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Strategic Projects

Contact Information

20th Floor, 50 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne 3001
Acting Director: Joanna Birdseye
Executive Assistant: Kerri Stewart
Tel: (03) 9096 8996
Fax: (03) 9096 9211

page content: New strategic projects | Continuing strategic projects | Concluded strategic projects

Strategic projects are commissioned by the Department of Human Services (DHS) Executive to address high priority issues requiring extra effort, cross-divisional coordination and active partnerships within the Department and between the Department and external stakeholders.

Strategic projects may be managed from within the relevant DHS division or by the Strategic Projects Branch (SPB), in the Portfolio Services and Strategic Projects Division.

Potential strategic projects should:

• Address an issue of high social, environmental, financial to, and priority for, the community, ministers and/or DHS.
• Be concerned with preparing for future changes in the environment.
• Be concerned with ensuring maximum savings and/or high materiality.
• Address an issue which DHS has committed to resolve.
• Address a cross-divisional issue or a single divisional issue that would benefit from focussed effort and corporate attention and oversight.

New strategic projects

1. Commonwealth State Housing Agreement
2. Improving Asset Management
3. Improving Outcome Definition and Measurement
4. The DHS People Strategy
   

Commonwealth State Housing Agreement
The current Commonwealth State Housing Agreement (CSHA) expires in June 2008. Currently, Victoria receives around $200m a year from the Commonwealth under the existing CSHA providing a major funding source for housing. This project aims to maximise outcomes for Victoria in a renegotiated agreement. In approaching this task the Office of Housing will work with other parts of DHS, DSE and central agencies to advance a broader approach to a new agreement that promotes best practice principles in Specific Purpose Payments aligned with Government's directions for housing policy and Commonwealth /State relations.

For more information on the renegotiation of the CSHA, please contact Ken Downie (03 9096 9738).

Improving Asset Management
This project is a scoping study of a broader project to advise on DHS actions to improve asset management issues across all DHS services - health, housing, support for families, children and the disabled, and community development - and enable DHS to deliver its services more cost-effectively.

DHS uses a large property asset base for the delivery of services and investment in human services assets has grown significantly since the 1990s. The level of asset investment in health infrastructure in previous years has created high levels of asset obsolescence. Similar problems also face DHS housing-related assets, both in public housing and community services programs.

The scoping study will build on work already underway examining aspects of DHS asset management and identify options for improvement and advise on further work.

For more information on the asset management project, please contact Kerry Lee (03 9096 7746).

Improving Outcome Definition and Measurement
To further improve DHS performance management and reporting and enhance DHS internal and external accountability, this project will propose DHS-wide outcomes and assess options for implementing an outcomes based management framework across DHS. The project will build on work undertaken in DHS.

For more information on the outcome definition and measurement project, please contact Kerry Lee (03 9096 7746).

The DHS People Strategy
A committed, high performing and stable workforce is essential to the delivery of quality human services and successful client and community outcomes.

Initiating a strategic approach to human resource management and developing the inaugural DHS People Strategy provides an overarching direction and framework to guide the efforts of the organisation over the next three years. It will enable the department to attract the best people to the organisation and to develop, support and retain them. It will help position the department as an employer of choice to meet future workforce supply and demand as well as provide a more integrated approach to people management and leadership across the organisation.

The vision of the DHS People Strategy is to have a well led, high performing, sustainable diverse and resilient workforce that is valued and respected, delivering quality human services.

The implementation phase of the DHS People Strategy commences in 2007-08, with the development of a 3-year action plan that will detail a number of initiatives within the following key result areas:

• a sustainable workforce;
• high-performing, well managed people; and
• an efficient and effective workplace.

The DHS People Strategy will contribute to the performance of the department in the longer term through enhancing workforce capacity and capability and identifying opportunities for greater integration, efficiency and effectiveness of people management strategies across the organisation.

For more information on the DHS People Strategy, please contact Jennifer Gleeson, Manager, HR Planning and Performance (03 9096 2840).

Continuing strategic projects

1. Autism State Plan
2. COAG National Reform Agenda (NRA) and Diabetes Strategic Framework
3. Community Sector Investment Fund
4. 'Go for your life'
5. Implementing the Government's Reducing the Regulatory Burden Initiative in DHS
6. Improving Mental Health Outcomes
7. Multiple and Complex Needs Initiative - Implementation
8. Renegotiation of the Australian Health Care Agreement

Autism State Plan
In its 2006 pre-election policy Addressing Disadvantage, the Government committed to developing an Autism State Plan in partnership with Autism Victoria. The aim of the Plan is to build new and better approaches across government for meeting the growing and complex needs of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Plan will evaluate the current demand on services, develop strategies for improving the effectiveness of the service system, identify service gaps and evaluate the findings of the Autism Secondary Consultation and Training Strategy (ACTNOW) in relation to the specialist knowledge, skill and expertise needed by professionals across the sector.

