The Commonwealth Department of
Social Services has now released its Discussion Paper on the Key Directions for the Commonwealth Home
Support Programme. From 1 July 2015 the National Respite for Carers
Program, Day Therapy Centres Program and the Commonwealth HACC Program will be
combined under the recently established Home Support Program. Service providers
are urged to familiarise themselves with the proposed changes articulated in
the Discussion Paper (which can be accessed through the Department’s website www.dss.gov.au), and provide feedback on the
questions raised.
Of particular interest to
providers, the Discussion Paper proposes that in the future selection of
service providers, the government
supports the use of contestable processes to maximise client outcomes and
achieve value for money (page 36). In a competitive tendering environment,
small providers may disadvantage themselves if they fail to put a dollar value
on voluntary contributions. The adoption of a Social Capital Accounting strategy will enable them to better
demonstrate the “value for money” imperative, and is consistent with the
findings of the Productivity Report on
the Non-Profit Sector (2013) which allocated a $ value for all social
capital contributions.
Service providers need to
recognise all volunteer contributions to their organisation as a net social
investment, by placing a monetary value on all hours worked. Use of a standard
measure of $25 per hour would simplify the calculation process, rather than
attempting to cost each contribution individually. Calculate and cost the hours
contributed over a standard month (including Management Committee Meetings),
and then multiply by 12 to calculate the total annual social capital
contribution. It is recommended that
providers quote this social capital contribution figure in all submissions and tenders, as part of their organisation’s total investment in its
programs and services.
The Financial Management Manual of the BRandA Resource Package is currently being updated to include a
Policy on Social Capital Accounting.
This new edition will be released in June 2014, and will be available through
Community Resourcing Worldwide (www.communityresourcingworldwide.com.au)
