While DSS endeavours to ensure that all feedback is considered, it may not be possible to adopt all suggestions and feedback received. This may occur where: there is a lack of consensus in the views received on a particular issue; including a particular feature or issue is not feasible; and/or the proposed changes do not align with other government policies or priorities. About the consultation The draft Service Delivery Model was released for public consultation through the DSS Engage website, between 6 November and 16 December 2016. The DSS Engage website enabled respondents to provide comment and upload supporting material. In previous consultations, feedback was received regarding the suitability of the consultation documents and the feedback mechanisms for different audiences. Carers reported that reading a lengthy document and writing a comprehensive submission was too time-consuming. For this reason, the draft Service Delivery Model was structured into sections, which could be read individually, and accompanied by a set of Frequently Asked Questions. These were designed to enable readers to more easily gain answers to some questions they may have had. Carers were also able to provide their thoughts on the draft Service Delivery Model through a survey specifically targeted for carers. This survey was available on the DSS Engage website. Respondents who made a submission were able to indicate whether or not their response should be made public. For this reason, not all of the submissions received have been made publicly available. A list of the respondents who provided submissions, with consent to publish their submission is available at . To view the publicly available submissions, please visit . DSS acknowledges that while there has been significant feedback on the draft Service Delivery Model, it is likely that some carer cohorts may not have been aware of, or contributed to, the consultation process. This may be because they do not yet identify as carers (hidden carers) or that they may not currently interact with the carer service system, and were therefore less likely to be aware of the consultation process. DSS will continue to engage with key stakeholders to develop effective strategies to reach and engage with this audience during detailed design work on the integrated carer support service system. About this report This report has two sections: Outcomes of the open submission process: an overview of the key themes of feedback; and Outcomes of the carer survey: an overview of the responses received through the carer-specific survey.
language other than English, the most common languages are Italian (14 per cent), German (9 per cent), Dutch (7 per cent), Cantonese (7 per cent) and Greek (5 per cent). There was a significant number of the respondents who reported speaking a language (41 per cent) that was not included within the predefined list. Additional languages included: Bengali Filipino Lithuanian Tamil Urdu Sri Lankan Ngarrindjeri Tiwi Armenian French Auslan Indonesian Latvian Thai Japanese Slovenian Czech Ukrainian Creole Swedish Welsh Malayalam Danish TSI Kriol Most carers (87 per cent) reported being of an Australian background. Seventeen per cent also identified as being of English decent. Thirteen per cent of respondents reported they were from a background not listed in the pre-defined list. Responses recorded included: Filipino Lithuanian Sri Lankan South Asian Scottish German African Armenian French Indonesian Malaysian Maori Aboriginal Japanese Slovenian Czech Ukrainian Mauritian Swedish DSS notes that the proportion of survey responses from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and CALD carers are low and therefore the responses may not represent the broader views of these cohorts. DSS will seek advice to develop more effective strategies to reach and engage with this audience during detailed design work on the integrated carer support service system. About their caring role Sixty-eight per cent of carers reported they cared for one person, with 25 per cent caring for two people. Less than 8 per cent of respondents were caring for three or more people. The majority of carers reported that they provided 40 hours or more of care each week (53 per cent), with similar proportions of carers providing 20 to 39 hours of care (25 per cent), and less than 20 hours (22 per cent). Over 22 per cent had been providing care for more than 20 years, with a similar proportion having done so for 6 to 10 years. Disability and mental illness were the most likely reasons a person needed to provide care.