annual general report annual general report - Casey North CISS

ANNUAL GENERAL REPORT
2010-2011
CASEY NORTH COMMUNITY INFORMATION
& SUPPORT SERVICE INC.
www.caseynorthciss.com.au

Table of Contents
PRESIDENT’S REPORT ................................................................................................2
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT .........................................................................................4
STATEMENT OF PURPOSES .......................................................................................5
STAFF ............................................................................................................................6
VOLUNTEER STAFF .....................................................................................................7
MANAGER’S REPORT ..................................................................................................8
VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATORS REPORT ................................................................ 11
PROGRAMS ................................................................................................................12
EMERGENCY RELIEF ................................................................................................12
INFORMATION & SUPPORT SERVICES .........................................................................14
SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM ........................................................................................15
FINANCIAL COUNSELLING .......................................................................................19
FINANCIAL LITERACY SUPPORT ...............................................................................21
KEEPING IT TOGETHER PROGRAM .......................................................................22
NO INTEREST LOAN SCHEME ..................................................................................24
VOLUNTEERING .........................................................................................................26
PUBLICATIONS ...........................................................................................................27
LOW INCOME GUIDE – ‘MAKING ENDS MEET’ .................................................27
KEEPING IT TOGETHER - FAMILY BREAKDOWN ...............................................27
STAY ON TRACK - FINANCIAL LITERACY ............................................................27
TREASURER’S REPORT ............................................................................................28
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS .........................................................................................29
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..............................................................................................40
1

President’s Report
Whilst this last year has been a year of continued expansion
for our community, to this service it has been a year of continued
restrictions. The funding we have received has enabled
us to continue rolling out our programs, but the accommodation
problems remain. With the continuing rapid expansion of our
areas population, the demand for our services has continued to
grow. The disparity in funding and in accommodation provision
with in the city remains. The number of people on commonwealth
benefits, our large aged population and the enormous number of young families
continues to outgrow the provision of services. We have programs aimed at their needs,
and try to provide supportive programs, but we are still having trouble getting the
problems in our community recognized.
The application to the Federal government for accommodation in a new purpose
built community building on council land is still unsuccessful. As well as being
overcrowded we have been forced to continue without the co-location accommodation
we once provided for housing, legal services, youth support and migrant services.
My thanks go to the CNCISS Board for their continued support, reliability and
professionalism. These qualities as well as community awareness continues to enable
the service to be successful. To our many volunteers, including some new ones who
have joined our team, we thank you. Without our volunteers many of our programs
could not function.
The expanded financial counselling education group sessions have been welcomed
across the municipality and we have received ongoing funding from the Federal
government which has recognized the high demand in our area. The Keeping It
Together Program was not refunded and we wonder at the failure of various government
departments to recognize these needs, despite the communities supportive feedback. It
will challenge Susan’s submission writing skills if we are to be successful.
From Casey City Council we again received our funding for core staff and
premises. This year we have executed a formal funding agreement with it. We thank the
Councillors and Officers for this continued confidence and the chances to brief
Council on our work. To the individual councillors who have provided for the program
extras from their individual resources we sincerely thank you. The failed continuing
submissions for a future community centre to house us and complimentary services
on council nearby land has absorbed much of our Managers time. It seems priorities
for community facilities are not particularly high in the Federal regional development
program, as Casey Council, though the largest Victorian Local government Unit did not
receive any funds.
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It seems we will have to look to Westfield our current landlord to overcome our
accommodation problem. This path will not be easy and it will require extra funds to
rent and fit out if we can locate some space.
We thank Dennis Nish for his continued help with our financial records and welcome
Tiffany Galbraith as our new auditor. We also thank the Berwick & District Benevolent
Society for their continuing contributions and Winepress for significant food assistance.
To the NAB for NILS loan funds and all who work and support CNCISS, again, thank
you for all your help in enabling us to provide this service. To our CEO Susan and all
the staff, I express my gratitude for all your hard work this difficult year.
TOM GYLES
President of the Board
3

Board of Management
President
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Board:
Tom Gyles JP
Bert Rae
Julie Leonidas
Gladys Ireland
Susie Lewellyn
Di Christensen
Stan Birkett
Heather Woods
Jane Sweeney
Youth Represenative:
Kat Drake
4

Statement of Purposes
1. The name of the incorporated association is:
a) Casey North Community Information & Support Service Incorporated.
2. The purposes for which the incorporated association is established are:-
a) To provide access to mediated information, advice and referral to any person
requesting it.
b) To provide emergency relief, whether, cash, voucher, food parcels or material
aid to people assessed by the agency to be in necessitous circumstances for any
reason.
c) To provide counselling, advice and referral to people assessed by the agency as
being in or at risk of being in crisis of any kind for any reason.
d) To establish, maintain and make readily available to the community a
comprehensive and up to date data base containing details of agencies and
organisations providing services and facilities to the residents of Casey North.
e) To develop proposals and/or advocate for, the implementation of action strategies
to prevent or minimise the negative impacts of those factors identified as causing
significant difficulties for the clients of the agency.
f) To seek funding from appropriate sources for the establishment or development
of such additional or alternative services or facilities as the Board of Management
may determine as being necessary to the furtherance of the purposes of the agency
at any time.
g) To facilitate the co-ordination and integration of services and support for clients of
the agency including subletting to or provision of rental accommodation for
appropriate service delivery organisations.
5

Staff
Executive Officer
Social Worker
Social Welfare Worker
Co-ordinator of Volunteers
Keeping It Together Project Worker
Administration Officer
Administration Assistant
Financial Counsellor
Financial Counsellor
Financial Literacy & Support Worker
Micro finance Co- ordinator
Susan Naden Magee
Lidia Gruszka
Jacqui Pennaertz
Nicky White
Sirini Kularatne-Samarapathhi
Samantha Findlay
Cheryl Munday
Louis Hebrard
Maree Cummings
Lisa Hansen
Shankar Kasynathan
6

Volunteer Staff
Stan Birkett
Di Christensen
Meg Cusworth – Warner
Joan Farndell
Cathie Garrett
Marie Goodall
Megan Harkin
Meryl Hurst
Janine Johnston
Helen Jones
Mi Lay
Toni Miles - Bennett
Sandra Miall
Julie Mills
Nancy Mitchell
Leanne Peterson
Robyn Reid
Sandra Rode
Margaret Ryan
Deepika Subasinghe
Mandy Ymer
Julie Leonidas
Marlene Lawrence
Lord Mayors Charitable Fund Christmas in July event
7

