Annual Report - Sydney Multicultural Community Services · Carnivale, pictured Selma Fonseca and...

2016Annual Report

Settlement Inclusion Aged Care Disability

Contact

A NNUA L REP O R T 2016 A NNUA L REP O R T 2016S Y DNE Y MULT I CULT UR A L CO MMUNI T Y SER V I CE S IN C . S Y DNE Y MULT I CULT UR A L CO MMUNI T Y SER V I CE S IN C .2 3

SMCS Head Office

3 General Bridges CrescentDaceyville NSW 3922t: (02) 9663 3922e: [email protected]: www.sydneymcs.org.au

Contents

1 Introduction

Mission, Vision, Values 4

Strategic Priorities 2016-2019

5

Snapshot of the Year 6

4 SMCS Services, Performance and Finances

Aged Care Services 16

Settlement Services 20

Poverty Alleviation Services

22

Other Services 23

2016 Financial Summary 24

Acknowledgements 36

3 Our People

Localities 13

Organisation Structure 14

2 Where we are now

Chairperson's Report 8

Chief Executive Officer's Report

9

Summary & Overview 12


MissionSydney Multicultural Community Services is a not-for-profit organisation committed

to the direct relief of suffering among people, who, because, of barriers such as

language, poverty, isolation and disability are not able to enjoy the advantages of this

society.

Values

VisionTo help disadvantaged and marginalised

migrants and refugees to be involved in and

appreciated by Australian society while

maintaining their cultural identity.

RespectCompassion and valuing diversity.

Inclusiveness and Social EquityRespecting others views, culture, choice,

freedom and social justice.

IntegrityHonesty and congruence between what we say and what we do.

OpennessProfessionalism, transparency and the development of a learning culture.

Creativity and CompassionFlexibility, adaptive to change and capacity for innovation in order to incorporate

and represent Culturally and Linguistically diverse (CALD) specific needs.

SMCS Strategic Priorities2016-2019

Priority 1: Impact in Communities

Priority 2: Engagement and Advocacy

Priority 3: Innovation and Good practice

Priority 4: Sustainability and Excellence

Provide effective emergency, settlement and ongoing support services for Migrants, Humanitarian Entrants and Refugees to enable them to transition into and participate in their local community.

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

Grow our community aged care services for CALD communities, with a particular emphasis on emerging or under resourced groups.

Expand capabilities to further service and support CALD people with a disability.

Build the capacity and capability of other organisations to be able to provide quality and responsive services to CALD communities.

Identify and understand the needs of disadvantaged CALD communities in Sydney to inform service planning, policy and advocacy.

2.1

2.2

3.1

3.2

Communicate, consult with, and engage government, other sectors and the media to advocate for issues relevant to Refugees and CALD communities.

Practice people-centred, consumer directed approaches in our work with CALD communities.

Develop new and innovative models of service delivery to build the sustainability of the organisation and improve client outcomes.

4.1 Continuously improve internal systems and processes to enhance our work in CALD communities.

Strategies

Strategies

Strategies

Strategies


SMCS 2016 Snapshot of the year

1. Seniors Morning Tea, 2016

SMCS workers Lucyna Weglowska-Karagiorgou and Maureen Kelly-Pain attend the Seniors Morning Tea hosted by The Hon. Matt Thistlewaite MP.

2. SMCS Seniors Carnivale, April 2016

SMCS Care workers enjoying the Seniors Carnivale, pictured Selma Fonseca and Paola Mantilla.


An annual event, the SMCS Seniors Carnivale celebrates the diversity of Aged Care clients, as part of Senior Week.


SMCS employees attending the annual Seniors Carnivale event, as part of Senior Week.

5. SMCS Refugee Week Celebration, 2016

SMCS Refugee Week celebration aimed to raise awareness of issues affecting refugess and to celebrate the positive contributions they have made to Australian society.

6. SMCS Refugee Week Celebration, 2016

St school choir attends the SMCS Refugee Week celebration to perform for guests and visitors including The Hon. Matt Thistlewaite MP.


The Hon. Matt Thistlewaite MP for Kingsford attends Sydney MCS' Multicultural Seniors Carnivale, pictured with EO Rosa Loria.

