About this report In accordance with Ministerial Financial Reporting Direction (FRD) 30A that annual reports be of the financial and business operations of an entity, produced to ‘reports comply with relevant Victorian legislation and not required pronouncements,’ material under relevant legislation and pronouncements is not included in this report. An index which identifies the Department’s compliance with statutory disclosure requirements is provided on page 119. Purpose and functions The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development gained its current form in 2013 following a structural reorganisation. At June 2014, two groups were focused on life stages: the Early Childhood and School Education Group and the Higher Education and Skills Group. Four Groups provided cross-functional support: Regional Services, Infrastructure and Finance, People and Executive Services, and Strategy and Review Groups. The new structure is designed to: improve the level of service enable the Department to deliver its strategic plan and undertake ongoing work ensure services are cost-effective cease duplicated or inefficient functions consolidate functions where this will be more efficient and aligns with strategy. The Department plays a significant role as system designer, purchaser, regulator, and provider of system services across learning and development system, and Victoria’s owner-operator of government schools. The Department influences outcomes across all education and early childhood sectors and service systems, including schools and universities. Each of the roles is outlined below. Department’s System designer Improvements to the outcomes of learning and development system can be Victoria’s driven by improvements to its design. The role is to advise the Department’s Government on design improvements, especially those relating to funding and regulation. Liaison with the Commonwealth is also a critical element of this role. Regular monitoring and evaluation of performance informs system improvements. Owner-operator The Department is the largest owner-operator of educational providers in the state, with more than 1500 government schools. The size of government school system Victoria’s is one of its great strengths, allowing economies of scale and enabling innovation to flourish and be shared. As owner-operator, the Department gives schools a higher level of autonomy than is found in most systems around the world, while setting clear accountabilities and expectations and providing a range of support services. Purchaser The Department funds and holds to account service providers including early childhood intervention services, kindergartens, maternal and child health services, schools, and training providers.
About this report In accordance with Ministerial Financial Reporting Direction (FRD) 30A that annual reports be ‘reports of the financial and business operations of an entity, produced to comply with relevant Victorian legislation and pronouncements,’ material not required under relevant legislation and pronouncements is not included in this report. An index which identifies the Department’s compliance with statutory disclosure requirements is provided on page 119. Purpose and functions The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development gained its current form in 2013 following a structural reorganisation. At June 2014, two groups were focused on life stages: the Early Childhood and School Education Group and the Higher Education and Skills Group. Four Groups provided cross-functional support: Regional Services, Infrastructure and Finance, People and Executive Services, and Strategy and Review Groups. The new structure is designed to: improve the level of service enable the Department to deliver its strategic plan and undertake ongoing work ensure services are cost-effective cease duplicated or inefficient functions consolidate functions where this will be more efficient and aligns with strategy. The Department plays a significant role as system designer, purchaser, regulator, and provider of system services across Victoria’s learning and development system, and owner-operator of government schools. The Department influences outcomes across all education and early childhood sectors and service systems, including schools and universities. Each of the Department’s roles is outlined below. System designer Improvements to the outcomes of Victoria’s learning and development system can be driven by improvements to its design. The Department’s role is to advise the Government on design improvements, especially those relating to funding and regulation. Liaison with the Commonwealth is also a critical element of this role. Regular monitoring and evaluation of performance informs system improvements. Owner-operator The Department is the largest owner-operator of educational providers in the state, with more than 1500 government schools. The size of Victoria’s government school system is one of its great strengths, allowing economies of scale and enabling innovation to flourish and be shared. As owner-operator, the Department gives schools a higher level of autonomy than is found in most systems around the world, while setting clear accountabilities and expectations and providing a range of support services. Purchaser The Department funds and holds to account service providers including early childhood intervention services, kindergartens, maternal and child health services, schools, and training providers.
201314deecdannualreport.docx