Annual Report 2019-2020
Making a meaningful difference
Our Vision & Values Our vision is to create a meaningful difference to the lives of children, young people and families who are facing disadvantage. INVOLVE AND BE INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITIES We endeavour to work alongside and with communities to design and deliver positive responses to identified needs. Our approach and processes help build capacity, resilience and independence for key groups facing disadvantage. BE LOYAL, DEDICATED AND POSITIVE We ensure our reputation is built around being a trusted and collaborative partner. We are committed to making a positive difference and seek opportunities which are responsive and innovative. MAKE IDEAS HAPPEN Our passion is to discover new ways of doing things, which are responsive of social needs, while honouring the legacy of our founder, WM Forster and his vision for positive, meaningful social action.
Our Vision & Values A Message from our Chair Our History Our Board of Directors Our Executive Team Annual Snapshot Children's Services in Action Social Enterprise in Action Youth Mentoring in Action Financial Summary Trusts, Foundations and Supporters
2 4 6 7 7 8 10 12 14 16 17
The TRY Australia Group are registered charities under the rules of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC). The ACNC provides accreditation to Australian non-profit organisations that demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, transparency, fundraising, and board governance. The financial results in this annual report are taken from the 2018/2019 audited financial reports. A copy of these reports can be obtained on request. Please send enquiries to: info@try.org.au
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A Message from our Chair and CEO Towards the end of the last annual message, the question posed was “What does FY20 hold?”. At the time we could never have anticipated the answer. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, which hit in the last two-quarters of FY20, presented both organisational and broader societal challenges, many of which will remain with us for some time. Reconfiguring for Success For TRY, FY20 began as a continuation of our drive towards a reconfiguration for success, starting with Angela Forbes' commencement as CEO. Under Angela's stewardship TRY has welcomed three new executive team members bringing in additional skills and expertise across Early Childhood Education and Care, Human Resources, and Marketing. Following considerable work by management, substantial improvements have been made across the organisation to strengthen processes, compliance, and quality.
With a renewed focus on mission alignment, viability, and efficiency the difficult decision was made to close the TRY Learn RTO, TRY Build and TRY Uncontained social enterprises. While it was disappointing to see the closure of these services the Board has reaffirmed its commitment to the ongoing provision of youth programs. The Social Enterprise program was able to diversify its remaining service and supply offering to include procurement services, employment services, small format landscaping and equipment hire, improving sustainability and creating new and critical employment opportunities for young people. Mentoring saw a restructure of personnel to better align resourcing with program objectives. Group programs were put on hiatus during the latter part of FY20 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while 1:1 matches were continued remotely. The Children's Services portfolio also saw some rationalisation of sites, resulting in the closure of
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three services, two childcare and one kindergarten, as a result of low utilisation, reflecting demographic changes in their catchment. This contraction was partly offset by the procurement of one new service in Whittlesea, where TRY continues to expand its footprint and build strong connections with the community. Further acquisitions have commenced for four new services are scheduled to open in early 2021. The organisation continues to improve internal processes of risk management with the completion of the information technology changes to address issues raised in the cybersecurity audit as well as maturing organisation wide internal processes of risk analysis and review. The Board has commenced a governance renewal initiative to evaluate and re-focus governance processes on the future needs of the organisation. This initiative is planned to be implemented in 2021. During the year TRY signified its intent to join the National Redress Scheme and commenced the application process to be declared a participating institution. At the Board level there have been a number of changes with the resignation of Ms Nikki Clarkson and long serving member Mr Keith Louie. We sincerely thank them both for their dedication to TRY over many years. Delivering Impact Despite the necessary organisation adjustments in response to the pandemic, the streamlining of our operations, and the broader economic and societal challenges of later FY20, TRY has still delivered excellent social impact results: •
Over 300 young people supported through our youth mentoring program
•
Over 2,900 children and their families, benefiting from high quality Early Childhood Education and Care
•
30% of families on Kindergarten Fee Subsidy or Early Start Kindergarten subsidy
•
Over 13 new jobs created through our Social Enterprise
As ever the impact of our work is best told through the stories of the people who benefit directly, and we encourage you to read some of the uplifting stories about our programs in action on pages 11-15. Financial Results From a financial perspective, Children’s Services continued operations during the year, albeit with significantly lower attendances from March 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Without government assistance, comprising JobKeeper and Child Care Subsidy relief payments, Children’s Services would have returned a significant deficit. The rationalisation of kindergarten and childcare portfolios and the closure of TRY Learn (RTO) and TRY Build/Uncontained resulted in significant redundancy and wind-up costs. The financial impacts of these decisions, resulted in the diminution of TRY reserves. While deemed an essential service, the environment for TRY as an Early Years Manager (EYM) will continue to be challenging into 2021 and beyond, without significant changes to existing funding and fee for service arrangements for the EYM model. To better plan financial and project initiatives to align with the rhythm of our businesses, TRY will move to a financial year aligned with the calendar year. This will result in a 6-month term for the next financial period (2nd half 2020) before moving to a 12-month financial year for 2021. We are proud of the way the organisation has responded to the incredible challenges faced in 2020, and thank and acknowledge all our staff, volunteers, and the Board for their passion, extraordinary hard work, and commitment. 2021 looks set to be a year of continued transition towards a rejuvenated and more impactful TRY. James Meares, Board Chair Angela Forbes, CEO
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Our Legacy 2020 marks our 137th anniversary in making a meaningful difference.
