By Paul Hemsley

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has allocated funds to social service organisations to develop online tools to help employees communicate and collaborate with the community.

The Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) was among the not-for-profit community sector organisations to receive $394,000 in the latest round of the Social Innovation Grants (SIG) program to develop an online

Mr Barnett released the funds worth $1,844,900 to six community sector organisations in the sixth round of the state government’s SIG program, which has delivered $9.4 million in grants since the Premier launched it in May 2010.

The Premier’s announcement of the funds to these organisations comes after the government committed itself to working with a “sustainable not-for-profit sector” by allocating additional funding of $604 million in the 2011-12 State Budget.

The SIG program financially supports not-for-profit groups to improve how they deliver social and community services by sharing policy, practice and data across agencies.

Mr Barnett said state government agencies are not always best placed to provide the services that hundreds of community sector organisations deliver.

“Which is why we are empowering the not-for-profit sector to find innovative ways of helping the community,” Mr Barnett said.

He said this is further evidence of the Liberal National Government’s commitment to working in partnership with a sustainable not-for-profit sector.

“This commitment is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of community sector providers for the services they deliver on behalf of government to our community,” Mr Barnett said.

Other projects that received grounds round six are St Patrick’s Community Support Centre’s South Metropolitan Partnership project ($487,400); Zonta House Refuge Association’s Private Rental Assistance program ($25,000 seed funding); Carnamah Historical Society’s virtual volunteering program ($100,000); Youth Affairs Council of WA’s Youth Services mobile phone app ($215,500); and My Place Foundation’s Ben’s House project for people with disabilities ($623,000).