B . EXTERNAL CONTEXT
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2 . Our new Strategic Directions , which sets us apart from our colleagues and significantly and explicitly ‘ raises the bar ’ on what we want to do to ensure ‘ all children have a good childhood ’.
3 . Taking the time to reflect on what we need to sustain continued growth and being prepared to make the investment .
Things we could have done better :
Although we ’ ve made a start , progress on our Marketing Strategy , Excellence Framework and on the development of our Early Years Services Plan proceeded slower than we would like .
B . EXTERNAL CONTEXT
‘ No man [ or woman !] is an island ’, but with the speed of communication now , all organisations and individuals are influenced by the context within which we work – local , state , national and global .
Although the 2010 unemployment rates are some of the lowest on record ( 5.1 %, 618,800 people ) and Australia survived the Global Financial Crisis in a much better position than most other countries , the people with whom we work always bear the biggest impact of any economic downturn . In particular , youth unemployment remains far too high , eg 21 % of 15-19 year olds in Gippsland are completely disengaged ( no work or study ). The average in Victoria is 15 %.
Housing and rent affordability remains a significant barrier for many of our clients and the impact of the Social Housing and Homelessness Strategy so far has been minimal .
The political landscape changed significantly with : �
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The Federal election seeing Labor returned to Government , with the support of the Greens and Independents . With more changes expected in State / Territory Governments , the Labor / Coalition balance will change significantly . It was pleasing to see the Government ’ s commitment to establishing an Office for Not-For-Profit Sector Engagement for an initial five year period ( one of the major recommendations from the Productivity Commission ’ s Report on the Contribution of the Not for Profit Sector in February 2010 ). The Coalition taking over in Victoria , after 11 years of Labor . This means establishing relationships with different Ministers and Advisors and learning how best to influence the development of their policies .
Media and community attention continued on Child Protection , with :
� A very critical Ombudsman ’ s Report on Out of Home Care .
� Another Ombudsman ’ s Report on legal processes and the Children ’ s Court , with a panel appointed to resolve a number of options . With the change of Government , this is unlikely to proceed .
� Regular exposes of the Department of Human Services ’ unallocated cases and serious incidents . � The report of the Northern Territory Child Protection Inquiry .
Not given the same attention , but important , was the release of the first National Standards on Out of Home Care . This was one of the priority actions from the National Framework for Protecting Australia ’ s Children .