1883
In 1883, on the streets of Melbourne an entrepreneur called William M Forster believed, “if you TRY, you will succeed”. However, he believed this was only possible if everyone was given a chance and the tools to succeed.
1894
From there, in 1894 the Girl’s TRY Society was created, later being renamed to the Hawksburn Girls Club, it helped over 500 girls before closing in 1910. Classes on offer, included gymnastics, dress making, cookery, elocution, writing, and singing.
1900s
2020
Through the next half century, TRY continued to expand its operations. In the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s a focus was on establishing community centres, youth clubs and even football teams. In 1951, TRY established a youth hostel in Prahran and in 1979 a refugee hostel in Greensborough. In 1996, the first kindergarten and childcare services were included in TRY’s portfolio of community services. Fast forward to today, similarly to WM Forster, we seek to meet identified social needs, which create meaningful outcomes that influence a community and a generation. Mentoring continues to support vulnerable youth in line with Forster's vision. We remain committed to providing young people with opportunities, guidance and skills through our work and employment pathways, and continue our commitment to early education and care.
Forster was a merchant, saddler and philanthropist. Concerned for the welfare of children and young people, he offered street children leadership and guidance at his home by also offering them a warm meal. From there TRY was formed and grew from strength to strength. It was the beginning of a self-help movement that quickly garnered support from politicians and wealthy donors across Melbourne and was guided by social equality. Initially a ‘club’ where boys could find recreational activities, Forster eventually introduced educational activities, such as, boot repairing, carpentry, book keeping, reading, writing, elocution, printing, and singing. He was a man ahead of his times with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. In 1892 he extended TRY’s activities to include an employment bureau and a penny saving bank. He also inaugurated a sickness insurance scheme. Members paid threepence a month and when unable to work because of sickness drew a sickness benefit of five shillings a week.
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Our Board of Directors
James Meares
Anne King
Craig Bryan
Chair, Finance Committee
Greg Oliver
Member, Risk & Compliance Committee
Jane Brockington
Jo Watson
Katherine Ellis
Sharon Smith
Board Chair; Member, Board Performance Audit & Risk Committee; Marketing Working Group
Chair, Board Performance Audit & Risk Committee
Member, Marketing Working Group
Member, HR Remuneration & Nomination Committee
Our Executive Team Jon Perry
Bradley Frohnert
Julie Morris
Jacki Reid
General Manager, Corporate Services
General Manager, People & Culture
Angela Forbes
Chief Executive Officer
Janet-Williams Smith
General Manager, Youth & Enterprises
Manager - Marketing, Communications & Fundraising
General Manager, Early Learning
Directors who retired in the period under report: Nikki Clarkson and Keith Louie.
Member, Finance Committee
Member, Finance Committee
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Annual Snapshot We partner with children and young people at pivotal times in their lives to facilitate a journey of engagement and accomplishment. Because we know that when children and young people thrive, together with their communities, it improves the shape of society for us all. In FY20 we're proud to have empowered over 3,200 children and young people with social and educational foundations, so they and their communities can thrive.
Children's Services: An Approved Provider of the Department of Education and Training, we partner with children and families early in life to develop and nurture social and educational foundations, so children can maximise their capabilities, contribute, accomplish and grow together with their community.
2,932
Children enrolled at a TRY childcare or kindergarten service as at June 2019
30%
Of enroled children eligible for Early Start Kindergarten
88%
Of services meet or exceed the National Quality Standards, 6% higher than the national average
45
Services spanning 18 Local Government Areas
Social Enterprise:
Youth Mentoring:
A Social Traders certified organisation, we tackle youth unemployment through job pathways and work based training opportunities for young people facing barriers to participation and inclusion in the workforce, so they can learn, earn and accomplish together with their community.
Accredited by the Department of Health and Human Services, we connect at-risk and vulnerable young people with mentors to build and nurture social connections so young people have the confidence and resilience to contribute, accomplish and grow together with their community.
