NSW Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said the new roadmap would deliver surety to the people who back NSW communities. Photo: Kate Washington Facebook.
The NSW Government has announced plans to deliver surety to the state’s community services sector through long-term funding and job security.
The government says its Secure Jobs and Funding Certainty (SJFC) roadmap sets out a vision for a strong, stable, and sustainable community sector where funding certainty and job security empower service providers to plan ahead, support their staff, and deliver outcomes for more than a million people who rely on support services.
The SJFC roadmap identifies four priority work areas as vital to the transformation of the community services sector in NSW:
- Priority Area 1: Long Term Funding Arrangements: Establish preferred funding terms of five years for key community services.
- Priority Area 2: A Community Services Funding Framework: Develop a framework to guide how services are procured and managed and key principles for how the government and community services providers will work together.
- Priority Area 3: A Community Services Jobs Compact: Develop a compact with the sector to enhance job security between community sector workers, sector organisations and the NSW Government. The compact will outline how community services will support workers to have more secure jobs.
- Priority Area 4: A Community Services Prequalification Scheme: Streamline funding application processes to reduce duplication and administrative burden and create efficiencies for both government and service providers.
It says these key reforms will bring greater stability to the sector through the longer-term contracts, less red tape, and more secure jobs, with a focus on permanent employment pathways; and that more than 7800 non-government organisations across the sector are expected to benefit, along with the 240,000 workers they employ.
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said the new roadmap was about backing the people who back NSW communities.
“The community services sector shows up every day for children, families, and vulnerable people across NSW — and they deserve the security to keep doing that vital work with confidence,” she said.
“This roadmap reflects a shift in how we work with the sector — towards longer-term partnerships built on trust, accountability, stability, and shared purpose.
“It’s a foundational step in building a stronger, more sustainable sector — because when we support the people who care for our communities, everyone benefits.”
Secretary of the Australian Services Union NSW/ACT Angus McFarland said the community sector workforce was made up of thousands of skilled and experienced workers, mostly women, who provided essential supports and services to the people of NSW.
“This roadmap is an important step in the government delivering on its election commitment to provide more permanent jobs for these workers via longer-term funding for the sector,” he said.
“The ultimate beneficiaries of these reforms are the people of NSW. Five-year funding contracts enable more permanent jobs in the community sector. This means greater stability for both the workers in the sector and for the community when accessing these vital services.”
NSW Council of Social Services CEO Cara Varian said she welcomed the plan.
“This plan shows that the government values the workers and organisations that spend their days helping the most vulnerable in our communities,” she said.
“They provide critical frontline services to support people facing homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and trauma. This is essential work that strengthens communities and improves the health, wellbeing and resilience of NSW.
“This initiative represents a step change in the approach to human services contracting and commissioning in NSW,” she added.
“We commend this positive first step and look forward to building on this reform to strengthen and support the community services sector in NSW. We look forward to working with the minister to make sure these services stay strong and continue changing lives for the better.”
