Connect Care Transform

Transcription

1 Transforming lives for stronger communities Connect Care Transform 2012 Annual Report

2 Respect, Inclusion, Empowerment, Community

3 Transforming lives for stronger communities

4 Contents The Family Life story 3 Three year forward plan 4 Helping solve social issues 5 Where we helped families, children and young people 6 President s report 8 CEO s report 10 The Family Life Integrated Model 12 Benefits of the Family Life Integrated Model 13 Community impact statement 14 Helping to solve child abuse and neglect 16 Child FIRST 18 Community Bubs 20 Early Childhood Family Services Resource Centre 23 Treating and preventing family violence 24 Community education 28 Frankston Family Relationship Centre 29 Solving family conflicts 30 School Focused Youth Service 31 SHINE children s mental health program 32 Reducing disadvantage and social isolation 34 Creating Capable Communities 35 PeopleWorx reducing unemployment 38 Volunteering 41 Enterprises 43 Strategic partnerships and networks 45 Family Life expertise and qualifications 46 Thank you grants, donations, sponsors and supporters 48 Treasurer s report 51 Southern family life service association inc. 52 Statement of comprehensive income 52 Respecting indigenous Australians 55 Our patrons and board 56 Family Life organisational structure 58 Please donate and help 60

5 The Family Life story Family Life assists families, children and young people as well as making our society a better place for everyone including the most disadvantaged and vulnerable. At the heart of our enterprise is the authentic grass roots relationships with our people, the people we help and the people of the community. Family Life is a centre of research, knowledge and innovation delivering measurable social change and impact. We contribute to national and international knowledge through our reputation for changing lives by effective connection, care and transformation. Family Life Annual Report

6 Three year forward plan The Family Life forward plan details the outcomes we will work to achieve, documenting and tracking our activities, to assess and measure our impact on promoting wellbeing and solving and reducing high cost social problems. Outcomes Improve the wellbeing of families, children, and young people Improve service-access and impact for the most vulnerable families, children and young people Grow services to strengthen parenting and support family wellbeing Provide effective and efficient integrated services Promote supported pathways to community involvement Be an employer of choice Activities Replicate, expand and grow, with quality, our Family Life services Evaluate and measure the impact of services Strengthen our partnerships with government and research institutions Plan in partnership with local government as a place-based agency Target government-funded services to the communities with highest needs Respond to new government funding opportunities Share knowledge at local, national and international levels Advocate for growth in community support and involvement Develop and deliver parenting education services Develop and deliver communication education services to families, family services practitioners and lawyers Optimise use of property to support services Upgrade our Information Technology Communication system Fundraise to support our services Expand our Opportunity Shops Explore opportunities for shared services and infrastructure to promote cost efficiency and effectiveness Develop new social enterprise opportunities Utilise microfinance opportunities for the benefit of Family Life infrastructure and for clients Grow volunteering in all areas of our work with vulnerable families and young people Grow the PeopleWorx program run at our social enterprises Reduce impact on the environment Develop workforce appreciation and reward strategies Respond to the changing needs of our workforce Provide career and professional development opportunities 4 Family Life Annual Report 2012

7 Helping solve social issues Every day, many Australians are affected by, and concerned about, significant social issues including child abuse and neglect, family violence, mental illness, unemployment, social isolation, homelessness and poverty. Family Life s specialist integrated programs are targeted to preventing and intervening early to help solve these serious social problems, as illustrated in the following table. Family Life Programs Child Abuse and Neglect Family Violence Mental Illness Unemployment Social Isolation Homelessness Poverty Family Support Child FIRST Family Relationship Services Family Relationship Centre Family Violence Treatment and Prevention Services Creating Capable Communities Community Bubs SHINE Children s Mental Health Services Children s Contact Centres And Parenting Orders Program PeopleWorx *Framework largely developed around Australian Government National Outcomes. Source *Additional information sourced from Family Life Annual Report

8 Where we helped families, children and young people 7,500+ Cases and program participants, by local government areas Frankston 27% Mornington Peninsula 21% Kingston 19% Bayside 13% Glen Eira 7% Port Phillip 4% Casey 3% Stonnington 3% Monash 1% Greater Dandenong 1% Family Life is helping many more families across a wider geographical area, meeting the changing needs of the community. These Local Government Areas include: Banyule Bass Coast Baw Baw Boroondara Brimbank Cardinia Conargo Darebin East Gippsland Greater Bendigo Greater Geelong Hobsons Bay Knox La Trobe Manningham Maroondah Melbourne Melton Mitchell Moira Moreland Murrindindi Nilumbik Northern Grampians South Gippsland Surf Coast Wangaratta Warrnambool Wellington Whitehorse Whittlesea Wodonga Wyndham Yarra Yarra Ranges 6 Family Life Annual Report 2012

9 Family Life Annual Report

10 President s report It has been a year of change, redefinition and expansion for Family Life. The Board increased its strategic and governance effectiveness against a backdrop of sector and government uncertainty and changes, working tirelessly to ensure Family Life continues to provide the assistance disadvantaged and vulnerable families, children and young people need, and to make our communities a better place for everyone. The Board endorses the broad range of counselling and mediation services and innovative programs Family Life provides that enable people to make transformational change in their lives. We ensure prudent investment of funds, both government and private, and understand the need for intervening early to prevent crises. The provision of both early intervention and responsive services, are our core work for achieving the Family Life Mission. We have continued to develop the skills and capabilities of the Board, the management team and the staff, through workshops, strategy days, skills audits, performance surveys and professional development. The Board is acutely aware that improving the capabilities of the organisation increases the quality and impact of our services in an environment of complexity and uncertainty within our communities. The monthly Board Meetings have enabled the Board to act quickly in a fast changing environment. The increased frequency of meetings enhances our understanding of the organisation and decisionmaking capability, and provides more time to explore options, analyse risks, discuss issues and support management, leading to better organisational outcomes. In addition, our Board Members provide their individual expertise to assist management to progress Family Life s vision of transforming lives for stronger communities. Our management, staff and volunteers continue to deliver outstanding results validated through our research and evaluation work, and now in conjunction with our sector and philanthropic partners we are improving our measurement of the social impact and community benefits of this work. Family Life has expanded its geographic presence in response to community needs. We have opened the Frankston PeopleWorx social enterprise and increased outreach for the Mornington Peninsula with the opening of the Tootgarook Community House. Building from government funded services to our whole of community approach will continue into other communities where our assistance is invited and our model can make a real difference. 8 Family Life Annual Report 2012

11 All of this would not be possible without the driving force of our CEO Jo Cavanagh who has managed once again to take the organisation to new levels in what can only be described as one of the most turbulent times faced by the sector. Her tireless efforts ensure the organisation remains a beacon for those in need within our communities. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all Board Members, Staff, Volunteers and Supporters over the past year; it is their selfless commitment to the work of Family Life that makes us the organisation that we are. Finally, it has been a privilege to serve Family Life for the past two years as President. An honour that I value highly; rarely do opportunities to work with such passionate, caring, and capable people present themselves and I feel truly rewarded to have had this opportunity. Thank you all. The year ahead, like the years past, will have its challenges but these challenges will offer us another opportunity to shine great people, great efforts, great outcomes, great future. Grant Douglas Family Life Annual Report

12 CEO s report Every one of the past 18 years I ve been CEO of Family Life has brought its challenges, successes, and inspiring and humbling stories of people transforming their lives and working together for stronger communities. For example we see many parents overcome personal problems and improve their parenting skills and opportunities for their children. Some come back to Family Life to volunteer, passing on their hope and courage as well as new skills and knowledge for the benefit of others. At this individual grassroots level, at the program and organisational levels, and in our diverse partnerships and collaborations, every day we see staff and volunteers at Family Life working to make our society a better place for everyone, including the most disadvantaged and vulnerable families, children and young people. With reduced government funding and donations, and to maintain services, we began the year with significant cuts to management. I extend a special thank you to our Executive Management Team who shared this additional load with me. The unpredictable external context and reduced resources required strategic review and adjustments to priorities and plans. The Board provided handson support and we maintained our full-service capacity. By year-end our collective efforts attracted increased and diversified support from donors, trusts, community members and government, particularly the Federal Government. With increased evidence of quality governance, management and services, we moved into the 2012/13 financial year with funding to expand proven innovations across the southern region of Melbourne. In addition, we are ready to launch the results of our Community Impact Statement national partnership project with Anglicare WA and Centacare Broken Bay, and share our plans for an expanded sector collaboration. Our aim is to share our tools and impact measurement process with 50 community agencies over the next two years to demonstrate the collective social and financial value of investing in strengthening families and communities to prevent high cost long term social problems such as child abuse and neglect, family violence and social isolation. Our most sincere thanks go to our long term pro bono business supporter, Bain & Company, who have continued to coach and assist us. We have validated our Community Impact Statement methodology, and are seeking funding to establish a new social enterprise for measuring and collecting the evidence for investment in effective prevention and early intervention efforts for social change. As we continue our work with individual families, we also continue to learn and share knowledge about what works, under what conditions, to help transform lives. Staff across all aspects of the agency are involved in our learning and sharing as we participate in national and international knowledgedevelopment and exchange. Our Community Impact Statement project will further strengthen these efforts and our contribution to the sector and wider Australian society. 10 Family Life Annual Report 2012

13 In this Annual Report we read the evidence that Family Life is indeed a centre of service, research, knowledge and innovation delivering measurable social change and impact. Most importantly this report celebrates the heart of our agency: authentic grassroots relationships with our people, the people we help, and the people of the community. To achieve these results requires the commitment and contribution of many. We hope in this report you find encouragement to continue to care about others through your connection with the Mission of Family Life. Heartfelt thanks to all for your support and belief in acting to create social change. Jo Cavanagh Family Life Annual Report

