P164 Financial Wellbeing Program - Regional Services

⁠⁠⁠The Department of Human Services (DHS) is undertaking an Invitation to Supply process to fund suitably experienced and qualified organisations to provide the Financial Wellbeing Program (FWP) in one, or up to three of 12 Regions. A service provider will be appointed in each Region. Consortia proposals between two or more organisations are welcome.

The FWP funds non-government organisations to deliver programs and services that promote the financial wellbeing of individuals, families, children, young people and vulnerable communities in each SA Government Region in South Australia.

The program seeks to alleviate the immediate impact of of financial crisis or emergency as well as to build individual and community resilience to better handle the impact of adverse financial matters over the longer term.

It aims to improve financial capability, broadly understood as a combination of financial knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours necessary to make sound financial decisions, based on personal circumstances.

It also aims to enhance financial resilience, broadly understood as the ability to access and draw on capabilities with external resources and supports in times of financial adversity.

The FWP supports individuals, families, and communities by providing five key elements:

1. Financial counselling to address financial hardship and build capacity
2. Emergency assistance via goods and services, financial assistance or help with bills
3. Prevention via community and workforce education and potentially other innovative practices
4. Connections through warm referrals to other services, programs and community assets
5. Timely triage of client needs.

Successful Regional Service Providers will be engaged for an initial period of three years from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026 with a three-year extension option to 30 June 2029, and a further three-year extension option to 30 June 2032. Services will be required to be in place from 1 July 2023.