8. Harmony Day Celebration, March 2016

Harmony Day celebrates Australia's cultural diversity. SMCS was part of this celebration.

4 3

5 6

7

1 2

8


As Chairperson of Sydney Multicultural Community Services it gives me great pleasure to present this report to the 2016 Annual General Meeting.

We had a very busy year with activities and projects to complete. We can all feel very proud of our centre as we continue to serve our community. We have maintained strong advocacy, built solid partnerships, improved our financial position and continued to produce work of high quality and effectiveness, SMCS has also maintained high levels of financial accountability.

Sydney Multicultural Community Services provides a culturally safe environment with services that meet the diverse needs of new migrants, refugees, and the frail aged CALD community. It has been yet another exciting year as the Centre continues to grow with new staff, services, projects, community groups and programs to cover new regions.

We’ll continue to train new and old staff to make sure that everyone has the knowledge and confidence to fulfil their jobs accordingly. All workplace policies have been updated and some minor repairs done to the centre to make sure that we provide a clean and pleasant environment for both clients and staff.

The Board of Directors continues to develop its role in evolving Sydney MCS's strategic

Magnolia SzaboCHAIRPERSON

“We can feel very

proud of our centre as

we continue to serve

our community."

Chairperson's Report

direction, more than able lead by the Executive Officer, Rosa Loria and excellent staff. We are also enhancing our governance strategies to keep pace with funding refugee programs and others, like Settlement Support Program and Settlement Services International.

A big thank you to the Aged Care Support Committee for their support of our Frail Aged and Dementia specific Centre Based Day Care Program, the Community Visitors Scheme, the Multicultural Home Care Packages and the Multicultural Healthy Ageing Project, also to the wonderful volunteers who run social groups and English classes providing support for our migrants and refugees.

And last but not least I wish to give thanks to Sydney MCS Staff and their Executive Officer, Rosa Loria for their professionalism in management and coordination of all services at Sydney Multicultural Community Services.

Sydney Multicultural Community Services has successfully achieved many significant milestones and fronted many environmental challenges during 2016. Our 36th year of operation has marked yet another year of change and achievement. Our success can be attributed to our professional and adept Board of Directors and staff members who have driven our superior performance throughout the year.

Service excellence:Over the last 36 years our strength as an organisation has been our commitment to migrants, refugees and the needs of CALD aged communities and their carers. At Sydney MCS we continue to focus on delivering effective, appropriate and responsive service provision to these clients. As a not for profit organisation and changes in funding, we continue to make the most of our limited resources in innovative and effective ways in order to provide crisis relief and assistance, Settlement and Aged Care services to meet the needs of migrants, humanitarian entrants and the aged CALD communities and carers.

Increased relevant and accessible program delivery: Access to service is a key issue for SMCS. Our target group are people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who generally lack awareness of and access to available resources and opportunities.

People from CALD backgrounds share with other Australians, the ménage of circumstances that arise from the ageing process. However, they also have unmet cultural, linguistic and spiritual needs and face multiple barriers in accessing appropriate aged care services and support in older age.

Chief Executive Officer's Report

While some advocates have argued for CALD seniors to lose the special needs classification under the Aged Care Act, so as to move their issues into mainstream aged care policy, such a position will be risky and overestimate the progress that has been made. This position assumes CALD issues are understood by service providers when they are not. The recognition of needs of CALD people is very important and that it guarantees access. I go to meetings and I can guarantee that I will be the only person that raises CALD issues at those meetings. Views in society that older CALD people 'should have learned English by now', or 'they should just cope' persist.

In an ideal world every organisation should provide services to everyone across all cultures including refugees and migrants, which is currently not happening. Our key focus is to address the needs of persons while also reducing positive discrimination policy needs to be implemented to provide access to disadvantaged groups. Therefore, it is essential for SMCS to continuously improve and expand our capacity to deliver effective and relevant client services to CALD community groups. While the Australian population as a whole is ageing, the population of people from CALD backgrounds is ageing at a more rapid rate.