14 The Family Life Integrated Model Family service centres Service Centres include: Counselling and mediation rooms Family therapy rooms Meeting rooms for community education Training facilities Support groups Information and referral Service Centres provide safe and secure offices for clients and staff and a place where anyone can go for help. Located at: Sandringham Chelsea Frankston Covering: Bayside, Glen Eira, Port Phillip, Stonnington, Kingston, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula Shire, Casey and Greater Dandenong Creating capable communities Staff and volunteers working within high-need communities assisting people to improve their parenting, social and leadership skills. People learn new skills and foster a sense of community through: Breakfast Clubs After-School Clubs Playgroups Leadership Training Community Bubs Family Life s staff and volunteers promote children s wellbeing and development. Covering: Bayside, Kingston, Glen Eira, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula Shire and Casey Community houses Safe, secure, relaxed places where: Mums, dads and carers go to make friends, join play groups and develop skills Family Life staff and volunteers promote children s wellbeing and development Staff and volunteers help parents to build local networks of support Located at: Edithvale Hampton East Sandringham Tootgarook Enterprises Community businesses run in upmarket Opportunity Shops: Generate discretionary revenue Provide vulnerable young people and adults with training, personal support and work experience Recycle goods Mentor vulnerable young people Facilitate socialising and community engagement Located at: Chelsea Cheltenham Frankston Hampton 12 Family Life Annual Report 2012

15 Benefits of the Family Life Integrated Model Provides family and community support services across 46 suburban and regional Local Government Areas Strengthens and supports families and helps to prevent family problems and breakdown Enables people to become active participating members of the community Links our family support interventions, with prevention, early interventions and sustainable community-owned change Family Life Annual Report

16 Community impact statement Family Life has been leading a national initiative to improve the measurement of the impact of our work. With increasing pressure for funding, we need to make the clearest business case we can about the social and economic benefits which flow from investing in strengthening families. Other sectors, such as medicine and road-safety have demonstrated that prevention and early intervention return benefits including improved lives and money saved. For example we immunise children to prevent diseases. We wear seat belts and spend more on driver education to prevent road trauma. Family Life has been working with key partners Anglicare WA and Centacare Broken Bay in NSW, to validate a methodology for valuing and presenting the impact of our work with individuals, families and communities. This quote from a client speaks to the motivation and reasoning driving our innovative project. This service has helped my life in the most positive way. If it wasn t for Family Life, our family would have broken down and then that puts strain on us, children, government agency (Centrelink etc). Financially we could not afford to go elsewhere and we appreciate that Family Life helped us emotionally and financially. When we get back on our feet I would love to get involved with fundraising to help out Family Life. Thank you!! This is why we need to measure and value the social impact of prevention and early intervention services. If this family had broken down and as a result needed services such as Centrelink, Child Support Agency, Family Court, Child Protection etc. what financial costs would society have incurred? Not to mention the emotional and physical toll on those involved? Measuring the value of these savings means we can talk the language of policy makers, economists and funding bodies; we can make an economic business case that helps prove what we prevent. The costs of child abuse and neglect, child protection, joblessness, family violence and homelessness continue to rise. Our Community Impact Statement process and tools provide a mechanism to support decision making for the collective effort required, from evidence-based programs, to prevent these high cost social problems. Family Life, together with our sector colleagues and supported by Bain & Company, is now seeking to scale our Community Impact Statement with 50 more community agencies applying our methodology over the next two years. We have gathered significant data, have repeated and documented the steps in the process and are seeking investors to join our collective effort. Our target is commitment from donors to a total investment fund of $400,000 over two years to support a social enterprise start up. Our Vision is to see community agencies providing audited Annual Community Impact Statements with evidence of the value of the change achieved. The expectations for financial reporting will be matched with our reporting on progress with our Missions and measurable evidence of the contribution of community agencies, as a sector, to effectively improving the lives of our citizens. Please watch our website for updates on the CIS project and contact us if you would like to contribute to our Vision. 14 Family Life Annual Report 2012

17 Most commonly used words in client feedback questionnaires, when describing Family Life s services Copyright 2012 tagxedo.com Family Life Annual Report

18 Helping to solve child abuse and neglect Family support Children and young people are safe and well. Parents have skills and support, and are connected to services and the community. During the year, the Family Support teams provided direct support through 566 cases and 28,107 hours of servicedelivery for babies, children, young people, parents, grandparents, blended families and relatives. Our expert staff offered centre-based, in-home visiting and community and neighbourhood outreach to provide the support, help and care where it is needed and where people feel comfortable. The families accepted for a Family Support service have complex and multiple needs and live in the local government areas of Kingston, Bayside, Glen Eira, Port Phillip and Stonnington. Funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services, the Family Support program is delivered within the framework of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, and the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act Family Life is a Registered Community Service Organisation under the legislation and subject to the rigorous requirements of the Community Service Organisation standards and regular internal and external audits for compliance with these standards. In addition, Family Life provides regular data to the Department to demonstrate our performance against the volume and focus of service delivery expected. Our submissions continue to stress the need for government funding to support our Volunteer program and Creating Capable Communities activities for reaching the most vulnerable families. These are families who are less likely to ask for help. The Family Life model of Family Support takes responsibility for building trust and relationships in the neighbourhoods where many of these families live, to encourage them to ask for help before risks and problems become harm, neglect or abuse. We have received international expert endorsement for our model from Dr Deborah Daro from Chicago University, USA. Dr Daro is a leading international expert on preventing child abuse and neglect. Family Life looks forward to her being the guest at the launch of our Community Impact Statement in November Family Life Annual Report 2012

19 Evaluation and feedback Family Life has continued to focus on how to best use government and community resources to meet the needs of the families we want to strengthen, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their vulnerable children. We have undertaken our own program of examining the international research and literature to ensure our practice is informed by evidence. From this evidence-informed practice we have developed a methodology for assessing the financial and social benefits of the social problems we are helping to prevent. (for more information please visit our web site under the heading Community Impact Statement ) Our evaluation showed that parent satisfaction with Family Support was high. All parents who returned the client satisfaction survey agreed that their practitioner listened, and was respectful, supportive, flexible, and able to communicate with their family. Feedback from children and young people Feedback was received from a sample of 26 children who were involved with the Family Support and SHINE Mental Health Teams. Children and young people reported feeling that they had been listened to. 94% reported that: They felt supported Their worker was flexible Their worker was able to communicate with them well Parent Satisfaction Number of parents The worker listened to me and my family The worker respected me and my family The worker was supportive to me and my family The worker was flexible to my family s needs The worker was able to communicate well with me and my family Strongly Agree Agree Family Life Annual Report

20 Child FIRST Strengthening families to promote child wellbeing and prevent harm. Dollars and Lives: The Economics of Healthy Children The immediate, short-term economic impacts of child maltreatment are clear. They include the cost of healthcare services for acute injuries, the utilisation of social and protective services to investigate and treat abused children, and the money spent on the legal and criminal justice systems involved. Perhaps the greatest economic impact of child maltreatment on society, however, is the unhealthy adults that are produced as a consequence. Dr Phaedra S. Corso documents/corsowhtppr.pdf The prevention of child abuse and neglect makes both social and economic sense. Child FIRST at Family Life covers Kingston, Bayside, Glen Eira, Stonnington and Port Phillip. If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, please call Child FIRST on A report to Child Protection will be made if there are immediate concerns about a child s safety, stability or development. How much did Child FIRST do? 644 families received 5,647 hours of help and referral advice from the Child FIRST team. Families need help with: Parenting difficulties Neglect of children Children not attending school Children with a disability Adolescent behaviour Family violence Mental illness Social isolation Supporting the Practitioners Known as Child FIRST, the Child and Family Information, Referral and Support Team is a Victorian Government initiative to help vulnerable families, children and babies. Child FIRST provides a central in-take and initial assessment service and connects families into family support services where needed. Child FIRST also links vulnerable children, young people and their families into the universal and specialist services they need, such as, early childhood centres, Centrelink, sexual abuse counselling, family violence support, drug and alcohol counselling, housing and mental health services. Feedback from practitioners attending community education activities facilitated by Child FIRST: Thank you It was really informative and dovetailed in really well with what we had been doing. You both were friendly, down to earth, direct and open. This is what is missing in the workforce and in organisations when important information is delivered. I hope this is the first of many talks that you all conduct with us. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your attendance and presentation yesterday. I have received such positive feedback from staff who found your presentation extremely informative and interesting. They found it extremely useful to have a balance between the Department and your program and we thank you for your honesty. 18 Family Life Annual Report 2012

21 The Early Childhood Development Project The Early Childhood Development Project - helping to ensure vulnerable children (aged 0-5yrs) receive the services they need, at an early stage in their development. We know that early intervention with vulnerable families can play a significant role in helping to reduce the need for Child Protection Services. In March 2011 the Victorian Government implemented a project to help strengthen linkages between Family Support Services and Early Childhood Services. Called the Early Childhood Development Project, this initiative has resulted in a significant increase in calls from staff in the Early Childhood sector to the Child FIRST team. This increased demand, together with analysis of the reason for the calls, indicates that there is a strong demand from staff in the Early Childhood sector for professional support and advice, when they are concerned about the welfare of a child. Family Life Annual Report

22 Community Bubs Family Life s proven innovation for strengthening vulnerable babies and their parents. Community Bubs: Helping vulnerable babies thrive and live safely in the care of their own families. Over the past year: The number of children on care and protection orders rose 4% to 39,058 children and the number of children in out-of-home care rose 5% to 37,648* *AIHW Child protection Australia Child welfare series no. 53. Cat. no. CWS 41. Canberra: AIHW. Strong empirical evidence exists for investing in prevention efforts during the first few years of a child s life through programs like intensive homebased interventions Deborah Daro.* * Combining intensive home visiting by both professionals and trained volunteers, with a strong focus on helping families connect with community resources, Family Life s innovative and proven Community Bubs program helps infants to thrive and live safely in the care of their families. By keeping infants living safely at home, Community Bubs delivers both short and long term social benefits for the infants and their families, and also delivers significant cost savings for the community. For example, each child prevented from needing to go into Foster Care saves $46,355* Community Bubs helps families with problems such as: Attachment and bonding difficulties Poor parenting skills Parents are just not coping Violence Relationship issues Mental illness Social isolation The 32 babies and families referred for a Community Bubs service remained out of the Child Protection system. One of the families identified as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Fourteen families were from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 80% of parents reported that their family relationships had improved mostly or a lot. 94% of parents reported that their confidence to ask for help when they needed to had improved mostly or a lot. 88% reported that their enjoyment of parenting had improved mostly or a lot. 90% of parents reported that communication within their family had improved mostly or a lot. More than 282 babies and their families have been helped by Community Bubs since it was established in * University of Melbourne, and Monash University Check out Community Bubs on YouTube youtube.com/user/familylife Family Life Annual Report 2012

