Communities and Justice

TEI Recommissioning 2025

Recommissioning Update – April 2025

The NSW Government is on track to commence the new Community and Family Support program from 1 January 2026, with 5.5 years contracts to 30 June 2031 for those service providers contracted. 

Your engagement and contributions to TEI recommissioning, and the updated Community and Family Support Program Specifications, has been valuable in improving the program and ensuring that the program continues to deliver community and family wellbeing, and safety outcomes for child, young people and families.

The finalised Community and Family Support Program Specifications are expected to be available on the DCJ website by June 2025.

The draft TEI Program Specifications were updated, following initial consultation with the sector throughout 2024.

We communicated late last year that the intention of six-month contract extensions was to pursue alignment with the Foundational Supports system being established. With Commonwealth, State and Territory negotiations ongoing, the intention to align these two programs remains.

If this is not achievable, we will proceed with new Community and Family Support Program contracts, commencing 1 January 2026.

DCJ intends to invite service providers to engage in contract negotiations for the new Community and Family Support program from August 2025.

The NSW Government is committed to consulting with the TEI sector on the design of Foundational Supports in NSW, with a focus on if and how delivery of this program could align with the new Community and Family Support program to provide opportunities for the sector.

We will keep you updated on when sector engagement is expected to commence. 

TEI Recommissioning

The NSW Government is committed to continuing to invest in early intervention programs that improve outcomes for vulnerable children, young people, families and communities.

DCJ is recommissioning the Targeted Earlier Intervention (TEI) and Family Connect and Support (FCS) programs with new 5.5-year contracts to commence from 1 January 2026. DCJ intends to merge TEI and FCS into one program. The new program name will be Community and Family Support program (CFS), from 1 January 2026.  

TEI recommissioning will be undertaken within the context of several NSW and National priority reforms and initiatives, including:

  • the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
  • Family is Culture, the Independent Review of Aboriginal Children and Young People in Out of Home Care in NSW
  • Safe and Supported, the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children.

DCJ is committed to working towards a 30% Aboriginal Community Controlled sector investment target in its early intervention programs.

Through the recommissioning process, the Minister intends to at least double ACCO investment from the 7.2% as at August 2023. Increased ACCO funding from within the existing TEI program budget is intended to be achieved with minimal disruption to frontline services.

Recommissioning Principles

The TEI recommissioning is driven by the following principles:

1. Aboriginal self-determination

  • Embed Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance principles.
  • Invest 30% of early intervention program funding with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
  • Share decision-making and authority through service system co-design, and Aboriginal-led commissioning.
  • Embed Aboriginal Case Management Policy principles.

2. Flexible and holistic service system

  • Create a streamlined service system that is family and community focused.
  • Build a culturally safe service system.
  • Target resources to the greatest need.

3. Evidence informed practice approach

  • Use evidence to inform service design including data, practitioner expertise, client and community voice.
  • Drive evidence and data driven practice and decision-making.
  • Provide accessible data and evidence of what works.

4. Continuous improvement approach

  • Enhance sector workforce capabilities.
  • Support consistent and quality data for better planning.
  • Build the evidence of what works.

Download the TEI Recommissioning Principles (PDF, 99.5 KB)

Draft Aboriginal-led Commissioning Principles

Consultation on Aboriginal-led commissioning principles is underway. This section will be updated with content shortly.

Recommissioning Approach 2025

DCJ is recommissioning the TEI and FCS programs with new 5.5-year contracts commencing 1 January 2026.

Recommissioning is informed by sector feedback, evaluations, evidence reviews and implementation learnings.

TEI and FCS will be merged into one program from 1 January 2026, to streamline the programs and contracts. The newly combined TEI program will have three program activities:

  1. Community Strengthening
  2. Family Connect and Support
  3. Wellbeing and Safety

Recommissioning will target resources to the greatest need, with funding, where it becomes available, prioritised for investment with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. 

Recommissioning timeline 

  • April-July 2024 Understanding Need and Local Planning - Engage and collaborate with local stakeholders
  • June-September 2024 Local Service System Design - Design a local outcomes-focussed service system with the sector
  • Existing TEI and FCS contracts to be extended (under current Program Specifications), for six months from 1 July 2025 until 31 December 2025.
  • 2025 - Finalise and approve recommissioning planning; negotiate contracts and procurement.
  •  1 January 2026 - new contracts commence.

New program name

In 2024, we consulted with the sector on a new name for the combined TEI and FCS program.  

The new program name, to commence with new contracts in January 2026, will be the Community and Family Support program (CFS).

Latest News and Updates

Please click on the link for the TEI News and Updates page to see the latest information on the TEI recommissioning, including the TEI Inform Newsletter.

Last updated:

30 Apr 2025