Executive Officer’s Report
At Casey North CISS we have a fantastic team of professional
and volunteer staff that are dedicated to provide the
best possible services to assist the local community with
whatever the presenting need may be.
To say we are fortunate to have such a great team would be
an understatement, especially when we consider the growth
in need of the local community both in population and in
complexity of issues.
One of the fastest growing and highest populated municipalities in all of Australia, the
residents of the City of Casey come to us with a wide range of issues and needs. We
have a range of community information, programs and resources with which we can
assist, however unfortunately the most demanded services at our centre remain those
that respond to members of our local community in crisis.
In the financial year 2010-11 our emergency relief program was provided to over
1600 households presenting in crisis on more than 5,500 occasions, totalling over
$234,000.
In the financial year past, 837 new households presented to us in financial hardship and
requesting assistance and support. This is an increase of 12% on new clients presenting
in the previous year and clearly demonstrates the increasing pressure placed on families
that struggle to meet day to day expenses and can lead to a variety of problems.
Family Breakdown continues to be one of the most concerning issues presenting at
our organisation. In all program areas this is evident and in particular, the financial
counselling program reports increased incidences of family breakdown as a factor
relevant to the client’s situation.
The incidence of Mental Health is also reported with increasing concern in all
program areas and again the financial counselling program reports that the distress
caused by financial hardship contributes enormously to mental health problems, such as
depression and anxiety, to quite debilitating levels.
Just about every client that presents to our organisation is in housing stress. The
affordable cost of private rental or mortgage repayments has become beyond low
income families. This is particularly evident in Casey as there is a dearth of supply in
the private rental market, contributing heavily to increased rental costs. This is now
exacerbated by our current economic climate, where we see rising costs of living;
food, utility bills, fuel. Every day costs have become an enormous struggle for our
client group.
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As a result the incidence of presenting homelessness in our local community is
increasing and options to provide assistance have now gone from assisting clients to
find housing or some form of shelter, to providing resources for the itinerant, such as
options for free meals, showers and swags for sleeping rough.
Every day our dedicated workers respond to the sad stories of local families that are
seeking support to overcome their difficulties.
We have developed a range of programs and resources that we have identified to meet
the local need. We are fortunate to be well supported by both local Government, City
of Casey and Federal Government, Dept of Fahcsia with funding for some of our core
programs responding to the crisis as it presents. Our Social Work program has been
busy as usual, with almost 1500 households being assisted with more intensive case
management support. This is an increase of 25% on the previous year, with a significant
number of people needing assistance with or because of their housing situation.
We have also developed programs that are aimed at prevention and alleviation of the
pressure and stress that occurs. The Stay on Track program has been developed by Casey
North CISS to provide information and advice to residents to increase their knowledge
base and confidence around finance decisions.
The KIT program was first developed by Casey North CISS and piloted in 2008 to
assist families at risk of breakdown and has proven beyond expectations to be extremely
successful and valuable to participants. We continue to struggle to attract secure
funding to deliver this program despite its proven success and the demonstrated need.
We continue to be disappointed with the lack of success in our attempts to attract
funding support for the Casey Community Centre. We have now been lobbying for 10
years for this much needed project and continue to be over looked in funding rounds.
As a result there has been a need to discontinue and stream line some of the programs
offered at the centre due to the lack of space. We are no longer able to host the outreach
service provided by Casey Cardinia Community Legal Service and we were unable
to provide the Tax Help program this year also. Our Christmas Assistance program
was reviewed as limited space was available to store donations and this will be further
reviewed in the coming year. It is of great concern to us that we are not unable to
provide and expand programs as the local community need grows.
All of the programs at Casey North CISS work together to provide the best possible
response for our community and despite the fact that we are responding to the most
needy and desperate in our community, our team maintain a positive and well spirited
approach. Our Board of Management are a great support and continue to provide us
with well considered and common sense direction. It is the great attitude of the staff
team and Board that continues to inspire me and helps me to maintain an optimistic
approach for future growth.
As usual our community continues to benefit from the close working relationship we
have with other local community services to ensure that the best possible response is
provided to all clients. This is most evident in our close working relationship with
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Cranbourne Information & Support Service as both Managers regularly discuss the
most efficient way of responding to the needs of the whole Municipality.
There are many groups and individuals that contribute to the success of our organisation.
These include the Berwick & District Benevolent Society and the City of Casey.
There are other quiet achievers that donate time and goods and there are other innovative
projects such as the Winepress foodbag program that has been a fantastic help to us
this year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them and say what a great
community this is to work in and work for and I look forward to another year ahead.
Susan Magee
10

Volunteer Co-ordinators Report
Casey North Community Information and Support Service is
a great place in which to work as volunteer co-ordinator. My
role is varied, challenging and very interesting. Overseeing and
recruiting capable volunteers to work in this centre is my primary
focus, along with managing the various programs offered here at
Casey North.
Working alongside such a dedicated and committed group of volunteers as well as paid
staff has helped create a supportive and efficient working environment. During this last
year we have farewelled a number of volunteers as well as recruited new individuals to
be part of the team.
A variety of training sessions have been organised this year and well attended by
volunteers. One of the training sessions this year was interpreter training. This was
delivered by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health. Feedback from volunteers
that attended said it was very informative and gave them the necessary skills and
confidence to be able to conduct both telephone and face to face interpreter interviews.
Attending training sessions equips volunteers to consolidate and clarify information so
they are better able to assist clients in our local community.
Social evenings out are always of great interest and met with much enthusiasm and are
well attended. We have been out to many lovely restaurants and are slowly making our
way across the world and sampling many different cuisines.
Finally, I would like thank the fantastic group of people who make up the volunteer
team. Each day of the week has its own uniqueness according to which volunteers
are working making each day different and interesting. Their committed dedication
and willingness to assist our clients has helped make Casey North an outstanding
resource for the community. I would also like to say a thank-you to all of the paid staff,
especially Susan for making it such an enjoyable place to work.
Nicky White
Co-ordinator of Volunteers
11