"Projections of older immigrants" People from CALD backgrounds (1996-2026 Health and Welfare Report) states that 22.5% of older Australians will be from

IMAGE ABOVE

SSP info session at St Leonards TAFE

Sydney Multicultural Community Services employees enjoying the annual Multicultural Seniors Carnivale. Pictured Back row: Noel ZihabamweSecond Row: Paola Mantila, Joanna Chan, Nazhin Safavi, Moumita Saha, Liliana Hernandez, Arturo Escartin, Lucyna Weglowska-Karagiorgou, Bianca Pedro, Rosa Loria Front Row: Rossana Gurrieri, Selma Fonseca, Maureen Kelly-Pain, Jessica Pleitez


“People from CALD backgrounds share with other Australians, the ménage of circumstances

that arise from the ageing process. ".

Rosa Loria,CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Chief Executive Officer's Report cont.

CALD backgrounds by 2011. This reflects a significant growth rate of 23% for the Australian born population. This changing demography is largely due to the ageing of the large-scale immigration intake to Australia after the Second World War. The 2007 addition of Day Care for Frail Aged/ Dementia clients for the Eastern area of Sydney is a direct response to this need. The Legal Aid Family Law Clinic service continues to run twice monthly at our Daceyville office.

During 2016 Settlement Services International (SSI) in partnership with MRC's in NSW secured funding for the Ability Links program, which will see a number of disability linkers working from various locations across Sydney to assist people with disabilities to access vital services. Sydney MCS has secured an Ability Links worker to provide this service for our Sydney MCS office, as well as the Settlement Support Program.

Leadership and Innovation:An ongoing challenge for Sydney MCS is to show leadership in our response to the specific needs of CALD communities within the Eastern Sydney and the Inner West region. The allocation of new and additional program funding confirms and re-enforces our leadership ability.

Overall we have a two-fold approach to service provision, involving culturally appropriate and community networking.

Throughout 2016 we have formed and further consolidated a number of partnerships with mainstream and ethnic specific organisations in aged care, settlement and disability space.

Effective Management: The Management Team and Board of Directors have continued to secure income from a range of sources, developing a broad and diverse funding base that ensures ongoing financial viability. Sydney MCS has a very effective model of management that facilitates a well-planned and accountable service. The Sydney MCS team is progressive, committed and directly contributes to continuous improvements of the day-to-day management and quality of the Sydney MCS services. Complementary to this is the continued development and implementation of excellent financial management systems and practices to ensure the viability to implement Sydney MCS's organisational objectives.

Sydney MCS recently hosted delegations from Korea and Japan. The delegations visited for a series of consultations on the Centre's services policy, management and administration and the role as a Migrant Centre in the Australian context.

IMAGE ABOVE


SMCS Summary and Overview

Sydney Multicultural Community Services (SMCS) is a community based not-for-profit organisation specialising in service provision for culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney LGA and the Inner West region. Our support services include aged care services, carer support services, settlement and migration support services, crisis relief and financial support services. Our funding is provided by Commonwealth, State and Local Governments.

During 2015-2016, numerous requests and enquiries from clients were addressed and managed by service staff within our centre, which in total, covered over 16 languages. SMCS has provided services worth $2,00,431 across a number of areas, including personal care, respite care, meals, occupational therapy, social support, day care, community development / settlement work, casework and group work.

'SMCS specialises in service provision

for culturally and linguistically diverse

communities'.

Currently, Sydney Multicultural Community Services has a staff of 48 who cover eight program areas for the Eastern and Inner West areas of Sydney. SMCS programs include:

Multicultural Home Care Packages (MHCP)

CALD Centre-based Day Care Program (CBDC)

CALD Community Visitors Scheme (CVS)

Settlement Support Program (SSP)

Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS)

Migration Agent

Legal Aid Family Law Clinic

Energy Account Payment Assistance (EAPA) Scheme

Emergency Relief Program

SMCS Localities

South West

Western Sydney

North West Western

Suburbs Northern Beaches

North Shore

Inner Sydney

South Sydney

Lower North Shore

Sydney CBD

Randwick

Botany Bay

Rockdale

Kogarah

Hurstville

Canterbury

Marrickville

LeichhardtAshfield

Canada Bay

BurwoodStrathfield

Sydney Multicultural Community Services currently covers the local government areas (LGA) of: Ashfield, Botany Bay, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury, City of Sydney, Leichhardt, Marrickville, Randwick, Strathfield, Waverly and Woollahra and this year the Lower North Shore (Crows Nest, Greenwich, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby).