23 A Community Bubs story A Community Bubs referral was received from the social worker at Sandringham hospital following the birth of a new born girl. The family consisted of mum, dad (to the new-born) and 12 year old son (to a mother from a previous relationship). The hospital felt the family needed support with caring for their new-born daughter and their 12 year old son who had an intellectual disability and had recently begun residing with the family. The professional team set up a plan to provide: Case management with Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Nurse, school and other services as appropriate Support for the mum and dad to develop their parenting skills Support for the son to be involved in the care of the baby Support for the son to have a relationship with his biological mother Support for the mum to develop confidence in her decision making skills Support for mum and dad to access financial counselling and material aid if required Mum s goals during her time with Community Bubs were: For their 12 year old son to access respite and recreational services To develop a relationship with their son s school To get help with financial counselling For the new born daughter to attend playgroup To de-clutter the family home To do something for herself away from the children After one year of receiving support from Community Bubs professionals and trained volunteers: The 12 year old son was attending the school holiday programs A successful application for disability funding had been made to pay for their son to attend a school holiday camp Mum s relationship with her son s school was strengthened; she attended parent-teacher interviews, received the newsletter and attended a coffee morning Mum and baby daughter attended a music group at their local community centre Mum attended a personal development course through Family Life s PeopleWorx program at our Opportunity Shop and also attended the PeopleWorx OUT (Overcoming Unhelpful Thinking) group. Mum made a self-referral to a local community mental health service to receive support in regard to her mental health, confidence and self-esteem. Mum was supported by a Community Bubs volunteer who provided emotional support, and reassurance that she was a good mum to her daughter. The volunteer also supported mum in regard to their 12 year old son s needs Mum had contacted a financial counselling service What are the key ingredients in Community Bubs? Expert Staff Trained Volunteers Community Houses People in the Community Who Care Philanthropic Support Family Life Annual Report

24 Why is Community Bubs so successful? With the generous philanthropic support from Dr Roger Riordan AM and his Cybec Foundation, together with Cabrini Health, Community Bubs provides vulnerable families with professional support and ongoing long-term support from volunteers. Through Community Bubs, families are encouraged to join one of Family Life s Community Houses where they can develop friendships, learn parenting skills and receive ongoing support from staff and volunteers. Activities at the Community Houses included BBQs, birthday celebrations, playgroups and visits from Maternal and Child Health Nurses. Community Bubs commenced as a pilot program in Research by Monash University found that Community Bubs provided an effective model for keeping babies living safely with their families. 22 Family Life Annual Report 2012

25 Early Childhood Family Services Resource Centre Online help for professionals, families and the community. Family Life is delighted to be hosting and supporting the Early Childhood Family Services Resource Centre. This online Resource Centre is an innovative and informative kit of tools and resources for use by professionals, families and the community. The Resource Centre was created in response to feedback from both the Early Childhood and Family Services Sectors about the type of information that would be useful when working with vulnerable families with young children. Information includes Tip Sheets, Practical Guides and Contacts. Tip Sheets include: Difficult conversations and how to have them What to do if a parent asks for help Finding childcare in urgent situations For more information go to: Family Life Annual Report

26 Treating and preventing family violence Victorian Justice Department statistics about family violence show that: Children are, most commonly, the affected family member Males are more likely than females to be the respondents* * victorian+family+violence+database+volume+5+elevenyear+trend+analysis Family violence is a high cost individual and social problem primarily affecting children and women. Since 2009, the legal definition of Family Violence includes: Physical abuse Sexual abuse Psychological Emotional abuse Verbal abuse Economic abuse Social abuse Property damage Harassment and stalking Threats Coercion This expanded definition of Family Violence also includes behaviours that cause a person to fear for the safety or cause a child to hear or witness the above types of behaviours. There were almost 10,000 more family violence incident reports submitted by police last year. This is an issue the whole community should be concerned about. Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay September 2012* * victoria-police-statistics-deal-blow-to-baillieu-on-law-and-order/ story-e6frgczx ) Support for Women and Children affected by family violence. Family Life provides a range of support services for women living in violent and abusive relationships. This includes helping the women to develop the confidence, skills and strategies they need to build a better life for themselves and their children. 158 women and children came to Family Life for help relating to family violence. 19 women progressed to join our support group called Making Choices. 8 women went on to attend our Creating Connections support group. The women were experiencing a range of serious issues including depression, anxiety and a history of abuse and trauma. Many were referred by Child Protection. The support groups helped the women to make choices about their lives and develop strategies for dealing with abusive situations. After the group program the women reported they had improved self-confidence and a greater ability to handle everyday situations and make healthy relationship choices. I have more of an understanding of the effects on our children of (violent) behaviour and responses. High conflict is now easier to deal with and affects me less. Before I didn t realise that the agitation inside and fog and confusion was caused by hyper-vigilance. Now I do so I don t feel lost- I can make sense of it and can take steps to balance it. It means I can do my other tasks better. Creative Art Therapy classes were a particular highlight providing the women with activities to enhance their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. This year the women created a collage and made beautiful masks. I haven t done this since I was about 17 and forgot how much I enjoyed doing it. 24 Family Life Annual Report 2012

27 Support for Men including men who use violence in their relationships. Family violence includes sexual, physical, psychological, emotional and financial violence. All forms of violence are harmful to adults and children. Children are profoundly affected by family violence which affects their development and ability to learn. Family Life s pioneering work with men who use violence towards their partners and children began with the MATES program in The focus of the work is to improve the safety of the women and children and improve the quality of everyone s lives, including the men s. 107 men who had a Family Violence Intervention Order issued against them received counselling relating to their family violence. Family Violence Men s Workers attended both the Frankston and Moorabbin Magistrates Courts to engage men promoting early intervention and safety for women and children. 26 men went on to attended the MATES group which focuses on helping men to become accountable and responsible for their behaviour, and achieve change. MATES delivered sixteen weekly sessions conducted by Family Life s specialist staff. Another Family Life staff member maintained contact with female partners to check in about the men s behaviour and to ensure the women and children were safe and well. The men s children included babies, toddlers, children and teenagers. Men were referred to MATES by their partners, agencies, friends, workmates and the Courts. While most men received approximately 30 hours of service, 20 men each received more than 50 hours of service. While the majority of men were born in Australia, others were born in England, Germany, Greece, India, Laos, Morocco, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore and South Africa. Two men identified as being either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This table shows the ages of the men attending MATES. Age of men attending MATES Number of men in age bracket Age brackets in Years Family Life Annual Report

28 Treating and preventing family violence cont. The following graph represents the reduction of violent incidents throughout the course of the MATES program, as reported by the men. Contact with the partners of the men found that in some instances these claims were supported, however in other cases the violence was reported to have not changed, or in some cases had escalated. This highlights the complexity of the issue of violence, and the challenges experienced in men s behavioural change programs. Use of violence by participants throughout program, as reported by men 25 Number of participants Physical Object Verbal Psychological Sexual Financial Social Spiritual Types of violence Before Mid-way After [MATES] has opened my eyes to a lot of things I always assumed that violence was [only] physical. It has made me realise that children are influenced by their parents and they mimic what they do. We don t realize how much we affect our children. The most important session to date. Seeing my children have witnessed some form of violence and seeing it through their eyes, and the drawings really had an impact on me. Very professional at your job, in dealing with my issues. [I] strongly recommend this program to anyone. Feedback from the adults 96% of people who received a family violence counselling service funded by the Department of Human Services, and who returned a survey, reported that they found the assistance they received was very helpful and that they were satisfied with their counsellor s concern for them and their problems. Thank you very much for all your time and effort in supporting and guiding us on the start of our journey. 26 Family Life Annual Report 2012

29 What the adults said: They were able to show me via our discussions/ debriefs as to how I reacted to my children (and this) helped to change the outcome. The biggest thing was acknowledging how my child was feeling. (I learnt) how to control my anger towards the kids and be open-minded. My counsellor really listened and empathised with my concerns and worries and trauma it helped me cope and gave me an outlet. My counsellor helped me understand and work through the grief (so I can) stop turning it into anger. (My counsellor) provided fantastic advice and strategies. Thank you. [My counsellor] taught me different methods of controlling anxiety attacks and helped me to understand that I am the only person I can control. Parents also reported the following: Things have improved no screaming at night. [There is now] less yelling, less swearing and more negotiating. I [now] feel that I can try to see the real reason why my son has outbursts. [There is now] less controlling [and] more structured parenting. Less emotional engagement. There is less aggressive behaviour at home. My child is aware of what I will and won t tolerate. I am now more assertive and do not feel as guilty. I am less controlling and less confrontational. I created a safety plan. Who s in Charge? Who s in Charge is an eight-week program to support parents who are exposed to violence and abusive behaviour perpetrated by their adolescent children. At the completion of the program: 87% of parents reported that things had improved at home since the group began 83% of parents reported feeling guilty for their child s behaviour prior to the group commencing; this number was reduced to 17% by the conclusion of the group 83% of parents reported feeling depressed or unhappy prior to the group commencing; this was reduced to 17% at the conclusion of the group Family Life Annual Report

30 Community education Empowering separated parents with information and skills Courses and education sessions called Working it Out and Consider the Children help separated parents develop communication skills, how to deal with conflict, parenting skills and new ways of problem solving. The program achieved a 97% satisfaction rating, with parents and carers saying they found the course to be useful, informative and enjoyable. Quotes from participants included: It s a very good program exceptionally informative, thanks. I learnt a lot. I think that the service is in great hands. 28 Family Life Annual Report 2012

31 Frankston Family Relationship Centre Funded by the Australian Government, and managed by Family Life. The Family Relationship Centre serves the communities of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire. The Centre provides confidential information and advice for families and dispute resolution for parents who are separating to help them reach agreement on parenting arrangements for the children without going to court. 1,055 people sought help from Family Life s Frankston Family Relationship Centre and registered as clients 850 people participated in Family Dispute Resolution and support sessions 88 parents and 75 children participated in Child Inclusive Practice sessions 380 people attended Consider the Children education sessions 325 people attended Working It Out sessions From returned surveys: 88% of parents reported that the Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners listened to them, treated them with respect, were professional and knowledgeable, and adequately explained the mediation process to them 76% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that they felt better able to cope or deal with issues 82% agreed or strongly agreed that they had new skills and knowledge to use in their family relationships Feedback from people attending Family Dispute Resolution sessions: They helped us to work out what was good for the kids. [We were given] sound advice in regards to how to achieve the Parenting Plan this made things easier to cope with. They validated views and supported items in agreement. Assisted in preparation of Parenting Plan in a fair and just manner. They recognised the difficulty of the process and the need to facilitate an outcome or at least an agreement on certain issues. Helping parents to focus on their children and work things out. Dad initiated Family Dispute Resolution to try to resolve issues regarding passports, schooling and communication with Mum. Mum had enrolled their child, who had Asperger s Syndrome, in a school that was 100kms away from where Dad lived. The child was enrolled in Family Life s Child Inclusive Practice program where it became apparent that the child did not cope well with change. A facilitative approach was used by the practitioners, strongly emphasising the best interests of the child throughout the process, whilst upholding the notion of selfdetermination for the parents. This approach empowered Mum and Dad to communicate in a respectful manner, whilst keeping the child s needs and interests at the heart of all discussions. A Parenting Plan was developed. Both parents agreed it was in the child s best interests to remain at the current location. Both parents offered to give each other ongoing support if either parent was unsure of how to deal with a particular situation regarding the child s Asperger s. They further agreed to have a respectful discussion surrounding suitable high schools for their child to attend. Family Life Annual Report

