Interoperability Challenges

and Vision for a

Comprehensive Crisis Response Service

Rendle Williams, Social Programme Department, Territorial Headquarters, Blackburn

Definition of Interoperability (Federal Department of Finance &

Deregulation) ‘the ability to transfer & use information in a

uniform and efficient manner across multiple organisations and information

technology systems.’ 

Challenge 1 – The impact of multiple client data collection systems (particularly for an integrated service response)

Challenge 2 – The lack of protocols & systems to support e-referrals

The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory Social Programmes across VIC, SA, WA, TAS

and NT today…

The Australia Southern Territory social programmes consist of: -

• 18 specific service types + Corps (excl. Salvo Stores & EPlus)• ~ 3200 Social Programme staff• ~ 525 individual services.• ~ 600 crisis beds• ~ 4000 non-crisis beds (THMs, Long Term, Other services)• ~ 8,000 people pa. assisted with addiction issues• ~ 200,000 people pa. assisted by Emergency Relief services• ~ 500,000 people pa. assisted in someway by the TSA AST.We have over 30 different reporting mechanisms.

The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory Social Programmes across VIC at last count…

In Victoria, the major social programmes are • Housing (THM & long term), Homeless (SAAP),• Domestic Violence services,• Alcohol & Other Drug Treatment,• Child Protection & Care,• Emergency Relief

TSA Victorian Homeless & Housing services consist of:- • 30 sites delivering a range of SAAP funded homeless crisis

services (Accom, Support/Outreach, Families, Youth, Family Violence).

• 4 major housing management services (555 properties).• 2 Long Term Community services (153 properties).• Many Housing Information & Referral Workers + Housing

Establishment Funds.• TSA manage approximately 25% of the Victorian NGO

homeless & housing services.

• The single ‘main presenting issue’ for crisis services is Financial / Accommodation difficulty (78%).

• There are 2 high volume ‘triage’ type services – St Kilda Crisis Contact and Peninsula Crisis & Support, Frankston.

• There are 15 Accommodation services. The largest specialist accommodation services are Flagstaff Crisis Accommodation, West Melbourne (crisis accom. for single men), The Open Door (medium accom. for single men), North Melbourne and Gateways, Croydon (crisis accom. for families/youth).

• The typical length of stay is less than 16 days.

Crisis Homeless Services in Victoria

Highly integrated service delivery• High Volume Contact Centre• Access Health, Needle Exchange• Accommodation Centre• Outreach to Family Violence, Young Women,

Young people seeking private rental.

24/7 crisis support telephone7-11 receptionOver 100 contacts per day.Strong relationships & Partnerships to deliver this

integrated service

Crisis Services – St KildaJewel in the Crown

Year 2000

Widespread data problems across Social Programmes• Unreliable data collection & IT systems – Useability &

consolidation problems with the main third party application, CSMIS.

• Poor capacity to utilise data for various purposes (service design, planning and performance evaluation, research social policy, PR, etc).

• Absence of any policy ‘parameters’ (info management principles and programming needs) as foundation for any IT system solution.

Vision for better Social Program Information Management

Enable access to a common client file for all similar services

Enable implementation of the privacy policies to share & restrict client & service information

Enable common practice & improved service deliveryEnable benchmarking for client throughputs and

outcomesEnable evidence-based advocacy & fund raising

Investment in a single client system & integrate the data reporting of stakeholders & funders. - SAMIS

Lessons learnt

Use the best available Minimum Dataset if possible the National Data Dictionary for the data items

You can never provided too much support

The smarter the reports the better the improvements for service delivery.

Stay very close to the champion users

It never stops

Current Challenges

Competing against a silo mentality for data collections. We are strongly advocating for the development of protocols for the sharing of data between tools, not a shared software system. Such as can be used for e-referrals for housing and allied AoD treatment & health services. We have too much double handling of data.

Managing compliance to National Standards for all Data Collections. Taking some gambles on the future of the standards.

When do we move to a data warehouse facility to enable cross dataset reporting & analysis.

Involve the services on the ground with all service delivery reform and data collection.

Internally we are attempting to move to a client outcome reporting.