Home arrow Hot Issues arrow Working Together for NSW
Main Menu
Home
Search
About NCOSS
Media Releases
Community Jobs
Hot Issues
Resources
NCOSS News
Sector Development
NCOSS Blog
Conferences
Publications
Membership
Links
Contact Us
News Feed

Feed Icon Click here to subscribe to News Feed for all new content or look for the News Feed Icon on each page to subscribe to individual feeds.

Working Together for NSW PDF Print E-mail
Updated: 2 September 2008
In 1997, NCOSS proposed to the NSW Government that a statement outlining the shared objectives and the complementary roles of, and the principles of the relationship between, the NSW Government and the NSW non-for-profit human services sector be developed.  The Communique from the August 2008 WTFNSW Implementation meeting has been released.  

Working Together for NSW (WT4NSW) 

Working Together for NSW: an Agreement between the NSW Government and NSW non-government human services organisations

This inititiative was informed by the establishment of a Compact between the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the UK non-government human services sector, the work of the Voluntary Sector Initiative in Canada and the interest in similar initiatives in other jurisdictions around Australia.

In March 1999, the NSW Government made a commitment to "negotiate a Compact between the government and the community and voluntary sectors" as part of its Supporting Families and Strengthening Communities policy.

On 21 June 2006, the NSW Government and the NSW non-government human services sector reached an historic agreement to implement the document, Working Together for NSW: An agreement between the NSW Government and NSW non-government human services organisations.

WT4NSW: Good Funding Policy and Practice

WT4NSW Good Funding Policy and Practice - NCOSS, July 2006

The NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS), released its new funding policy in November 2005, at a time when other NSW Government human services departments are also engaged in reviewing and reforming their funding policies and practices.

At the February 2006 meeting of the Forum of Non Government Agencies (FONGA), it was agreed that the NSW non government human services sector should engage in a cross government manner with the various departments that were reforming their funding policies and practices. NCOSS developed a funding policy and practices paper, the purpose of which was to establish fundamental principles and good practice guidelines that can be applied to funding policies across human services departments in New South Wales.

NCOSS also sought to situate funding policy within the framework of WTFNSW: An Agreement between the NSW Government and NSW Non-Government Human Services Organisations - a negotiated framework that seeks to guide and build a stronger relationship between government and the community sector in the interests of disadvantaged people and communities.

WT4NSW: Implementation Committee

Working Together for NSW Human Services CEOs and FONGA Implementation Committee

The inaugural meeting of the Human Services CEOs and FONGA Implementation Committee was held in June 2006. The meetings are held annually and the next meeting is in August 2008.

Meetings are attended by the CEOs of NSW Human Services Departments, six elected FONGA representatives and the Director of NCOSS.

A Communique was released after the 2007 meeting and the August 2008 Communique has just been released:

download:

WT4NSW: Projects

Good Practice Guide: NGO Participation in Regional Human Services Planning Processes

The Good Practice Guide was endorsed by the Human Services CEOs / FONGA Committee overseeing the implementation of Working Together for NSW Agreement on 6 August 2007

New research on Compacts

Compacts or 'written agreements' between governments and the community sector have been developed in several countries over the past decade.

Resources and downloads

A literature review by John Casey provides valuable insights into some of the major ‘lessons’ learnt, within an international context.

download:

The Rudd Government has committed to the introduction of a national compact with the community sector and is currently consulting with NGOs regarding the development of such an agreement by 2009. This report considers whether a formal agreement is the right way for the government and the community sector to go about building an on-going positive and constructive relationship

download:

 
Prev >