Programs
Our services and programs have been developed to respond to a range of needs that
we have identified from the people that access our service. Over the last few years we
have noticed an increase in people coming with particularly complex problems and we
continue to respond to those families recovering from the global financial crisis. Many
families are presenting for support services and in the last financial year the people
presenting as a result of financial hardship has continued to increase. The high cost of
private rental in the City of Casey continues to contribute greatly to financial hardship
as many households pay high percentages of their income to maintain a roof over their
heads. The instance of people presenting as homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness
has also continued to be significant. The rapid growth of population in the City
of Casey continues and this demands that more services be made available to meet the
diverse needs of the local community. We have made every effort to develop and provide
programs at Casey North CISS that will assist to meet the presenting demand that
we experience.
Emergency Relief
Each year the most demanded program from the local community is Emergency Relief.
In the last 12 months, Emergency Relief was provided on more than 5,548 occasions.
This figure represents assistance provided to 2,110 households and of these 837 were
presenting to the service for the first time ever. Some of the families accessing assistance
may require assistance only once, but the figures confirm that many return for
further assistance during periods of prolonged crisis or as their hardship increases
An increase in demand is represented in most areas, except school assistance where we
were unable to attract any further grants, and Telstra Bill Assistance, where we received
less vouchers this year. Of note was the considerable increase in assistance provided
through our ‘crisis’ fund which is targeted at households in extreme financial hardship,
there was an increase of more than 65% in this assistance. This fund is supported by a
grant from the City of Casey and is administered by our Social Work program with the
aim to stabilise families and households requiring intensive support. Assistance was
directed at helping clients with health needs, essential services and utilities, travel assistance,
and other unexpected essential expenses, that the clients were unable to finance
themselves.
Overall there was an increase of about 20% in the demand for emergency relief assistance
and a 12% increase in new households seeking assistance. In February 2011 the
City of Casey was severely effected by flooding and we were provided with additional
funding through Fahcsia to assist effected households.
We continued to focus our fundraising efforts on our Education Assistance program and
once again the Narre Warren Op Shop was generous in assisting with a $2,500 donation,
and the newly established R.M. Ansett fund assisted with $10,000. We received
12

$750 from council Ward Funds and each year the workers at the Holden factory (HSPO)
collect for us at Christmas time and this year their donation was also directed to this
program, together with other donations and staff fundraising efforts, a total of $21,416
was provided to assist 127 families, 213 students.
It should be noted that assistance provided to the community is always limited to the
resources we have. A more adequate response could have been provided on many
occasions if the funding was available.
All together a total of $228,017 was provided in Emergency Relief:
Food Vouchers $144,397
Food Parcels 9120
Meal Vouchers 1075
Chemist Vouchers 5133
Travel Assistance 8739
School Grant 21416
Crisis 24296
Telstra Bill Assist 5565
Christmas Assist 8276
TOTAL $228,017
Emergency Relief funding is also received from The Berwick & District Benevolent
Society, whose funds are raised through their tireless fund raising efforts to ensure that
the need of the local residents is responded to as well as possible. Donations of food are
also generously provided by local church groups.
13

Information & Support Services
Provision of comprehensive and up to date community information is the core activity
of the agency. Information provides people with improved access to resources and services,
awareness of rights and contributes to an individual’s confidence to act.
Collection, establishment and maintenance of a good working information directory is
essential to provision of accurate and appropriate information to our local community.
Casey North CISS continues to collect information from within our local community
and relevant to our local community. We have also continued to build up the range of
information available in different languages to assist with the improvement of access to
services for people whose first language is not English.
We also provide information via our website, which includes a section devoted to debt.
This provides information to assist families to avoid financial crisis or overcome financial
pressure they may be experiencing.
The service seems to get busier and continues to record approximately 1,000 or more
contacts each month, for information and support of some type. We continue to respond
to an increasing number of people presenting in crisis, with an ever growing multitude
of issues and complex needs.
Our current focus is to ensure clients presenting with complex support needs are provided
with the support services that they require to assist them to overcome the issues
they are experiencing and get back on track. We have developed three great resource
guides that contain information targeted specifically at our local community.
The number of recorded information and support needs this year remains high. The 6
main areas of need were Accommodation, Emergency Relief, Financial Hardship, Income,
Counselling & Support Services and Health.
The local community also consists of a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and this is
well reflected in the statistics, with over 20% of people coming from non English speaking
backgrounds. In particular people coming from the Sudan and Afghanistan are well
represented and assistance and support services for these groups can be much more time
consuming, as the issues they present with are often more complex due to the language
barrier and lack of understanding of the various systems such as Centrelink, telephone
and utility companies.
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0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Other, includes enquiries in relation to Citizenship, Domestic Violence, Recreation,
Consumer and Community affairs.
Social Work Program
The Social Work program at Casey North CISS is one of the busiest support programs
we have. Our Social Workers are available every day to assist people presenting in
crisis and needing professional assistance. The Social Work program can assist people
to address their problems and look at strategies to stabilize and overcome situations of
crisis. Practical assistance is offered as well as referrals and linkages to other programs
and services. The Social Work team aims to respond and to assist clients on the day
they present to our organization. This approach proves to be effective and appreciated
by our clients.
There were a couple of external issues that have impacted on the program this year.
The February floods caused turmoil for many clients. The devastation of having their
homes damaged, their possessions destroyed and in a large number of cases having to
relocate, culminated in extreme financial hardship for these clients. There were grants
made available by Victorian Department of Human Services and Centrelink and these
helped in decreasing some of the financial pressure. However in a large number of cases
15

