[NEWS]

Launch of the ACT Homelessness Charter and SAAP Service Guarantee

The launch of the ACT Homelessness Charter was held on Tuesday 29th Aprill 2008, by the Minister for Disability and Community Services, Ms Katy Gallagher MLA.

In conjunction with the launch of the Charter, representatives of the homelessness services sector launched the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Service Guarantee.

The purpose of the Charter and the Service Guarantee is to increase recognition of the rights of Canberrans experiencing homelessness and to outline the service expectations of homelessness service providers.

A copy of the ACT Homelessness Charter and the CANFaCS Service Guarantee can be found on the links below.

ACT Homelessness Charter - A Statement of Rights

CANFaCS Service Guarantee.

Click here for further information about the launch.

Commonwealth Government research project on CANFaCS Service Model Available here.

Canberra Fathers and Children Service (CANFaCS) Inc. is a values-based community organisation working and advocating for social justice within a narrative and solution-focused framework. To further its values and goals, CANFaCS has as its objective the strengthening of relationships between men, their families and their communities through strategies and activities that address homelessness, domestic violence and the quality of men’s family relationships and parenting skills.

CANFaCS Inc. consists of:

• A SAAP crisis supported accommodation service (communal living model);
• A SAAP medium-term supported accommodation and outreach support service (independent living model);
• Outreach support services to men; and
• Fathering After Separation groups and accommodation options for separated fathers who needs somewhere to have overnight contact with their children.

As an organisation, CANFaCS is driven by a set of important ethical values and principles in our work with sole father families. These values are:

• fathers matter;
• first call for children;
• safety for all;
• our client is the relationship between fathers and their children;
• homelessness is a social justice issue; and
• community is important.

Our approach to working with fathers

CANFaCS is committed to strengthening family relationships and promoting self-care and care of others. We acknowledge the important contributions that fathers can make to their children's lives and have as a guiding principle the achievement of positive outcomes for children in particular. Our experience is that support to fathers also indirectly increases the wellbeing of mothers, extended families and the whole community.

CANFaCS recognises that separated and homeless men have particular support needs and that the quality of their ongoing relationships, especially with their children, can be greatly enhanced if these supports are available.

To address father's and children's immediate needs the service provides:

• Access to safe and secure crisis and medium term accommodation;
• Outreach support to accommodated families and sole father families living elsewhere (outreach services include home visits to support disadvantaged men eg disabled men, parenting and life skills training eg playing with children, cooking and nutrition, Fathering after Separation courses and community awareness-rasing activities;
• Inclusive and accessible service responses;
• Dedicated children's workers;
• A case management framework that is client-directed and focused on achievable outcomes;
• Information on entitlements and responsibilities under family law, income support and child support processes;
• Affordable, sensitive and respectful counselling, skills training and education;
• Assistance to identify and access other services that may be of use; and
• Assistance to re-establish a secure and stable base from which to develop independence and self-reliance, and into which it is safe to bring children.

CANFaCS participates in ACT service networks and contributes to sector development on a local and national level.