Consolidated place based income management evaluation report 2012 - 2015

Place Based Income Management (PBIM) is a trial which was initiated as a part of the Better Futures, Local Solutions place-based initiatives, within the Building Australia’s Future Workforce (BAFW) package. This package is a group of initiatives which aim to assist vulnerable families and children, and to enhance opportunities for people to enter or return to the workforce. The PBIM trial is overseen by the Department of Social Services (DSS).   The PBIM trial commenced in the following five sites across Australia in July 2012: Playford (South Australia) Greater Shepparton (Victoria) Bankstown (New South Wales) Rockhampton (Queensland) Logan (Queensland) The purpose of income management is to assist people on welfare payments with financial stability, and to help them to direct their funds to meeting priority needs such as food, housing, clothing and utilities. There are three measures in the PBIM trial sites: 1/ The Voluntary Measure (VIM) – for people on welfare payments who wish to volunteer for income management to assist them to meet their priority needs and to learn how to manage their finances for themselves and/or their family in the long-term 2/ The Vulnerable Measure (VULN) – for vulnerable welfare payment recipients where a Department of Human Services (DHS) social worker assesses they would benefit from income management where they are vulnerable to factors including financial hardship, economic abuse or financial exploitation and homelessness/risk of homelessness. The eligibility for this measure was expanded in July 2013 to include the following customers: under 16 years of age receiving the Special Benefits Payment on the Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) independent rate of payment for Youth Allowance (YAL), Disability Support Pension (DSP), or ABSTUDY under the age of 25 years and receiving the Crisis Payment due to prison release. 3/ The Child Protection Measure (CPIM) – for parents, carers or young people referred for income management by a child protection worker, if the worker deems that income management might contribute to improved outcomes for children or young people, particularly those at risk of neglect. This measure is applied at the discretion of a State or Territory child protection worker