Key:

SMCS Head Office

SMCS Offices

Member MRCsAged Care Services areas covered by SMCSSettlement Support Program areas covered by SMCS

English Conversation


Key:

Aged Care DivisionSettlement Services & Migration Management and Administration Team

Additional ServicesDate: November 2016

Sydney Multicultural Community Services 2016 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 7 members

Magnolia Szabo (Chairperson) Rene Marcos Molina (Vice Chairperson)

Marco Bet (Treasurer) Alec Alexandrou (Secretary)

Yvonne Viney Antonino Calanni

Maryam Maghsoodi

COMMUNITY VISITORS SCHEME

Coordinator Bianca Pedro

Selma Fonseca

Front Desk/ Administration

Assistant Moumita Saha Nazhin Safavi

MULTICULTURAL HOME CARE PACKAGES

Case Manager Danuta Rosinski Selma Fonseca

Isabelle Barciulli

SETTLEMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM

Senior Community

Development Officer Jessica Pleitez

Administration

Assistant Nazhin Safavi

75 Clients

DIVERSIONAL THERAPIST/DAY

CARE COORDINATOR

Lucyna Weglowska-Karagiorgou

4 Bi-Lingual Assistants

3 Bus Drivers 1 Chef

25 Bi-lingual Volunteer Visitors

41 Clients

Administration Volunteers/Work

Experience Students

Finance Committee

Service Providers/ Networks/

Collaborations/ Partnerships

Funding Bodies/ Departments/Client

Groups/Stakeholders

Accountant Daria Marlia

WHS Committee

Recruitment Sub Committee

Aged Care Support

Advisory Committee

Cleaner

SSP Support Advisory Committee

MIGRATION AGENT Andre Benjamin Alec Alexandrou

SSI - MRC (Partnership) Humanitarian

Settlement Services Team Leader:

Theresa Desmond Caseworkers :

Abdollah Nezhad Yeshi Palmo

Tenzin Tsomo Ability Linker:

Aiyub Torin

LEGAL AID FAMILY LAW

CLINIC Solicitors

SMCS English Classes

2 Volunteer English Teachers

174 Clients

CALD DISABILITY ACCESS WORKER

Rigzin Yuthok Bianca Pedro

Personal Assistant Maureen Kelly-Pain

Shina Khan

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Rosa Loria

SSI-SMCS (Partnership) on Settlement Support

Program (SSP)

25 Carers

BROKERAGE COORDINATOR/

ROSTERING Liliana Hernandez

SSP Caseworker Rigzin Yuthok Bianca Pedro

SSP Community Development/ Caseworker

Noel Zihabamwe

Bookkeeper Angela Raco

AGED CARE MANAGER

Lecia Wrathall Danuta Rosinski

Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)

Counsellor

Advance Diversity Services -Indonesian Community

Development Worker

SSP Bilingual Caseworker

Sadia Sayeed

MULTICULTURAL HOME CARE PACKAGES

Case Manager Danuta Rosinski Selma Fonseca

Isabelle Barciulli

Administration

Assistant Nazhin Safavi

Rubita Shrestha

75 Clients

4 Bi-Lingual Assistants

3 Bus Drivers 1 Chef

174 Clients

25 Carers

BROKERAGE COORDINATOR/

ROSTERING Liliana Hernandez

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

MANAGER Arturo Escartin

SMCS Staff Organisational Chart


SMCS continues to deliver 75 Multicultural Consumer Directed Care Home packages across the South East and Inner West Sydney regions. Our experienced staff includes a newly appointed Aged care Manager, Case manager, Rostering coordinator, an administration assistant and 25 dedicated and skilled multi/ bi-lingual care workers. MHCP staff speak over 17 languages combined, allowing our service the ability to cater to residents from diverse CALD backgrounds. Our service specialises in culture and language specific care, and our care worker staff continue to be mentored and up-skilled in order to maintain high standards in quality care service provision.

