Page 1616 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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The local services network in west Belconnen is moving into an exciting phase. I was pleased to launch the west Belconnen local services network youth employment hub last month. This hub is a partnership between the Riverview Group, Belconnen Community Service and the Education and Training Directorate. The hub will provide drop-in support and case management to young people who would benefit from local training and employment opportunities. The hub will also connect disengaged young people to the Riverview SPARK project, which will provide them with on-site training and employment.
As to the better services evaluation, at the end of the current financial year, the trial phase of the three initiatives will come to an end. An external evaluation is currently being undertaken by the Nous Group, and I look forward to seeing the results of this evaluation.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Burch.
MS BURCH: Minister, can you advise the Assembly about the tendering and the company design process underway for the one human service gateway, which is a central part of the better services model of service delivery and what this means for people accessing the services?
MS BERRY: The human services gateway commenced on 1 July 2014. Implementation has been an incremental process that began with the collocation and collaboration of existing gateways. In June 2015 a decision was made with key stakeholders that if we were to best realise the aims of better services, we should integrate the services under one lead provider model.
This led to the current procurement process that, when finalised, will result in a lead provider to deliver gateway services as of 1 July 2016. In keeping with the gateway’s principles, the procurement process has been jointly developed by the government and the sector. Staff engaged with the gateway have been actively responding to the feedback clients have given them again and again, namely, that they want to tell their story once.
The one human service gateway takes us further towards achieving this goal. The next development of the gateway will build on the success of the past three years and operate as a multi-service partnership under the umbrella of a lead provider that will span government and community services. The lead provider will focus on linking individuals and families to information and services following a holistic needs assessment process from the very first moment that an individual and/or their family enters the gateway.
The lead provider will also develop and maintain partnerships with key service partners. The gateway will be an exciting way of linking clients to all of the services that they may need on their way forward. The human services gateway already provides direct allocation of homelessness accommodation and referrals to other support services funded by the homelessness program and the children, youth and family support program, as well as the three child and family centres.
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