A working group is progressing the development of the Plan with representatives of the Department of Human Services, Autism Victoria, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

To inform the Plan, consultation with a range of external stakeholders will occur including individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the families and carers, service providers and academics and professionals with particular expertise in this area. The consultation has two stages, the first stage is now complete. A second stage of targeted consultation will be undertaken during 2008 before the draft Autism State Plan is submitted for government consideration later in 2008.

Feedback received through written submissions to the Consultation Paper distributed in September 2007 and state-wide consultation forums held between October to November 2007 will inform the next stage of work on the Plan. Go to the Autism State Plan website for further updates.

For more information on the Autism State Plan Project please contact Joanna Birdseye (03 9096 7950) or Lorraine Langley (03 9096 7612).

A link to Autism Victoria's website is below:
Autism Victoria website

COAG National Reform Agenda (NRA) and Diabetes Strategic Framework
The project will coordinate activity across various program areas related to diabetes and support the work being undertaken as part of the COAG National Reform Agenda relating to Human Capital. COAG has agreed to an initial focus on the priority area of diabetes prevention and management. This builds on the National Chronic Disease Strategy and the Australian Better Health Initiative.

For more information on this project please contact Karen Roger (03 9096 0543).

Community Sector Investement Fund (CSIF)
In partnership with the community sector, Government established a $7 million Community Sector Investment Fund (CSIF) in September 2003, to invest in initiatives that benefit Victoria's community services sector. The CSIF is being used to:

• fund sector specific improvements or innovations that can be applied across the sector;
• support initiatives that enhance the capacity and sustainability of the sector to deliver services; and
• support workforce development, particularly in relation to recruitment and retention.

The Minister for Community Services released the CSIF Ministerial Action Plan on 1 February 2005. The Action Plan provides details about the CSIF projects. A copy of the Ministerial Action Plan and further information about CSIF initiatives can be found at the Community Sector Investment Fund website.

'Go for your life'
'Go for your life' is a whole of government initiative designed to improve the health and well-being of Victorians. It comprises a package of integrated strategies to improve eating habits, increase physical activity and prevent obesity and associated chronic disease in the longer term.

The first stage of 'Go for your life' involved a range of community based programs as well as initiatives targeting specific groups such as children and senior Victorians, and aimed to increase physical activity, healthy eating and community involvement. The 'Go for your life' campaign has been used to communicate these themes to the community.

In early 2006, the Minister for Health became the lead Minister for 'Go for your life'. Lead responsibility for the whole of government initiative was transferred to the Department of Human Services and is administered in the Strategic Projects Branch. The initiative is responsible for:

• development of the 'Go for your life' Strategic Plan to guide the second stage of the initiative;
• conducting an audit of obesity prevention initiatives and identifying any gaps in current efforts in Victoria;
• integration of 'Go for your life' with other health promotion activities across Government; and
• overseeing the development of research and evaluation strategies.

For more information visit the 'Go for your life' website or contact Leonie Middleton (03 9096 7529).

Implementing the Government's Reducing the Regulatory Burden Initiative in DHS
The Reducing the Regulatory Burden (RRB) initiative aims to reduce the administrative (or reporting) burden of regulation on businesses and not-for-profit organisations by 15 per cent over the next three years and 25 per cent over five years across the whole of government. As part of this initiative, DHS has undertaken an initial review of the administrative requirements in its regulation and developed an administrative burden reduction plan setting out approximately 20 initiatives that involve analysis and reform of regulation. Most of these initiatives are tied to existing reviews of regulation, which provide an opportunity for DHS to consider ways in which administrative burden on businesses, and not-for-profit organisations can be reduced.

The following practical ways to minimise reporting burden are applicable to a number of DHS regulators and will be considered and implemented, where appropriate, under the umbrella of the RRB initiative:

• ensuring best practice cost-effective approaches to auditing, registration and accreditation (amongst other things) across DHS regulators, and mutual recognition where possible;
• streamlining requirements in DHS forms; and
• increasing the availability of online information provision.

For more information about this project, please contact Kerry Lee (03 9096 7746) or Julia Thomas (9096 6199).

A link to the Department of Treasury and Finance's RRB website is below:
DTF's RRB website

Improving Mental Health Outcomes
This project takes forward the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006-2011 and a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that was commissioned by the Victorian Government on Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Victoria: The Next Wave of Reform. Both were released in July 2006. The project:

• coordinates operation of the COAG Mental Health Group in Victoria; and
• provides support to the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) on Mental Health.

The Victorian COAG Mental Health Group is responsible for the oversight and coordinated implementation of initiatives under the National Action Plan. A copy can be downloaded from http://www.coag.gov.au.

