Reports
- Children, young people and families
- Climate change
- Community sector strengthening
- Education
- Emergency relief
- Housing
- Human rights
- Justice
- State Election
- Transport
Children, young people and families
Title: Who’s carrying the can? A report into youth services gaps in Victoria
Summary: This report presents the findings of research on gaps in youth support services in Victoria. Recommendations made to the Victorian Government based on this research include: developing a locally based, comprehensive youth services system structured along a prevention – early intervention– secondary – tertiary service continuum; dedicating new resources to creating more generalist youth support positions and services in Victoria; and improving collaboration across the youth and community sectors and government departments.
Authors: Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) and VCOSS
Year: 2006
Title: Response to the Children Bill and White Paper
Summary: Provides a response to a number of the specific proposals outlined in the Children Bill and the Policy White Paper. VCOSS endorses the focus on best interests being paramount, the move to wellbeing and earlier intervention and an increased role for family support services, and views these as supporting the policy objectives outlined in the White Paper, however VCOSS also notes the lack of synergy between the Children Bill and the White Paper.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2005
Title:Protecting Children: Ten priorities for children’s wellbeing and safety in Victoria
Summary: Contribution to theVictorian Government’s Review of the Children and Young Person’s Act 1989, outlining VCOSS’ view of the need for broad systemic reform to address the current challenges and issues that exist across the various elements of the early childhood, family support and child protection system.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2004
Title: Protecting children: Child protection outcomes project report consultation
Summary: Response to the Protecting Children report written by the Allen Consulting Group for the Department of Human Services. Outlines core principles that VCOSS believes should frame any legislative, policy, governance and service delivery reforms in relation to strengthening the capacity of children, young people and families in Victoria, including an emphasis on promoting wellbeing, increased resources, a broad, integrated, whole of government framework and an independent Children and Young Person’s Commission.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2004
Title: Climate change and drought policy in Victoria: context and recommendations for VCOSS’ policy position
Summary: Climate change and drought have emerged as critical policy issues over the last year, with the social justice and equity implications gaining some prominence. VCOSS undertook a scoping project between May–September 2007 to identify:
- the current climate change and drought policy context;
- impacts of climate change, drought and associated policy responses for low income and disadvantaged Victorians; and
- recommendations for VCOSS future work in these areas.
The project involved consultation with stakeholders in government, community and environment sectors as well as a review of current research and policy documents. An internal VCOSS strategic position paper was presented to the VCOSS board in October 2007. This discussion paper summarises the research undertaken as part of this scoping project.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: A future focused housing standard
Summary: This report examines the impact that poor rental housing conditions will have on low income households in the context of a changing climate. It examines international best practice on housing standards and provides a practical framework to implement improved rental housing standards in Victoria to meet the challenges of climate change.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2009
Community Sector Strengthening
Title: Count the cuts: The impact of indexation and under-funding in the community sector
Summary: This report presents the findings of the third Count the Cuts survey for the six-month period from July to December 2004. Initiated in 2003, this longitudinal study was designed to trace the impacts of funding indexation and non-funded cost increases on the operating environment of Community Service Organisations (CSOs). The survey focuses on three primary areas of CSO’s operations – service provision, financial health and cost and compliance issues.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2005
Title: The rising cost of 'free' education
Summary: Examines the growing level of demand by clients at Community Information Centres (CICs) for emergency relief funds to assist in meeting school costs. Twenty CICs – primarily in the greater metropolitan area – participated in the project, with agency staff and volunteers distributing surveys to clients presenting at their agencies for emergency relief assistance.
Authors: Emergency Relief Victoria and VCOSS
Year: 2004
Title: Under Pressure: Costs of living, financial hardship and emergency relief in Victoria
Summary: This report provides details of the experiences of over 2000 recipients of 24 emergency relief providers in 2007- 2008.
Author: VCOSS, Emergency Relief Victoria, RMIT University and Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service.
