Alcohol and other drug services reform
Responses to lodged queries: Week ending 29thNovember
Questions have been de-identified.
Note: Questions 121 to Q134arenewly added responses.
De-identified Query / ResponseQ1: Are briefing or information sessions planned for service providers interested in submitting applications under the new funding model? / A Market Briefing Session will be held within three weeks of the release of the Call for Submissions. The date will be confirmed by the time the Advertised Call for Submissions is released.
Q2: What activities are included in Stage One Recommissioning? / A list of ‘in scope’ activities for stage one recommissioning has been uploaded to the AOD Reform website. Organisations with current Funding and Service Agreements with the Victorian Department of Health that include AOD service delivery are encouraged to check the activity numbers of their funded services against those activities listed as ‘in scope’ on the website. This information can be found on:
Q3: How will peer support functions be incorporated into the new service delivery system / Peer support activity is to be delivered through the Care and Recovery Coordination Stream in each of the 16 catchments rather than being a separate funded activity.
Care and recovery coordination functions will be informed by local catchment based planning which identifies the needs of the community. Together with a suite of treatment and support functions, peer support may be utilised to address the needs of clients and their families. This will promote greater equity in availability of peer support across the state and greater integration within local service systems.
Q4: How will prospective service providers work with homeless and other vulnerable clients? / Prospective service providers will be required to demonstrate how they will work with a range of vulnerable populations, including Aboriginal clients, those with a dual diagnosis, homeless and forensic clients. Vulnerable groups including homeless people must be considered in service delivery plans at catchment level. The Department will not prescribe the way in which this occurs.
Q5: Will the homeless and drug dependency program be in scope for stage one recommissioning? / Yes, refer to query 2. The homeless and drug dependency program will be consolidated under the new care and recovery coordination stream but no longer be subject to a discrete budget. Every catchment will have a care and recovery coordination stream.
The care and recovery coordination functions will be informed by local catchment based planning which identifies the needs of the community. Vulnerable groups including people experiencing homelessness will need to be specifically considered in developing service delivery models at the catchment level. This will promote greater targeting of the homelessness response in all catchments.
Q6: Are programs funded under the Local (Municipal) Drugs Strategy within the scope of the recommissioning process? / Activity 34006 funded under the former Local Municipal Drugs Strategy is included in stage one recommissioning with the exception of peak body funding and youth specific programs. Activities 32021 and 34070 funding under this strategy are exempt.
Q7: Is the scope of some activities moving from state-wide to catchment-level? / Service delivery and resource allocation for some activities currently delivered as state-wide programs will be funded and delivered on a catchment basis. However, catchment boundaries will not restrict people's access and choice in service provider.
Q8: Can state-wide service providers partner with a regional bid? / State-wide service providers may partner with a regional bid subject to the ACS requirements being met.
Q9: Is the framework document available in hard copy? / The New directions for alcohol and drug treatment services: A framework for reform is available online at Hard copies of the framework are not available.
Q10: Are organisations permitted to share data with other organisations to support the preparation of responses to the Advertised Call for Submissions? Should the department be involved in this process? / Individual organisations may choose to disseminate their own aggregate information and data as they see fit subject to information privacy and client confidentiality. The department will not be involved in any such dissemination processes.
Q11: There is a typo on p.30 of the New directions for alcohol and drug treatment services: A framework for reform. GoulburnValley should be represented by dark blue and Hume represented by light blue in the catchment map. / Thank you for alerting us to this error. An updated document has been uploaded to the website.
Q12: Which programs are in scope for Stage One Recommissioning? / Please refer to the response provided for query 2.
Q13: Will separate applications be required for one program that covers multiple geographical catchments? / A prospective service provider may apply to deliver AOD services in one or more catchments in a single application. The application will need to address certain questions on a catchment by catchment basis. This will be clearly indicated in the Advertised Call for Submissions documentation.
Q14: Are Commonwealth funded treatment types such as Forensic Counselling Consultancy and Continuing Care, and Home Based Withdrawal included in the reform? / Forensic CCCC's and home-based withdrawal services funded by the Commonwealth Government, but administered by the Victorian Government are subject to stage one recommissioning. These funds will be incorporated into the allocations for each catchment. Providers in each catchment will be expected to deliver services to forensic and diversion clients.
Q15: How will the new model attach drug and alcohol support services to crisis beds operating in homelessness crisis centres? / Please refer to responses to queries 4 and 5 for information on expectations for catchment-based planning to inform service delivery to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups including the homeless.
Q16: Why aren’t older Australians such as those in aged care, included in the framework? / Adult alcohol and drug treatment services are available to all adults regardless of age. Older Australians with alcohol or drug misuse concerns are eligible to access treatment services.
