Putting people first: Transforming social services in partnership with people and communities

Abstract

Putting People First is a report from the Centre for Policy Development that builds on years of work across employment, early education, settlement services, and more. It lays out a bold vision to transform social services to genuinely meet the needs of the people and communities they are designed to support.

Despite countless government reports and inquiries exposing the deep, systemic failures of Australia’s social services – failures that not only fall short of meeting people’s needs but can cause real harm – change has been limited to minor tweaks and adjustments. This endless cycle of review, recommend and adjust has done little to tackle the core issues or transform the system in meaningful ways.

Drawing on extensive research and insights from local initiatives, Putting People First identifies six key drivers for reform and four practical steps governments can take now to create a system people can trust and depend on.