ABSTRACT
Since non-government organisations play such an important role in human services, it is important to move beyond the policy-cycle approach, which assumes a central governmental role in public policy formulation. The policy-cycle approach is framed in terms of authoritative choice; it assumes a central role for the government in agenda setting, problem definition, program articulation and outcome analysis. The purpose of this example is to show how innovations in the non-government sector can have a far-reaching impact on policy and practice, from outside government. Historically, human services provision was primarily a responsibility of state bureaucracy but the province of families, communities and charities. The nature of the relationship between the government and non-government organisations in the human services field has been contentious, has fluctuated between the poles of separation and collaboration. The policy role of the Commonwealth in human services tends to be focused on finance, since someone else is usually doing the work with the assistance of commonwealth funding.
