central Office.
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