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Annual Report 06–07
Output 2: Child Support Agency—Output overview
Purpose
CSA’s purpose is to support separated parents to transfer payments for the benefit of their children. This mission emphasises that CSA provides support for separated parents, rather than just collecting money.
CSA’s vision is that children can rely on their parents for the financial and emotional support necessary for their wellbeing. This vision recognises CSA’s commitment to shared parental responsibility, and its approach of working in partnership with other government and non-government organisations to support separating and separated families in the family law system.
CSA works with the Core Department in administering the Child Support Scheme, and supports the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to develop child support policy. CSA also works closely with other Human Services agencies to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services to the Australian community.
Strategy
The Child Support Agency Strategic Plan 2006–08 sets out the following goals:
- improved collection—more money for more kids;
- customer service excellence—transform our customers’ experience;
- effective stakeholder relations and engagement—from consultation to engagement;
- informed customers and community—aware and knowledgeable customers; and
- excellence in service delivery capability—our foundation for a better CSA.
CSA is achieving its goals through improving service delivery under the Building a Better CSA change agenda, increasing compliance and enforcement, rebuilding corporate capability, implementing a new child support policy regime, and fundamentally changing organisational culture to align with the new strategic intent. CSA is also focusing on early intervention and connecting with other service providers to improve our support for parents.
The Strategic Plan 2006–08 also identifies CSA’s approaches to managing risk and performance, and the values that guide its operation. The plan can be accessed through the Publications section of the website at www.csa.gov.au.
Structure
To improve the way the business supports service delivery, in 2006–07 CSA initiated a minor restructure into the six business groups shown in Figure 12.
Service Delivery
Service Delivery is responsible for the registration and collection of child support, and responding to customers’ needs through face-to-face, mail, telephone and online services. Service Delivery makes up 85 per cent of CSA’s total operations.
External Relations
External Relations is responsible for the development and implementation of internal and external communication, marketing, and engagement programs for customers, community members, key stakeholders and staff.
Change Program
Change Program is responsible for the implementation of CSA’s reform agenda, which comprises the Child Support Scheme reforms and Building a Better CSA.
Service Quality and Corporate Support
Service Quality and Corporate Support provides organisational support and other enabling capabilities in areas such as human resources, policy and legislation, business assurance and national complaints resolution.
Information and Communications Technology
Information and Communications Technology is responsible for providing all information and telecommunications services and solutions within CSA. The group also works with other Human Services agencies and participates in whole-of-government technology initiatives to share resources and ideas, and collaborates on opportunities to improve customer service, drive synergies and realise efficiencies through technology.
Finance
Finance is responsible for CSA’s financial management. This includes maintaining the financial management and reporting framework that facilitates CSA’s legislative and regulatory compliance and internal control, and supporting CSA’s business managers, budget holders and staff with financial management, procurement and contract management services, advice and training.
| Measure | Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Cost per case (estimate: $368) | $367.18 |
| Cost per dollar transferred (estimate: 11 cents) | 11.1 cents | |
| Effectiveness—Adequacy | Total amount of child support transferred between parents (estimate: $2.6 billion) | $2.68 billion |
| Effectiveness—Independence | Child support transfer rate (CSA collect and private collect) (estimate: 96%) |
96.1% |
| Percentage of private collect cases to total cases (CSA collect and private collect cases) (estimate: 52.6%) |
52.6% | |
| Price | Price of outputs $371.136 million | Price of outputs $369.136 million |