clients were unaware initially that there was assistance available. We were able to provide
additional emergency relief, which also enabled clients to purchase clothing and other
essentials.
Secondly the demise of the “Homewise Grant” in May 2011 caused many difficulties
for clients who were in need of assistance with broken down washing machines, fridges,
hot water services and heating units. In the past the Homewise grant was made available
to people with Health Care Cards to repair these appliances and in some cases replace
them. We continue to receive enquiries in regard to these matters and eligible clients
are able to access NILS loans, while others are referred to alternative options where
available.
The Social Work team also continued to provide emergency relief to those clients with
complex needs and a large proportion of our time is taken up with the distribution
of food vouchers. The Social Work program assisted with the delivery of Emergency
Relief to 1732 clients.
The number of clients presenting to the Social Work program in 2010/2011 are depicted
below and (N.B. These stats reflect the primary reason for contact only);
Social Work:
Financial Hardship 340
URGS 276
Employ/Educ 210
Support Issues 134
Housing 103
Christmas 177
Legal/Consumer 65
TOTAL:
Health 62
Income 35
Family Breakdown 32
Family Violence 18
Migration 11
Flood Victims 20
1483
Around 30% of clients presenting are from various cultural backgrounds.
School Grants
The aim of the Education Assistance Fund is to assist disadvantaged families with some
cost of school uniforms or school books. The program is available for eligible parents
of students in primary and secondary public schools. Last financial year we were able
to extend the program to assist VCE students at TAFEs with some cost of their VCE
textbooks. In the 2010/2011 financial year, $21,416.20 was allocated to 127 families
(213 students).
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Christmas Assistance
Over 170 families were provided with Christmas Assistance this year. This included the
provision of over 50 Christmas hampers that were provided from donations of goods
from the public.
Also this year the Salvation Army took over the Kmart Wishing Tree program,
previously managed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence. The Salvation Army Family
Support Centre in Doveton invited us to partner with them to ensure toys were made
available to families in our local community. As a result, 150 families from Casey
North CISS were assisted though that program.
Vulnerable Families
The vulnerable groups position, funded by FAHCSIA works within the Social
Work program with a focus on providing assistance to sole parents accessing the
Emergency Relief program and needing more intensive support to address or stabilise their
situation. A case management approach is provided to assist those clients. This may be on
occasion a one off visit or may require more ongoing support. Clients are linked in to
other programs within the organisation and also externally.
Crisis Fund
This fund is available to assist clients in severe financial hardship to assist them to
achieve a basic standard of living. Funds are available for things like unpaid bills with
threatened utility disconnection notices, health needs, transport issues, safety issues and
other immediate needs.
Trends
The Centrelink system continues to dominate our case work. There is a strong
emphasis on “participation” activities and if a client does not fulfil the obligations then they
automatically have payments suspended or cut off. The legislation does not take into
consideration those clients with mental health issues, acquired brain Injuries, parents
with sick/disabled children etc. We attempt to advocate for these clients as best we can.
Clients migrating from New Zealand to Australia are often unaware that they are
ineligible for any form of Centrelink benefit apart from Child support. They are often
ill informed about the process for coming to Australia and would benefit from more
detailed information on the settlement process on arrival. This is particularly relevant
for refugees from other countries, who have settled in New Zealand and were unaware
that their refugee status does not extend upon their entry to Australia as migrants. The
Christchurch earthquake saw a rise in New Zealanders coming to Australia to settle.
17

Counselling
There were 175 counselling appointments accessed by clients this year. The issues have
included Grief 17%, Health 13%, Family violence 10%, Self esteem 22%, Relationship
issues 29%, Family breakdown 8% and Unemployment 1%. These issues were the
primary issues the client presented with and although other issues may overlap it is the
primary issue we tend to stat. The majority of these clients presented in crisis.
Male 99
Female 88
Total 175
By Issue:
Health 23
Grief/Loss 29
Family Viol (DV) 17
Self Esteem 38
Relationship Issues 51
Family Breakdown 14
Unemployment 3
TOTAL 175
The year had proven to be a very busy time and with 2.5 team members, the work
load had been manageable to say the least. Lidia went on long service leave for over 3
months and we were fortunate to secure the services of a locum Noreen O’Brien for 3
days per week and our staff member Vicki Hutton sharing the position.
We continue to operate the intake system as it has proven to be an effective framework
in the distribution and allocation of case work.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Board members for their involvement.
Thank you to Susan, Samantha, Cheryl, Nicky, Louis, Marie, Shankar and Sirini
for their spirit, support and team work. Finally we would like to thank our volunteers,
for their dedication, assistance and the support of us and our organisation, without whom
our service would be very limited.
Lidia Gruszka , Jacqui Pennaertz & Lisa Hansen
18

