Tuesday 19 March marks World Social Work Day. This year’s theme, ‘Buen Vivir: Shared Future for Transformative Change’, speaks to the important role of social work in both meeting the needs of individual persons and positively changing society and systems so that all may flourish.
Catholic Social Services Victoria’s report, released on World Social Work Day and entitled Faith, Hope and Love: Mapping and Contextualising the Contributions of Victoria’s Catholic Social Service Sector, outlines the work of its 40 member organisations in communities across Victoria and beyond, and discusses the importance of participative approaches, the vital role of cross-sector and values-based approaches, and the need for community- and place-based service provision and empowerment.
The report finds that Victoria’s Catholic social service organisations supported at least 302,550 people—more than 4.5 per cent of Victoria’s population—through the efforts of 7,510 staff and more than 15,800 volunteers. These organisations provided services in over 30 different areas of work, from early intervention and prevention to crisis response.
The state and federal governments provided almost 67 per cent of total revenue across the organisations, with creative resourcing strategies, including community donations and the effective integration of volunteer support, also contributing substantially to organisational operational and financial sustainability.
Catholic social services are a part of the enactment of the social mission of the Church—they are a vital expression of an established, connected community of people working to live in fidelity to the Gospel.
While the variety and scale of offerings in support and programs have grown over the past few years as Catholic providers work to help meet our society’s needs, the increasing number of people in need of services and support is not to be celebrated. Cost-of-living pressures—including a crisis in safe, secure and affordable housing, growing inequality, and more profound complexity and disadvantage—present immense challenges to all those who see inequality as a fundamental barrier to a just and compassionate society.
Smaller organisations seem to be undervalued by governments in funding decisions and corresponding policy and regulation frameworks, despite their intimate relationship with local community members.
Josh Lourensz, the executive director of Catholic Social Services Victoria, points out that ‘Catholic social services are a part of the enactment of the social mission of the Church—they are a vital expression of an established, connected community of people working to live in fidelity to the Gospel. Their unique and important contributions to our social fabric traverse being both responsive and charitable and simultaneously being committed to reform and justice over the long term.
Our member organisations, often in close collaboration with their founding congregations, parishes, diocese and schools, are reaching out to and supporting a very diverse range of people. This is the Church at work in the world.
‘Good work doesn’t come from nowhere. Having expertise to walk with and accompany people with complex social needs requires investment. Good administrative and compliance processes evolve over time. Our member organisations, often in close collaboration with their founding congregations, parishes, diocese and schools, are reaching out to and supporting a very diverse range of people. This is the Church at work in the world.’
CSSV are deeply grateful for our 40 member organisations and all who work to support them. By understanding and acknowledging their reach and contributions, governments, the social service sector and the community more broadly can be better positioned to work together to stand with and serve the poor, disadvantaged and marginalised in our state and country.
