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This discussion paper was prepared as a starting point for the consultation process for developing a definition of the social and community services (SACS) industry that would be applied to: provide a framework for future research; identify the constituency of the SACS Industry Training Board (ITAB); contribute to the establishment of a national definition; and advise the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on appropriate changes to the ways that SACS industry-related data are collected and classified. The paper is based on a survey of existing literature and definitions and on consultations with employers, providers, unions and researchers. A range of options for defining the industry is presented. The preferred option is a criteria-based one that has, as its key element, the type of work done by individual workers or within the provision of a service or a program and involves testing an item such as an occupation, against a set of core occupations, services or programs to determine if it can be included within the SACS industry. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Context: why an industry definition; An overview of SACS - central issues and features; Existing definitions; Frameworks; Methodology and discussion; Options for definition of SACS; Preferred option. Included as appendices are: Bibliography; List of persons/agencies consulted; QCOSS diagram; Core occupations; Core services/programmes.