Our experience
We cannot achieve our vision alone. Anglicare WA is committed to working in partnership with schools, families, parishes, community groups and government to deliver positive outcomes for the community. As a not-for-profit community service organisation, we are driven by our values, we have close ties to the communities where we work, and we can mobilise volunteers and philanthropic donations to magnify our impact.
Anglicare WA provides services to over 35,000 people each year across the State including:
- Parenting support
- Family and domestic violence
- Housing and homelessness
- Counselling and separation services
- Financial counselling
- Youth services
What are the main issues?
- Complex social issues, such as preventing family violence or ending homelessness, require strong, meaningful partnerships between Government and the community services sector.
- Community service organisations provide distinctive benefits to the community based local relationships, access to volunteers and a commitment to reinvest any income back into the community.
- In addition to the social benefits of the sector, WA charities also make a significant contribution to the WA economy, making up 7% of the total workforce.1
1Gilchrist, D. J. and P. A. Knight, (2017), WA’s Not-for-profit Sector 2017: The First Report on charities and Other Not-for-profits in WA. A Report for the Western Australian Council for Social Service. Perth, Australia.
What should be done?
Genuine partnership between Government and community services
Community service organisations bring added value to government-funded services, by providing links to local communities and activating local resources. Governments and community service organisations must work together in genuine partnership to deliver high quality, locally-appropriate services to the community. This requires trust, transparency and a commitment to work together for the long term benefit of the community.
Integrated services
People often require a range of support services simultaneously such as housing, separation services and financial counselling. Government-funded contracts are often developed in isolation from other agencies, leading to multiple, complex data collection systems and measurement tools. We want to work with government to deliver services in an integrated, holistic way that allows people to access the support they need, regardless if their needs span government departments. Outcomes-based commissioning for integrated services would ensure the collection of meaningful, robust measures of change, and reduce the burden of reporting on service outputs.
Adequately fund quality services
Western Australians deserve to have access to quality, sustainable community services. Yet, as demand for our services is increasing, many State Government funded programs are facing funding constraints. In part, this is due to the increasing cost of providing quality services due to our obligations under the Equal Remuneration Order. We are committed to hiring qualified, caring staff, paying them fairly and ensuring that our clients receive the services they need. In order to so, we must work with Government to ensure community services are adequately funded into the future.
What are we doing?
- Working on the #YourHelpWA campaign with other community services for adequate and sustainable funding for the sector
- Advocate for outcomes based commissioning of community services that shift the burden from measuring and reporting outputs
What you can do
Learn
- Educate yourself about the not-for-profit sector in WA
Join
- Contact us to receive information about Anglicare WA’s work to strengthen community services
- Volunteer with Anglicare WA and work with us to advocate for a strong community services sector
- Make a donation to Anglicare WA
Speak out
- Contact your elected officials in the WA Parliament and the Australian Parliament and tell them you support community services in WA
- Share your thoughts on social media:
Learn more about our Advocacy Priorities
 | Poverty and Inequality |
 | Family and Domestic Violence |
 | Housing and Homelessness |
 | Investing in Young People |
 | Aboriginal Recognition and Justice |