32 Solving family conflicts Promoting healthy relationships working together for the best interests of children. Family Relationship Services Family Life s family-counselling services focus on helping parents to achieve the best outcomes for the children. Counselling helps parents to develop the skills to articulate their own perspective and to listen to their partner and their children. Client satisfaction with Family Life counselling services was high. People said they were listened to, respected, supported, understood, helped to explore their worries, and helped to find positive changes. Couples Counselling Success Story Dad and Mum were caught in a negative cycle of communication triggered by their child s disability, financial strain, limited support, and mum s recent injury. They had lost sight of the strengths within their relationship. Applying the approach developed by John Gottman and the Core Communications model the counsellor worked with the parents to: Manage their differences and conflict by helping them to soften their communication with each other Develop friendship by keeping a positive balance in their emotional bank account Draw out shared dreams by looking at the goal behind the perpetual problem (child s disability). The parents had a limited support network beyond other parents of children with special needs. The counsellor explored their need for couple time and provided a safe place to vent their frustrations to someone neutral; someone who could assist them to look beyond their child s disability and their role as carers to strengthen their relationship. They began to realise that they actually worked well as a team. Both are committed to their children s needs, but understand that they also need to focus on their own needs, especially when it comes to giving the relationship attention. Both Dad and Mum said they would come back to Family Life in future, if they felt they needed help. 30 Family Life Annual Report 2012

33 School Focused Youth Service Schools and services working together to help at-risk students. The School Focused Youth Service (SFYS) is an initiative of the Victorian government. The goal is to strengthen the support provided to vulnerable year olds, by facilitating partnerships and coordination of services between schools and community service organisations, at a local level. Family Life is the managing agency for the SFYS for Bayside and Kingston. SFYS distributed $51,595 for 11 targeted community and school projects which helped 1,655 students and 940 parents. This year the focus was on strengthening pathways for vulnerable children so they can transition successfully between schools, especially from Primary School to Secondary School. A partnership between 24 schools in the Kingston Network has been formed. In collaboration with local support agencies, students will receive help dealing with the personal, social and emotional issues they may face when changing schools. Family Life Annual Report

34 SHINE children s mental health program Improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people preventing anxiety and depression. What is burdening our children? (aged 0-14) While the greatest burden comes from Asthma, the second greatest burden is Anxiety, Depression and Autism Spectrum Disorders.* * aspx?id= We see today, children who are stressed, anxious and in some cases depressed. This is probably due to genetic, as well as early environmental factors. As a society, we need to be thinking about what we can do to support children to reduce overall stress levels and build up their resilience. We need to promote a society where all children feel safe, included and belong, as we have articulated in the National Framework for Protecting Australia s Children. I was therefore delighted to learn about the innovative and pioneering work of Family Life to promote children s resilience and mental health. The Family Life SHINE program is a unique initiative, specifically funded by the Australian Government, to develop effective interventions for anxiety and depression prevention and early intervention with children aged The evidence of impact for strengthening children s mental health and well-being demonstrated by the pilot has led to the government progressing from pilot to three year program funding. The creative and innovative interventions developed by Family Life SHINE, and shared in this report (see report com.au) indeed SHINE a light on cost effective ways professionals and parents can work together to strengthen children s mental health and prevent adolescent mental illness. Professor Fiona Stanley AC Australian of the Year 2003 Director Telethon Institute for Child Health Research Chair of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth 32 Family Life Annual Report 2012

35 Over the past year the SHINE Children s Mental Health Program directly helped more than 4,176 children, 120 parents and 157 teachers, with resources and services for improving mental health and wellbeing. From the research we know that teaching strategies such as mindfulness will help children to reduce their depression and anxiety. By learning mindfulness children can also learn to manage their feelings and thoughts. Parents too can learn skills and strategies to support this learning for their children. Many young people are living with a parent who has a mental health problem. Many of these are also living in sole parent households. For these children, home-life can be difficult. They are likely to take on too much responsibility at home, have low selfesteem and worry they might inherit the illness. Family Life has successfully demonstrated how, with additional specialist training, Family Support can work flexibly in schools, with small groups of vulnerable children, and with parents and Care Teams to strengthen children and families and reduce the high costs associated with depression and the onset of child and adolescent mental illness. This is a high cost social problem for which we have proven prevention and early intervention strategies. We have continued to address our four key strategies for contributing to the National Mental Health Action plan. 1. Working in schools to help children who have early signs of mental illness and preventing further mental illness. SHINE Children s Mental Health Program directly helped 155 children. What the children said: My worker explained to me some of the things I can do to reduce my anxiety and sometimes anger. She listened to me and she told me and my mum that when we argue& to walk away. That was helpful. They told me how important school is and made me see things another way. They gave me all kinds of good advice. The SHINE Children s Mental Health Program team delivered the FRIENDS for Life mental health program in four Primary Schools. 2. Working in schools to help parents with at-risk 8-14 years olds The SHINE Children s Mental Health Program team helped 167 children in 22 groups. What the children Said: I don t feel sad anymore. You helped me with my feelings. 3. Providing support for children of parents with a mental health illness. The SHINE Children s Mental Health Program team directly helped 42 parents who had a mental illness. Feedback from parents: Positive feedback with regards to family issues [was helpful.] 4. Contributing to community and national discussion about mental health. Through partnerships with 31 external organisations, services, networks and universities, and 20 primary and secondary schools, the SHINE Children s Mental Health Program team developed and strengthened relationships, all of which help to achieve better outcomes for children needing support. Satisfaction with community education sessions facilitated by the SHINE Children s Mental Health Program team was high, with 81% of participants stating that they were satisfied with the service they received. (94 people) Quotes from participants included: You related to everyone. [ It was a] calm, nice friendly environment The presentation was done well, you listened well; it was very relevant for all Family Life Annual Report

36 Reducing disadvantage and social isolation Building community bonds and bridges of trust and relationships. 25% of Australians experience marginal exclusion 5% of Australians are very deeply excluded * *apo.org.au Disadvantaged families and children experience low levels of trust and community reciprocity, making it more difficult for them to overcome the barriers to employment and wellbeing. These people often find it hard to ask for help and experience many of the issues associated with high cost social problems. Family Life reaches out to these families in their local neighbourhoods through our Creating Capable Communities activities, to build trust and hope, and empower local parents to lead the development of solutions to their local issues. 34 Family Life Annual Report 2012

37 Creating Capable Communities Building the bonds and bridges of trust and friendship in local neighbourhoods and schools. During the past eleven years Family Life has developed this effective ground-up strategy to empower people and communities to overcome barriers of disadvantage, joblessness and intergenerational poverty. Creating Capable Communities is a shining example of what a community can do when local people work together. Core Activities of Creating Capable Communities include: Creating Capable Leaders Afterschool Clubs Breakfast Clubs Community Houses Community Bubs Family Life Annual Report

38 After School Club This well-established program at a Highett public housing estate helps children to socialise, play, eat healthy snacks and develop positive study habits to transfer to the home environment. Volunteers play an important role by helping the children to do their homework, playing games with the children and, importantly, listening. After School Club was run for 40 sessions and attended by an average of 20 children each session. At After School Club, Family Life staff and trained volunteers build trust with vulnerable families and children encouraging them to ask for help early, and prevent the escalation of problems and risks for children. Breakfast Club Two regular Breakfast Clubs supported by volunteers and service clubs run each week at Westall Primary School and the Highett Public Housing Estate. At Breakfast Club, Family Life staff and trained volunteers have regular contact with vulnerable children, offering support or a service when needed. The Breakfast Club run at Westall Primary School was run for 40 sessions and was attended, on average by 29 children. The Breakfast Club run at the Highett Public Housing Estate was run for 40 sessions and was attended, on average by 20 children. Breakfast Clubs provide children with much needed nourishment and support, and help them to get to school on time and better prepared for learning. 36 Family Life Annual Report 2012

39 Community Houses Family Life s Community Houses provide local residents, single parents, mums, dads, grandparents and carers with a welcoming, safe and supportive place to meet others, learn new skills, socialise, develop friendships, participate in playgroups, learn about community services and get help from staff and trained volunteers. To ensure we continue to meet the ever changing needs of the community, we are reviewing, reinvigorating and expanding the programs run at our Community Houses. It is pleasing when we see residents and parents move on, strengthened by the support and friendships developed through the Community House. As the local population and needs change, so must our responses. Family Life Community Houses provide a welcome meeting place for community groups including our Aboriginal Advisory Committee, volunteers from the Hampton Opportunity Shop and staff from other agencies when we are developing case-plans for clients. The Houses are run as a resource for diverse groups and members of the community with Family Life providing the oversight and support. We are most grateful for the benefactors such as the Cybec and Barr Foundations and Cabrini Health, which have helped make these special places possible for people to seek and give support, so together we can promote wellbeing for all. Family Life Annual Report