Access and equity for CALD remains a significant issue in the Home Care sector. We were unsuccessful in our application for more packages in the last ACAR 2015. However we now have agreements with 5 other providers, who broker our bi-lingual staff to deliver care to their clients, this

Aged Care ServicesSMCS Aged Care Services currently assist elderly migrants and refugees from over 17 language and nationality backgrounds. Our diverse services cater to a wide range of needs, with the

primary aim to assist clients to meet health and wellbeing goals while living independently at home. Our services assist to reduce isolation experienced by many frail aged Culturally and Linguistically Diverse residents due to language barriers. SMCS strives to maintain high levels of quality and efficiency

in service delivery to our vulnerable CALD communities.


appears to be an exciting and productive way forward for our ageing programs. We are actively recruiting new CALD workers and supporting them to attain Certificate 3 in Aged and Disability care. We are currently supporting 25 clients in our brokerage program.

Please see graphs on page 17 for SMCS's 2016 Multicultural Home Care Packages statistics.

From left to right: Seniors Carnivale, Moumita Saha, Anna Li Poma with a client at the Seniors Carnivale.IMAGES ABOVE

Key:

Home Care Brockerage (SMCS)


MHCP clients backgroundFIGURE 1

82 % MHCP, 18 % BrockerageFIGURE 2

82%

18%

This year, the CALD specific Community Visitors Scheme has expanded to cover Sydney’s inner western suburbs; we now cover a total of 71 suburbs! The CVS volunteer network and our connection to elders has doubled, and more opportunities have opened up for group programs to begin in aged care facilities in the inner west.

The CVS program has formed connections with tertiary education institutions who deliver ‘Transpersonal Art Therapy’ courses as a means of increasing our scope and creating sustainable group programs for the elders who participate. Art therapy has been shown to benefit elders with dementia, and as a group program it bonds CALD communities within aged care facilities and provides a safe space to explore memories, to heal, and socialise.

By providing opportunities for placements in aged care facilities, SMCS is able to create lasting creative group programs that are facilitated by talented and professional bilingual volunteers on a long-term basis. The CVS program is now connected with over 12 NGOs and community organisations across the south east and inner west of Sydney to achieve an increase in the overall visibility and interest in the CALD specific CVS program. The connection with community organisations increased opportunities for volunteers to up skill and network with each other through training.

Community Visitors Scheme (CVS)


SMCS Centre-Based Day Care Program is funded by the Department of Health through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP). The service provides social, recreational and respite support for senior and frail aged CALD residents in South East Sydney. The Day Care groups run from Monday to Friday; and includes transport to and from the clients' home, scenic drives on the centre's bus, culturally appropriate hot lunches, twice monthly outings to parks and other places of interest and recreational activities designed to meet clients' needs. This service also caters to the needs of Frail and Dementia clients. SMCS continues to employ a Diversional Therapist, and this addition has served as a great contribution to the service; including light exercise, signing, reading, aromatherapy and many more.

Aged Care Services

Multicultural Centre Based Day Care

SMCS also has specific CALD Social Support groups including Chinese, Spanish, Polish, Maltese and Arabic groups. This important service provides isolated CALD residents the opportunity to socialise, make new friends, and visit new places. The activities run by our centre assist them with their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. For some residents, participation in a group gives them and their partner, family member or carer the opportunity for much needed respite for a few hours during the day. This helps to relieve burden on families and support networks for these clients and assists them in maintaining healthy independence. During 2016 over 300 local residents benefited from our senior social and day care groups.

Please see below for SMCS's 2016 Day Care Program statistics.

Key:Frail Aged/Dementia Clients

Social Support Clients

17%

83%

83 % Social Support Clients, 17 % Frail Aged/Dementia clients

FIGURE 1

The CCMA program was extended part time till June 2016 and assisted persons aged 65 years and over who are of CALD background and needed help accessing aged care services.

