Anglicare says thanks to supporters at
Christmas
24 December 2007
South Australians have dug deep this Christmas,
making a positive difference to the lives of some the
most vulnerable people in our community.
Read the full story…
Anglicare SA appoints new chief
executive
8 December 2007
Prominent humanitarian
Dr Lynn Arnold AO, a previous CEO of World Vision
Australia and a past Premier of South Australia, has
been appointed chief executive of Anglicare SA
Read the full story...
Action on children urgently needed
1 November 2007
For the growing number of
children and young people in unsuitable forms of crisis
accommodation the need to find an alternative solution
has become urgent…
Read the
full story…
Federal budget overlooks social
services
9 May 2007
There have been some encouraging signs of fairness
handed down in Treasurer Peter Costello’s 12th
Budget
Read the full story…
Real
investment, not petty cash needed to fix SA’s child
welfare needs
17
January 2007
Anglicare SA today responded to
reports of cost cutting in the Department of Families
and Communities…
Read the full story…
Demand for Emergency Assistance set to
increase
11 January 2007
Anglicare SA is preparing
for an influx of people requiring Emergency Assistance
in February…
Read the full story…
24 December
2007
South Australians have dug deep this
Christmas, with donations of food, toys and cash, making
a positive difference to the lives of some the most
vulnerable people in our community.
Anglicare Acting Chief Executive
Simon Schrapel said “Anglicare has been so grateful for
the continued generosity of some very dedicated South
Australians in the lead-up to Christmas.”
With the
help of donations, more than 800 food hampers were
provided to low income families, and hundreds of toys
were delivered to children who would otherwise go
without, helping families deal with the financial
pressures that often arise during the lead up to
Christmas.
Mr
Schrapel said “We help over 300 families who need
Emergency Assistance each week through the year. That
is more than 7200 people who need our help with the
necessities of life such as food, clothing and shelter.”
The
challenge now is to help those who are in need cope
throughout 2008.
Anglicare understands that
not everyone in South Australia is in a position to
donate food, toys and cash throughout the year however
the welfare organisation believes that everyone can
advocate for vulnerable families to ensure that
governments provide them with the best possible support
networks and structures.
Mr Schrapel said
“Christmas is a time of year when people often reach out
to help those less fortunate than themselves. It’s great
to see the spirit of Christmas in action in Adelaide,
and from all of us at Anglicare, every good wish for the
season.”
Archbishop Jeffrey Driver has announced
the appointment of a new chief executive for Anglicare
SA. Prominent humanitarian Dr Lynn Arnold AO, a previous
CEO of World Vision Australia and a past Premier of
South Australia, has been appointed to the role.
“We are delighted that Dr Arnold has
agreed to continue Anglicare’s tradition of strong
leadership particularly as it moves to the next stage of
growth,” Archbishop Driver said.
“Dr Arnold is a long-term member of the
Anglican Church, with a reputation for compassion and a
focus on overcoming social inequity. He is regarded as a
clear thinker with exceptional corporate commercial
skills, political nous and the ability to engage
effectively with multiple stakeholders.”
In a parliamentary career that stretched
from 1979 until 1994, Dr Arnold held an impressive range
of ministries and shadow ministries before being
appointed Premier of SA. The former Salisbury North
Technical High School teacher has also written on a
variety of subjects including history and language.
Dr Arnold is well-known for his key role
as CEO of World Vision Australia and his later
promotions to the higher echelons of World Vision
International. He spent three years as Regional Vice
President for Asia-Pacific, based in Bangkok. Shortly
after his appointment to this role, the Boxing Day
tsunami hit the region and Dr Arnold became a leading
figure in World Vision’s provision of practical support
and emotional healing for many displaced people.
Widely travelled, Dr Arnold brings an
international perspective to his new role having lived
in South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and
Thailand. He is well respected within humanitarian,
political and academic circles. He received a Centenary
Medal in January 2001 and was made an Officer in the
General Division of the Order of Australia for services
to government and international development in June
2004.
“I am very much looking forward to
working again in South Australia in areas of community
need,” Dr Arnold said.
“I have long been aware of the many
challenges that face our own community and the fact that
some have become more serious not less so over the
years. To be able to have the opportunity now to be a
partner, through the excellent work of Anglicare and its
dedicated team of staff, volunteers and supporters, in
facing such challenges is a privilege.”
Dr Arnold is expected to commence in his
role early in March once he completes current
responsibilities with World Vision International.