Q17: Is Activity #34074 (CCCC) in scope for phase 1 recommissioning? / All CCCC funded activity ( #34074) is included in recommissioning . Activities currently provided under the CCCC treatment type will be split between the new counselling and care and recovery coordination treatment streams. Younger clients (people aged 16 years or older) are eligible to access these catchment based services. In such instances, service providers will be expected to deliver age and developmentally appropriate service responses. Young people (aged 12 to 25) should be also offered the choice of referral to a youth specific service, as appropriate.
Q18: Where does the Rural Outreach Drug Worker position sit within the reform framework? / The RODW position is aligned with the Care and Recovery Coordination/ Counselling service streams, and is in scope for stage one recommissioning.
Q19: Is the new Adult Alcohol and Drug Screening and Assessment Tool available in hard copy? / The new Adult Alcohol and Drug Screening and Assessment Tool will be utilised by catchment based intake and assessment units. The tool can be accessed via Hard copies are not available.
Q20: What are the reasons for AOD sector reform? / AOD sector reform was initiated in response to number of departmental reviews and a 2011 Victorian Auditor-General’s Office report Managing Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Treatment Services. This report recommended comprehensive changes to service delivery and funding arrangements to ensure a more effective and responsive system. Further information on the drivers of the reform agenda can be found in the Victorian Government’s recently released New directions for alcohol and drug treatment services: A Framework for reform.
Q21: Will the current ADIS dataset be replaced as part of AOD sector reform? / Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services will be expected to have well established and tested processes and systems to collect, store and report client and service delivery data at an individual client record and aggregate level. While the department will not prescribe specific information management (IM) and information communication technology system requirements providers are required to have or be able to develop, the following IM/ICT capabilities:
- A client information system that can collect client, service provision and outcome measurement information to support coordination of care, service planning, performance monitoring and resource allocation. As a minimum, agency information systems are required to have the capacity to comply with Departmental Quarterly Data Collection specifications.
- An information system with the capacity to share client information across the treatment pathway of clients, between service providers and across intake and assessment functions, to facilitate referral, case coordination and reduce screening and assessment burden. These capabilities may be met through the Prospective Service Providers existing IM/ICT systems, planned enhancements to these systems and/or supplementary collection tools.
Q22: What is the best way to receive updates on the reform process? / Updates on the reform process are posted to the ‘Sector Reform’ website, which can be accessed at
The peak body for AOD services in Victoria (VAADA) also publish frequent updates on the reform.
Q23: What should an organisation do if it is experiencing difficulties accessing the ACS documents on the Vic Tenders website?
/ If an organisation is experiencing difficulties in accessing the tender documents, please contact the Tenders VIC Helpdesk on: 03 9651 1671 or email them at .
Q24: How do organisations RSVP for the Market Briefing Session scheduled for 28th October? / Registering with the Vic Tenders website allows you to download the Advertised Call for Submission and associated documentation.Please refer to page 30 of the Advertised Call for Submission document for further information of the Market Briefing Session.
Q25: How do you download the ACS documentation if you do not have a login and password? / You cannot access the ACS specifications without registering with the Vic Tenders website. Once you reqister, you will be provided with a login username and password, which will allow you to access the documentation.
Registering with the Vic Tenders website allows the department to record which organisations have downloaded the ACS specifications, and therefore provide such organisations with any further addendums or information published in relation to the ACS, in line with probity requirements.
Q26: Is a Word version of the Screening & Assessment Tool available? / The new Adult Alcohol and Drug (AOD) Screening and Assessment Tool is not available as a Word document. Online training modules will be available on the Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre website form late 2013.
Q27: Do non-residential withdrawal services have to be provided by nurses? / Non-residential withdrawal services must provide clients with access to appropriate nursing care. They must also closely liaise with medical practitioners, including General Practitioners and/or Addiction Medicine Specialists to provide generalist and specialist medical support during and post-withdrawal, as required.
Q28: Is ABI/AOD consultant funding included in stage 1 recommissioning? / ABI funding is situated within Activity #34074 (CCCC) and is therefore in scope for stage 1 recommissioning.
Q29: Is funding for Activity #34076 (ED Responding to AOD Presentations) in scope for stage 1 recommissioning? / Activity #34076 (ED responding to AOD Presentations) is out of scope for stage 1 recommissioning.
Q30: Could the total amount of funding in a catchment increase as a result of the 30% aboriginal client loading? / DTAUs represent the upper limit of weighted activity that are expected to be available to be expended across the catchment area over a twelve month period. The total allocation per catchment is inclusive of the indigenous loading.
