CATHOLIC Welfare Australia (CWA) has joined other agencies in lobbying the Federal Government to inject $16 million into the family relationships services sector.
CWA joined Family Services Australia (FSA) and Relationships Australia last week in seeking the funds.
The three industry representative bodies argued $16 million was needed so that they could meet current demand and increasing service delivery costs.
They said that, instead of the funding boost for family services, the Federal Government was telling the agencies to reduce the number of parents and children they see.
CWA chairman Fr Joe Caddy said these services helped families when they were most in need and the funding situation was extremely disappointing.
FSA president Jo Cavanagh said the Government’s inquiry indicated the agencies’ programs were effective and had waiting lists.
Relationships Australia national director Sue Holmes said several successful programs such as Children’s Contact Centres and the Contact Orders Program that helped keep children safe cannot be extended beyond current allocations due to the lack of funding.
