The partnership between FCVic and Social Security Rights Victoria (SSRV), the Integrated Services Project (ISP), aims to improve client outcomes through financial counsellors and social security lawyers working together more effectively.
News
We’ve enjoyed recent opportunities to speak directly with FCVic members, including presenting Continued Professional Development (members can access our recent ‘Centrelink – Member of a couple’ presentation in the FCVic CPD Library) and to meet with regional network meetings – thank you to Anglicare’s John Hastings and Kylie McLoughlin in the Eastern Metro network and to Meli’s Lucinda Tucker in the Western district network.
Further afield, we’ve just returned from the annual FCA conference in Perth. It was a lovely opportunity to meet up face-to-face with financial counsellors from across the country, including a large number of Victorians. Aside from our main goal of assisting state-based clients and community workers, we were pleased with the interest in our nationwide resources, DSP Help and Social Security Debt Help.
![FCA 24 Perth 1 edit 2 Graeme from SSRV at the FCA Conference](/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=746,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/FCA-24-Perth-1-edit-2-qoyi1l0yexgldreuuaszojyzlf9onjlzi0ejbswpic.jpg)
It was also good to spread the broader message about the role integrated services can play in making financial counselling part of a process that brings together specialist services such as SSRV, to provide better outcomes for clients.
Funding
In the Community Legal Centre world, we’ve just received an update concerning funding through the National Legal Assistance Partnership. We’re still digesting this and will provide our sense of what this means, but details are available for those interested. Click here to read more on the Attorney-General’s website.
Keep in touch
We are active on the FCVic ‘Centrelink Working Group’ where financial counsellors, community advocates and social security lawyers meet to discuss policy concerns, trends in casework and challenges/successful outcomes. You can join through the FCVic membership portal or by emailing [email protected]. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 23 July at 2:00pm.
SSRV is now producing a regular newsletter. If you aren’t already receiving it, you can subscribe using the link at the bottom of our website. We regularly post news and other updates. You can also follow up on Facebook.
Website: https://www.ssrv.org.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSRVlaw
Email: [email protected]
General Enquiries : 03 9481 0299
Worker Help Line: 03 9481 0655