$10 million boost to social services sector

Last published on 11 Aug 2021 

A variety of free online tools, courses and resources will be rolled out to organisations working in the social services sector as part of a $10 million investment which aims to support non-government providers through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Alister Henskens said the NSW Government’s Social Sector Transformation Fund (SSTF) was delivering a $50 million boost to not-for-profits during the pandemic.

“These organisations are working around the clock during this incredibly challenging time to keep our community’s most vulnerable people safe,” Mr Henskens said.

“The SSTF will support organisations to improve how they do business by giving them access to better technology, free legal services, workforce development opportunities, practical support and resources to strengthen governance and strategy.”

The NSW Government has engaged seven organisations to deliver initiatives under the third tranche of the Social Sector Transformation Fund, including:

• Infoxchange will receive $2.7 million to provide digital and information technology advisory services to not-for-profits, migrate organisations to the cloud and enhance the Digital Transformation Hub;
• Social Impact Hub will receive $1.5 million to deliver governance and strategy support through its Professional Impact Network to help not-for-profits grow, innovate and become more sustainable;
• The NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) will receive $1 million to support resilience building for emergency responses and to convene a symposium for health and community service NGOs to come together to share the results, opportunities and challenges that the SSTF has generated;
• AbSec will receive $1 million to provide small to medium sized not-for-profits with a holistic model of supports, providing practical advice and solutions to help organisations improve how they do business;
• Justice Connect will receive $1 million to deliver a range of legal services for not-for-profits to help board members, staff and volunteers understand the law, prevent legal problems and increase efficiency;
• The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies will receive $1 million to deliver on-demand leadership training and workforce development activities through online workshops and face-to-face training; and
• Sefa (Social Enterprise Financial Australia) will receive $1.5 million to deliver a range of strategic analysis, governance support, quality assurance and evaluation services to help organisations future-proof their operations.

The Social Sector Transformation Fund assists organisations to improve outcomes in
homelessness, disability, health, and child and family services.

For more information, visit Social sector transformation fund.