The IDC on Mental Health plays a central role in identifying the next steps for mental health reform in Victoria across inter-divisional, interdepartmental and inter-jurisdictional environments. The IDC is considering, in consultation with key stakeholders as appropriate, the BCG report and broader developments to achieve better mental health outcomes in Victoria. A copy can be downloaded from http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au.

For further information on the Improving Mental Health Outcomes Project contact Maria Bubnic (03 9096 5528).

Multiple and Complex Needs Initiative - Implementation
The Multiple and Complex Needs (MACN) Initiative is a joint initiative of DHS and the Department of Justice, underpinned by the Human Services (Complex Needs) Act 2003.

The legislation facilitates the delivery of co-ordinated support services to eligible individuals (website at http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/complexclients).

MACNI promotes cross program planning and support at the local level. In addition, it provides a specialist intervention for 50 new referrals each year that aims to:

• pursue planned and consistent therapeutic goals for each person;
• provide a platform for long term engagement in the service system; and
• stabilise housing, health, social connection and safety issues.

For more information on this project, please contact Anne Leonard (03 9096 7995).

Renegotiation of the Australian Health Care Agreement
The current Australian Health Care Agreement (ACHA) expires in June 2008. Under the current agreement, Victoria receives around $2.4b a year for health services. The project aims to develop a negotiating position with Victorian government for the next AHCA based obtain adequate funding without onerous reporting and compliance obligations. The negotiating position would be based on best practice principles for Specific Purpose Payment arrangements, including the use of an outcomes based framework and performance indicators (in preference to input indicators), "mutually balanced partner obligations and contributions" including adequate indexation and the minimisation of administrative burden, allowing flexibility and building on diversity to achieve improved health outcomes.

For more information on the renegotiation of the AHCA, please contact Bruce Parr (03 9096 9955).

Selected projects concluded before 2007

1. Child Protection Outcomes
2. Children's Health and Wellbeing
3. Commonwealth-State Relations
4. Disability-HACC Interface
5. Emergency Department Waits
6. Flexible Funding
7. Implementation of the Office of the Child Safety Commissioner
8. Integrated Family Violence Service Funding and Development
9. Partnership in Practice Project
10. Support for High Risk Tenancies Project
11. Supported Residential Services and Accommodation Support Program
12. Young People in Residential Aged Care

Children's Health & Wellbeing
This project aimed to guide and structure the Department's efforts to support and improve the health and wellbeing of children. It built on previous work within the Office for Children and provided important input into the development of the Statewide Plan for Children. In particular the project aimed to provide:

• a focus on people outcomes rather than just program outcomes;
• a better capacity to make systematic and informed choices over alternative priorities;
• greater capacity to align early childhood setting and services with emerging evidence on the needs of children and their families;
• improved ability to prevent damage arising from parental needs or behaviours;
• a coherent policy context and evidence base to feed into the proposed Statewide Plan for Children upon which future funding priorities and targets could be based.

The project concluded with the Steering Committee endorsing handover to the Office for Children in early June 2005. There are several components which have been developed by the project, including:

• a body of research to underpin the Statwide Plan for Children;
• specific evidence based proposals developed in the project that need to be taken forward;
• specification of a Children's Health and Wellbeing Monitoring and Surveillance system;
• effective consultation vehicles which can form the basis of ongoing consultation/monitoring for the Office for Children.
  

Emergency Department Waits
The Emergency Deparmtment Waits project, which culminated in the development of a plan to deliver on government objectives of reducing emergency department waits and improving the patient experience in the emergency department, is essentially completed. The plan aims to identify best practice and new initiatives to reduce emergency department wait times. Elements of the project included:

• catalogueing existing responses to address emergency demand and identifying successful approaches (such as new models of care i.e. short stay units) with a view to spreading knowledge of best practice;
• clarifying the nature of waiting; an assessment of how we measure waiting times and whether such measures reflect public perceptions and specified which patients are waiting and what they are waiting for;
• an examination of variation between hospitals; and
• identification and evaluation of new ideas and specialisation of different hospital's Emergency Departments as well as new approaches that could be adopted in EDs.

The Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services Division recently completed an extensive consultation process on the plan which is entitled 'Better, faster emergency care'. The plan is due for release by December 2006.

Flexible Funding
The aim of the Flexible Funding project was to facilitate flexible use of DHS funds so that funded providers could develop integrated services that were more responsive to client needs at the local level.

In September 2005, the DHS Executive endorsed the implementation of flexible use of DHS funds more broadly throughout the funded sector for 2006-09. The implementation process commenced shortly after approval by the Executive.

Service providers that have a contract relationship with a regional office are invited to make contact with the department to discuss their flexible funding proposals in preparation for the 2006-09 service agreement, this includes:

• The eight Flexible Funding pilot agencies
• Agencies that want to negotiate new flexible ways of doing business that will yield direct benefits to clients
• Agencies already informally using DHS funds flexibly.