Year: 2009
Title: Under Pressure
Summary: An interim report on the findings of research on the costs of
living pressures experienced by Victorians between 2007-2008
Author: VCOSS, Emergency Relief Victoria, RMIT University
Year: 2008
Title: Talking to each other: An analysis of networking in the Victorian emergency relief sector
Summary: This research project was undertaken to gain a greater understanding of how and where networking occurs in the Emergency Relief (ER) sector in Victoria , in light of a number of challenges confronting the sector, particularly increasing demand for ER. The report identified a number of gaps in Victoria where there is potential for the development of further networking.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2006
Title: Emergency Relief Victoria capacity-building project report
Summary: This survey was to provide the Emergency Relief Victoria (ERV) Network with information to assist in the design and implementation of an emergency relief (ER) sector peak body, and forms part of a broader project – the ERV Capacity Building Project – being conducted on behalf of the ERV Network by VCOSS. It is hoped that an ER sector peak will build on the existing strengths of the ERV Network, acting as a collective voice for the sector.
Author: VCOSS, on behalf of the Emergency Relief Victoria Network
Year: 2006
Title: The rising cost of 'free' education
Summary: Examines the growing level of demand by clients at Community Information Centres (CICs) for emergency relief funds to assist in meeting school costs. Twenty CICs – primarily in the greater metropolitan area – participated in the project, with agency staff and volunteers distributing surveys to clients presenting at their agencies for emergency relief assistance.
Authors: Emergency Relief Victoria and VCOSS
Year: 2004
Title: Heads, hearts and hands on' conference proceedings
Summary: Reports on the proceedings of the ‘Heads, Hearts and Hands-On’ conference for emergency relief providers, an initiative of Emergency Relief Victoria (ERV), which is a network of over 50 agencies throughout Victoria that provide or fund provision of emergency relief (ER). ERV’s primary aims are to support the work of emergency relief providers, and advocate on issues affecting people on inadequate incomes. The aim of the ERV conference was to strengthen, support and raise the profile of the emergency relief sector in Victoria.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2004
Title: 'Housing Affordability: More Than Rents and Mortgages'
Summary:Pending
Author: ACF & VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: 'Universal Housing Universal Benefits' Word, PDF
Summary: A VCOSS discussion paper on universal housing regulation in Victoria
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: Close to home: The Victorian housing rights tribunal
Summary: Presents a collection of people’s personal testimonies from the Victorian Housing Rights Tribunal, held on the 28 and 29 April 2005 at the Melbourne Town Hall. Most testifiers were people who had experienced housing rights violations or housing-related injustice, and a number were workers in the housing and homelessness sectors.
Author: VCOSS, Shelter Victoria, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Women’s Housing Ltd
Year: 2005
Title: The human right to housing in Australia
Summary: Examines the human right to housing in Australia, and opportunities for developing a right enshrined in domestic legislations.
Authors: Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
Year: 2004
Title: Little piece of heaven: Thoughts from Victorians on housing as a human right
Summary: A collection of thoughts from Victorians whose housing rights have been violated on what housing as a human right means to them, which formed part of the process of developing the Charter of Housing Rights for Victoria.
Author: VCOSS,Shelter Victoria, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Women’s Housing Ltd
Year: 2004
Title: 'Audit and Needs
Analysis: Human Rights
Education and Training'
Summary:The introduction of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities brought with it an obligation for some organisations - and an opportunity for others - to undertake human rights education and training. While many formal training programs were being planned, VCOSS was aware that there was already a good deal of human rights training being done informally by community sector organisations (CSOs) themselves.
VCOSS conducted an Audit to determine what training had already been provided (or planned in the future), and a Needs Analysis to ascertain what further training CSOs wanted and needed to be provided by external bodies.