“The Anglicare SA Council and I welcome
this appointment and look forward to Dr Arnold’s
strategic leadership and his passion for the work of the
Anglican Church being translated into an even more
progressive Anglicare SA,” Archbishop Driver said.
1 November 2007
Simon Schrapel,
acting chief executive of Anglicare SA, issued the
following statement today:
The great
temptation when responding to a crisis is to focus
solely on the immediate and pressing demands of the
day. For the growing number of children and young
people in unsuitable forms of crisis accommodation the
need to find an alternative solution has become urgent.
Our community can no longer afford to ignore the problem
confronting our children who are struggling with the
trauma of abuse and neglect in insecure and inadequate
placements. We are not only subjecting those children
involved to further harm and developmental delays but
depriving them of our most precious of commodities –
love and nurture. These impacts will sadly last a
lifetime.
So what is the solution?
Like most complex social issues there
are no simple answers – but there are options our policy
makers can implement with the support and urging of all
concerned members of our community.
As with all crisis resolution
strategies a useful starting point is to understand the
genesis of the problem. The reasons South Australia
faces growing numbers of children in out of home care
can be linked to 2 primary phenomena.
Firstly we are experiencing a rise in
the number of families unable to manage the pressures of
increasingly fraught and demanding lives. The reasons
and consequences of these pressures are many. Most
damaging though are the impacts on parenting and care of
children and young people. The majority of parents want
the best for their children – but many struggle with the
demands of daily life and often with their own issues of
relationship breakdown, violence, substance use and
mental illness. These are often the determinants of
abuse and neglect.
Governments and policy makers have
known for years that if we do more about providing the
right sorts of supports for families and carers, where
they can access it and when they need it, then the
demand for the removal of children from families can be
reduced. This is most important for those families we
know are doing it toughest and where children are at
their most vulnerable. The provision of respite, of
practical assistance in managing households and in
maintaining healthy, functional relationships are the
key supports required. Unfortunately there is far too
little of these responses available for those families
who need it most. Until they are, South Australia can
expect more headlines about the plight of children in
crisis accommodation. Like our challenge with global
warming the sustainable answer isn’t to build more
powerful air-conditioning to keep us cool – it is to
address the root causes of climate change. So it must
also be when we deal with the rising child protection
problem in our community.
The second part of the puzzle lies
in how we construct our out of home care services.
South Australia’s system of out of home care is
fragile. It continues, despite recent investments
enabling diversification of care options, to rely most
heavily on the enormous good will of voluntary foster
carers. For many children and young people such home
based options are and will continue to be the most
appropriate form of alternative care – as long as carers
can receive the support, respect and recognition they
deserve. However for some children and young people,
including those who end up in emergency placements our
traditional forms of foster care are not sufficient. As
a result too many children remain in care for longer
than might otherwise be necessary and experience a
history of unstable short term placements creating
further harm.
The time has truly come for a rethink
of our care system. Further options, crafted to the
specific needs of children, are required. Fundamental
to the reform is the provision of therapeutic help to
assist children struggling with disrupted attachment,
poor impulse control and trauma. This must be available
within the care environments children are placed so it
is integrated with their daily care and nurture.
When South Australia can make
advances on both of these fronts – in preventing the
demand for children being removed from families and
improving the robustness of our care system – we will
truly start to make inroads to our current crisis.
9 May 2007
There have been some encouraging signs of fairness
handed down in Treasurer Peter Costello’s 12th
Budget with announcements of low income tax cuts and
increased child care benefits. However it is hard to
claim this Government is deeply committed to greater
equity and helping struggling Australians, given
unjustifiable tax cuts for the wealthy in 2008 and no
strategy for improving the housing crisis.
Anglicare’s Executive Manager of Family and Community
Development Simon Schrapel believes the Federal
Government has missed many great opportunities to
improve the lives of the most vulnerable people in our
community.
Mr
Schrapel said “There is no doubt we are currently living
with some of the best economic opportunities Australians
have ever seen, but the Treasurer has failed to allocate
adequate funding to address a range of social issues or
to benefit our poorest citizens.”
Despite
a handful of encouraging initiatives in areas such as
education, childcare and support for carers, the overall
balance remains unjust. It seems the Government is
still failing the needy in our community by focusing on
the building the wealth of individuals over investing in
essential social services.
Mr
Schrapel said “It is positive to see benefits flowing to
those on a low income, through raising the 30 per cent
tax threshold to $30,000. However, in the following
year (1 July 2008) those on high incomes will be the
greatest beneficiaries when further assistance to the
lower income households would be more justified.”
