Annual accountability
Annual accountability requirements, information about the process, and resources to assist with preparing submissions. Annual accountability applies to DCJ service providers that deliver funded contracts.
Unspent funds requirements for 2022–2023
These requirements for the 2022–2023 financial year supplement the DCJ unspent funds requirements.
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Exceptions to the unspent funds requirements
Your organisation may retain unspent funds if:
- the amount is $500 (excl GST) or less, or
- the contract is for any of the following programs:
- Aboriginal Homelessness Sector Growth Project
- Community Legal Centre – Domestic & Family Violence
- Commonwealth National Partnership Agreement Funding, where funded by the Commonwealth
- Family Connect and Support
- Family Outreach and Child Adolescent Service (FOCAS) 2022–2023
- Opportunity Pathways – Social Impact Investment
- Out-of-Home Care Contracted Care, see special note below
- Permanency Support Program, see special note below
- Rent Choice Start Safely Trial
- Sector Coordinator
- Staying Home Leaving Violence
- Supporting Families into Early Childhood Education
- Targeted Earlier Intervention, subject to special condition below
- Thriving Families
- Women’s Disaster Recovery Mobile Service
- Youth Frontiers Program, or
- your organisation received a special COVID payment in 2023, and was given an extension to carry forward spending, or
- the funding was paid in advance for use in following financial years, or
- the contract states you may retain unspent funds for future use with the program, or
- your organisation received other written approval from DCJ to retain unspent funds for future use with the program.
If your organisation’s situation doesn’t meet any of the exceptions listed, and you have a compelling reason to retain and use the unspent funds for a specific purpose, you must apply for DCJ’s consent. Refer to the instructions for applying for consent to retain and use unspent funds.
Special note for Permanency Support Program (PSP) and Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) Contracted Care providers
DCJ has completed the 2020–2021 reconciliation of PSP payments made to service providers contracted to deliver Foster Care and Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) and agreed this with all providers.
By June 2023, DCJ aims to complete a reconciliation of PSP payments for the 2021–2022 financial year and Q1 of 2022–2023.
By October 2023, service providers will be sent the reconciliation for Q2–Q4 2022–2023.
As specified in the payment provisions of the PSP Program Level Agreement (clauses 5.3–5.5), the advance quarterly payment following the reconciliation will be adjusted to account for funds owed to or to be recovered from you.
If you’ve identified unspent funds and DCJ has verified them during the reconciliation, you may retain these unspent funds for future use with the program, as agreed in the contract. If reconciliation results in a discrepancy in the payment, DCJ will contact you to resolve.
Note that COVID-19 Emergency Action Payments made to PSP and OOHC Contracted Care providers are subject to monthly reconciliation.
Special condition for Targeted Earlier Intervention programs
While you have DCJ’s consent to retain unspent funds, you must obtain our consent prior to committing the funds, for how and when you will use them for the program services. Refer to the instructions for applying for consent to retain and use unspent funds.
Applying for consent to retain and use unspent funds
You must obtain consent from DCJ if you have a compelling reason to retain and use unspent funds for a specific purpose. Don’t commit or spend the funds until you’ve received written notification from us.
To make an application, you must fill in and submit an Application for consent to retain and use funds unspent in 2022–2023, as part of your annual accountability reporting. Note that DCJ will only accept applications made using the DCJ form.
In the application you must:
- state the reason the funds were not spent
- explain how your planned re-allocation and use of the funds will meet the core objectives of the program
- describe the expected benefits of the re-allocation of the unspent funds, and how this would be in addition to the normal contract outcome for which annual funding is provided
- provide a detailed plan, budget and timeframes for the benefits to be achieved.
Upload your application and any supporting documents to the Contracting Portal as part of the applicable contract-level accountability submission. We won’t consider applications lodged via email.
If you submit an application for consent to retain unspent funds, your DCJ contract manager will contact you to discuss it.
Your DCJ contract manager considers whether to support the application and makes a recommendation to the program manager, who makes the final decision.
Once a decision is made, we’ll notify you in writing.