40 PeopleWorx reducing unemployment Helping vulnerable people overcome barriers to employment From 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, PeopleWorx helped 149 unemployed people, 68 of whom had either serious or severe risks in their lives. By 30 June 2012: 14 had a job 70 were engaged in further education, 9 of whom had commenced Certificate III in Retail with Family Life 16 were actively volunteering, with the majority volunteering at one of Family Life s four Opportunity Shops 6 were actively seeking work 1 had returned to home-duties 8 not known 34 were not ready for work because of mental illness and other significant personal issues. All 34 were connected into agencies including Family Life, so they could access ongoing support. Proudly: 27 of the 149 participants had qualified with a Certificate II in Retail What is PeopleWorx? Computer skills Community Service opportunities Resumé preparation Work experience adults and school students Supported work experience at local businesses Accesses to Family Life s professional services And.the key ingredient mentoring and support from Family Life s 251 trained Opportunity Shop volunteers Three key ingredients in the success of PeopleWorx Support from Family Life staff and volunteers 60% Work experience in the opportunity shops 20% Training Accredited and informal 20% *percentage contribution based on feedback from participants PeopleWorx is a proven and innovative model for helping vulnerable unemployed and disengaged people to get the skills, work experience and, most importantly the personal help they need to get a job. Situated in upmarket Opportunity Shops (Thrift Stores) in Chelsea, Cheltenham and Frankston, PeopleWorx provides: Training including Certificates II and III in Retail and Retail Basics Personal development opportunities Courses which promote mental health and help people overcome unhelpful thinking Social reconnection programs for socially isolated people This is just a great program. It s unique. I love PeopleWorx. Volunteer What was the most important thing you took away from the OUT (Overcoming Unhelpful Thinking) group sessions? A lot, because I was able to speak. Self-confidence, Control my anger, I am human again. That it is OK for me to make mistakes, that it is possible to connect with others. 38 Family Life Annual Report 2012

41 Education and support a success story A young lady applied to become a volunteer. As she had serious personal challenges, it was felt she was not ready to train to be a volunteer; however it was thought she might benefit from joining PeopleWorx. She completed the Overcoming Unhelpful Thinking course then the Renew, Recycle, Revamp course. Both courses are activity-based specialist support programs. After 12 weeks, staff noticed considerable positive changes in the lady s behaviour. She told staff, I feel alive again. With the support of another trained volunteer, the lady is now working as a Family Life volunteer. Staff were thrilled to see the woman glowing with confidence. Number of participants in each age bracket Age brackets in years Seventeen year old Sarah suffers from depression and experiences anxiety and mood swings. She had expressed thoughts of self-harm. Sarah enrolled in Family Life s Reconnections program where she enjoyed social outings led by a professional support worker. The skills and confidence she gained inspired her to enrol in Certificate II in Retail. Sarah graduated in December and is making steady progress. She volunteers at a Family Life Opportunity Shop two days a week and receives ongoing professional support. Young people leaving out of home care with no family or community support are more likely to be unemployed, become homeless or get involved in the juvenile justice system. Twenty-one year old Jacob was unemployed and suffering from depression and anxiety when he joined PeopleWorx. He participated in the social support group for several weeks and staff noticed his confidence grow to the extent that he was able to chat to others in the group. He has since found a part time job at a major variety store and enrolled in Certificate II in Retail for next year. To escape family violence, fifteen year old David ran away from home. When he joined PeopleWorx his self-esteem was very low and his health was poor. After he completed Certificate II in Retail, staff noted that his confidence was markedly improved. With ongoing professional support, David is looking for work and is living in a relatively stable environment. Go to and search for PeopleWorx Family Life Annual Report

42 A success story the value of mentoring When Anyim, a young African refugee joined PeopleWorx, it seemed he didn t want to be there. After two weeks of encouragement and support from his mentor, Anyim was smiling, making cups of coffee for the volunteers and cheerily answering the phone. He plans to enrol in Certificate II next year. We acknowledge and thank the teams at Holmesglen TAFE who work with us to achieve these results. Our thanks is extended to the generous Trusts, Foundations and Philanthropists whose seedfunding and endorsement have enabled Family Life to establish three successful PeopleWorx programs in up-market Opportunity Shops. Establishment of the Frankston PeopleWorx did however take longer than expected owing to the complexities of the issues around the entrenched intergenerational unemployment in the region. A key to our success was the introduction of some fun, non-academic courses which served as a welcoming and supported entry point to the more academic studies in Certificate II in Retail. The Cheltenham enterprise is fully sustainable and the Chelsea and Frankston enterprises are making good financial progress. PeopleWorx is a good investment. For every unemployed person PeopleWorx helps to get a full time job, there is a benefit to the community of at least $13,000 in welfare benefits foregone and $3,000 in tax being paid. That s a total of around $15, Family Life Annual Report 2012

43 Volunteering Wellbeing for all volunteering grows social capital and strong communities. Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and help them become what they are capable of being. Goethe Building social capital through volunteering Social capital refers to connections among people; it puts a value on social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. Volunteers add more than a direct economic value to the community; they help create a stronger and more stable community. High levels of social capital correlate with improved health and lower crime. Why do Volunteers volunteer? The two most frequently mentioned things volunteers valued about their volunteering experience in the National Survey of Volunteering Issues* * (Volunteering Australia, 2011, p9). Training of volunteers All volunteers undertake an initial induction session with their volunteer coordinator. This is followed by a formal volunteer induction at which volunteers receive broad-based training on Family Life s work in the community together with their rights, responsibilities and duties. During , 25 volunteers undertook the in-depth training. When asked what they enjoyed about the training, here s what they said. Meeting new like-minded people. Meeting other volunteers. I learnt to respect the privacy of people in the community. The depth of the work Family Life do in the community. The value of hearing the real success stories from dedicated Family Life staff. The difference I make to the community. The sense of purpose it gives me. At the Volunteer Christmas celebration in December 2011, with 85 volunteers in attendance, we proudly presented long service awards to two volunteers for 10 years service and three Founding Volunteers for 40 years service. Outstanding generosity and achievements! Family Life leverages abundance and goodwill to create value at the local community level. During , Family Life s volunteers contributed 41,000 hours of labour. At a conservative $25 per hour, this contribution to the community is valued at $1,025,000. These hours equate to 21 full time employees. Family Life Annual Report

44 Volunteering Volunteers wishing to work in the more complex fields relating to Family Support, Counselling, Community Bubs and SHINE Mental Health, undertake an additional in-depth training. Counselling services are expanded by qualified volunteers, including supervised students undertaking professional studies. Volunteers ably assisted with Family and Relationship Services, Family Dispute Resolution and Integrated Family Services. Their professionalism and dedication to this complex work is appreciated. Working as a volunteer counsellor at Family Life I benefit from the personal satisfaction of giving back to the community. By assisting my clients to become more empowered it enables them to make stronger connections with their families and in turn the wider community. The support I receive from the people working at Family Life further helps to make volunteering a positive experience. Creating Capable Communities reaches so many children and families because we have dedicated volunteers who help run Breakfast and After School Clubs. Some of these committed volunteers have been getting to Breakfast Club, by 7.30am for several years. The many talented and caring volunteers who help the children with their homework, play games, and, most importantly, listen to the children are just wonderful. Community Houses, also part of Creating Capable Communities, operate with the support of volunteers who come from a range of backgrounds including teaching and nursing. They bring a repertoire of skills including cooking, arts, crafts and reading to the children. On behalf of the families and children thank you!! SHINE children s mental health program is a growing area for volunteer-involvement with volunteers helping with school-based and holiday activities for the children. Community Bubs volunteers play an essential role in helping vulnerable babies to stay living with their families. Their support, expertise and long-term commitment help to ensure parents get the skills and support they need to be effective parents. They are wonderful! Board Members provide strategic advice and governance ensuring Family Life meets its fiscal requirements and grows to meet the needs of the community. The Golf Day at the prestigious Victoria Golf Club was a terrific success raising much needed funds to help young unemployed people have the chance to get job-ready, at Family Life s PeopleWorx. The relaxed nature of Gentsome rules and plenty of superb prizes, all donated by generous businesses, ensured players had a great day. The success of the day was largely due to the commitment and organisational skills of the volunteers. The Open Garden Day was the tenth annual Open Garden day run by volunteers taking us to eight beautiful gardens in Brighton. This superbly organised day, was a resounding success with both attendance and fundraising goals well and truly exceeded. The Fundraising Luncheon with Jon Faine as guest speaker and Patricia Ilhan as MC, was a brilliant success and a sell-out well before the day. The volunteers did a fantastic job decorating the room and attracting sponsors and prizes. Business Support services at Family Life benefit from volunteers and donated business expertise and advice. Legal advisors, property and building experts all help us to make the best business decisions we can to support our services. Service Support appreciates the small group of volunteers who help them in reception areas by greeting clients and guests, and by doing myriad administrative jobs. Whilst involvement in this area has changed significantly over the years due to funding requirements and technology developments, this dedicated group provides valued support. 42 Family Life Annual Report 2012

45 Enterprises The volunteers come from all walks of life, but they are all one big family when they come into the shop. Everyone is accepted and included. They work hard and have fun at the same time. They care and support each other when they are sick or need some moral support; this is often done outside of the Opportunity Shops times. This happens at our Hampton and Cheltenham Opportunity Shops and we are seeing the same trends happening at our newer Chelsea and Frankston Shops. Enterprises Manager 316 Charman Road Cheltenham While many retail shops across the country were struggling to make sales, this shop shone through and achieved a 2% increase on last years sales. We say a huge thank you to the team of hardworking and fun loving volunteers whose organisational skills and expertise in sales, sorting and repairs combined to achieve such a great outcome. The PeopleWorx program is incorporated in this store so every day is varied and busy. A special thank you to the volunteers who provide the invaluable support and mentoring to the people in the PeopleWorx program. 355c Bluff Road Hampton Since they started trading in 1971, volunteers at our Hampton Opportunity Shop have raised $2.6 million so that Family Life could expand its services and help additional vulnerable children and their families. What an incredible achievement! The volunteers are so dedicated they even work on Christmas Day ensuring that the donation bins are emptied and the donations are brought in to the shop. Thanks to their hard work, the shop sells tonnes of clothing, books, bric-a-brac and toys every year. The shop plays an important role in the community too, as many socially isolated people call in each day for companionship and a kind word. An amazing fact: some of the volunteers have volunteered at the shop, since it opened in 1971! Annual sales of $325, 658 support running the Opportunity Shop, Family Life and the PeopleWorx program. Annual sales of $185, 574 help support Family Life, the running of the Opportunity Shop, and Creating Capable Communities programs in high-need neighbourhoods. Family Life Annual Report

46 Enterprises 435 Nepean Highway Chelsea Our Chelsea enterprise has become a feature of the shopping centre. Locals tell us they love the great bargains and fun atmosphere in the shop. While sales are running a little behind budget, the PeopleWorx program has proven to be highly successful with 58 local people participating in structured retail training, work experience and specialised programs designed to help socially isolated people, overcome their unhelpful thinking and participate in social activities. We say a huge thank you to our volunteers who are working so hard to achieve sales-growth and making such a big difference to the effectiveness of the enterprise. When asked why they volunteer at the Chelsea Opportunity Shop and what they like about the Shop, volunteers said, Good fun, nice and relaxing and something to do with your spare time. I like to meet customers, new people, staff and other volunteers, and feel like I am being constructive with my time. It gets me out of the house and keeps the brain working. Meeting different people, other volunteers and customers. The customers love the music and comment on the tidiness and sweet smell of the shop. I enjoy finding treasures that people donate to the shop. It s fun.. meeting lots of people and the staff are great. Family Life helped me in a professional capacity when I was a teacher at a local school, they were wonderful and I wanted to give back. Annual sales of $101,077 support running the Opportunity Shop, Family Life and the PeopleWorx program. 13 Playne Street, Frankston Having learned from our Cheltenham and Chelsea enterprises, the Frankston enterprise had a speedy set-up and commenced trading by December As pockets of Frankston experience poverty, disadvantage and intergenerational unemployment we experienced challenges during the year, including the stabilisation of the staffing and the recruitment of volunteers. To address these challenges and provide stronger infrastructure, we increased the number of paid staff in the shop. We also experienced difficulty attracting participants to the PeopleWorx program. This was addressed through a concerted marketing campaign and the implementation of a PeopleWorx introductory program called Renew, Recycle and Reconnect. This innovative and supportive program enables socially isolated people to build confidence and develop social skills through craft activities run in the shop. By the end of the year, we had a full class of participants enrolled in Certificate II Retail; all enthusiastic about the prospect of getting a qualification and gaining employment. Although our Frankston enterprise requires larger financial underwriting than our other enterprises, we feel confident that it will have enormous impact as we enable long-term disadvantaged people to grow to become active engaged members of their community. Annual sales of $37,553 support running the Opportunity Shop, Family Life and the PeopleWorx program. (Opened in December 2011) 12/94 Keys Road Moorabbin (Warehouse) The Warehouse is an important new addition to the Enterprise model. Thanks to the volunteers we are able to : Carry off-season stock Collect and manage large pieces of furniture Sort and price Allocate more floor-space in the shops to sales We expect to offer Certificate II in Warehousing next year. This course will provide unemployed people with sought-after skills. 44 Family Life Annual Report 2012

47 Strategic partnerships and networks Family Life is committed to working in partnership with diverse groups and key colleagues to ensure that together we provide the most effective services and advocacy for a broad range of families. Government policy refers to joined up government and reducing the red tape burden on the community sector. In addition to effective implementation of such policies by government, we believe cooperation is needed with proactive community agencies across service sectors, who work together to implement evidence informed practice and share resources and effort where we can. Too numerous to mention, we pay tribute to these many, many partnerships and networks who share our commitment to working together for the best value and best outcomes for the community. Family Life Annual Report

48 Family Life expertise and qualifications Family Life s highly qualified and experienced staff ensure that the agency operates efficiently and effectively and our clients receive the professional support they need. Qualifications Include Master of Business Administration Master of Business Master of Counselling Master of Education Master of Education Studies Master of Management Master of Professional Accounting Master of Social Work Master of Social Science (Counselling) Bachelor of Art (Honours) Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Arts (Counselling) Bachelor of Arts (Honours International Marketing Management) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Sociology) Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences) Bachelor of Behavioural Science Bachelor of Business Bachelor of Business Management Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) Bachelor of Early Childhood Bachelor of Economics Bachelor of Education Bachelor of Human Services Bachelor of Marketing Bachelor of Psychology Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Bachelor of Social Science Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) Bachelor of Social Science (Youth Studies) Bachelor of Social Science (Education) Bachelor of Social Welfare Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) Bachelor of Social Work Bachelor of Theology Post Graduate Diploma of Psychology Graduate Diploma in Adolescents Health and Welfare Graduate Diploma in Business Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy Graduate Diploma in Family Dispute Resolution Graduate Diploma in Human Movement Graduate Diploma in Mediation and Conflict Resolution Graduate Diploma in Psychology Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies Graduate Diploma in Public Relations Graduate Diploma in Special Education Graduate Diploma in Social Science Graduate Associate Diploma of Welfare Advanced Diploma in Business Advanced Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy Advanced Diploma in Justice Advanced Diploma in Management Associate Diploma of Art Associate Diploma of Welfare Studies Diploma of Art History Diploma of Business Diploma of Business Studies Diploma of Community Welfare Diploma of Community Services Diploma of Community Services and Welfare Diploma of Contemporary Somatic Psychotherapy Diploma of Education Diploma of Front Line Management Diploma of Health Science Diploma of Homeopathy Diploma of Interior Design Diploma of Management Diploma of Men s Behaviour Change Group Facilitation Diploma of Professional Writing & Editing Diploma of Vocational Education Diploma of Secretarial Studies Diploma of Social Work Diploma of Teaching Diploma of Welfare Studies Diploma of Western Medical Science 46 Family Life Annual Report 2012

49 Family Life expertise and qualifications Diploma of Youth Work Postgraduate Training in Applied Systems Theory and Family Therapy Graduate Certificate in Grief Graduate Certificate in Social Science Graduate Certificate in Trauma Therapy Graduate Certificate in Vocational Education and Training Advanced Certificate in Youth and Childcare Advanced Certificate in Management Advanced Certificate of Residential and Community Services Certificate in Adolescent Counselling Certificate in Applied Case Management Certificate in Business Studies Certificate in Community Support and Development Certificate in Computerised Booking Keeping Certificate in Contemporary Somatic Psychotherapy Certificate in CPR Certificate in Drugs and Alcohol Certificate in Family Mediation Certificate in Family Support Certificate in Gestalt Therapy Certificate in Hospitality Certificate in Impact Leadership Certificate in Integration Aide Support Certificate in Men s Referral Service Telephone Counselling Certificate in Municipal Early Years Certificate in Occupational Studies Certificate in Peer Education Training Certificate in Positive Parenting Certificate in Psycho Stimulants Certificate in Responsible Serving of Alcohol Certificate in Strength Based Practice Certificate in Teaching English as Second Language Certificate in Youth and Child Care Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training Certificate IV in Business Administration Certificate IV in Business Development Certificate IV in Community Services Certificate IV in Counselling and Family Therapy Certificate IV in Customer Contact Certificate IV Disability Certificate IV in Financial Services Certificate IV in Fitness Certificate IV in Small Business Management Certificate IV in Workplace Place Training and Assessments Certificate III in Health and Fitness Certificate III in Laboratory Technology Certificate III in Retail Operations Certificate III in Transport and Distribution Certificate II in Office Administration Certificate II in Retail Operations Certificate II in Workplace First Aid Studies in progress Doctor of Philosophy Master of Couple and Relationship Counselling Master of Counselling Master of Education Master of Laws (Juris Doctor) Master of Psychology (Clinical) Family Life Annual Report

50 Thank you grants, donations, sponsors and supporters Our whole of community approach Every aspect of Family Life s work is enriched by the generosity of our volunteers, business people, school communities, members of religious organisations, members of clubs, philanthropists and donors who give their time, gifts and money to build strong community connections. Foundations, Funds, Trusts Barnardos Bmaxe Grants Barr Foundation Bennelong Foundation Besen Family Foundation Brighton Family and Women s Clinic Trust Dubai Duty Free Foundation Ilhan Foundation Lord Mayor s Charitable Fund Myers Stores Community Fund The Cybec Foundation The G.P & M.D Farrell Foundation The Holland Foundation The Ian Potter Foundation The Newsboys Foundation The Philip Coombs Children s Foundation Toni Kaye Foundation Clubs Barnbougle Dunes Golf Resort Beaumaris Community Centre Tennis Club Centenary Park Golf Course Cheltenham Golf Club Kingston Heath Golf Club Kingswood Golf Club Lions Club of Chelsea District Lions Club of Beaumaris Lions Club of Sandringham Mornington Golf Club Mornington Golf Club (Lady Members) Mothers of Boys Patterson River Golf Club Riversdale Golf Club Rotary Club of Aspendale Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central Rotary Club of Brighton North Rotary Club of Frankston Sunrise Sanctuary Lakes Sandringham Driving Range Sorrento Golf Club Southern Golf Club Spring Valley Golf Club Victoria Golf Club Woodlands Golf Club Donors Alexander, Judy and Gordon Allison, Alice Anderson, Sam and Peter Armstrong, Toni Bainbridge, Patricia Bastin, Beth Bennett, James Bez, Sarah Bignell, Jason Birch, Dianne Bonsall, Geoffery Booker, B Bunn, Paul Byrt, Joan Campbell, Jacky Cavanagh, Jo and Rob Cavanagh, Lucy Cavanagh, Sam Cheah, Nancy Chen, Brenda Cheney, Burtta Colahan, Rosie Coleman, Lesley Collins, Audrey Conole, Murray Corr, David Dabkowski, Stephen Dale, Danny Dimond, Katie Ely Family Fazio, Karilyn Forcey, Coni Freeman, Amanda Gelderbloem, Leanne Gill, Len Godinho, Philippa Haines, Nicola Hamilton, Neil Harvey Beverley High, Susan Hill, Meredith Hofmann, Fred and Monica Holloway, Garry Horin Family Hutchings, John Judson Wayne and Paula Kay, Stuart Keating, Vivian Kelly, Aileen Krauser, Anita Laufmann, Natalie and Richard Le Clercq, Andrew Lea, David Lee, Lois Lord, Evelyn Mary (Bequest) Lustig, Richard Macrae, Joan Malley, Kara Malley, Lyn and Jeff Malley, Michelle Manning, Lynda Marriott, Gwen Martin, Shirley McCulloch, Robin McCullough, Trevor McDonald, Anthony Mulcahy, Aidan Nicholson, Christine Ong, Edward Ozga, Irena and Wojciech Parks, Jessie Parsonson, Margaret and Ian Phillips, Jeff Prewer, Simon Ransom, Josephine Rawling, Susan 48 Family Life Annual Report 2012