A
glaring omission of this budget has been its failure to
address the nation’s housing crisis. With vacancy rates
at an all time low and housing being less affordable,
specific initiatives to increase supply of low cost
housing were desperately needed.
“It is
disappointing to see the opportunity for further
investment in early learning initiatives has been
overlooked, despite the Budget’s welcome focus on
education. This is again an opportunity missed to
enhance the future prosperity of the country.”
Thousands of people each year rely on the services
Anglicare provides. In the past decade Anglicare, and
other welfare organisations, has seen an increase in the
number of people seeking help to make ends meet. This
Budget has failed to address the overriding needs of
those doing it tough.
“It
seems the gap between the rich and the poor has not
narrowed, despite the good economic position that
Australia enjoys at this time. There seems to be little
incentive for those who are fighting to improve their
lives to do this.”
17
January 2007
Anglicare SA today responded to
reports in The Advertiser that the State Government’s
Department of Families and Communities has called for a
number of cost saving measures to meet budget pressures
resulting from rising costs in providing for children in
care.
Anglicare SA Executive Manager, Mr Simon
Schrapel said “I am astonished that measures called for
by the Department’s Chief Executive, Sue Vardon, were
needed to offset cost pressures in out of home care.
“Notwithstanding the importance of
running an efficient department, savings in taxi fares
and mobile phone use will go nowhere to meeting the
chronic shortage of funds in South Australia’s out of
home care sector.”
Mr Schrapel said “It is unrealistic to
expect any agency to pick up a 10% increase in the
number of children needing care without committing more
funds. We can not afford to cut corners when it comes to
caring for South Australia’s most vulnerable citizens as
this effectively places children’s lives and wellbeing
at risk”.
It is time the South Australian
Government decided whether it is serious about children
who have suffered abuse and neglect and needing care.
Mr Schrapel said “South Australia is the
meanest State in Australia when it comes to public
spending on out of home care, despite claims that it was
spending more on services and care options. We are
investing barely half the national average on children
in care in South Australia, which unfortunately says a
lot about what priority we give disadvantaged children
in this State.”
The Minister for Families and
Communities, Jay Weatherill has recently called for a
major overhaul of out of home care services in South
Australia. Anglicare SA supports the Minister in this,
but it is not going to be achieved by cutting back on
mobile phone calls! Anglicare SA believes it is time
the State Government gets serious and commits to new
spending on care programs and services.
11 January 2007
Anglicare SA is preparing
for an influx of people requiring Emergency Assistance
in February, with many people expected to begin feeling
the effects of ‘financial commitments’ during the
Christmas period.
New figures, released by
Anglicare, show the number of people who accessed
Emergency Assistance in the month of February 2006
compared with December 2005 increased by 32.7%. An
increase of 28% was recorded for the corresponding
period in 2004/05, clearly demonstrating the increased
demand for assistance experienced at the beginning of
each new year.
Anglicare’s Executive
Manager of Family and Community Development, Mr Simon
Schrapel said “Many people in our community are still
not benefiting from the relatively good economic times
the country and South Australia is experiencing. At a
time when we should be expecting less people in our
community to rely on emergency assistance, we find that
demand is increasing. This points to something very
unfair in how our poorest citizens are faring”.
|
|
Dec
04
|
Feb
05
|
Dec
05
|
Feb
06
|
% change Feb 05 Feb 06 |
%
change Dec 04 Feb 05 |
% change Dec 05 Feb 06 |
|
Clients
|
906 |
1160 |
928 |
1231 |
6.1% |
28.0% |
32.7% |
|
Visits
|
1056 |
1371 |
1087 |
1418 |
3.4% |
29.8% |
30.5% |
|
Clients with children |
385
|
548
|
422
|
573
|
4.6%
|
42.3%
|
35.8%
|
(A break-down of figures
for each suburb is available upon request).
Mr Schrapel said “These
figures show that the number of people in financial
crisis increases markedly in the New Year as people
struggle with debts and the need to meet rising utility
and other bills. It is a time when public assistance to
enable Anglicare to continue its work with families in
need is at its greatest.
Anglicare has four
outlets across metropolitan Adelaide, which provides
Emergency Assistance for those in need. A new outlet to
assist those in need in central Yorke Peninsula is due
to commence in February in partnership with the Maitland
District Progress Association. The practical assistance
includes food vouchers and parcels, Telstra vouchers to
help pay phone bills, assistance with power or gas
bills, prescription vouchers and bus tickets.
|