Q31: Is a service provider only permitted to deliver services within the catchment/s its premises are based? / Providers delivering services across a range of geographic locations have the option of bidding for funding in all the catchments they service, regardless of where their premises are located, provided they can demonstrate demand for those services from each of the catchments for which they are seeking funding and appropriate access and/or outreach arrangements.
Q32: If homeless clients have no fixed address, how can homeless services demonstrate client need in a given catchment? / Providers seeking to deliver homeless services should provide a rationale for which catchments they are seeking funding for based on available data/approximations on demand for services delivered in those catchments and/or to individuals from these catchments.
Q33: If service providers wish to deliver services which fall under more than one funding stream, can they lodge submissions for both? / If providers form the view that they would be seeking to provide services that would fall within more than one funding stream, they may choose to bid for services in both of those funding streams, at their discretion.
Q34: If providers were to be operating as part of a consortium and wanted to bid for more than one funding stream, how many submissions should they lodge? / Both consortia and individual providers may bid for multiple funding streams through a single or multiple submissions at their discretion.
Q35: Where should need for a particular service be demonstrated in a provider’s submission? / Submissions should answer all the evaluation criteria listed in the ACS documentation within the page limits stipulated in the Submission Response Schedule (Part C).
Part B of the ACS document provides detailed information on the specific requirements of each evaluation criterion, including where to provide evidence of local and client need for services.
Q36: Is detailed understanding of local catchment needs required for submissions seeking to deliver services in more than one catchment? / Service providers bidding for funding in multiple catchments must demonstrate an understanding of the target group, local needs and delivery environment of each catchment in which they are seeking to deliver alcohol and drug services.
Q37: Will intake and assessment be included as a function of residential services in stage 2 of recommissioning, and will additional funding be made available?
/ No.Intake and Assessment is being recommissioned in stage 1 of the recommissioning process. It is intended that this function will over time also be the key pathway to residential services. Residential services wanting to deliver the intake and assessment function in on or more catchments, should bid for the delivery of this treatment type in stage one recommissioning.
Q38: Will the availability of counselling services within a given catchment affect client accessibility of those services? / Clients assessed as requiring counselling services will be referred by the intake and assessment function to a counselling service which best meets their individual needs. Clients assessed as complex will have additional support through the care and recovery coordination function.
Whilst service provision is funded along catchment lines, this does not prevent clients accessing services in different catchments, if such services can better meet those clients’ needs.
Q39: Can organisations submit to provide services in more than one consortia? / Prospective service providers may submit to provide services as part of any number of consortia, at their discretion.
Respondents are reminded that submissions will be evaluated on the credibility of a service provider’s stated ability to deliver the proposed services. Respondents bidding for service provision as part of a number of consortia will need to provide evidence of their ability to do so effectively. Respondents must declare if they are unable to fully meet the obligations of multiple bids.
Q40: What proportion of clients are anticipated to require a comprehensive assessment in the Intake & Assessment function? / All clients who enter the system through Intake & Assessment will receive a standardised, comprehensive assessment and initial treatment plan through the catchment based intake and assessment function, which will accompany clients to treatment services.
Q41: Will the Department provide support to agencies to develop the capacity for a consortium? / Consortia wishing to submit and be funded as a consortia are required to be able to, or demonstrate they will be able to, meet all requirements stipulated in the ACS by July 2014. The Department will not provide support to a consortium to develop their capacity as a consortium at any stage throughout the ACS process.
Q42: How will DH ensure submission evaluation panels are transparent, have local knowledge and possess clinical AOD understanding? / The Evaluation will demonstrate complete impartiality to, and equitable treatment of, all Respondents. A structured, objective evaluation process applying a consistent methodology to all submissions will be implemented to enable this to be achieved, and will be overseen by a Probity Auditor.
Departmental personnel including regional representatives will participate in the evaluation process. Clinical expertise will be sought as required.
Q43: What modelling has been undertaken to determine funding allocations to each catchment?
Can you please indicate what criteria has been utilised to determine funding to each catchment / The funding distribution across catchments achieves greater equity and responds to the higher level of need related to the level of disadvantage in a local population, without being too disruptive.
- The current relative share of available funding for metropolitan and rural areas is maintained for stage 1 of recommissioning. This means that rural areas will continue to receive a higher average per capita rate.
- Metropolitan funding is distributed across all 9 catchments on a weighted per capita basis. This takes account of relative levels of socio-economic disadvantage as measured by the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD).
- Greater equity is achieved across rural Victoria by closing the gap between the highest and lowest per capita funded regions, across total alcohol and drug funding, to bring all rural regions into greater alignment.