Department of Communities Annual Report
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Department of Communities Annual Report Statement of compliance Hon Simone Hon Stephen Hon Peter Hon Mick Hon Alannah McGurk MLA Dawson MLC Tinley AM MLA Murray MLA MacTiernan MLC Minister for Child Minister for Minister for Housing; Minister for Seniors Minister for Regional Protection; Women’s Environment; Veterans Issues; Youth and Ageing; Development; Interests; Disability Services Volunteering; Sport Agriculture and Food; Prevention of Family and Recreation Minister assisting and Domestic Violence; the Minister for State Community Services Development, Jobs and Trade For the year ended 30 June 2018 In accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, I hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament the annual report of the Department of Communities for the financial year ended 30 June 2018. The Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006. Grahame Searle Accountable Authority 14 September 2018 1 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE Accessibility statement This annual report has been designed and written to make it accessible to as many people as possible. This has made the report larger than usual, but ensures that people with vision impairment and people who use screen readers are able to read it. The report is also available online in two formats – PDF and Word. This report can be provided in other formats upon request. Acknowledgement of country and peoples We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as traditional custodians of this land and pay respect to Elders past, present and future. Contact details Department of Communities Address Telephone Email If you are deaf or have 189 Royal Street 08 6217 6888 [email protected] a hearing or speech East Perth WA 6004 impairment, contact us Country free call Website through the National PO Address 1800 176 888 www.communities.wa.gov.au Relay Service. For more PO Box 6334 information visit Translating and Interpreting Service East Perth WA 6892 www.relayservices.gov.au. (TIS) – Telephone 13 14 50 2 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | CONTACT DETAILS Contents Statement of compliance ..................................................1 Significant issues impacting the agency .....................59 Overview ..............................................................................5 Disclosures and legal compliance .................................67 Executive summary ........................................................................ 6 Performance management framework ..................................... 68 Operational structure ..................................................................... 8 Auditor General’s opinion ............................................................. 81 Who we are .................................................................................... 14 Financial statements .................................................................... 85 Agency performance........................................................19 Key performance indicators ......................................................135 Year in review ................................................................................ 20 Ministerial directives ..................................................................150 Report on operations.................................................................... 21 Other financial disclosures ........................................................151 A place to call home ......................................................................21 Governance disclosures ...........................................................155 Inclusive and accessible communities ......................................34 Other legal requirements ..........................................................159 Strong families and kin .................................................................39 Government policy requirements .............................................162 Safe children ...................................................................................47 Empowered people ........................................................................52 3 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | OVERVIEW Overview Executive summary I am pleased to present delivering quality services and diverse, For example, a young man with complex the first annual report of healthy and well-functioning places, with issues, destined for a care facility for the the Department of safe, secure homes for people across elderly, has been given a safe, affordable Communities, which Western Australia. Now, as a single and appropriate home thanks to the hard marks the end of a very department we have embraced “People, work and collaboration of our frontline busy year. Communities Place, Home” as our tagline, and service delivery staff, flexible came together on 1 July “collaborating to create pathways that interpretation of policies and a willingness 2017, and since that time we have enable individual, family and community by everyone involved to think differently. continued the great work of our former wellbeing” as our ultimate purpose. This same spirit of collaboration and agencies, while working more At the core of everything we do and why innovation saw staff secure appropriate collectively to get better outcomes for we do it are the People who make up our housing so that a three-month old baby the people we’re here to serve. communities across Western Australia. could be looked after by her grandmother, As the flagship department for the We focus our efforts on building Places rather than being placed in non-relative reform of human services in Western that are inclusive and connected and foster care, and enable that baby to grow Australia, Communities has a unique offer everyone the opportunity to prosper. up connected to family and culture. opportunity to fundamentally improve And we support children and families so The structure of our new agency reflects the way in which people receive our this new approach. Our first year has services and ensure a timely, coherent, that they can have a physically and emotionally secure place to call Home. seen the integration of our strategy, person-centred response. policy, corporate operations and Despite the challenges presented in We also recognise that people’s lives are commissioning areas to streamline our merging an organisation of this size, diverse and inter-connected, and our agency while maintaining specialisation I have been delighted by the willingness of services need to respond accordingly. and portfolio expertise where it’s needed. staff to get on board with a different way Here lies the strength of our new agency: being able to combine our expertise and Our transformation of service design and of working, to ensure the whole genuinely delivery is starting in the Kimberley – our is greater than the sum of its parts. take a strengths-based approach to designing person-centred responses and test bed for the devolution of decision- This is in no small way due to our better ways of working for the community. making to the regions in the design, shared DNA. coordination and oversight of services And we’re already seeing the positive so that they can deliver local responses Each of the former agencies and their results that flow from taking this kind component parts were focussed on that suit community needs. We know of approach. that what works in the suburbs of Perth 6 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | OVERVIEW unities – P omm eopl of C e, P nt la e ce tm , H ar o p m e e may not work in Esperance or Katanning or D other parts of the State; and as a department, we will continue to learn and grow from our activities in the Kimberley and look to roll out Our Impacts I n further place-based delivery models across c lu the State. si ve a n n i k There is no doubt we have a long way to go d a d c n c in our transformation, but I assure you that e a s s s i e b li our workforce of almost 6,000 people located l i e m c o a across the State has accepted the challenge of f m m g working together in new and different ways to n n u o re n r ild it t ch achieve better outcomes for individuals i S fe A place to ca e a ll h s S ome and families. e pl peo This is reflected in the results of the Public Our Outcomes Empowered Sector Commission’s 2018 employee perception survey, where Communities reported the equal second highest employee engagement level of 62 per cent when compared with eight other agencies amalgamated as part of machinery of Our Values o C government changes. u g a r R E e mE A Tr We recognise the unique opportunity our u p s agency has to bring about true and lasting a t t social change and look forward to bringing you h stories on our success in making a positive y difference to the lives of Western Australians. Grahame Searle Director General ur ose O rp C Pu olla bor ati le g. ng to enab ein in create pathways that ellb divi ity w dual, f d commun 7 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 | OVERVIEW amily an Operational structure Responsible Ministers Enabling legislation At 30 June 2018, the Department of Communities was The Department of Communities was established on 1 July 2017 responsible to the following Ministers: under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 as part of machinery of government changes.