Housing & Community Services
Page contents: Overview | Governance | Reform Agenda | Further information
Overview
In mid-2007, the DHS Information Management Strategy was expanded to include the Housing and Community Building (HCB), the Children, Youth and Families (CYF) and Disability Services Divisions (DSD).
A range of tools to support information management reform were developed in the first phase one of the strategy in Health and Aged Care programs. These tools will assist the second phase of reform across the Housing and Community Services programs.
The two phases of the IM Strategy will be conducted from a whole of Department perspective to ensure consistency of reform, and to maintain a focus on data quality and reducing reporting burden on funded organisations.
Governance
Internal business rules have been established in HCB, CYFD and are under development in DSD, which require annual Executive Director approval for all proposed, new, existing, amended and ad hoc data collections and reports.
An important first step in the information management reform process in the housing and community services divisions has been establishment of the role of Manager, Information Management Strategy (MIMS) in each division to support the implementation of information management reforms and governance.
The key next step will be to establish an annual process for review of divisional data collection and reporting requirements of funded organisations.
Reform agenda
As the DHS Information Management Strategy is rolled out into the housing and community services divisions, the following projects may be initiated to facilitate IM reform.
These potential projects utilise tools developed as part of the first phase of the IM Strategy in health and aged care programs:
- identification and recording of existing data collection and reporting requirements of funded / external organisations in the DHS Data Collection Register (DCR)
- mapping of identified data collections to a detailed level (data element and code-set) and the recording of this data in the DHS Metadata Repository (MDR)
- involvement in the development and completion of the Common and Reference Data Dictionary (CRDD) project to support consistency across data collections
- application of International and National data standards to support consistency across data collections
- introduction of a data collection review process (including Business Case templates) to clarify the unique business requirement for the data, and to support review of review of data collections.
Further information
For information on the DHS IM Strategy in Children, Youth and Families division, please contact:
Feodora Fomin
Manager, Divisional Planning Analysis and Review Unit
Program and Sector Support
Children, Youth and Families Division
Department of Human Services
Tel: (61 3) 9096 0220
Email: feodora.fomin@dhs.vic.gov.au
For information on the DHS IM Strategy in the Disability Services and Housing and Community Building divisions, please contact:
Jonathan Ashley
Manager, DHS IM Strategy Unit
Planning and Resources Branch
Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services
Department of Human Services
Tel: (61 3) 9096 1482
Email: jonathan.ashley@dhs.vic.gov.au