Bureau urged to expand services

DANDENONG Community Advice Bureau (DCAB) has been urged to expand its range of services after rejecting a plan to merge with its Springvale equivalent.
The City of Greater Dandenong produced a report this week recommending councillors encourage DCAB to expand its range of services.
The report, by social development manager Mark Patterson, says DCAB offers ‘more traditional’ services such as emergency relief, practical assistance and a no-interest loan scheme.
The Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau (SCAAB) offered settlement services, child support, counselling and youth services on top of the traditional range of services, he said.
SCAAB and DCAB each receive funding from the council, and the prelude to the investigation aimed to discover whether a unified aid and advice bureau would be more effective.
But while SCAAB supported a merger, DCAB did not.
The council concluded that each bureau was its own incorporated body with a committee and volunteer service, and deserved the right to make its own decision.