Direct Selection Funding Round Summary

Families and Communities Programme

Intensive Family Support Service

Implementation Capacity Support Service

Funding Round Summary

September 2014

Intensive Family Support Services

The Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) is one of three components under the Children and Parenting sub-Activity, which sits under the Families and Children Activity in the Families and Communities Programme.

IFSS is available in selected Northern Territory (NT) and Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. IFSS is available to parents and caregivers of children aged
0-12 years of age where child neglect is a concern. State and territory government child protection authorities refer families to IFSS and Child Protection Income Management (CPIM). Through IFSS, families on CPIM are supported to stabilise their financial situations, but will also be supported to make positive and sustained life changes to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of their children.

In some locations, priority of access eligibility applies other child protection referrals and community referrals that can be considered due to a limited child protection footprint and CPIM referral activity. The Priority of Access eligibility works to ensure that families on CPIM continue to have priority access to the service, while vacancies in the programme are managed.

IFSS provides intensive and practical parenting education and support to families in their communities and homes for approximately 12 months, to help them improve the health, safety and wellbeing of their children. IFSS is an evidence-informed service that focuses on achieving outcomes to reduce child neglect, improve child wellbeing and increase parenting capacity

IFSS has a strong workforce development focus in response to the workforce challenges experienced by many providers in the NT and APY Lands (e.g. chronic skills shortages, high staff turnover, significant absence ofsuitable local workers, and low participation levels in training). In response to these challenges, a central IFSS Implementation and Capacity Support Service (ICSS) will be established to support IFSS providers to access a range of supports and opportunities to enable the delivery of an evidence-informed service that achieves the intended outcomes for children and their families. The ICSS will be a time limited package.

The ICSS will work in partnership with IFSS providers to build on the things that organisations already do well and help them to access a range of tools and supports to assist organisations and their staff to deliver a service that will support families to grow strong children. Each IFSS provider will have access to a range of supports across the following three support streams:

·  organisational capacity strengthening*: to focus on support around governance, financial management, human resources management and administration;

·  implementation support: for the effective implementation of a quality, evidence-informed, outcomes-focused IFSS that is locally relevant and considers workforce skills and capabilities; and

·  workforce development and education: to support the skill development of IFSS workers through relevant training, including accredited training, particularly focussed on working with vulnerable families.* Supports against the organisational capacity stream will only be available to new IFSS providers engaged in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The ‘package of supports’ will be based on the strengths and needs of the organisation and workers and identify local, organisational and systems level requirements.

Itis acknowledged that while the ICSS provider may have the skills, knowledge and expertise in one or more of these streams, it is unlikely that they will be bestplaced to deliver services across all three streams. Therefore, delivery of services can be provided directly and through sub-contracting suitably qualified and experienced third parties. The ICSS will bring in appropriate agencies across the three streams to deliver these supports.

Selection type

This selection is a direct process.

Eligibility

The following entity types meet the eligibility requirements to be invited to apply for a grant for this Activity:

a.  Incorporated Associations (incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have 'Association' or 'Incorporated' or 'Inc.' in their legal name)

b.  Incorporated Cooperatives (also incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have ‘Cooperative' in their legal name)

c.  Companies (incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 – may be a proprietary company (limited by shares or by guarantee) or a public company)

d.  Aboriginal Corporations (incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006)

e.  Organisations established through a specific piece of Commonwealth or state/territory legislation (public benevolent institutions, churches, universities, unions etc.)

f.  Partnerships

g.  Trustees on behalf of a Trust

How much?

Up to $8.623m is available from October 2014 to 30 June 2019. This amount is based on ICSS support for all IFSS providers.

Closing Date and Time

Applications should be submitted by 2.00pm AEST, on 22 September 2014.

Who to contact?

Please email your enquires to:

Grant objectives

The key outcome of IFSS is to:

·  Reduce child neglect and improve child wellbeing.

To reach this outcome, IFSS works to:

·  Increase the capacity of parents and carers;

·  Support the development and implementation of evidence-informed and outcomes focused intensive family support services; and

·  Strengthen the capability of local organisations and the IFSS workforce to deliver IFSS.

Statement of Requirement

A Service Delivery Proposal is being sought from the existing implementation support provider of the Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) to establish an Implementation Capacity Support Service (ICSS) for new and existing IFSS providers.

The ICSS is a package of supports available to IFSS providers that will build on their strengths and local expertise to support the delivery of IFSS in existing locations and in new remote locations.

The ICSS will provide support to IFSS providers across three streams:

·  organisational capacity strengthening*: to focus on support around governance, financial management, human resources management and administration;

·  implementation support: for the effective implementation of a quality, evidence-informed, outcomes-focused IFSS that is locally relevant and considers workforce skills and capabilities; and

·  workforce development and education: to support the skill development of IFSS workers through relevant training, including accredited training, particularly focussed on working with vulnerable families.

The ICSS will be responsible for working with IFSS providers to undertake the following:

·  Co-developing and documenting an IFSS practice model and relevant practice material and tools that are locally relevant and consider workforce capabilities that build over time;

·  Developing tailored support plans across the three ICSS support streams to assist IFSS providers in effectively establishing, implementing and delivering IFSS;

·  Building and maintaining respectful service partnerships with IFSS providers and the Department;

·  Developing and reporting against an IFSS Workforce Development Strategy;

·  Developing and supporting the use of standardised outcomes measures;

·  Embedding continuous improvement, action learning and feedback loop processes to ensure that the ICSS can modify its own service delivery and partnership approaches as required; and

·  Working with IFSS providers to accurately and consistently collect and record baseline and outcomes data about parenting skills, neglect and service data.

