About us
The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) is the peak organisation of the non-government social and community services sector. VCOSS raises awareness of the existence, causes and effects of poverty and inequality, and contributes to initiatives seeking to create a more just society.
VCOSS provides a strong, non-party political voice for the community sector and consults regularly with more than 600 members, in order to effectively represent issues relating to disadvantage to government and the wider community. We do this by developing and critiquing government and related policies, speaking out through diverse networks, carrying out research and promoting these views through publications and the media.
Background and history of VCOSS
Following the end of World War II, a number of social welfare agencies met to consider the most appropriate way of responding to gaps in the community’s social structure. The agencies felt that a coordinating body needed to be formed which could provide the necessary focus and impetus for change. Consequently the Victorian Council of Social Service was established at a public meeting at the Melbourne Town Hall in December 1946. In 1946 VCOSS identified the following areas as critical:
• shortage of adequate housing and inadequacy of emergency stock
• the plight of the indigenous community
• appropriate training for employees working in children’s institutions
• the need to contribute to public knowledge on issues of juvenile delinquency and adoption
• other serious social problems, such as alcoholism
• the social welfare needs of low income families and migrants
Sixty years on, it is interesting to note that many of these social issues, which spurred concerned agencies to form VCOSS, remain the focus of our work today.
Photo: Board Member David Brant and DARU Project Administration Officer
Leah Hobson