51 Reisner, Tom Rendell, Gillian Riordan AM, Dr Roger Russell, Maria Seager, Roy Shepard, Peter and Caroline Smith, Greg Spence, Tanya Spooner, Heather Stackpole, Peter Stefani, Rina Stephens, Dorothy Stirling, Rosalind Storer, Jason Taylor, Kevin and Pauline Teeuwsen, Adam Thomas, Geoff and Jane Timms, Roger and Derynn Tranter, Robert and Patricia Van Riel, Rie Vassella, Mark Ward, Anthony Waters, Sarah Weerakoon, Valerie Wieringa, Onno Wightwick, Ian Wilton, Maria L Wright, Daniel Young, Margaret African Think Tank Cabrini Health Chelsea Parish Uniting Church Mission Group CVA Property Consultants Delloite EL&C Baillieu Stockbrocking Ltd Fiskars Brands (Aust) Pty Ltd Gresham Partners Ltd Holy Trinity Anglican Church Hampton Indophil Resources Intimo Lingerie Leader Community Newspapers Lowe Constructions Magistrates Court Monkey Markets Pioneers Presbyterian Church Craft & Friendship Group Shanghai Esona (China) St Augustine s Southern Opportunity Shop Walloon Securities Sponsors and supporters Anderson, Terri Arnhold, Brodie Arnhold, Freddie Balfe, Tony Begg, Alan Bez, Sarah Bloom, Michael Bourke, Heather Brand, Alma Brown, Helene Bryant, Elaine Campbell, Annemarie Carrington, Chris and Jacquie Ceddia, Kerrie Chamberlain, Mary-Jane Chapman, Nick and Fiona Coe, Merle (& Friends) Cosidine, Jayleen Crompton, Rita Dam, Harry and Carolyn Davis, Carle Deegan Rob and Jilanne Demediuk, Nick and Felicity Disney OAM, Graeme Dyring, Joan Edwards, Val Edwards, Lisa Faine, Jon Fazio, Karilyn and Frank Findlayson, Denise and Gene Firth, Eric and Toni Flavell, Mark and Sue Fock, Pauline Forster, Sandy Godinho, Philippa Guilmartin, Stevie Harvey, Christine Hoye, Anne Ilhan, Patricia Jackson, Mandy Jarvis, Peter Jones, Aaron Kerfords, Ron Knight, Jacky Kristof, Damian Labb, Peter and Barb Lamb, Timothy Levi, Jenny Ljaskevic, Tony and Sophia Lowe, Brian Lynch, Maxine Marriott, Graeme and Gwen Mayne, Lisa McAlpine, Christine McMahon, Stephen and Sandra Mitchell, Pam Neal, John and Jo Ormonde, Sue Peppard, Sue Perkins, Kelly Proy-Ziesing, Cecile Rauchberger, Kate Rayner, Sally Reynolds, Pauline Rixon, Cathy Roberts, Family Robyn, Harley Rogers, Ros Roynic, John Stanway, Tess Strain, Allan and Michelle Taylor, Kevin & Pauline Thomas, Jacqui Tickell, Eileen Timms, Roger and Derynn Tivey, John Toth, Linda Tricks, Ron Dick and Sarah Van Der Zee, Rids Vasbevnik, Inna Virtanen, Noelle Walkley, Mark Wellington, Kerri Williamson, Jan and John Wills, Valerie Yates, Nora Young, Shane A.E. Copley Enterprises Pty Ltd Active Bodies Aladdin s Cave Gallery Alouette ANZ Bank Auscellar Door Family Life Annual Report

52 Donors cont. Baillieu Bain & Company Bakers Delight Seaford Bakers McKenzie Lawyers Balfe and Webb (Law Firm) Ballyhoo Communications Bay Road Nursery Bayside City Council Bayside Masonic Lodge Bendigo Bank - Highett Bespoke Janik Brighton Birchwood Landscapes Black Rock Primary School Blue Illusion Brighton Bluescope Distribution Pty Ltd Brighton Guides Bunnings Cabrini Health Café Florentine Captains of Cliché Ce Soir Lingerie Cellarmaster Cerberus Beach House Citywide Service Solutions Classic Residences Brighton CopperRock Country Women s Association Crisp and Green David Marshall Real Estate Deck Bar Dzign eco d EL & C Baillieu Stockbroking Elite Sporting Tours Eluvia Espresso Café Fazio Pizzeria and Grill Floral Designs Florentine Fox FM Freehills Lawyers Fresco Flowers General Trader Genus Landscape Architects Goldman Sachs Green Grocer Hampton Hacker Magazines Hampton Baptist Community Church Hampton Doctors Surgery Heavenly Bodies Highett Community Bank Branch Hocking Stuart Brighton, Sandringham, Mentone Hocking Stuart Corporate Holloway Diamonds Holy Trinity Anglican Church and Kindergarten Intimo Lingerie Jimmy Watson s Cellars Juicy Coutour Necklace Knit One Give One (KOGO) Kogo La Svolta Pizzeria e Tratoria Lavazza A Modo Mio Leader Community Newspaper Leighmoor Uniting Church Lindt and Sprungli (Aust.) Pty Ltd Lindt Chocolates Lingerie on Hampton Lobster Cave Lorna Jane Lowe Constructions M5 Network Macquarie Bank Marc Stafford Health and Fitness Me Myself & I Graphic Design MECCA Cosmetica MGF Financial Services Middletons (Law Firm) Chris Round and Mark Howard MonJon Australia Pty Ltd Mordialloc Bicycle Centre Mordialloc Cellar Door Wine Shop Mr Trampoline MS Australia Myer Norton Builders Ocean Flowers Office National One Personal Health Park Road Timber & Hardware P/L Park Road Timber and Hardware Pearl Rock Home Phillipa s Bakery Picolli Photography Premium Health Presently Giftware QVS Global Raven Records Red Cross Brighton Regards Reynolds Racquets Rivival Health & Beauty Rocksalt Rooftop Bar RPS The Board Store Sandringham Primary School Sandybeach Centre Slattery and Acquroff Stairs Smith Feutrill South East Water Spa Samsara Sports Conscious St Andrews By The Sea Uniting Church St Davids Mothers Union St Leonards Uniting Church St Stephens Anglican Church Stefani Wines Talent2 Ted s Camera Stores Terra Firma The Beanery The Fruitmen The Wardrobe Doctor/Bayside Shopping Tours Think Appliances Tommy Collins Catering Tonic Town and Country Trident Computers Truffle Hunter Tucci Brown Tulip Street Early Learning Centre Velocino (Watt Bike Cycling) Video Ezy Vivace Restaurant W.I.G.S Whites Group Pty Ltd Wild Holly Cakes Without Pier Gallery World of Music Wrap Co 50 Family Life Annual Report 2012

53 Treasurer s report It is my pleasure to present this Treasurer s Report for the year ending 30 June, I am pleased to report that we achieved a net surplus of $45,767, despite a financially challenging environment. Importantly, we progressed our growth-journey by significantly expanding our services in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. We strengthened our sources of income from philanthropic trusts and foundations. With the support from our generous donors and trusts, we were able to expand our PeopleWorx program to include a Frankston social enterprise. This opportunity shop commenced trading in December 2011 and was established to help people in need in the Frankston region; it adds to our existing PeopleWorx enterprises at Cheltenham and Chelsea. Total operating income grew by 4%. The key elements compared to last year are as follows: Federal and State government funding remained relatively stable. Local government funding increased in particular to support our highly successful SHINE Children s Mental Health Program. Sales revenue from our social enterprises increased by 8%. This increase mainly came from our Opportunity Shops in Chelsea (full year operation) and a new shop at Frankston (part year operation). This income supports our valuable PeopleWorx programs in these Opportunity Shops. Income from our fundraising activities increased by 36%, representing an increase of $198,000. This was due to two major reasons: -- The operation of our PeopleWorx programs, in Chelsea for 12 months and in Frankston for part of the year, allowed us to release tied donations received in the prior year. -- The community has shown great generosity in a year of general economic uncertainty to support our community houses both in Sandringham s operation and Tootgarook s establishment. Grants from philanthropic trusts have grown. We have been able to continue to support our valuable programs such as Community Bubs and Creating Capability Communities. Family Life sold a property in Edithvale in June, 2011 and received the proceeds in The sale proceeds provided financial flexibility to expand our services including, in particular, capital expenditure in relation to the Tootgarook Community House. On the expense side, overall operating expenses for the same period increased by only 1% to $6.8m. Much credit for this is due to the management team and all staff maintaining a strong focus on expenditure, while still being able to deliver on mission. In relation to employee and other liabilities, the Family Life Board s policy is to maintain full cash backing as a conservative and prudent approach. A contract to purchase a property in Tootgarook, Victoria was signed in April This property will be used as a Community House so that we can deliver services more effectively to the Mornington Peninsula communities. The consideration of the property was $500,000 and a deposit of $50,000 was paid in April Final settlement and payment occurred on 3 August Family Life obtained a community asset building loan of $350,000 on 3 August 2012 from Foresters Community Finance Limited, a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) providing finance and investment capital to the community sector in Australia. The loan provides financial flexibility to Family Life to continue to expand services while accommodating timing variations in securing private and government funding for our services and capital expenditure. The loan was secured by the Tootgarook property after thorough review by the Board and management and Foresters of the capacity of Family Life to manage the obligations of the loan. Pleasingly, following their own comprehensive review, Foresters were highly complimentary of the governance, management and risk and financial monitoring systems and processes in place at Family Life. The asset and the loan will appear in the 2013 annual accounts. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of all staff, volunteers, supporters and governments at all levels. This combined community effort makes it possible to achieve our mission and change people s lives for the better. Len Gill Family Life Annual Report

54 Southern family life service association inc. Statement of comprehensive Southern Family Life Service Association Inc. income Statement of comprehensive income For the year ended 30 June 2012 For the year ended 30 june $ Income from Operating Activities Federal Government Funding 2,611,411 2,585,069 State Government Funding 2,525,105 2,612,798 Local Government Funding 76,957 43,097 Non-Government Grants 404, ,182 Donations 199, ,039 Voluntary Contributions 18,035 19,650 Public Fundraising 145, ,638 Social Enterprises 649, ,474 Service Income 47,964 53,234 Membership Subscriptions Interest 177, ,195 Other Income 1,658 2,180 6,859,294 6,605,938 Expenditure from Operating Activities Depreciation of Fixed Assets 170, ,826 Audit and Accounting Fees 25,913 34,470 Bank Charges 7,211 6,502 Staffing Expenses 5,152,868 5,180,407 Program Expenses 460, ,399 Operating Expenses 141, ,433 Property Expenses 846, ,156 6,804,966 6,735, $ Surplus/(Deficit) before non-operating items 54,328 (129,255) Non-operating Activities Non-operating Income - 356,600 Other Expenses (8,561) (9,474) (8,561) 347,126 Net Surplus for year 45, ,871 Other Comprehensive Income Total Comprehensive income for the year 45, , Family Life Annual Report 2012

