Department Snapshot
During 2008–09 the department was Victoria’s largest government agency with a 13,000 strong workforce of nine divisions across eight regions. The department funded organisations such as hospitals, aged care facilities, ambulance services and community service agencies that collectively employ more than 80,000 people. Work throughout the year involved tackling social disadvantage, strengthening communities, supporting families and helping children reach their full potential. Our mission and values guided the way we work, our responsibilities and priorities.
Mission
The department’s mission was to deliver a better state of health and wellbeing for all Victorians, emphasising vulnerable groups and those most in need. Service delivery was driven by the following six core objectives:
- Providing timely and accessible human services
- Improving human service safety and quality
- Promoting least intrusive and earliest effective care
- Strengthening the capacity of individuals, families and communities
- Reducing inequalities through improving health and wellbeing, particularly for disadvantaged people and communities
- Building sustainable, well-managed and efficient human services.
Values
The Department of Human Services’ values are central to the way we deal with clients, colleagues and suppliers.
Our values are:
Client focus
Improve the health and wellbeing of our clients and community
Professional integrity and respect
Act impartially, treating all people with dignity and respect
Quality
Strive to do our best and improve the way we work
Collaborative relationships
Work together to achieve the best results
Responsibility
Commit to the actions we take to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.
The department worked to improve people’s lives in the areas of:
- health
- mental health, drugs and alcohol
- housing
- aged care
- child protection
- placement and support for vulnerable children and young people
- disability support and accommodation
- youth justice
- emergency management – recovery and support
- family and individual support services
- environmental health.
A planned approach
Planning within the department is based on an integrated and multi-level framework ensuring that the services provided by and through the department are ultimately linked to the wider goals of government.
