Volume 3: Human Services Policy and Funding Plan 2015-19, update 2017-18
Chapter 4: Activity descriptions
Contents
Activity information 1
Service delivery tracking 1
Output group 1
Output 1
Objective 2
Description of the service 2
Client group 2
Service delivery 2
Service redevelopment 3
Monitoring and review 3
Service Agreement 3
Human Services Standards 3
Monitoring performance 3
Performance measures 3
Key performance measure 1: Number of new cases 3
Data collection information 4
Key documents 5
Mandatory 5
Volume 3: Chapter 4: Activity descriptions 5
Activity information
Service delivery tracking
Service delivery tracking activity? Yes
Output group
Child protection and family services
Output
Family and community services
Objective
The high risk family violence service has three main aims:
· provide case management support to women and children at high risk from family violence to enable them to live free from violence and achieve safe and secure long-term housing and independence.
· coordinate multi-agency risk assessment and management panels (RAMPs), to share information and plan around the safety of women and children at high risk of serious injury or death and to increase the accountability of perpetrators.
· provide flexible post crisis support packages to assist women and children experiencing family violence to access a range of flexible options enabling them to live free from violence and achieve positive long term outcomes relating to their safety, wellbeing, independence and/or housing needs.
Description of the service
The high risk family violence service provides case management to women and children experiencing family violence to access a range of services so that they can live free from violence and rebuild their lives. This includes information, referral, advocacy and support to enhance the safety of women and children and address the range of issues impacting on their ability to access and maintain safe and secure long-term housing options. An assertive case management framework is used and builds on a person’s strengths and aspirations.
Family violence outreach workers and case workers provide direct support which typically includes assistance to meet the goals and outcomes identified in a person’s individual support plan.
The average support period will last around 13 weeks.
Strengthened case management responses are needed to identify, engage and support (including risk assessment and risk management) women and children at serious and imminent risk of death or injury from family violence. Case managers and family violence services may refer women and children at imminent risk from family violence to local risk assessment and management panels (RAMPs).
RAMPs bring together key agencies including Victoria Police, corrections, health, child protection, housing and family violence to share information and plan for the safety of women and children at high risk from family violence and to increase the accountability of perpetrators. RAMPs enable a multi-agency, rapid, coordinated response to assess and manage risk to women and children. RAMP coordinators are responsible for supporting the operations and actions of the RAMP in line with the Strengthening risk management program guidelines. Brokerage funding is available to help support actions and strategies arising from the RAMP that are required to keep women and children safe. Flexible post crisis support packages are allocated in accordance with a client directed support plan.
Client group
The target group for case management and flexible packages is women and children experiencing family violence or assessed as at risk of being unsafe in the family environment.
The target group for consideration at RAMPs is women and children experiencing family violence who are assessed as being at serious and imminent risk from family violence.
Service delivery
Community service organisations (CSOs).
Service redevelopment
The department will continue to monitor service provision, and where necessary, may amend service specifications or funding allocations based on community needs or in response to changes to government policy and priorities.
During the current Service Agreement period, the government has undertaken a Royal Commission into family violence. The resulting 227 recommendations will shape the delivery of health and human services and may impact delivery of family violence services during the agreement period.
Monitoring and review
Service Agreement
The Department of Health and Human Services monitors and reviews the organisation’s compliance with the Service Agreement’s requirements set out in the terms and conditions and schedules including the Applicable Departmental Policies. The Service Agreement is used to manage funding provided through the department for services delivered by community service organisations and local government authorities.
The Service Agreement includes two Applicable Departmental Policies:
1. Department of Health and Human Services Policy and Funding Guidelines
2. Service Agreement Information Kit <http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/facs/bdb/fmu/service-agreement/contents>.
The Service Agreement Information Kit provides information on the Service Agreement terms and conditions (chapter 3) and Applicable Departmental Policies (chapter 4). The Service Agreement Information Kit must be read in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services Policy and Funding Guidelines.
Human Services Standards
Organisations funded to provide services to clients are required through the Service Agreement to meet the gazetted Department of Health and Human Services Standards (Human Services Standards) and can be monitored in relation to their compliance with these Standards.
Organisations funded through this activity are subject to independent review and accreditation requirements under the Human Services Standards, except where exempted by the department.
Monitoring performance
Funding is subject to the delivery of specified targets in performance measures. Where actual annual performance is less than 100 per cent of target performance the funded organisation should provide the Department of Health and Human Services with a justification for retaining full funding.
Performance measures
Key performance measure 1: Number of new cases
Definition / This performance measure provides information about the number of new cases provided with case management support.Aim/objective / The aim of this performance measure is to:
• monitor the number of new women and children experiencing family violence who access case management services
• count the number of flexible support packages administered.
Target / Provided in Service Agreement.
Type of count / Cumulative
Counting rule / Count the number of new cases that are opened during the reporting period.
The counting rule seeks to capture new instances where support is provided to a person, and the number of flexible support packages administered.
Except for the provision of flexible support packages, a new case is counted when a client receives services from a service provider for the first time within the past three months.
When to count a new case:
• when a client receives services from this service provider for the first time
• when a client presents for services after a previous case has been closed
• when a client presents for services relating to the same incident, but has not received services from this service provider for three months or more.
• when not to count a new case:
• when the client has received the same service from the service provider relating to the same incident within the last three months
• when an existing case carries over into a new financial or calendar year
• when an existing case carries over into a new month.
If a flexible support package is administered, count each time a new package is administered, regardless of when the last package was administered.
Monitoring frequency / Monthly
Data source(s) collection / Service delivery tracking
Definition of terms / A case refers to women and their children who have experienced family violence or are at risk of being unsafe in the family environment. Where a child requires a separate response in their own right that child is recorded as a case.
Data collection information
Data collections comprise data management systems and data sets.
Data collection name / Data management system / Data set / Reporting cycle /Specialist homelessness services collection / Specialist homelessness information platform (SHIP) / Specialist homelessness services collection provided to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. / Monthly
Service delivery tracking (SDT) / FAC/SAMS2 / SAMS2/Service delivery tracking data set / Monthly
Key documents
Mandatory
Victorian Risk Assessment and Management Panel Program - Operational Guidelines
http://www.thelookout.org.au/sites/default/files/RAMP-Operational-Guidelines.pdf
Flexible Support Package guidelines
http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/supporting-families-and-carers
Practice Guidelines: Women and children’s family violence counselling and support programs (2008)
http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/family-violence
Assessing children and young people experiencing family violence: A practice guide for family violence practitioners
http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/family-violence
Family violence referral protocol between the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police 2015
http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/family-violence
Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework and Practice Guides 1-3 (2012)
<http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/amily-violence-risk-assessment-and-risk-management-framework
Code of Practice for specialist family violence services for women and children
http://www.providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/human-services-standards
Revisions and mapping
Addition of Code of practice for specialist family violence services for woman and children, 12/8/2015.
Addition of Risk assessment management panels (2016) program guidelines
Addition of Flexible support package guidelines (2016)
To receive this publication in an accessible format, email Service Agreement Communications <>Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, 1 July 2017.
Where the term ‘Aboriginal’ is used it refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous is retained when it is part of the title of a report, program or quotation.
ISSN 2207-8347 (online)
Available on the department’s website <https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/policy-and-funding-guidelines
Volume 3: Chapter 4: Activity descriptions 5