Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Commonwealth Department of Employment & Workplace Relations

If you are funded by the Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs under:

  • Youth Linx
  • Reconnect Program

or the Commonwealth Department of Employment & Workplace Relations under the:

  • Job Placement Employment & Training Program (JPET)

Your Youth Program Guidelines say that you should incorporate the following principle into your daily work:

Accessibility and inclusiveness - Designing and promoting services that are accessible and appropriate to the diversity of young people and their families and take account of culture, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and geographic location. (Section 1.3.6)

You must:

ensure that services are conducted without sexual harassment or discrimination and take account of all relevant statutes, regulations, by-laws, and comply with... Disability Discrimination Act 1992...Racial Discrimination Act 1975... Sex Discrimination Act 1984 . (Section 4.3.1)

JPET services must:

deliver services based on Contextually and Culturally Appropriate Service Delivery.

Contextual considerations may include:  

  • location (urban, rural, remote or geographically isolated)  
  • access to the service by public transport  
  • issues that may affect the Participant's family or the community in general.

Cultural considerations may include:  

  • language barriers (potentially requiring multilingual staff, translation and/or interpreting services  
  • proportion of young people serviced from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds  
  • developing service delivery strategies appropriate for Indigenous young people.

(Section 1.1.6)

Networks will be built and maintained with Indigenous community organisations and services for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (Section 1.1.6)

Accessible Service Delivery

Accessible service delivery means providing timely access to assistance and support for young people. Key features of accessibility include:  

  • developing promotional materials that are easy to understand, either in plain English or relevant community languages and contextually and culturally appropriate
  • considering the different ways a service may need to be promoted within different communities
  • using a diverse range of outlets, rather than relying on perceived referral agencies, may increase young people's awareness of the service
  • outreach to the places where young people feel most comfortable, such as parks, cafes and community or youth centres, may help reduce negative feelings about attending an office-type setting  
  • outreach can reduce the stigma people may feel about accessing a 'welfare' service. Outreach can be provided at venues where young people (and in some cases, their families) feel comfortable, such as at homes, schools, parks, cafes and community or youth centres  
  • thinking about how the physical design of the service is perceived by young people may also help increase accessibility. (Section 1.1.6)

Reconnect

Reconnect services must comply with the following principles when delivering services:

Accessibility of services

  • promotional materials need to use simple language, either plain English or in relevant community languages;
  • outreach can reduce the stigma people may feel about accessing a 'welfare' service. Outreach can be provided at venues where young people (and in some cases, their parents) feel comfortable, such as at homes, schools, parks, cafes and community or youth centres (Section 1.2.6)

Working collaboratively

Services must work with a range of specialist services such as cultural-specific and Indigenous organisations (Section 1.2.6)

Culturally and Contextually Appropriate Service Delivery

Contextual considerations may include:

  • geographical location (urban, rural or regional)  
  • distances to be travelled   
  • key issues affecting families in the community being served.     

Cultural considerations may include:  

  • language issues (potentially requiring bilingual staff, translation and    interpreters)   
  • the effects of migration on families and different values within diverse cultural and Indigenous groups and between generations. (Section 1.2.6)

 

Back to What does my funding agreement require me to do about access and equity?

Additional guidelines for services funded by: