HOME Social and Community Services Rocky start for Families First ASU concerns about the Government's Families First initiative are being borne out in a pilot conducted on the NSW Mid-North Coast. Community workers are increasingly concerned about aspects of the initiative especially the consultation process and the continued failure to define the role of volunteers in the scheme.
Most decisions seem to have already been made.
The ASU is opposed to the use of volunteers in the provision of social and community services where, if appropriate funding were available, that position would have been filled by a professional,' she said. It's like grabbing soap in a bath. They've never clearly defined the role of volunteers or outlined the training and support resources that would be available,' she said. It's good that the different government departments are talking to each other. The ASU has sent a list of questions to the Minister of Community Services Faye LoPo regarding the use of volunteers in Families First.