The service provider must be able to deliver the ICSS outlined in their proposal for the full term of the funding period.

Funding up to the amounts specified in the table below will be allocated as follows:

Activity / 2014/15 / 2015/16 / 2016/17 / 2017/18 / 2018/19 / Total /
Intensive Family Support Services – Implementation and Capacity Support Service (ICSS) / $2.178m / $1.955m / $1.570m / $1.460m / $1.460m / $8.623m

A strong service proposal will:

o  Demonstrate organisational capacity to support and manage the establishment of an Implementation Capacity Support Service (ICSS) for new and existing IFSS providers to achieve quality outcomes for IFSS providers and IFSS clients. Including, but not limited to:

o  Governance structure proposed to manage the initiative;

o  Service plan and budget;

o  Number of staff (including desired qualifications, level of expertise, experience in working with remote Indigenous communities and experience across the three ICSS streams); and

o  Office/location/s and service presence in the NT.

·  Demonstrate organisational experience against all three of the ICSS support streams and identify the service partners required to deliver against each stream.

·  Demonstrate experience in project management and sub-contract management.

·  Demonstrate understanding of service delivery, workforce development and organisational capacity issues in the Northern Territory and APY Lands.

·  Demonstrate ability to work with organisations and workers that adopts a skills transfer and capacity building approach that is sustainable.

·  and acknowledges local expertise, knowledge and approaches.

·  Demonstrate a collaborative and culturally competent approach to working with other agencies that builds buy in, respects two-way learning and translates evidence for practical use at the local level.

Selection Criteria

1.  Demonstrate your understanding of the need for the funded Activity in the chosen community and/or target group.

2.  Describe how the implementation of your proposal will achieve the Activity objectives for all stakeholders, including value for money within the Grant funding.

3.  Demonstrate your experience in effectively developing, delivering, managing and monitoring Activities to achieve Activity objectives for all stakeholders.

4.  Demonstrate your organisation’s capacity and your staff capability (experience and qualifications) to deliver the Activity objectives in the chosen community and/or target group.

Multicultural Access and Equity policy

Australia’s Multicultural Access and Equity Policy: Respecting diversity. Improving responsiveness obliges Australian Government agencies to ensure that cultural and linguistic diversity is not a barrier for people engaging with government and accessing services to which they are entitled, for example, by providing access to language services where appropriate. Grant applicants should consider whether services, projects, activities or events may require the use of professional translating or interpreting services in order to communicate with non-English speakers. If your Application Form states that a budget is required, costs for translating and interpreting services should be included in your application.

Assessment

The Assessment Team may be comprised of Department of Social Services (DSS) officers from each state/territory and national offices (or within the Branch responsible for running the selection process). Teams will undertake training to ensure consistent assessment for all applications received. The Assessment Team will be bound by the APS Code of Conduct and the Department’s Chief Executive Instructions.

Probity

The selection of funding recipients for the Activity must be fair, open and demonstrate the highest level of integrity, consistent with the public interest.

The following probity principles will be applied through all stages of the selection process.

(a) fairness and impartiality

(b) consistency, accountability and transparency of process

(c) security and confidentiality of information

(d) identification and resolution of conflicts of interest

(e) compliance with legislative obligations and government policy

These principles are intended to achieve an equitable, justifiable and sound process.

Adherence to the probity principles means that everyone involved with the selection process will act:

(f) impartially

(g) with integrity, including avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest

A Probity Advisor may be appointed for the Activity. The role of the Probity Adviser is to assist DSS meet its probity obligations in relation to the Activity by ensuring that the selection processes are defensible and will withstand external and internal scrutiny.

The role of the Probity Adviser is to independently monitor procedural aspects of the selection process to ensure compliance with the published relevant Guidelines and to advise DSS in relation to such matters. The Probity Adviser plays no part in the assessment of applications.

Programme Guidelines Overview

The Programme Guidelines Overview provides the key starting point for parties considering whether to participate in the activity and form the basis for the business relationship between the Department and the funding recipient. Applicants are strongly advised to read the Programme Guidelines prior to completing an Application Form. The Programme Guidelines suite comprises of the following documents:

·  Programme Guidelines Overview

·  Funding Round Summary

·  Application Form

·  Grant Agreement Terms and Conditions

·  Questions and Answers (will not be published but provided directly to applicants)

·  Operational Guidelines

How to Apply

Applications can be lodged by emailing your completed application to:

Grant Agreement Information

The type of grant agreement you are asked to enter into will be influenced by the nature of the Activity, the assessed Activity risk level, the length of the Activity and the value of the Activity.

The grant agreement is a performance based legally enforceable agreement between the Commonwealth (represented by DSS) and the successful applicant that sets out the terms and conditions governing the funding to be provided.

Your executed grant agreement represents the Department’s and your entire agreement in relation to each grant provided within it and the relevant Activity and supersedes all prior representations, communications, agreements, statements and understandings, whether oral or in writing.

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