Financial Counselling
Throughout the year, we have maintained our capacity of two financial counsellors
providing, between us, five person days of financial counselling per week. This has
enabled us to generally keep up with demand. At times we have been booked up to four
weeks in advance, but average client waiting time has been about two weeks. Even
in quiet times there has never been a day without client bookings. Clients are usually
referred to us from within CNCISS as well as from local community agencies or by
self-referral, maybe after talking to someone who has used our services or after reading
about us on the website or in our publications.
We spent 690 hours dealing with client issues. We supported 44% more clients than in
the previous year, involving 23% more actions taken. We were able to do this as a result
of our second financial counsellor working the full year and gaining further experience.
Instances of clients not turning up for appointments increased during the busiest seasons,
such as after the January school holidays, when clients had to wait at least three
weeks for appointments. This is despite being reminded by telephone the day before
their appointments. Below is a breakup of actions taken by geographical area:
LOCATION POSTCODE NO. OF CLIENT ACTIONS
Endeavour Hills 3802 29
Hallam 3803 96
Narre Warren North 3804 21
Narre Warren 3805 296
Berwick 3806 119
Hampton Park 3976 49
Cranbourne North 3977 91
Doveton 3177 5
Pakenham 3810 6
Other Various 16
The spread of clients between locations is generally consistent with last year.
The number of actions involving bankruptcies increased by 77% and we are now seeing
this high rate being maintained. Younger clients who have gone into debt, lost jobs
or have had failed businesses see bankruptcy as their only source of hope for financial
survival.
Actions for clients suffering mental illness more than doubled. Clients coming from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds comprised 28% of our case load, this
is 19 % more than last year. These two client groups generally require a good deal more
time as their financial situations can often be more complex.
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Clients with mental illness and those with ethnic backgrounds generally require more
support time and effort.
The bulk of the New Consumer Credit Protection Act came into effect during the year.
We attended training and professional development to help us apply the changes to the
benefit of our clients. Recently the Federal Government has been investigating greater
regulation of pay day lenders such as Cash Converters. We have added our support to
Consumer Action Law Centre, who are making strong recommendations to the government
in the face of equally strong counter arguments from the pay day lobby. Contrary
to the pay day lending industry that says that they help people, our experience is that
nearly all clients with pay day loans fall into a debt trap, paying effective interest rates
of up to 600%.
Another area of growing concern is the rising cost of utilities. Despite most clients
having health care cards and receiving rebates and grants, we regularly see clients with
bills that they cannot afford and receiving disconnection notices. Once accounts get into
arrears, the minimum fortnightly payments that we can arrange become huge financial
burdens for low income families.
Our representation at the South East Region Financial Counselling Network and Casey
North Network gives the opportunity to discuss and explore specific issues and trends
with other financial counsellors and community workers in our area. We also share
information about programs and services to help us in our referral process.
Funding of financial counselling by Federal Government requires that we keep activity
data to produce half yearly reports for FAHCSIA. This work takes about 7% of our time
and all reports have been completed on time.
The ongoing demand for financial counselling, the myriad of hardship scenarios
presented by clients and the ever changing consumer legislation make our work very
challenging and rewarding. The CNCISS team continues to be an enthusiastic, dedicated
one to be part of. We are proud to continue this work.
Financial Literacy & Support – Keeping It Together
In addition to our Financial Counselling program, the financial literacy support program
was funded for 2 days a week during 2010/11, and a further 38 clients benefitted from
this program. This role consists of providing individual sessions for clients and community
education in the form of financial literacy workshops.
Financial literacy means being able to understand how money affects your life and to
manage your money in order to make informed decisions. Being financially literate can
reduce stress and anxiety around money issues, make it easier to budget and manage
money, and understand debt and how to stop the cycle of debt just to name a few.
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The one on one sessions can consist of budgeting and money management. The aim is
to work with clients to increase their knowledge base and confidence around personal
finances and financial products, know their rights and responsibilities and where to go
to for assistance and advice. This knowledge can empower clients to make informed
decisions that will ultimately benefit them and their families while working very closely
with the financial counselling and social work programs. The program is a valuable
resource for clients.
We held seven financial literacy sessions for a total of 76 participants. The sessions
were done in conjunction with Migrant Resource Centre, New Hope Foundation and
Windermere Child & Family Services. In addition we provided all clients with a
financial literacy ‘kit’, which includes, booklets, pamphlets and other information to
improve their chances of being in better control of their finances. The aim is to empower
participants to make better choices in how they spend their money and to only enter into
financial contracts that they understand and can afford. They are also given information
on what to do if things go wrong and they can no longer balance their budgets. This is
most important because we regularly meet with clients who have little understanding of
their basic rights and responsibilities.
Three brochures were developed; one each for the Financial Literacy and Financial
Counselling programs and a Christmas brochure aimed at avoiding spending traps over
Christmas and preventing financial stress into the New Year.
Maree Cummings, Louis Hebrard & Lisa Hansen
Financial Counselling and Support
21

Keeping It Together Programme
In April 2008 the Keeping It Together program was
established as a preventative strategy in response to the
high incidence of family breakdown and violence in
the City of Casey. The educational/supportive program
provided women with the opportunity to improve their
basic skills of communication, assertiveness, conflict
resolution and anger management, whilst simultaneously
enhancing their awareness of self-esteem issues and the importance of self-care. It was
hoped to equip these women with the skills necessary to deal with the personal, relationship
and financial pressures facing many families in the City of Casey.
By February 2010 a total of sixteen six-week programs and four one day seminars had
been held in venues throughout the City of Casey, including Narre Warren, Berwick,
Hallam, Hampton Park, Endeavour Hills and Cranbourne. Approximately 110 women,
ranging in age from 20 years to 77 years, attended these groups. Over half of all participants
had dependent children.
Whilst all participants described a desire to improve their interpersonal skills as
the prime motivation for joining the program, each woman presented with a unique
combination of personal issues. Some were seeking to mend a deteriorating relationship,
others to cope with life after leaving a destructive relationship. Some sought the
skills to communicate with teenage children, or children in their primary years of school
or younger, whilst others wished to ensure they entered future relationships on equal
terms. Some participants just wanted to know how to achieve a healthy self-esteem
after years of putting the needs of others before their own.
The group is run by a facilitator who is also a professional counsellor. This has been
a valuable addition to the role of the facilitator as given the number of participants
disclosing issues beyond their presenting reasons for inclusion in the group. Family
conflict can result in anxiety, depression, substance addiction, and other complex mental
health issues. Participants in addition disclose trauma / abuse related to family of
origin, partner abuse, etc. that can result in unpredictable responses in both themselves
and other participants. These situations foster growth within the group as well as a
trusting relationship with the facilitator. The facilitator is able to manage these situations
while in the group and provide referrals for more one on one work individually
with other workers and services. The Keeping It Together Program works together
with Casey North CISS providing referrals for emergency relief, financial counselling,
social work, no-interest loans scheme and other services as appropriate.
The Keeping It Together program is now firmly positioned as a valuable tool for
improving the wellbeing of women in the City of Casey. Local agencies, counsellors,
22

psychologists, health services and our own social work team view it as an important
adjunct to their services. The program is very versatile, providing knowledge of nterpersonal
skills together with strategies for their effective use in most situations. It is this dayto-day
practicality that has enhanced the program’s popularity. This has been facilitated
by a generous grant from the R.E. Ross Trust for the facilitation of the program and from
the Soroptimist International a donation for morning tea and end of group gifts for the
participants.
Within the last financial year [01-07-2010 to 30-06-2011] the program has seen many
women go through the groups empowering themselves and the close family/friends unit
around them also benefitting from the process.
There were in total 5 groups during this period and 1 multicultural group. The 5 groups
had in total 33 people booked in and of which most of them went on to complete the
whole group. Group ran for consecutive 6 weeks and the multicultural group ran for 4
weeks. There were 15 children who used the childcare facilities that were available in
order for the mothers to attend the groups.
The multicultural group was run through the Dandenong Wellness Centre for Afghani
and Sudanese women. Although the issues these women faced were as challenging as
the women who attend the groups, these women had an additional challenge of limited
English language proficiency and hence the group had to be accommodated to provide
the same information using visual tools and role playing instead of the handouts that are
mainly written in English. There were in total 16 women who completed this program.
There were 12 primary age children who accompanied the mothers to the groups.
Women are provided with all resources needed for the program, morning tea, and gift bag
at the end of the program as a means of encouraging self-care. The program is offered
free of charge making it accessible by anyone who identifies themselves as a woman.
The course has brought isolated women together and out of the 5 groups held during this
financial year, women in 3 groups have decided to keep in touch with each other after the
group had finished.
Following are some of the feedback received from women who completed the program
during this period of time:
to try to effect change.
and friends.
stand up for myself.
munication styles. It has really helped me to look at myself and know strategies to
change myself in a positive way. Thank you so much!
.
Sirini Kularatne-Samarapathhi
Keeping It Together Group Facilitator
23