13
317
New jobs created
17,925
Hours of employment created
$4,200
Direct financial investment for each worker to support their transition into work and learning and development
30+
Individual accrediations and certificates gained by our workers
5
Workers graduated into external employment, accessing improved earning and progression opportunities
Young people supported through a TRY mentoring 1:1 or group program
65
New mentors recruited, screened and trained
52
New 1:1 matches made
19
Group programs run in partnership with schools and community groups
TRY People: Our work is made possible by the expertise and dedication of our employees and volunteers, and the strong partnerships they foster with our clients and supporters.
395
Employees as at 30 June 2020
396
Volunteers across our Children's Services and Youth Mentoring programs
93%
Of our workforce is female vs the national average of 38.4%
42%
Of our workforce have been with us for more than 5 years
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Children's Services in Action:
Breaking the chain of Educational Disadvantage Our enhanced approach to Early Years Management prioritises the role Early Childhood Education and Care services play, as critical sources of support for families early in life.
As COVID-19 hit Victoria and exacerbated existing family stressors, TRY had an important role to play — ensuring vulnerable children maintained access to safe environments and life-changing education. In the outer reaches of Melton, Victoria, single mum Maya is determined to be a good parent to Stacee 3 and Shayne 4. With three older children removed from her care Maya can't stand to lose her babies. But her desire to support her children is made challenging by personal trauma and diagnosed anxiety disorder. When COVID-19 hit Maya was extremely worried about the risk of contracting COVID-19 and getting in trouble with the authorities as a result. She felt the only safe choice was keeping her children at home from kindergarten. Acting early, our TRY Family Support Facilitator and Educators at the children's kindergarten supported Maya with home delivered activity packs to keep her and the children connected
*Names have been changed, models pictured.
to the kindergarten. At the same time we reached out to Maya's Aboriginal Pathways Worker to identify ways we could further support the family and build Maya's confidence to send Stacee and Shayne to kindergarten - so they could benefit from the transformative power of early years education. We're proud to say that through open dialogue and activities, including showing Maya pictures of our enhanced hygiene practices and playing hand washing games, we helped her to see that she was doing a great job of protecting herself and her children from the risks of COVID-19. And that's not all, armed with this confidence Maya was empowered to send her children back to kindergarten, where we're delighted to report that they are happy and thriving. Without proactive outreach and support, Stacee and Shayne could have missed out on important formative early eduction embedding a cycle of educational disadvantage.
In 2020 we supported over 200 children experiencing vulnerability and risk to maintain participation in universal early years education. Ensuring that children and thier families stay connected and remain involved is evidence of our progressive universalism approach.
We know that education - and early education particularly - is one of the best ways to achieve parity for Indigenous children in Australia. Being able to support mums like Maya in a collaborative way, empowering them to feel confident to access and benefit from universal services is one of the ways TRY is truly unique and progressive in our approach to Early Childhood Education and Care. Ellen Smith, TRY - Family Support Facilitator
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Social Enterprise in Action:
Helping Ben Prove that Autism is no Barrier to Work Through our Social Enterprise, TRY Work, we partner with young people and industry to break down barriers that exclude young people from the workforce. Empowering young people to seize opportunities to learn, earn and thrive in their communities.
For Ben, autism had proven to be a barrier for a number of things in life, but he was determined for work to not be one of them.
Ben loves his work and we continually get fantastic feedback about him from clients and colleagues alike.
After leaving high school at 18, Ben was referred to TRY and with our help took the first steps to a career by completing a Certificate I in Building Construction.
And it’s not just Ben’s career that we were able to help him with.
But Ben wasn’t ready to stop there. He knew that he needed to keep going to break into the industry, so he went on to complete his Certificate II and built up his experience doing labouring work with TRY Work. We’re proud to say that Ben’s hard work and positive attitude have paid off. With his qualifications and work experience, Ben has been able to successfully transition into the workforce, and today he’s working 15-30 hours a week, earning his own money from a career that he’s built (pardon the pun) – he’s even purchased a new car!
*Names have been changed, models pictured.
TRY Work also helped Ben and his family navigate the NDIS to get the financial support that will help Ben work full-time one day, and gain greater independence and quality of life. Ben’s life could have been very different without the support of TRY Work. As is the case for many with autism, Ben could have ended up with limited or no job opportunities. Instead, he’s a participating member of the community, a happy one at that, living a quality of life he may not have otherwise had.
In the past few years I have been able to watch my son grow into a more independent individual. TRY Australia has given my son a purpose, and the ability to set goals for himself – which he had never been able to do before. He had always feared what the future held for him, as he had no drive or ambition to direct him. Now, he sees for himself a future career with TRY Work. We cannot thank the team enough for what they’ve done for Ben. Ben's Mum
Since 2005 we’ve created over 16,000 hours of training and paid employment each year, supporting more than 35 young people, like Ben, to break the cycle of unemployment and take control of their futures.
