Social Policy Planning Unit

The Social Policy Planning Unit, located within the Department of Social Welfare and its successors, was established in 1975. It conducted research into policy change and made recommendations to the Director of the Department. The Unit closed in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

The Social Policy Planning Unit employed a Unit Supervisor, a clerical officer, and two project officers. The Supervisor undertook a 15 week course in social planning at the Department of Social Studies, Melbourne University, shortly after taking up the position.

The Unit investigated the following projects:

• To increase the numbers of honorary child welfare officers in order to involve the community in the supervision of children
• To develop an alternative to institutional care for adolescents considered to be delinquent
• To provide families with budgeting advice
• To establish a home help and homemaker service
• To write information sheets about the Department’s activities
• To revise and up-date the child welfare officers’ manual and make it more accessible
• To form a student unit within the Department to provide practical experience for social work students at the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education
• To work out a scheme for increasing recruitments
• To investigate staffing requirements and devise a program for the proposed Remand and Assessment Centre

A grant from the Commonwealth government enabled the establishment of the Social Policy Planning Unit. In 1976, the Commonwealth withdrew the grant. The State government decided to fund it instead.