No Interest Loan Scheme
Ten years and still growing…
The Casey NILS Program, started in 2001, is one of the
fastest growing programs in the South East of Victoria,
with over seventy active loans, and approximately six loans
disbursed a month on average. The second half of the recent
financial year saw an eighty percent increase in total loan
disbursement compared to the first half of the year. In the past
12 months 51 loans have been disbursed totaling $38,348 - the second highest total
volume of loan disbursements in the history of the program.
Fig. 1 Over the ten years that the Casey NILS Program has been
active, there has been a fluctuation in the trends of annual loan numbers.
Of note is the five year period between 2006 and 2011, which saw the
expansion and subsequent retrenchment of the “Home-wise Program
(formerly known as the Capital Grants Scheme previously resourced by
DHS – State Government.
The immediate priority that the Program Coordinator faced upon commencing work in
September 2010 was to ensure that the capital base for the Casey NILS Program would
sufficiently meet the anticipated growth in loan disbursements due to various initiatives
developed. This includes the School Education Expenses Initiative which focused on
assisting the needs of families at the 23 secondary schools in the City of Casey, and a
further 58 primary schools. Twenty percent of loan disbursements during the latter half
of the 2010/2011 financial year are attributed to school expenses.
A Case Study: Casey NILS School Expenses Initiative
Peter is a single father of 2. Peter needed assistance to purchase school text books for his children. Peter was concerned that
having a bad credit rating would prevent him from receiving a Casey NILS loan. After some initial hesitation, Peter found the
confidence to make a phone call to a Casey NILS worker. Peter was pleased to find out that no one would check his credit
rating and that his capacity to repay a loan was based on all the current information he was able to provide the loan officer:
bank statements, Centrelink income statements etc. Peter was assessed, approved and is today a confident NILS client.
24

The No Interest Loan Scheme’s access to capital is currently $31,000 with ANZ and an
additional $75,000 overdraft facility with NAB.
Fig. 2 Commencing with capital of 3,000 AUD in 2001, and coming to the
end of the 2009/2010 financial year with a total of 33,847 (ANZ) and an
overdraft facility of 25,000 (NAB), the recent financial year saw a further
increase in access to capital by 56% with 31,000 available in the ANZ
account and a further 61,650 available in the NAB overdraft facility.
The 40% growth in total loan disbursements of the 2010/2011 year compared to the
2009/2010 year, the 56% increase in access to capital, the downward pressure on
defaults and the wider coverage of the program, can be largely attributed to the tireless
efforts of six volunteer staff members, across two separate sites.
I acknowledge the efforts of the Casey North volunteer coordinator Nicky White,
towards supporting the program’s volunteers at the Casey North site: Stanley Birkett,
Julie Leonidas, Julie Mills and Helen Jones. Similarly, I express my gratitude to all loan
officers for their commitment to the program.
Shankar Kasynathan
Microfinance Co-ordinator
25

Volunteering
Casey North Community Information and Support Service offers a great opportunity for
individuals to volunteer and make a significant community contribution. Volunteering
also offers a rewarding social contact whilst giving back something to the community.
Volunteers at Casey North can work within a number of different areas in the centre.
These can include reception; interviewing clients directly as a duty worker referring and
advising them as necessary and data entry and statistical collection. A yearly update of
local agencies and other organisations is also conducted by our volunteers to keep our
information database “Infocom” updated.
In addition to these duties volunteers at both Casey North and Cranbourne Information
and Support Service can work within the No Interest Loans Team. This NILS program
assists many clients to purchase essential household goods with a loan of up to $800.00
with no interest charged.
Volunteers can now work within additional microfinance programs which are promoted
by Casey North CISS to our community. The Adds Up Program run through the
National Australia Bank also is great savings program which can be offered to clients
who have paid off their NILS loan.
With the growth of our organisation volunteers can easily access details about Casey
North and volunteering via our website, www.caseynorthciss.com.au.
As we have highlighted, there are a great many roles in which volunteers at Casey North
can utilize their skills. As Casey North has become busier the capacity to employ more
volunteers has increased. Volunteer hours for this financial year have amounted to 5041.
This is a great indication of the true commitment shown by our volunteers. We would
like to say a big thank-you for all the dedication, enthusiasm and effort shown by all
volunteers at Casey North.
Boundary Bus
26

Publications
Low Income Guide – ‘Making Ends Meet’
This guide was an initiative of Casey North Information & Support Service and was
identified as a need, as many of the people presenting for help and support services were
not aware of services and resources available to them. The project has been overseen
jointly with Cranbourne Information and Support Service to ensure residents across the
City of Casey have access to the information.
The information contained in the guide is aimed at providing the most up to date
information possible to enable people to access free or low cost services available to
them. There are also tips and advice on ways that your budget may be stretched further,
and low cost alternatives for things to do.
This has been an extremely successful project with all copies of the previous nine
editions being distributed and the tenth edition with updates now available. The guide
is also available on our web site www.caseynorthciss.com.au
Keeping It Together
The Keeping It Together guide has been developed to respond to families at risk of
breakdown. The aim is to provide information and work with families to overcome the
issues that are placing pressure on relationships. Often there are services available to
provide help and we want to get this information out into the community.
We have developed a guide providing information on services and resources in this
local community that provide support and assistance to families experiencing problems.
We have identified 6 of the main areas that we have found to place pressure on relationships
and families and contribute to breakdown.
This guide is also available on the website.
Stay on Track
As more and more people are presenting to our organisation suffering from financial
hardship, we have identified a need to provide information to our local community that
might assist households to make better choices when entering contracts, credit or other
financial commitments. We also recognise that when people do start to feel the burden
and are unable to meet their financial commitments, they are generally unaware of
where to go for help and advice.
This resource guide has been developed to respond to that need and hopefully link
people to the right information and services to assist them. The worry of financial
pressure can have various negative effects, in particular on health and relationships.
27