To assist stakeholders, resources have been developed and can be accessed via the Flexible Funding website.

Two Flexibility Brokers have been employed for an eighteen month period to support the implementation process and to work with service providers and DHS staff to negotiate flexible agreements. A DHS Advisory Committee has been established to oversee and guide the implementation process and monitor its outcomes.

In December 2005, responsibility for the implementation of Flexible Funding was handed over to the Operations Division. For more information please visit the Flexible Funding website or contact Trish Berry (03 9096 8420) or Rocco Fonzi (03 9096 6941).

Integrated Family Violence Service Funding and Development
Government has committed to implementing a new approach to address family violence. The new approach recognises that breaking cycles of family violence requires a responsive and coordinated service system. It brings together police, courts and community services to provide better resourced and more integrated services to assist families.

In 2005, a strategic project developed an integrated family violence service development and funding strategy. The project established a plan for providing increased funding to community services and for building better connections between each element of the service system. Consistent with directions set by the Statewide Steering Committee to Reduce Family Violence, the project developed plans to distribute additional resources for:

• Statewide 24-hour support
• Outreach services
• Common risk assessment
• Intensive case management
• Counselling and support for women and children
• Private rental brokerage and other housing options
• Indigenous healing and time-out centres
• Men's referral
• Men's behaviour change
• Workforce development.

While the strategic project concluded in October 2005, whole of Government efforts to reduce family violence are continuing across Government and in the community sector.

Support for High Risk Tenancies Project
This project was undertaken during 2006 with the aim of contributing to more sustainable tenancy outcomes for people in high-risk Office of Housing (OOH) tenancies by recommending evidence based approaches that would improve the service support provided to this group.

Project Findings:

1. The profile of the Victorian high-risk tenancy population was consistent with research findings in other parts of the world, children feature prominently.
2. Tenancy problems were indicators of other usually multiple problems and difficult life situations in this client group.
3. Unstable housing and high-risk tenancies have been shown to be costly.
4. Support was key to sustaining the tenancies of vulnerable populations.
5. There were many services already involved with the client group but there was a low level of coordination.
6. The concentration of highly disadvantaged people in public housing has increased in the last decade.
7. There have been role challenges for housing staff as a result of the increased complexity in tenant profile.
8. There has been little sustained or consistent effort to build an evidence base about what works.

Project Recommendations:

1. DHS-wide recognition of this group as a high-risk group that requires a flexible, holistic and a coordinated service response.
2. Prioritisation of this high-risk group by DHS programs and regions for targeted joint work.
3. Development of regional cross program coordination processes to foster joint problem solving for the members of this client group.
4. OOH need to make links with and build on established partnerships eg Innovations, Best Start, Primary Care Partnerships.
5. Improve OOH identification and early intervention/referral processes.
6. Support and training for OOH staff, particularly frontline staff, is required to assist them engage with the client group.
7. Development of social landlord KPIs by OOH to reflect regional effort and build an evidence base about what works to sustain tenancies.

Project Outcomes:

1. A 12 month Action Plan was endorsed by the DHS Executive on 17 October 2006.
2. Time limited resources to support implementation were allocated to regions.

For more information about the Support for High-Risk Tenancies Strategic Project and work that has commenced since the completion of the project, visit the Office of Housing website or contact Tony Newman (03 9096 9793).

Work on this project has included an analysis of client need and demand for services, a desk top review of current service options – including an analysis of service levels and costs, and examination of the Commonwealth-State interface in relation to Disability and Aged Care services. The project report "Creating New Opportunities - responding to the needs of younger people in Victoria's Residential Aged Care services" is available below:

YPIRAC - Final Report (PDF, 922kb)

To improve services for younger people with disabilities and Residential Aged Care (RAC) equivalent care needs, the project has recommended a strategic approach with 5 key areas of focus:

• Prevent/divert inappropriate admission of younger people to residential aged care
• Expand community based options
• Improve services to those who remain in RAC
• Provide a more coordinated and planned approach to younger people with disabilities and RAC equivalent care needs involving health, disability and aged care sectors
• Continue to work/negotiate with the Commonwealth on cost sharing arrangements and joint solutions.

The issue of helping younger people in nursing homes was included on the Council of Australian Government's (COAG) Health Reform Agenda in June 2005. The COAG meeting of 10 February 2006 announced a commitment to start to reduce the number of younger people with disabilities living in residential aged care services. A new five-year program will begin in July 2006 with funding of up to $122 million from the Commonwealth and up to $122 million from States and Territories.

Disability Services Division will lead the development and implementation of the COAG program in Victoria. For more information visit the Disability Services website.