55 SOUTHERN FAMILY LIFE SERVICE ASSOCIATION INC. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL Southern Family Life Service Association Inc. POSITION Statement of financial position As at 30 June 2012 AS AT 30 JUNE 2012 Current Assets Cash & Cash Equivalents 1,711,911 1,056,917 Investments 2,247,344 1,030,968 Asset Held for Sale - 1,200,000 Receivables - Trade & Other 13,467 13,341 Other Current Assets 155,423 61,835 Total Current Assets 4,128,145 3,363,061 Non-Current Assets Property, Plant and Equipment 1,595,885 1,645,512 Total Non-Current Assets 1,595,885 1,645, $ 2011 $ Total Assets 5,724,030 5,008,573 Current Liabilities Trade & Other Payables 195, ,762 Accrued Expenses 304, ,393 Unearned Income 883, ,948 Provision for Employee Entitlements 333, ,279 Provision for Employee Entitlements - LSL 135, ,745 Total Current Liabilities 1,850,750 1,195,127 Non-Current Liabilities Provision for Employee Entitlements - LSL 33,602 19,535 Total Non-Current Liabilities 33,602 19,535 Total Liabilities 1,884,352 1,214,662 Net Assets 3,839,678 3,793,911 Members Funds Accumulated Funds 3,309,700 3,254,277 Reserves 529, ,634 Total Members Funds 3,839,678 3,793,911 Family Life Annual Report

56 Government Funding 5,213,473 66% Non-Government Grants 404,203 5% Donations & Fundraising 345,700 5% Volunteer (In-Kind contribution) 1,025,000 13% Social Enterprises 649,829 8% Service Income 65,999 1% Other Income 180,090 2% 2012 $ % 7,884, % Income Composition Government Funding 66% Non-Government Grants 5% Donations & Fundraising 5% Volunteer (In-Kind contribution) 13% Social Enterprises 8% Service Income 1% Other Income 2% 54 Family Life Annual Report 2012

57 Respecting indigenous Australians Awareness, understanding and actions Family Life participates in the local Indigenous Action Network for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula where we consult with elders and service partners. In so doing, we are able to grow our awareness and understanding, and inform our actions for strengthening relationships with indigenous families. In March 2012, Family Life held the inaugural meeting of the Family Life Indigenous Advisory Committee. This Committee was established by the Board of Family Life in partnership and with the support of Auntie Caroline Briggs, a senior Boonwurrung Elder. Reporting to the Family Life Board the committee s first task is to guide Family Life in developing an Agency-Wide Reconciliation Action Plan. The Action Plan is designed to: Ensure that all facilities operated by Family Life are both safe and welcoming to Aboriginal people Guide Family Life in delivering services that are both relevant to the needs of Aboriginal people and are delivered in a manner consistent with Aboriginal cultural values Recommend relevant and appropriate training for all staff about Aboriginal cultural values and heritage Recommend ways in which the agency can advocate with Aboriginal representatives and peak bodies on issues of concern to them During the year Family Life: Profiled services and community education sessions at indigenous family and community days Supported NAIDOC Week community events including sponsoring a table for Aboriginal people attending the NAIDOC Ball on the Mornington Peninsula Sponsored an Aboriginal worker on the Mornington Peninsula for the Family Dispute Resolution Scholarship provided by Family Relationship Services Australia Attended meetings of the Frankston/Mornington Peninsula Aboriginal Action Group Participated in joint initiatives including involvement in community events with Aboriginal-specific services, and Aboriginal families Became members of the new Gathering Place at Hastings, whose aim is to develop positive relationships in the community and provide opportunities for out-posting services and outreach support to families Family Life seeks to build on solid consultative foundations with elders to ensure we offer the best approach and service access possible. Family Life Annual Report

58 Our patrons and board Our patrons Mr Graeme Disney OAM Graeme is a former Mayor of Bayside and his contributions and service to our community have been recognised by many awards including the Attorney General s Department Award for his voluntary work as a Justice of the Peace and a Federation Medal in Mr Justice (John) Fogarty AM John was a Family Court Judge and Head of the Child Support Consultative Group from During this period he delivered major Child Protection Reports and in 1991 was awarded an AM for his work with children. John has been a supporter and Patron of Family Life since Dr Roger Riordan AM Following a successful career developing and marketing the Vet Antiviral software, in 2002 Roger and his second wife Patricia set up the Cybec Foundation as a Charitable Fund. The Foundation has established approximately 30 scholarships in numerous fields of study, and has funded a number of major charitable and environmental projects. In 2012, Roger was made a Fellow of Trinity College at The University of Melbourne. Family Life is grateful to Roger for his extraordinary support of our Community Bubs program. Board The agency is a non-profit, incorporated association governed by a voluntary Board. Mr Grant Douglas - President Grant is General Manager of Cope Transport. Prior to this he was Director Vic/Tas for Star Track Express and before that he was with ANZ as Acting Managing Director of Regional & Rural Banking and Head of Agribusiness. Grant holds an MBA from London Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from Ballarat School of Mines. Ms Lesley Coleman - Vice President Lesley has lived in Beaumaris for most of her life and sees the Family Life Board as a way to give back to her community and support an organisation she greatly admires. Lesley s experience combines public sector and over 20 years consulting in management review, program and policy evaluation, strategic and business planning and facilitation in public and community sectors. Lesley is also a freelance actor, and has been appearing in TV shows and in commercials since She holds BA and MBA degrees. Ms Karilyn Fazio - Vice President Leave of absence from the Board - March 2012 to November 2012 Karilyn is an Executive Coach, Facilitator and Keynote Speaker who has a Masters in Organisational Coaching. Karilyn has been a volunteer at Family Life for over 10 years including three years as President of the Board. 56 Family Life Annual Report 2012

59 Mr Len Gill - Treasurer Len is a professional engineer with a successful 30+ year career the electricity and gas industries. He is formerly Managing Director of TXU Australia and is currently a Non-Executive Director of Metgasco. Len enjoys applying his strategy, planning and governance skills to assist Family Life to deliver real positive change to people in need. Ms Philippa Godinho - Secretary Philippa s association with Family Life began just over ten years ago when she sought help in safely exiting a violent relationship. She then took on public speaking roles to help accelerate discussions around family violence and changes that needed to be made in the law, and also in public perception of the issues. She is passionate about helping women and families to overcome negative relationships. Philippa is a National Account Manager for Fiskars Australia, a role which utilizes her marketing degree and strong sales background. Mr Brian Lowe Brian has owned and run a business in Kingston for the past 30 years. He has a passion for volunteering and enjoys being able to give back to the local community. Through the City of Kingston he has been on The Charitable Trust and Foreshore Committee. Brian has been involved with Family Life for more than two years and has been a member of Rotary for 25+ years. Mr Richard Ruth Richard is passionate about the community and helping provide an environment where kids are given every possible chance to succeed. Richard has been volunteering with Family Life in a mentoring capacity at the Cheltenham Opportunity Shop for the past year and joined the Board in November He has a strong sales and marketing background and is currently National Sales and Marketing Manager for M5 Networks Australia, which is a provider of business phone systems. Ms Heather Spooner Appointed 3 November 2011 Heather is a lawyer. She has lived in Bayside for most of her life and has two adult sons. In 1987 Heather was appointed a Magistrate and more recently has worked as a Coroner. She would like to make a contribution to her community through Family Life with a particular focus on vulnerable families and young people. Mr Stephen Tickell Stephen is a Licensed Estate Agent and Director of the Hocking Stuart Real Estate Franchise Group, having worked in the industry for over 20 years. He plays an active role in Bayside community life and has always been passionate about creating the best possible environment for youngsters in our community. Mr Mark Vassella Appointed in March 2011 to casual vacancy Mark is Chief Executive, BlueScope Australia and New Zealand (appointed July 2011). Mark has more than 30 years experience in the steel industry. He began his career as a trainee at BHP Steel s Newcastle Steelworks. From 2000 to 2007 Mark was Chief Executive Smorgon Steel Distribution and from August 2008, Mark was President BlueScope Steel North America. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration and is a former Chairman and Board member of the Australian Steel Institute and a former President of Family Life. Joe Cauchi Retired 1 July 2011 Jennifer Douglas Retired 3 November 2011 after four years service David Edney Retired 3 November 2011 after seven years service Tony Hurd Retired 3 November 2011 after seven years service Graeme Seamer Retired 3 November 2011 after seven years service Family Life Annual Report

60 Family Life organisational structure as at October 2012 Director of Services Inner South Family Support Child, Youth and Family Services Family Violence Services, Men, Women and Children School Focused Youth Services Creating Capable Communities Community Bubs Community Houses Creating Capable Leaders SHINE Mental Health Volunteers Child FIRST Family Services Alliance Early Childhood Development Project Family Matters Children s Contact Services Parenting Orders Program Service Support Outer South Family Relationship Services Family Relationship Centre Men s Services Relationship Education Relationship Counselling Family Violence Services Creating Capable Communities Community Houses Creating Capable Leaders SHINE Mental Health Volunteers 58 Family Life Annual Report 2012

61 Board CEO Executive Assistant Research and Evaluation Manager Director of Community Relations Finance Manager Enterprises (Shops and PeopleWorx) Information Communications, Technology and Property Manager Donors, Communications Human Resources Volunteers Quality and Compliance Manager Business Development Community Impact Statement Project Family Life Annual Report

62 Please donate and help I would like to donate and Help a Child Thrive Your generous donation will help vulnerable children and their families to join Family Life s Community Bubs program where they will receive the help they need, for their child to thrive. I would like to donate and Help Get Kids Working Your generous donation will help unemployed young people to join Family Life s PeopleWorx program where they will get the skills, training and support they need to get a job. Donate online at or fill in this form and return it to Family Life Name Address Company name Phone Please debit $ from my credit card each month* OR Please accept my once off donation of $ Card type Visa Mastercard Card number Expiry / Signature Mail Family Life, 197 Bluff Road Sandringham VIC 3191 Fax Phone Online Thank you for your kind donation, Donations over $2 are tax deductible. *Regular donations will be receipted monthly. Additional information such as terms and conditions will be supplied with your first donation receipt. Please contact us if you require more information. 60 Family Life Annual Report 2012

63 Family Life Annual Report