The Case Management program included linking individuals with Home Care service provider, Respite Care, Aged Care Advocacy, Residential Aged Care, Social Support, Allied Health, Occupational Therapy, Legal Assistance, Crisis Assistance and many more. The service was free of charge and was available to CALD persons 65 years and over who reside in the Inner West Sydney region.

Unfortunately in SMCS' funding for the CALD Case Management for the Aged program was not renewed. Clients were exited from the program in June 2016.

CALD Case Management for the Aged (CCMA)


Funded by the Department of Social Services (D.S.S), the HSS program assists humanitarian clients in their early settlement period in Australia. In supporting humanitarian clients to begin their new lives, the HSS program focuses on capacity building; establishing clients' confidence and ability to participate economically and socially in the wider Australian community; and equips them with the knowledge and skills they will need to access services in the future. Support through the HSS is tailored to individual client needs, including the specific needs of young people. Services are provided through a coordinated case management approach under the HSS program and may include on arrival reception and induction; assistance with locating short term accommodation; information about the referral to mainstream agencies and to other settlement and community programs; and onshore orientation program.

The HSS program works with other settlement and mainstream services to assist clients with their settlement needs beyond the HSS period, including AMEP who provide English classes to HSS clients who require language tuition. This allows clients of Sydney MCS to have a consistent point of contact right throughout his or her settlement process. Sydney MCS is proud to be a provider of Humanitarian Settlement Services in partnership with Settlement Services International, and we look forward to many more years of helping our new arrivals during the critical stage of their settlement in Australia.

SMCS Settlement ServicesThese services are vital in assisting newly arrived migrants and

refugees to successfully settle and begin a new life here in Australia.

Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS)

This service is provided free of charge to migrants and refugees in order to provide immigration consultation and advice. Our qualified and experienced Migration Agent, generously volunteers his time and energy to provide this valuable service.

Immigration Advice and Assistance

IMAGE ABOVE SSP Employment Ready Workshop

IMAGE ABOVE SSP Chinese Bilingual Playgroup

Funded through the Department of Social services (DSS), the Settlement Support Program (SSP) delivers core settlement support for Humanitarian entrants and migrants that have arrived in Australia in the last five years. Through the implementation of community development initiatives and case work the program supports people living in Botany Bay, Randwick, Lower North Shore and City of Sydney LGA and aims to empower and support new and emerging communities in the group areas of education, employment and social connection. Casework: Includes the provision of information, referral and advocacy on areas such as accommodation, housing, employment, education, English language classes, financial support, health, counselling, domestic violence, youth and family support. Community Development: Includes the implementation of projects that aim to support and empower newly emerging community groups in the area of language proficiency, education in the area of overseas qualification recognition and employment focused programs. This can involve working in partnership with community members and other service providers to facilitate information sessions, workshops, training and community linkages.

Settlement Support Program (SSP)

In 2016, SSP programs included: Employment workshops, Multicultural women’s group, Bilingual Playgroup, Information sessions, Home work support and Community kitchen classes.Employment workshops:In partnership with Community Migrant Resource, Sydney MCS facilitated a number of employment ready workshops across the Lower north shore and Northern region of Sydney. Each workshop was delivered in a CALD specific framework that focused on providing valuable and practical strategies for refugee and Migrant job seekers, such as building confidence, interview skills, resume writing and transferable qualifications.

Chinese and English Little bilingual playgroup:The C&E playgroup aims to meets the needs of newly arrived Chinese grandparents and families that due to language barriers and a lack of community connection experience high levels of social isolation. The playgroup provides a welcoming space for grandparents and families where they can connect with each other, practice English and interact with their child/grandchild in a relaxed and educational environment. The Playgroup has been highly successful and continues to grow.


Funded by the Department of Social Services (D.S.S), this program assists people in financial crisis to deal with their immediate situation in a way that maintains the dignity of the individual and encourages self reliance. Special emphasis is given to financially supporting newly arrived migrants and refugees. During 2016 a partnership was established with Metro MRC (Campsie) and Advance Diversity Services (Rockdale) to deliver services to a wider area. SMCS continues to cater for CALD residents in the Botany Bay, Randwick, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra Local Government Areas are able to request an appointment for Emergency Relief. In 2016 SMCS assisted 1034 clients through the Emergency Relief Program. Actual eligibility is deemed through a financial assessment which is conducted by a caseworker. The financial assessment takes into account proof of income, Centrelink benefits, rental expenses, outstanding bills and accrues debt, medical costs and other relevant factors.

