Reports
- Children, young people and families
- Climate change
- Community sector strengthening
- Disability
- Education
- Emergency relief
- Energy
- Housing
- Human rights
- Justice
- State Election
- Transport
- Welfare
Children, young people and families
Who’s carrying the can? A report into youth services gaps in Victoria
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.
Author: Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) and VCOSS
Date: 2006
Response to the Children Bill and White Paper
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
Date: 2005
Protecting children: Child protection outcomes project report consultation
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
Date: 2004
Protecting Children: Ten priorities for children’s wellbeing and safety in Victoria
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
Date: 2004
Climate change
Climate change and drought policy in Victoria: context and recommendations for VCOSS’ policy position
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
Date: 2008
Community sector strengthening
Sustaining the frontline
Author: VCOSS
Date: April 2012
Doing IT Better project - Final report
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2010
A Fairer Victoria Community Sector Engagement Project
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2007
Count the cuts: The impact of indexation and under-funding in the community sector
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
Date: 2005
Disability
The Aids & Equipment Action Alliance (Victoria) Position Statement
Author: The Aids & Equipment Action Alliance (Victoria)
Date: 2007
Too little, too late - Wait times and cost burden for people with a disability in seeking equipment funding in Victoria
Author: Scope
Date: 2006
Aids and equipment for Victorians with disabilities - entitlement or hand-out?
Author: Melbourne Citymission
Date: 2006
Submission to Exposure Draft of Disability Bill 2006
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2006
Accessible Place, Accessible State 2020
Author: Disability Advisory Council of Victoria
Date: 2005
Education
The rising cost of 'free' education
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.
Author: Emergency Relief Victoria and VCOSS
Date: 2004
Emergency relief
Under Pressure: Costs of living, financial hardship and emergency relief in Victoria
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.
Date: 2009
Under Pressure: Costs of living, financial hardship and emergency relief in Victoria
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
Date: 2008
The Provision of Emergency Relief and Contemporary Pressures for Change in Metropolitan Melbourne
Author: Emergency Relief Victoria and RMIT
Date: 2006
Emergency Relief Victoria capacity-building project report
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
Date: 2006
Talking to each other: An analysis of networking in the Victorian emergency relief sector
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
Date: 2006
'Heads, hearts and hands on' conference proceedings
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
Date: 2004
The rising cost of 'free' education
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.
Author: Emergency Relief Victoria and VCOSS
Date: 2004
Energy
Energy and ER: A snapshot of electricity and gas services and their impact on households seeking emergency relief
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2010
Letter to the Chair of the Australian Energy Market Commission regarding information collection needs for the Review Of The Effectiveness Of Competition In Gas And Electricity Retail Markets
Author: Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre Ltd, Consumer Action Law Centre, St Vincent de Paul Society, Victoria and VCOSS
Date: 2007
Housing
Decent not Dodgy: secret shopper survey on the quality of Victoria’s rental housing
This report compiles the findings of VCOSS’ survey of the standard of properties for rent in Metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong. The survey found that more than one in ten properties was uninhabitable and calls for the introduction of minimum rental standards.
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2010
A future focused housing standard
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
Date: 2009
Universal Housing Universal Benefits
A VCOSS discussion paper on universal housing regulation in Victoria
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2008
Housing Affordability: More Than Rents and Mortgages
Author: ACF & VCOSS
Date: 2008
Close to home: The Victorian housing rights tribunal
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: Shelter Victoria, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Women’s Housing Ltd
Date: 2005
Little piece of heaven: Thoughts from Victorians on housing as a human right
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
Date: 2004
The human right to housing in Australia
Examines the human right to housing in Australia, and opportunities for developing a right enshrined in domestic legislations.
Author: Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
Date: 2004
Human rights
Using the Charter in Policy and Practice
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
Date: 2008
Audit and Needs Analysis: Human Rights Education and Training
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
Date: 2008
Request for a systemic review of discrimination against women in Victorian prisons
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
Date: 2006
Making human rights real
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
Date: 2006
Australia's compliance with the UN covenant on economic, social and cultural rights
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
Date: 2000
Justice
Request for a systemic review of discrimination against women in Victorian prisons
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
Date: 2006
Crime and imprisonment data report
Presents statistics on crime and imprisonment in Victoria, with comparisons to other states in Australia.
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2006
State Election
Building a strong and fair community: Call to political parties, 2006 Victorian State election
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
Date: 2006
Transport
Better bus access - Summary report of the Bus Access Forum
Summary Report of the Bus Access Forum
Held 1 September 2011 in collaboration between the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria and the Victorian Department of Transport (DOT)
Author: VCOSS
Date: November 2011
The Voices of Taxi Users
Summary Report of the VCOSS Taxi Forum
Held in collaboration with the Victorian Taxi Industry Inquiry
20 July 2011
Author: VCOSS
Date: September 2011
Creating Accessible Journeys
This report has been produced by the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) to examine the progress towards improving the public transport system in Victoria to meet the needs of a greater variety of users, including people with diverse mobility requirements. (PDF, DOC and TXT)
Author: VCOSS
Date: September 2011
Free To Move: VCOSS Accessible Transport Forum
Almost 3 years after publishing the report of the Accessible Transport Watch Project - which included 27 recommendations to improve the accessibility of public transport for members of the travelling public, and particularly for passengers with disabilities - and in light of continuing concern with the progress of accessibility improvements in the public transport network, VCOSS convened a forum in December 2010 to prompt discussion on the continuing problems and how communities might respond. This report presents a summary of those discussions.
Author: VCOSS
Date: February 2011
Mind the Gap: An assessment of transport needs and issues for young people in Melbourne’s urban fringes
Report shows young people are missing out on essential employment and educational opportunities due to the lack of transport options on the edges of Melbourne.
Author: VCOSS
Date: December 2010
Community Transport Snapshot Project
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
Date: 2008
Accessible Public Transport Watch Project
A user survey of public transport in Victoria.
Author: VCOSS
Date: 2008
You might as well just stay at home: Young mums and public transport in Victoria
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
Date: 2007
Transport and liveability: The path to a sustainable Victoria
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
Date: 2006
The place to be on PT: A vision for greater Melbourne's transport
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
Date: 2004
Welfare
Relative Price Index Report
The Relative Price Index Report shows that prices for essential items such as food, health care, education, housing and utilities and transport costs have all skyrocketed in recent years.
Author: SVDPS, VCOSS
Date: October 2011
Who is worse off? The regional distribution of people affected by the 'Welfare to Work' legislation
Author: ACOSS
Date: 2006
Welfare to Work – Effects and Solutions
Author: ACOSS
Date: 2006
Welfare to Work or Unworkable Welfare?
Author: National Association of Community Legal Centres
Date: 2006
The Distributional Impact of the Proposed Welfare-to-Work Reforms on Sole Parents and People with Disabilities
Author: National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling
Date: 2005