Rural Financial Counselling Service program review
Consultation has concluded
We reviewed the operation and structure of the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) program. This was for the 2016 to 2020 funding round.
Read the final report
- Internal review of the 2016—2020 Rural Financial Counselling Service Program PDF (1.1 MB)
- Internal review of the 2016—2020 Rural Financial Counselling Service Program DOCX (895 KB).
What we asked
We sought ideas for ways to improve or enhance the RFCS program in future funding rounds, to ensure the best outcomes for clients.
Read the:
- Terms of reference PDF (453 KB)
- Discussion paper PDF (580 KB).
How you had your say
We conducted targeted and public consultation between April and June 2019.
During this time, we:
- spoke to around 150 people across Australia
- received 34 written submissions.
Participants included:
- RFCS providers and counsellors
- state and territory governments and rural support agencies
- relevant Commonwealth agencies
- relevant industry organizations
- RFCS clients.
What you said
Overall, people were positive about how the RFCS program contributes to individual clients and to rural and regional communities.
Some stakeholders suggested ideas we could explore to enhance outcomes for clients, in the areas of:
- the role of the RFCS
- service structure
- funding arrangements
- service delivery
- coordination and support
- monitoring and evaluation.
What happens next?
Outcomes of the review have been used to inform the 2021 to 2024 RFCS funding round. Applications for the round opened on 6 November 2020 and will close on 11 December 2020. The results will be announced in early 2021. Further information, including program guidelines and grant application details, is available on the Community Grants Hub.