Poverty Alleviation ServicesThese services assist vulnerable migrants and refugees who are experiencing financial crisis and hardship and continue to play a vital role in the fulfilment our our centre mission.

Emergency Relief Program (ERP)

Our financial assistance programs have continued to grow in 2016. EAPA vouchers were issued to migrants and refugees who were facing a difficult financial situation and people from non-English speaking backgrounds residing in Sydney, Inner City and Eastern suburbs areas, experiencing financial crisis.

In 2016, Sydney MCS has experienced a continuous demand for Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers. Vouchers are available only via appointment to people with a Centrelink Statement of Income and/ or Health Care Card who are in financial crisis. Due to the high demand, clients must call the centre beforehand to book an appointment, as SMCS has only a limited number of vouchers available. Sydney MCS is on of 15 centres providing EAPA vouchers. With the rise in the cost of electricity we have recently experienced, we anticipate the demand for vouchers will continue to increase.

Energy Account Payment Assistance (EAPA) Scheme

The Telstra Bill Assistance Program is aimed at assisting people who are expecting financial difficulty and are having problems paying their Telstra bill. Participating community agencies are able to provide clients with a Telstra Bill Assistance Certificate of a fixed amount to pay towards their Telstra bill. Telstra funds the program and Sydney MCS has distributed vouchers to 20 clients on their behalf in 2016.

Telstra Bill Assistance Program

Oz Harvest generously delivers food to SMCS Daceyville office every Friday for our most clients to receive a food donation. All clients must be assessed to determine eligibility and are reassessed by our caseworker periodically to ensure the most needy clients receive assistance. This program has been running successfully since 2012 and in 2016 we have distributed 574 food packages. We are grateful for the support from Oz Harvest in delivering this vital service.

Oz Harvest Food Rescue

This Family Law outreach service is provided by Legal Aid NSW in partnership with Settlement Services International and Sydney MCS. The clinic runs twice monthly from the SMCS Daceyville Office and is available to the public free of charge. The Legal Aid Solicitor can assist with a wide range of family law issues including marital problems, separation/ divorce, child custody, family violence, financial (child support and property) and Department of Community Service issues. Interpreters can also be provided for those who need language assistance, and privacy and confidentiality is maintained at all times. The clinic has been running successfully at Sydney MCS for over two years now and feedback from participants has been very positive.

Other Services

Legal Aid Family Law Early Intervention Unit

Tax Help is a community based program which contributes to community confidence in the tax system. The program aims to provide assistance and education to low income and disadvantaged people in genuine need of assistance or help.

This service, now in its 27th year of operation, is delivered by a network of 1200 volunteers in over 800 centres nationally. In 2013, over 58000 people nationally were assisted; including people from non-English speaking and Indigenous backgrounds, those with disabilities and young people lodging a return for the first time.

Tax Help

Sydney MCS continues to run free conversational English classes at both beginner and intermediate level. Classes are held weekly during school terms and are taught by enthusiastic volunteers. Our English classes have been running for many years and continue to help migrants and refugees to develop vital English language skills.

