A trio of measures announced in next Tuesday's budget will put the focus of ACT human services back on the individual, by better connecting and streamlining existing community organisations.
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Minister for Community Services Andrew Barr and Minister for Children and Young People Joy Burch announced the new Human Services Blueprint on Thursday, which will cost $2.1 million and be included in next week's ACT budget.
The blueprint was created in partnership with the ACT community sector and has been in development since October 2013.
"These three initiatives have one common aim - to ensure that people are supported with the right service, at the right time and for the right duration," Mr Barr said.
The centrepiece of the package will be a two-year, $1.3 million Local Services Network Trial in West Belconnen, which Mr Barr said will attempt to better integrate local services through methods such as flexible funding arrangements, enhanced coordination and data sharing.
Uniting Care Kippax executive minister Gordon Ramsay, who worked with the government on the blueprint, said a lot of work had been done to create a sense of co-operation across organisations.
"One of the troubles we have with different human services organisations at the moment is that people feel like they're a number in a queue or a problem to be solved," he said.
"These reforms make them feel like they are a person in their own right and, rather than letting someone get to crisis point and working to fix that crisis, the aim of the blueprint is to help people not get to that point in the first place."
The blueprint will also contain $445,000 for an expansion of the government's Strengthening Families program, which will work with up to 50 vulnerable families to develop and implement an agreed family plan.
There will also be $322,000 to establish a Human Service Gateway, which will improve access to information and link individuals and families to more intensive and tailored support where required.
Mr Ramsay said while the reforms wouldn't mean that every organisation could provide every service to needy Canberrans, they would be able to provide information about what services were appropriate.
He said there had been a high level of co-operation across all parts of government and across the community sector during the construction of the blueprint.
"Rightfully, people are excited about it, but the bottom line is with people at the centre they get a chance to belong, be valued and participate in the community rather than be a number."