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Youth Mentoring in Action:
Tackling Youth Disengagement, Together with Schools Our 1:1 and group mentoring programs partner with young people facing barriers to inclusion and participation. Through consistent companionship and role modeling we nurture social connections and confidence so that young people can accomplish their goals and thrive together with their community. In Victoria today, more than one in four young people report problematic levels of loneliness, a critical risk marker for isolation and disengagement.
The programs support improved relationships in the school community, peer to peer empathy and the ability for young people to seek out and welcome support.
For young people who have experienced trauma (such as abuse or neglect), mental health illness or disability, the risk of disengaging and poorer life outcomes is even higher.
Run weekly, the programs engage students by working collaboratively to develop and implement projects based on the group’s interests.
In suburbs such as Werribee in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs, a higher proportion of young people are exposed to experiences that put them at risk of disengagement and social isolation, increasing the risk of suicide and long term mental health issues. Recognising this challenge, Werribee Primary School and Werribee Secondary College wanted to take action. So together with the support of Wyndham City Council, they partnered with TRY to provide life-changing group mentoring programs for their most at risk students.
By providing a safe and supervised space, experienced TRY youth workers and trained volunteers, are able to build relationships with young people in order to provide support in a casual and inviting environment. At Werribee Primary School, group projects have given life to a new vegetable plot and a Gaga Pit, both of which have become firm favourites within the school community. Students reported feeling more confident and better able to express themselves. And the staff agree! Praising the program for providing personalised support outside of a classroom setting and increasing school attendance.
TRY Mentoring has made strong connections with our students, releasing their inner potential. TRY Mentoring tackles really big problems in small steps with kids who are unwilling to engage. It recognises individual strengths and harnesses them to build self-esteem and confidence. We really do value it. If it wasn’t working, we wouldn’t have it back again and again but we really notice a change in kids from the weekly catch ups. Samuel Carlton, Wellbeing Coordinator, Werribee Primary School
Since 2015 over 750 young people have participated in our 1:1 or group mentoring programs, supporting them to build confidence, resilience and critical connections to community.
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Financial Summary Revenue: $25,548,275 Expenditure: $28,031,654 Our revenue is generated from our social enterprises, Government service delivery funding, fees for services and fundraising. 100% of our profits from these activities are reinvested back into our social programs and initiatives.
REVENUE:
EXPENDITURE:
GOVERNMENT FUNDING (75%)
CHILDREN'S SERVICES (66%)
FEE FOR SERVICE (23%)
SOCIAL ENTERPRISES (7%)
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE (2%)
ADMINISTRATION (25%)
FUNDRAISING (1%)
MENTORING PROGRAMS (2%)
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Trusts, Foundations and Supporters Our achievements are made possible due to the tremendous support of our partners and funders. We are deeply grateful and look forward to working together in the year ahead. TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PEAK BODIES & COUNCILS
Alfred Health
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority
Early Childhood Australia
Department of Education & Training
Early Learning and Care Council of Australia
Foundation of Graduates in Early Childhood Studies Gaudry Foundation Menzies Caring for Kids Tobin Brothers Foundation Valda Twaddle Trust Percy Baxter Charitable Trust Scanlon Foundation
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT Department of Education & Training Department of Justice & Regulation Melbourne Magistrates Court Victorian School Building Authority
Woolworths Junior Landcare
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Berwick Secondary College Cranbourne East Secondary College Emerson Secondary College Gleneagles Secondary Collage Hallam Senior College Hastings Primary School Kambrya Secondary College Kingsley Park Primary School Lyndale Secondary College Lyndhurst Secondary College Manorvale Primary School McClelland College Mount Waverley Secondary College The Patch Primary School Thomastown Primary School Werribee Primary School Werribee Secondary College Mt Erin Secondary College
Youth Affairs Council Victoria
Department of Health & Human Services
William Buckland Foundation
SCHOOLS
Early Learning Association Australia
Cardinia Shire Council
City of Casey City of Greater Dandenong City of Stonnington City of Whittlesea Corangamite Shire Council Banyule City Council Frankston City Council Hobsons Bay City Council Kingston City Council Manningham City Council Melton City Council Maroondah City Council Mitchell Shire Council Moonee Valley City Council Monash City Council Moreland City Council Mornington Peninsula Shire Nillumbik Shire Council Playford City Council Wyndham City Council Yarra City Council Yarra Ranges Shire Council
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS & PARTNERS Boral Castlefield: Childcare & Community Centres CPB Contractors Fulton Hogan Job Services Australia Job Prospects Kane Constructions Metricon Homes McConnell Dowell Match Works Social Traders
CORPORATE OFFICE Suite 3, Building 2, 88 Ricketts Road, Mount Waverley, 3149
(03) 8545 9500 info@try.org.au www.try.org.au
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as Australia’s First Peoples and as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Patron: The Honourable Linda Dessau, AC Governor of Victoria TRY acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government
