The following is a
summary of the Alliance’s preferred strategy for planning,
coordinating and developing DHS-funded Family Services in the North
Central catchment.
Integrated
family services planning, coordination and delivery
framework:
Alliance member
agencies will commit to implement service planning, coordination
and delivery arrangements based on an integrated catchment
approach. They will seek to plan and deliver programs and services
which reinforce current agency/service strengths, provide enhanced
service levels and quality, and with service priorities aligned to
the needs of vulnerable and “at risk” children and
families.
Service performance
and accountability will be further enhanced through direct agency
program funding and service agreements for all DHS- funded family
services.
Shared service
partnering principles:
Service development
will be based on agreed partnering approaches which build on
existing interagency service networks – e.g. Greater Bendigo
and Central Goldfields Innovations Projects, Indigenous Innovations
Projects and Primary Care Partnerships. Service partnering
principles for developing integrated catchment family services will
reflect both the Victorian Government’s legislative, program
and strategic priorities and the values and goals of participating
agencies. These will be confirmed in an agreed memorandum of
understanding to be negotiated between the Alliance and DHS
Loddon Mallee Region.
Scope,
financial resources, capacity, demand, service
levels:
Funding arrangements
for Child FIRST and enhanced family services in the North Central
catchment provide an opportunity for real growth in service levels
and capacity. Future development of services in the catchment will
be guided by a shared demand and risk management strategy between
participating agencies and DHS Loddon Mallee Region – to
ensure projected increases in demand for quality services for
priority target groups are matched to required resources in a
planned and sustainable manner.
Implementing
priority targets based on complex clients:
Over the period of
the funding agreement for Child FIRST, Alliance and Integrated
Family Services, March 2008 to June 2009, Alliance member agencies
will reconfigure their existing Family services programs to support
an integrated sub- region model.
All agencies will be
committed to improve their targeting of services to vulnerable
families with complex needs and/or at risk of notification to Child
Protection Services – in line with the “earlier
intervention” objective as outlined in the State- wide
Strategic Framework.
Child FIRST
– referral, assessment, case allocation and monitoring
model:
The Alliance will establish and implement agreed
and fully integrated central/local referral pathways and a central
intake and allocations function via Child FIRST on behalf of family
services providers in the catchment. The central intake function
will be undertaken by St Luke’s Anglicare as the preferred
facilitating partner on behalf of the Alliance.
The Alliance has developed the Local Area
Allocation Planning Process (LAARP) framework to manage the
service planning and operational interface between Child FIRST and
LGA-based Family Service providers. Under this model, Child FIRST
and sub-catchment service providers will jointly develop preferred
referral, allocations, reporting and demand management mechanisms
within the following three “sub- catchment” LGA/ agency
groups (aligned to current Primary Care Partnership
boundaries):
Local Area Allocation Planning
Process (LAARP) Sub- Catchments:
-
Greater Bendigo , St
Luke’s Anglicare, Bendigo Community Health Services, Bendigo
and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC) and
-
Loddon (S), CentaCare
– Diocese of Sandhurst.
-
Campaspe (S) – Echuca
Regional Health, Kyabram Community and Learning Centre, Njernda
Aboriginal Corporation
-
Central Goldfields (S), St
Luke’s Anglicare
-
Macedon Ranges (S), Cobaw
Community Health Services
-
Mount Alexander (S) ,
Castlemaine District Community Health Centre
Sub-catchment
mechanisms will retain a defined capacity for agencies to maintain
direct/ local referrals and intakes – based on agreed
“business rules” within an integrated catchment service
framework.
North Central
Victorian Family Services Alliance:
The North Central
Victorian Family Services Alliance (NCVFSA) will be established as
a non-executive body to oversee development of integrated
catchment-based family services planning, development and
operations. On establishment Alliance members will include
representatives of all registered catchment family services
providers, Child FIRST, DHS Child Protection and Community
Partnerships. The Alliance will be responsible for the effective
performance of the following functions as per service
specifications:
-
Family services catchment
planning.
-
Operational management and
coordination (including Child FIRST).
-
Coordination of service
delivery.
-
Service network
facilitation.
Membership of the
Alliance will be reviewed at the end of a proposed three-year
funding period and may be expanded in the future to provide for
appropriate representation of related service sectors and
organisations (including key referrer groups).
Bendigo Community
Health Services has been nominated as the preferred facilitating
partner agency to provide planning, professional and administrative
support to the Alliance under agreed program and funding
arrangements as outlined in this submission.
North Central
Integrated Family Services – governance/ structural
arrangements:
North Central
Victorian Family Services Alliance (NCVFSA) will be established as
a voluntary network of family service providers under consortium
arrangements (i.e. option 2 in DHS specifications). Its core
functions will include progressively developing and implementing
integrated family service planning, coordination and service
delivery arrangements across the catchment – including: Child
FIRST (central intake); Alliance support; and Integrated Family
Services Program models across the six LGA’s.
Cultural
competence provisions – “Aboriginal best interests
principle”:
The
over-representation of Aboriginal children and families in
referrals to Child Protection Services is acknowledged as a serious
concern. The Alliance is committed to developing effective planning
and working relationships between mainstream service providers,
Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC), Njernda
Aboriginal Corporation, DHS and other key agencies to develop
effective catchment level responses to operationalise the
“Aboriginal best interests principle” as outlined in
the State-wide Strategic Framework.
The submission
outlines the Indigenous Child FIRST liaison worker project
including shared principles, strategies, project management
arrangements and proposed funding of an Aboriginal Intake Support
function to be provided by Bendigo and District Aboriginal
Cooperative (BDAC) on behalf of the Consortium.
Relationships
between Family Services and Child Protection
Services:
Alliance members are
committed to the objective of working collaboratively with other
agencies and DHS Child Protection Services to better meet the needs
of vulnerable families, and to work together to prevent families
from prematurely entering the statutory Child Protection system by
providing a suite of community- based earlier intervention
services. The Alliance undertakes to develop and commit to a formal
agreement with DHS regarding the operations of Child FIRST,
including the following:
-
Proactive support for role of
Community-based Child Protection Workers team.
-
Referrals between Child FIRST and DHS
Child Protection Services.
-
Consultation and information
sharing.
-
Disputes procedures in Shell
agreement
Integrated
Family Services Program – enhanced
funding:
Alliance partners
acknowledge and support the Victorian Government’s policy
commitment to merge family support innovations projects and other
DHS-funded family services within a single program framework to be
called “Family Services”. New catchment family services
funding arrangements effective at the commencement of 2008/09 will
provide additional full year funding of approximately $0.57 million
for enhanced family services.
The Alliance is
committed to develop an integrated program and service delivery
framework across the catchment which ensures quality responses and
consistent approaches across pre-existing family services,
innovations projects, and enhanced family services in the Shires of
Campaspe, Loddon, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander.
Service
improvement, evaluation and staff recruitment/
retention:
The Alliance will
comply with revised Service Standards for Family Services
– and participate in, and support, the state-wide evaluation
of the Child FIRST program. In conjunction with DHS, the Alliance
undertakes to monitor service performance for all funded services
through the collation of performance indicators and analysis of
areas requiring improvement – including in the areas of
financial viability, governance and service quality.
The Alliance will
support DHS in developing and implementing appropriate performance
measures, performance improvement tools (for example, common
assessment framework), operational guidelines and standards,
information sharing provisions, and learning-based staff
development programs.