Treasurer’s Report
The accounts of the Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc. have
been audited and are in good order. A special thanks must go to Samantha Findlay for
all her hard work on them as Finance Officer.
Congratulations and thanks to Susan Magee for Managing well and keeping within
budget for this financial year. It has been a testing time due to local disasters with the
floods and the financial market instability. For many of our clients there are still hard
times to come.
Gladys Ireland
Treasurer
28

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 386 165 abn 87 415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Assets and Liabilities Statement
As at 30th June 2011
2011 2010
$ $
CURRENT ASSETS
Cheque Account 23,017 84,402
Investment Account - LSL 35,133 38,708
Investment Account #2 154,846 142,693
No Interest Loan Scheme 29,262 33,047
Petty Cash 300 300
Trade Debtors 0 1,000
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 242,558 300,150
FIXED ASSETS [Note 91]
Office Equipment at Cost 37,172 34,525
less Accumulated Depreciation 25,592 21,227
11,580 13,298
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS 254,138 313,448
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Credit Card 971 580
N.A.B. NILS 11,233
No Interest Loan Scheme 29,262 33,047
School Grant Accrual 4,400 9,655
Financial Counselling 0 22,362
Emergency Relief 16,231 19,781
Vulnerable Groups 0 16,366
NILS - Admin 5,000 0
NILS - Operating 25,099 37,500
KIT Program Accrual 17,253 55,192
GST Liability 6,162 8,218
PAYG Withholding 10,432 8,928
Provision for Long Service Leave 32,928 26,708
Provision for Annual Leave 37,105 23,448
Superannuation Payable 0 109
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 196,076 261,894
NET ASSETS 58,062 51,554
MEMBERS FUNDS
Accumulated Surplus 51,554 56,069
N.A.B. NILS -11,233
Current Years Surplus 17,741 15,566
TOTAL MEMBERS FUNDS 58,062 71,635
These financial Statements are to be read in conjunction with the attached Notes & Audit Report.
32

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 abn 38687165
415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Cash Flow Cash Statement Flow Statement
for the Year for Ended the Year 30th Ended June 30th 2011June 2011
2011 2011
2010
$ $
$
Surplus [deficit] Surplus for the [deficit] Year for the Year 6,508 6,508
-4,515
2010
$
-4,515
plus plus
[Increase] decrease [Increase] in decrease Fixed Assets in Fixed @ WDV Assets @ WDV 1,718 1,718
[Increase] decrease [Increase] in decrease Debtors in Debtors 1,000 1,000
-1,299
1,000
-1,299
1,000
less less
Movement in Movement Liabilitiesin Liabilities -65,818 -65,818
73,280 73,280
Cash flow movement Cash flow movement for the yearfor the year -56,592 -56,592
69,064 69,064
Opening Bank Opening Account Bank Balances Account Balances 299,150 299,150
230,086 230,086
Closing Bank Closing Account Bank Balances Account Balances 242,558 242,558
299,150 299,150
represented represented by by
Cheque Account Cheque Account 23,017 23,017
84,402 84,402
Investment Account Investment re LSL Account re LSL 35,133 35,133
38,708 38,708
No Interest Loan No Interest Scheme Loan Account Scheme Account 29,262 29,262
33,047 33,047
Investment Account Investment #2 Account #2 154,846 154,846
142,693 142,693
Petty Cash on Petty Hand Cash on Hand 300 300
300 300
242,558 242,558
299,150 299,150
These financial Statements are to be read in conjunction with the attached Notes & Audit Report.
33

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 abn 386 87165
415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Income and Income Expenditure and Expenditure Statement Statement
for the Year for Ended the Year 30th Ended June 30th 2011June 2011
2011 2011 2010 2010
Note Note $ $ $ $
INCOME INCOME
General Operating General Income Operating Income 2 536,863 2 536,863 537,933 537,933
Emergency Emergency Relief Income Relief Income 2 180,631 2 180,631 179,513 179,513
Previous year's Previous Advanced year's Income Advanced Income 8 & 9 8160,856 & 9 160,856 103,899 103,899
less Advanced less Income Advanced received Income re future received years re future years 9 967,983 67,983 -160,856 -160,856
810,367 810,367 660,489 660,489
EXPENDITURE EXPENDITURE
Emergency Emergency Relief Relief 3 199,185 3 199,185 194,285 194,285
Other Services Other Services 4 49,095 9,095 13,650 13,650
Administration Administration Expenses Expenses 5 517,384 17,384 15,101 15,101
Employment Employment Expenses Expenses 6 499,165 6 499,165 376,258 376,258
Occupancy Occupancy Costs Costs 7 747,016 47,016 45,629 45,629
771,845 771,845 644,923 644,923
PROFIT BEFORE PROFIT INCOME BEFORE TAX INCOME TAX 38,522 38,522 15,566 15,566
Income Tax Income Tax 0 0 0 0
Profit After Income Profit After Tax Income Tax 17,741 17,741 -4,515 -4,515
N.A.B. NILS N.A.B. adjustment NILS adjustment -11,233 -11,233
Retained Profits Retained at the Profits beginning at the of beginning the year of the year 51,554 51,554 56,069 56,069
Retained Profits Retained at the Profits end of at the the year end of the year 58,062 58,062 51,554 51,554
These financial Statements are to be read in conjunction with the attached Notes & Audit Report.
34

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 386 165
Overland Drive
“Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805”
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 30/6/2011
Note 1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.
The financial report is a special purpose financial report prepared in order to satisfy the financial
reporting requirements of the Association Incorporation Act of Victoria. The Board of Management
of the Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc has determined that it is not a
reporting entity.
The financial report has been prepared on an accrual basis. They are based on historical cost and
does not take into account changing money values or, except where specifically stated, current
valuations of non current assets.
The following significant accounting policies, which are consistent with the previous period, unless
otherwise stated, have been adopted in the preparation of this financial report
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE)
Office equipment is carried at cost less, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation.
The depreciable amount of all PPE is depreciated over the useful lives of the assets
to the association commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use.
Employee Benefits
Provision is made for the association’s liability for employee benefits arising from
services rendered by employees to the end of the reporting period. Employee
benefits have been measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the
liability is settled.
Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the association has a legal or constructive obligation,
as a result of past events, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits
will result and that outflow can be reliably measured. Provisions are measured at the
best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation at the end of the reporting
period.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at call with banks, and
other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.
Revenue and Other Income
Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable after
taking into account any trade discounts and volume rebates allowed. For this purpose,
deferred consideration is not discounted to present values when recognising revenue.
Interest revenue is recognised when received.
Grant and donation income is recognised when the entity obtains control over the funds,
which is generally at the time of receipt.
All revenue is stated net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST).
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Revenue, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except where
the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Receivables and payables are stated inclusive of the amount of GST receivable or pay
able. The net amount of GST recoverable from, or payable to the ATO is included with
other receivables or payables in the statement of financial position.
35

