Leadership (Case Study Sample)

Welfare System for the Aboriginals and Torrens Islanders A background analysis and context show that the Aboriginal and Torrens Islanders are a suitable choice for this research. Initially, Aborigines remained excluded that threatened their survival in mid-20th century. In fact, the population count of this groups at only 1% of the Australian population in 1950s translating to about 80,000 (Altman & Sanders, 2006). Efforts put in place featured the implementation of policies that changed this situation. Historically, the population were incorporated in the Australian welfare state at the beginning of 1970s as a result of legislative enactments. This included changing laws that encouraged direct involvement of the Aborigines. In 1980s the efforts also initiated programs that incentivized the community through various ways such as providing financial resources for the community. Scholarships cite several problems that arose as a result of these efforts including the overdependence in these social welfare programs (Schultz et al., 2018). More measures were put in place to improve the welfare of this community which remained a minority. For instance, the 1971 Census accounted for the Aborigines for the first time. This were followed by major institutional changes that saw the creation of the Department of the Aborigines Affairs. Land rights and other measures were used adopted to attempt to reduce the exclusion of this community. This study seeks to determine whether these efforts of the enhancing the welfare system of the Aborigines and Torres Islanders have been effective. The paper considers the welfare system that has been used to rehabilitate the Aborigines and Torres Islanders. Its primary objective is to identify the resources that is specific to this group before determine their effectiveness. In order to determine this, it is necessary to consider some of the crucial areas that the Welfare system touches. As part of the research, this paper considers the economic state for the Aborigines and Torres Islanders as the first metric. Housing and employment are considered as part of the economic wellbeing of these population. Community safety is also a crucial indicator that helps determine the efficiency of the welfare system adopted to improve inclusivity of this group. What is more, health is an essential factor indicating the milestones in the welfare system. An analysis of this aspect considers the general health, disability, and prevalence of different conditions which affect the community. It also factors in the life expectancy of this population as it provides a background for evaluating the welfare system. Programs and Services that Define Aboriginal’s Welfare System One of the areas which the Australian government has focused on is the empowering the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders community and health services. Recent efforts have featured initiation of various programs that boost the wellbeing of this population’s health systems. COVID-19 Aboriginal Health Resources is among these programs that boost the health situation for this population. Through this program, the government provides information about the wellbeing of the community (Cook, 2020). It also avails crucial information such as vaccination and testing data which boost the wellbeing in the society. Aboriginal Community Controlled Organizations (ACCO) is essential as it focuses on providing health incentives for children. It complements the Aboriginal Child, Family, and Community Care State Secretariat (AbSec) which boosts the health systems by ensuring child protection with care policies on concerns that impact young families. Other programs have been rolled out by the Australian Red Cross, First People’s Disability Network with Your Room providing information on drugs and drug abuse. Culture education and family is another area that has been focused on. The Australian government established the National Archives of Australia which provides records and relevant history about the Aborigines and Torres Islanders. It supplements the National Library of Australia which provides a wide range of resources on indigenous culture. Educational programs have been are boosted by organizations such as Aboriginal Education Council (AEC). The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies enhances research about the population. Find & Connect is an online database that specializes in information on the orphanages in the country. Family is also promoted by the welfare system as evident in programs such as Link-Up (NSW) which provides information about Stolen Generation. This reinforces the argument on better family values and less family-based violence (Stanley et al., 2002). Link-Up NSW encourages good values while reuniting family members. NSW Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages also provide access to records about family. Aboriginal Hostels Limited is one of the programs that help boost welfare of this population in terms of housing. It has put in place a network of facilities that accommodate indigenous Australians that have to stay away from home. Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) collaborates with housing providers in order to avail assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Islanders who have no access to quality yet affordable housing. Other programs have been put in place by the Aboriginal Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services. This is a Non-Profits Organization that promotes the interests of the Aborigines who are lodgers, tenants, and boarders. It provides contacts of centers that offer accommodation within the legal framework. Noteworthy, financial support are other services that seek to improve the economic state of the Aborigines. Services offered under this category include Centrelink Indigenous Call Centre that provides information about financial services for free. First Home Owner Grant is another service that is provided through the welfare system. This program advances the objectives of housing and accommodation for the Aborigines as it offers grants for first time home owners. Service Australia Payments and Support for Indigenous Australians also offers services related to financial information. It has a wide portfolio of services that it directs towards helping Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Savings Finder is an Australian government-owned database that provides saving programs. It offers rebates and vouchers that encourages a saving culture among the citizens. In particular, Aborigines and Torres Islanders can search for personalized savings alternatives. This boosts the welfare of the people financially and economically enhances their social class. Access to Resources and Support in the Welfare System Most of the services and programs are found online. The Australian government and other stakeholders have taken advantage of technological advancements to improve accessibility. Availability is part of the primary objectives of welfare systems. Cho et al. (2021) use this as their thesis while evaluating the availability of welfare services for the elderly. The welfare system in Australia is has been enhanced to ensure they are accessible. This is possible because the Australian population remains positive towards welfare programs with positivity that they will beneficial (Schofield & Butterworth, 2015). Some programs are specific to the Aborigines while others are available to the whole of the populations. Although most of the programs are dedicated towards the whole of the population, there are other programs that only allows Aboriginals and Torres Islanders as the eligible groups. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the System The effectiveness of the welfare system for the Aborigines and Torres Islanders can be determined from the incentives have been availed to the population. For instance, the economic success of the system can be determined by employment rates exhibited in the community. Reports show that the unemployment rate in the Aborigines population is at 26% with 60% of the population ranging between 15 to 64 years employed (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015). The unemployment rates for this indigenous population is higher than that of the non-indigenous population. Further analysis shows that this rate was an increase over the years as more indigenous people became unemployed. Most of the population employed from this group were in the informal sector. A larger number of the Aborigines employed were not trained professional when compared to the rest of the population. The median disposable income for the indigenous population increased from $391 weekly to $488 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022). These values take into account the influence of inflation. Even so, the average disposable income when compared rest of the population remained the same during the period. The increase in disposable income for the population shows the high effectiveness of the welfare system. However, the unemployment rates indicate that the Aborigines and Torres Islanders are not better off when compared to other communities. The welfare systems are effective based on the housing information of the Aborigines. The number of home owners who are indigenous rose to 36% in 2011 from 32% in 2011 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015). The housing conditions remain in question because a third of the indigenous population reported at least one problem with their structural dwelling. This included houses that lacked some facilities with malfunctions in those that were present. Despite this, statistics showed that the population of those who lived in overcrowded conditions reduced to 13% from 16% in 2001 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015). The contraction of the population of Aborigines and Torres Islanders who live in overcrowded place is coupled by reduction in homelessness. This implies that the welfare systems are efficient in reducing h...