It aimed to develop a solid foundation for the delivery of human rights education and training programs for community sector workers and organisations, based on identified community need.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title:'Using the Charter in
Policy and Practice'
Summary:The report examines changes that had been made by community sector
organisations to incorporate the Charter - and human rights principles
more broadly - into organisational polices, procedures or service
delivery. It includes substantial appendices providing examples from the
organisations surveyed including a Project Plan, a Human Rights
Committee's Terms of Reference, a Watching Brief, and examples of
revised policies.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: Making human rights real
Summary: The VCOSS and Federation Human Rights Community Engagement Project conducted a series of targeted community education and consultations with groups identified as some of the Victorians least likely to participate in public consultation processes. The groups supported the inclusion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in a Charter and any other measures taken to protect human rights in Victoria, noting that human rights are indivisible and interrelated.
Author: VCOSS and Federation of Community Legal Centres
Year: 2006
Title: Australia's compliance with the UN covenant on economic, social and cultural rights
Summary: Examines the research and evidence suggesting that the Australian Government has failed to meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights since introducing a number of reforms which have undermined the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights especially for minority and disadvantaged groups.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2000
Title: Request for a systemic review of discrimination against women in Victorian prisons
Title: Request for a systemic review of discrimination against women in Victorian prisons
Title: Crime and imprisonment data report
Summary: Presents statistics on crime and imprisonment in Victoria, with comparisons to other states in Australia.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2006
Title: Request for a systemic review of discrimination against women in VictorianpPrisons
Summary: Complaint submitted by VCOSS tothe Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria (EOCV) requesting an investigation into discrimination on the basis of gender/sex, race, ethnicity and religion, and cognitive impairment faced by women throughout the Victorian prison system in contravention of this Act. The request is supported by the findings of the United Nations Report on Women and Prison from the Economic and Social Commission on Human Rights.
Author: VCOSS and the Federation of Community Legal Centres
Year: 2005
Title: Building a strong and fair community: Call to political parties, 2006 Victorian State election
Summary: This report is the Victorian Council of Social Service’s pre-election statement, which seeks to encourage a new social policy vision among candidates in the 2006 state election. VCOSS calls for policies that will build a strong and fair community in which all Victorians will have access to food, health care, education, employment and justice, and a place to live. The report expands on five key areas VCOSS believes the elected Victorian Government must deliver to make such a strong community possible.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2006
Title: 'Accessible Public Transport Watch Project': Word, PDF
Summary: A user survey of public transport in Victoria.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: 'Community Transport
Snapshot Project'
Summary: This report uses organisational case studies and interviews with community transport providers to begin to document community transport in Victoria. It defines the important services provided by community
transport and the role that it plays in an integrated transport system. The report also explores current and future challenges to the sector including lack of clear and appropriate funding, limited data, an aging population and high petrol prices.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2008
Title: 'You might as well just stay at home: Young mums and public transport in Victoria'
Summary: Young women with children have several characteristics associated with transport disadvantage - they are young, female, carers and are more likely to be on low incomes. This report surveyed 45 mums aged under 25 between March and June 2007 around Melbourne .The most significant transport issues identified related to the physical inaccessibility of the public transport system. The barriers presented by inaccessible vehicles were exacerbated in many cases by policies (in some areas) that require parents to fold prams before entering the bus, and by bus drivers failing to provide assistance. Given the heavy reliance on buses for public transport service delivery to most of Melbourne, as well as rural and regional areas, these are important issues to be addressed.
Author: VCOSS
Year: 2007
Title: Transport and liveability: The path to a sustainable Victoria
Summary: This report outlines some of the keys areas that will determine the liveability of Melbourne in the future, such as health, housing, safety, participation, mobility, employment/income and education, and concludes with a range of key actions that government must take to keep Melbourne near the top of the world’s liveability league ladder.
Author: The Coalition for People’s Transport
Year: 2006
Title: The place to be on PT: A vision for greater Melbourne's transport
Summary: Explores Melbourne’s public transport options and proposes a vision for an effective and sustainable transport system. The Coalition for People’s Transport was formed to create and promote a transport vision that is sustainable, responsive to community needs and guarantees Victoria’s future liveability, bringing together community and social justice organisations, environment groups, local government, trade unions, disability advocates and transport users.
Author: The Coalition for People’s Transport
Year: 2004