Department of Family and Community Services

What Department of Family and Community Services does

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), formerly the Department of Family and Community Services, is a NSW Government state entity responsible for delivering statutory human services across New South Wales, Australia. DCJ serves vulnerable populations including children and young people at risk of harm, adults and families experiencing housing need or homelessness, victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, people requiring legal services, people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, multicultural communities, carers, and seniors. All services are provided free of charge, funded entirely through NSW Government budget allocations, with no commercial revenue generation. The department holds statutory responsibility for child protection, out-of-home care, social housing, and justice services, and is accountable to the NSW Parliament under Ministers for Communities and Justice.

DCJ operates a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms and service programs. The core technology stack centres on ChildStory, a modular case management system for child protection with Casework, Partner Community, mandatory Reporter, Mobile, and Carer Connect NSW modules, and MyHousing, a self-service housing portal with a mobile companion for social housing applications, tenancy management, and private rental assistance including Rentstart bond loans. Research and analytics is delivered through FACSIAR and the Human Services Dataset (HSDS), a linked administrative dataset enabling longitudinal cross-agency research. Additional technology assets include the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Portal for disability service providers, Justice of the Peace Services, and grant program platforms for the Community Housing Innovation Fund (CHIF), Social Housing Accelerator Fund (SHAF), and Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF). Accessibility features include ReadSpeaker text-to-speech integration and translation services covering more than 50 languages.

Distribution operates through 129 physical service locations across NSW comprising DCJ Housing offices and Community Services Centres, complemented by 24/7 crisis helplines (Child Protection Helpline, Domestic Violence Line, Link2Home Homelessness) and a contracted community housing delivery network including Anglicare, Homes North, SEARMS, Southern Cross Community Housing, and Momentum Collective. The business model is public-sector: DCJ is owned by the people of NSW through the state government, has no venture capital or private equity ownership, and generates no commercial revenue. Internal subsidiaries include Homes NSW (social housing), ChildStory (case management), and FACSIAR (research). The department was restructured from Family and Community Services to Communities and Justice to incorporate justice functions alongside community services, and operates under an expanded statutory remit including appointed Anti-Slavery, Women's Safety, Surveillance Devices, and Oversight Commissioners.

Name

Department of Family and Community Services

Legal name

Department of Communities and Justice

Website

https://facs.nsw.gov.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Department of Communities and Justice (formerly Family and Community Services) is a NSW Government department delivering child protection, housing, homelessness, domestic violence, and legal services to NSW residents through 129 service locations and digital platforms including ChildStory and MyHousing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Human Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Child protection services
• Social housing services
• Homelessness support services
• Out-of-home care
• Legal assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Strawberry Hill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government funding: Funded entirely through NSW Government budget allocations and appropriations. No commercial revenue generation as this is a public sector department providing essential human services.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DCJ (formerly Department of Family and Community Services) provides statutory human services for NSW residents including child protection, out-of-home care, social housing, homelessness support, domestic and family violence services, legal assistance, and disability support. The department delivers these services through a combination of digital platforms (ChildStory, MyHousing), 129 physical service locations across NSW, 24/7 crisis helplines, and contracted community housing providers.

Product overview

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) offers a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms and service programs for NSW government human services. The core systems include ChildStory (a modular case management platform with Casework, Partner Community, Reporter, and Mobile components for child protection and out-of-home care), MyHousing (housing services portal with Mobile app for tenancy management and private rental assistance), and FACSIAR (research and analytics division providing the Human Services Dataset). Supporting services include the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Portal for disability services, LINKS Training and Support for care providers, and various grant programs (CHIF, SHAF, HIF) for housing and homelessness innovation. These platforms are complemented by accessibility tools including text-to-speech integration, language translation services supporting 50+ languages, and JJ services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChildStory: Case management system for child protection services
• Homes NSW
• FACSIAR
• Link2Home
• Safer Pathway

Products and services

• ChildStory case management system
• MyHousing self-service portal and mobile app
• Housing Pathways
• Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Support Program
• LINKS Training and Support
• LINKS Trauma Healing Service
• Restrictive Practices Authorisation Portal
• Justice of the Peace Services
• Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR)
• Human Services Dataset (HSDS)
• Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF)
• Community Housing Innovation Fund (CHIF)
• Social Housing Accelerator Fund (SHAF)

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AnglicarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnglicare is a contracted community housing provider delivering housing services including Housing Pathways and private rental products through their offices in NSW.
• Homes North Community HousingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHomes North Community Housing (Armidale Homes North) is a community housing provider delivering tenancy management and private rental products in the Armidale region.
• SEARMS Community Housing Aboriginal CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAboriginal community-controlled housing organisation delivering Housing Pathways services in Batemans Bay region.
• Southern Cross Community HousingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity housing provider delivering Housing Pathways services in Batemans Bay region.
• Momentum CollectivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity housing provider (Ballina Momentum Collective) delivering Housing Pathways in the Ballina region.
• Aboriginal community-controlled organisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCJ works with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations for out-of-home care, including transition to Aboriginal out-of-home care agencies and implementation of Family is Culture program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Ontario's provincial ministry responsible for child welfare, social assistance, and developmental services. Comparable as a sub-national government operator with statutory child protection and social-services mandate.
• California Department of Social Services: California's state agency for child welfare, housing assistance, and in-home supportive services. Comparable as a large US state delivering child protection, housing, and disability supports.
• Western Australian Department of Communities: WA's state human services and housing department, with mandate spanning child protection, housing, and community services. A close state-level analogue to DCJ's portfolio.
• Queensland Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services: Queensland's state department delivering child protection, youth justice, and seniors/disability services. Comparable to DCJ for child protection case management, statutory OOHC, and Aboriginal family-led programs.
• Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing: Victoria's state-level human services department responsible for child protection, housing, and family services. The closest functional state peer in Australia with an almost identical mandate across child protection, housing, and DV.
• New Zealand Ministry of Social Development: New Zealand's national ministry delivering income support, housing, and child welfare services. Comparable as a comprehensive public-sector human services operator in a similar Australasian policy context.
• South Australian Department of Human Services: South Australia's centralised human services delivery agency covering housing, child protection, and community services. Functionally analogous to DCJ across multiple service lines.

Broad incumbents

• UK Department for Work and Pensions: UK national agency administering welfare, pensions, and labour-market support. Comparable in scale and complexity of social services administration even though child protection sits elsewhere in the UK system.
• Australian Government Department of Social Services: Australian federal counterpart that funds and shapes policy for income support, family services, and ageing programs. Comparable as the national-level steward of similar human services portfolios, although DCJ delivers at the state level.

Regional players

• Tasmanian Department of Communities Tasmania: Tasmania's smaller state human services department covering child safety, housing, and community inclusion. Comparable service mix to DCJ but at materially smaller scale, useful for benchmarking digital platform rollout.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/facsnsw
• Facebookfacebook.com/nswdcj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3706
• Instagraminstagram.com/nswdcj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Family and Community Services