(g)
Tax Status
The activities of the entity are exempt from taxation.
The statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Associations
Incorporation Act Victoria and the following Australian Accounting Standards
AAS4 Depreciation
AAS5 Materiality
AAS6 Accounting Policies
AAS8 Events Occurring after Reporting Date
AAS15 Revenue
AAS28 Statement of Cash Flows
AAS36 Statement of Financial Position
AASB1016 Statement of Financial Performance
No other applicable Accounting Standards or mandatory professional reporting requirements
(Urgent Issues Group Consensus Views) have been applied.
These Notes are to be read in conjunction with the Attached Audit Report.
36

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 abn 386 87 165 415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Notes to the Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 30th June 2011 continued
2011 2010
Note 2 -INCOME $ $
General Operating Income
Rent Received 0 2,080
Grant - City of Casey 369,069 320,544
Financial Counselling Program 0 1,000
Interest Received 8,578 7,586
Family & Community services - Admin 5,455 6,000
Sundry Receipts 627 0
Social Club Fundraising 316 673
NILS Administration 22,818 37,500
FAHCSIA - Financial Counselling 90,000 60,000
FAHCSIA - Vulnerable Groups 28,000 28,000
Flood Affected Clients 10,000 0
Keeping It Together Program 2,000 50,000
Emergency Relief Donations 0 24,500
Donations 0 50
536,863 537,933
Emergency Relief Income
Family & Community Services 127,819 123,237
Crisis Funding 10,472 6,100
B & DB Soc. - Other 24,000 10,500
School Grants Fundraising 14,340 35,176
Court Funds 4,000 4,500
180,631 179,513
717,494 717,446
Note 3 - EXPENSES
Emergency Relief
Food Bank 2,624 3,659
Food Vouchers 128,079 127,844
Meal Vouchers 1,075 2,276
Chemist 5,600 4,850
Travel - Emergency Relief 12,852 7,268
Crisis Emergency Relief 21,087 14,674
School Grants 20,345 25,596
Xmas Assist 7,523 8,118
199,185 194,285
Note 4 - EXPENSES
Other Services
Low Income Guide 2,904 2,420
Keeping It Together 2,572 2,229
Stay on Track Project 2,097 2,100
Vulnerable Groups 0 6,500
NILS Admin 1,522 401
9,095 13,650
These Notes are to be read in conjunction with the attached Audit Report.
37

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 abn 386 87 165 415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Notes to the Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 30th June 2011 continued
2011 2010
Note 5 - Administration Expenses $ $
Advertising 82 1,214
Bank Charges 585 746
Computer Maintenance 1,738 628
Miscellaneous Expenses 579 127
Printing & Copying 4,647 3,774
Postage 1,172 1,057
Repairs - Equipment 866 362
Stationery 2,022 2,108
Telephone 5,693 5,085
17,384 15,101
Note 6 - Employment Expenses
Wages & Salaries 415,610 314,682
House-Keeping Expenses 2,272 2,424
Meal Allowances 149 191
Supervision 1,222 727
Superannuation 37,251 28,169
Workers Compensation 9,435 5,731
LSL - Movement in Provision 6,220 8,168
Annual Leave - Movement in Provision 13,657 6,392
Meeting Expenses 2,341 1,143
Travel Allowances 2,645 2,239
Staff Training 1,931 3,513
Professional Services 1,080 100
Financial Counselling - set up cost 3,611 1,448
Financial Literacy Program 161 0
Web Site Costs 1,580 1,331
499,165 376,258
Note 7 - Occupancy Costs
Rent 38,405 36,398
Utilities 8,040 6,273
Building Repairs 571 2,958
47,016 45,629
These Notes are to be read in conjunction with the attached Audit Report.
38

Casey North Community Information & Support Service Inc.
Suite S1006 Office Centre abn 87 415 386 165 abn 87 415 386 165
Overland Drive
Fountain Gate, Vic. 3805
Notes to the Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 30th June 2011 continued
Note 8 - Previous years Advanced Income.
This amount represents income received in previous years that relate to 2011
expenditure. These amounts were treated as advanced income
in the previous year. Refer to Note 9.
Note 9 -
Advanced Income
This is where income has been received in advance for projects to be
implemented in a future period.
Details of this income are:
2011 2010
$ $
School Grants 4,400 9,655
Vulnerable Groups 0 16,366
Keeping It Together Program 17,253 55,192
Financial Counselling 0 22,362
NILS Admin 5,000 0
NILS - Operating 25,099 37,500
Emergency Relief 16,231 19,781
67,983 160,856
These Notes are to be read in conjunction with the attached Audit Report.
39

Acknowledgments
City of Casey
Springfield Ward
Berwick & District Benevolent Society
Berwick Anglican Church-Christ Church (donations of groceries)
Curves Gymnasium Beaconsfield (donations of groceries and Christmas gifts)
The Church of Christ (donation of groceries)
Warren Op Shop (Donation)
Holden Ltd – fundraising by staff for Education Assistance program
R. M. Ansett Trust
National Australia Bank (NILS overdraft) & (Christmas Hamper)
St George Bank – Fountain Gate (donations of groceries)
Dept of Family & Community Services Housing & Indigenous Affairs
(Emergency Relief)
Dandenong Magistrate Court
Soroptimist International
Staff & Volunteers at Casey North CISS (various fundraising activities)
Gloria Aurisch (donation of hand knitted goods)
Karen Rault (donation of Christmas toys)
Sue Isles, Sharon Hui, Morgan Hui, Sheryl Boesley, Jenny Davies, Mary O’Halloran,
Anne Slabak (donation of Christmas Hampers)
Samantha Findlay (donation)
Louis Hebrard (donation)
Susan Magee (donation)
Lidia Gruszka (donation)
Cheryl Munday (donation)
Stan Birkett (donation)
Helen Jones (donation)
40