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Goal: Improve the wellbeing of those experiencing extreme vulnerability
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500,000 Australians are connected to and supported by the community to overcome their deep social exclusion
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The wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has improved by 20%
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Migrants in transition have their humanitarian needs met and are participating in and included in Australian society
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There has been a 50% improvement in community determined indicators in up to 20 of the most vulnerable communities in Australia
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Australian governments are directing into justice reinvestment at least 50% of savings delivered by a 10% reduction in Australian prison numbers
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With the right connections, we saw many of our clients take great steps to overcome challenging circumstances, homelessness and crises both personal and external.
Many of our services were impacted by user choice reforms and changes to the eligibility for government support for people seeking asylum.
We are now going beyond the delivery of prescribed services, seeking solutions based on the unique strengths, attributes and challenges of people and their communities. These solutions are designed by people with lived experience of issues such as mental illness, homelessness, discrimination and social isolation.
Connecting individuals to community
While we made 1.1 million phone calls, over 40,000 home visits and 57,922 car trips to medical and social appointments, we also addressed the barriers that lead to deep social exclusion.
We advocated with government to ensure people with mental health concerns were not left behind in the National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms, with increased funding now committed to continuity of support.
We also worked directly with the people affected by the system changes, co-designing new supports. Once tested, the concepts will help people build a team to provide the right support, find a welcoming space to connect, and to give back and support others with their experience.
We also started a new partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mission Australia and the Centre for Social Impact to collectively work to address homelessness.
Working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Young people in Broome and Darwin are working with us to design new ways to support youth wellbeing. Everything is grounded in a connection to country and culture. In Broome, bush camps are a way for young people to go on a healing journey. In Darwin, we are focussing on young people in contact with the justice system, given 100% of young people in youth detention in the NT are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
We also support the Family Matters campaign, a national initiative to break the cycle of child removal from their families, which is at 10 times the rate of other children.
Within our own organisation, we’ve been building a ‘cultural ladder’ – our capability and practice to partner with First Nations people, organisations and communities. We established a policy to not compete with Indigenous organisations for funding, but partner with them and strengthen capacity where appropriate.
Rethinking justice
With partners across the country, we’re working to prevent vulnerable people from going to prison unnecessarily; and support people who have been in prison to build productive lives afterwards. This year, we:
- piloted three programs reaching hundreds in prisons and with sentences, providing volunteering, mentoring and peer-support opportunities
- expanded our Learner Driver mentoring program to South Australia, NSW and Tasmania to help prevent unlicensed driving offences
- trained people in two Victorian prisons to provide health and nutrition training to their peers
- commenced justice reinvestment pilots in Port Adelaide (SA) and Katherine (NT), bringing stakeholders and community leaders together to identify community solutions to crime
- provided support to a justice reinvestment trial in Bourke (NSW)
- held a forum with government, service providers, academia, corporates and donors, on barriers to employment for people who have been through the justice system. Three concepts were designed and are now being progressed
- provided a submission to the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the NT, with follow-up advocacy with the NT Government.
Unique solutions for each community
Our ‘place-based approach’ recognises that every community has unique character, strengths, assets and challenges. And every community drives the changes it wants to see.
This year we worked with communities in Kalgoorlie (WA), Tiwi Islands, Katherine and Daly River (NT), Woorabinda (Qld), Kempsey and Wallaga Lake (NSW), Horsham (Vic), Bridgewater (Tas) and Ceduna (SA).
Each community is making progress at its own pace. Katherine is training its community leaders in mental health; Ceduna now has a community connection hub; and in Kempsey, young people are connecting through after-school clubs, backyard gyms, boxing programs and connecting with Elders. A new Skin Group was created as a governance body for our partnership in Tiwi Islands, while in Woorabinda the governance group matured to become stronger.
To support these communities on their journey, Red Cross is facilitating Harwood innovation training across all locations.