English Classes


Contents

2016 SMCS Financial Summary

Management Committee Report

25

Income Statement 26

Notes to the Financial Statement

29

Statement by Members of the Committee

32

Meagher Howard & WrightCertified Practising Accountants

Suite 50555 Grafton Street

BONDI JUNCTION NSW 2022

Advanced Diversity ServicesAlzheimers Australia NSWAmnesty International Australia Annabel House Dementia Day Care Centre Ashfield CouncilAuburn Diversity ServicesAustralian Nursing Home FoundationBayside CouncilBenevolent SocietyBeyond Maturity BluesBourke Street Public School Burwood CouncilCamperdown ACATCatalyst Australia IncorporatedCity of Canterbury CouncilCanterbury Community ACAT Care ConnectCarers NSW Centrelink – Multicultural Services City East Community College AMEPCity of Canada Bay CouncilCity of Sydney Council Co As ItCommunity Migrant Resource CentreCommunity Relations CommissionConcord Community ACATCultural PerspectivesDaceyville Public SchoolEastern Area Multicultural Area ProjectEastern Area Tenants ServiceEastlakes Public SchoolEthnic Child Care, Family and Community Services LimitedEthnic Communities Council (Mark Franklin)Families First NSWGardeners Road Public SchoolHealth Promotion Service for Older PeopleHoldsworth Street Community Centre

Human Services Network (HSNet)Illawarra Multicultural Services Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC)Inner Sydney Regional Council for SocialDevelopmentInner West CouncilKensington Public SchoolKingsford Legal CentreLa Fiamma NewspaperLegal Aid CommissionLeichhardt Municipal CouncilLittle Bay Coast Centre for SeniorsLiverpool Migrant Resource Centre (LMRC)Macarthur Diversity Services (MDS)Maroubra PoliceMascot PoliceMatraville Public SchoolMetro AssistMr Michael Daley, MP – State Member for MaroubraMRC AllianceMr Bruce Notley Smith – State Member for CoogeeMr Ron Hoenig - Member for HeffronMTC Work SolutionsMulticultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW (MDAA)Multicultural Health Unit NSW (Astrid Perry)NAVITASNorthern Settlement ServicesNSW Department of Community Services (DoCS)NSW Department of HealthNSW Department of IndustryNSW Fair TradingNSW Institute of Languages, UNSWNSW Premier’s DepartmentNSW Refugee Health ServiceOffice of Industrial Relations

POW Dementia UnitPCYC Eastern SuburbsPolish Welfare BureauRainbow Street Public SchoolRandwick City Council Multicultural UnitRandwick/Botany (ACAT)Randwick Public SchoolRandwick TAFE Redfern Legal CentreRefugee Council of Australia (RCOA)Resolve FMSBS Radio National Network SESIAHSSettlement Council of Australia (SCOA)Settlement Services International (SSI)South East Neighbourhood Centre South Sydney Community Aid/ The FactorySTARTTSSt George TAFEStrathfield Municipal CouncilSt Vincent de PaulSt Vincent’s Community Health (Dementia Unit)Surry Hills Neighbourhood CentreSwadesh Barta (Bengali Newspaper)Sydney Central CourierSydwest Migrant Resource CentreTAFE Outreach NSWThe Australian Chinese Community Association (ACCA) The Community Relations CommissionThe Deli Womens & Childrens CentreThe Department of HousingThe Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP – Federal Member for WentworthThe Hon. Matt Thistlethwaite, MP – Federal Member for Kingsford SmithThe Indonesian Community Council of NSW

The Junction Neighbourhood Centre - MaroubraThe Maltese Community Council The NSW Spanish & Latin American Association for Social Assistance (SLASA) The Prince of Wales – Aged Care PsychiatryThe Prince of Wales – Social Work DepartmentThe Royal Hospital for Women The Salvation ArmyThe University of NSW – School of Social WorkTranscultural Aged Care Service (TACS)Transcultural Mental Health CentreWar Memorial Geriatric Flying SquadWaverley Council Waverley/Woollahra ACATWelfare Rights CentreWDVCASWomen’s Information National NetworkWoollahra Municipal CouncilWork Ventures

We extend a sincere thank you and

look forward to continuing our work

together in 2017.


AcknowledgementsSydney Multicultural Community Services would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank service

provider networks and stakeholders, whose continual support allows Sydney MCS to meet the needs within the community.


Thank you to Oz Harvest for their contributions throughout 2016 in alleviating financial difficulties to the SMCS clients, and thanks to

all drivers for their dedication, patience and understanding.

www.sydneymcs.org.au

Annual Report - Sydney Multicultural Community Services · Carnivale, pictured Selma Fonseca and...

Documents

Transcript of Annual Report - Sydney Multicultural Community Services · Carnivale, pictured Selma Fonseca and...