The Department of Social Services helps to support families and children through programs and services as well as benefits and payments. Further support is provided through grants and funding for organisations providing services for families. There’s help for household budgets (Family Tax Benefit), new parents (Paid Parental Leave and Dad and Partner Pay), young people leaving formal care (through Transition to Independent Living Allowance from 1 January 2014) and more.
The Department also helps to support Australians' mental health.
On 13 June 2018, the Australian Government released its response to the Royal Commission, including the establishment of the National Office for Child Safety within the Department of Social Services.
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The rollout of the cashless debit card in the Goldfields region in Western Australia has begun and will continue over the next few months.
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The Department has published the 2011 Review of the TILA Program and the 2015 Review of the Transition to Independent Living Allowance (TILA): An analysis of the 1 January 2014 reforms to TILA.
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On Monday 10 December 2018, the Federal Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher hosted the first Ministers’ Redress Scheme Governance Board (Board) meeting since the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme) commenced. Continue Reading
The Commonwealth Department of Social Services commissioned the Australian Institute of Family Studies to conduct a survey of non-parent carers (including foster and relative/kinship carers) of children living in out-of-home care. Continue Reading
On 17 November 2017, the Final Report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory was handed to the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments. Continue Reading
Starting from 9 October 2017, the Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) will be reinstated to former pension recipients whose payments were cancelled on 1 January 2017 due to the changes to the assets test. Continue Reading
