Revision
of the service coordination tool templates, guidelines & associated
data standards
About the tool templates
- Fact sheet 1
Page content: Why do the tool templates
need revising? | What
will revising the tool templages achieve? | How
will changes to the tool templates be made? | How
will suggested changes be prioritised for action? | Overview
of the tool template revision process | How can
I suggest an amendment or an addition to the current suite of tools? | Where
can I get more information about the revision of the tool templates? |
Download document
Why do the tool templates need revising?
A number of health agencies in Victoria have already implemented Service
Coordination and over the next two years many other agencies will
join them in using the tool templates. As the range of agencies implementing
service coordination increases, revision of the tool templates is
necessary to incorporate the practice needs of different practitioners.
Also, because the agencies new to Service Coordination may provide services
to specific client groups, additional templates may need to be developed
that are appropriate for identifying initial needs and undertaking referrals
for consumers of these services. Finally, in the agencies where Service
Coordination has been implemented for some time, practitioners experienced
in using the tool templates may be able to suggest changes that will
improve the quality of the information collected and reflect changed practice
over time.
What will revising the tool templates achieve?
The aim of the revision is improve the tool templates to support better
identification of, and service responses to, the needs of consumers.
In addition to making the current suite of tool templates more effective,
the revision also aims to develop additional tool templates that will
support needs identification across the service sector of the needs
of particular clients such as young people, families, carers and people
with a disability.
Making the tools more useful for collecting information from various client
groups will mean more agencies, than presently use the tools can implement
them. This will improve the coordination of services across a greater diversity
of human service providers.
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How will changes to the tool templates be made?
Because Service Coordination practice is always expanding and evolving,
a continuous improvement approach where the tool templates are updated
annually is planned. This will allow the tool templates to lead and
reflect good practice.
In the first quarter of each year, beginning in 2005, proposed amendments
and/or additions to the current suite of tool templates will be gathered
from practitioners and Department of Human Services program areas through
a statewide submission process. Proposals will then be collated and assessed
by a steering committee convened for the revision.
Changes to the tool templates supported by the steering committee and
the Department of Human Services will be consulted upon through a series
of consultations held across the state. This will occur in September of
each year. Feedback from these consultations will then be incorporated
into the final version of the tool templates, which will be subject to
piloting in representative agencies.
As a result of the consultations and the piloting, a final draft of the
tool templates will be developed and endorsed by the steering committee
and Department of Human Services. The Service Coordination Tool Template
Guidelines will then be updated to reflect the amended tool templates and
both the tool templates and guidelines will be made available on the web.
The amended tool templates will also be updated annually in health software
applications, wherever possible.
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How will suggested changes be prioritised for action?
Annually updating the tool templates means that they can change incrementally
rather than all suggestions being incorporated in the first year. As
there are likely to be many suggested amendments and additions to the
current suite of tool templates, some way of determining which should
be considered as a priority and which proposed changes are less urgent
needs to be developed.
Once proposals are received and collated, priority for action will be
determined according to several criteria. These include
- demand
for the change, that is, if many submissions call for the same change;
- impact of the change, in that making the change to the tool templates
will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the tools;
- complexity of the proposed change, that is, whether further development
is required before the change can be made; and also when
- resources will
be available to further develop the suggested change.
Proposals that require further consideration and development, such as
the creation of additional profiles, will be referred to working groups
convened for this purpose. Working groups would work to reach agreement
on conflicting proposals, consolidate like proposals, seek academic input
to validate proposed changes and develop recommendations for the steering
committee. Understandably, these may take some time and so complex proposals
are unlikely to incorporated into the tool templates in the year they are
proposed. Also, due to resource constraints, not all major projects will
be undertaken simultaneously. Depending on the complexity, it is likely
that one to two major projects will commence each year.
Below is a diagrammatic representation of the activities that will occur
annually and those that will happen outside of the annual cycle.
Overview of the tool template revision process
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How can I suggest an amendment or an addition to the current suite of
tools?
A statewide submission process where practitioners and program areas
are invited to suggest how the tool templates should be amended is currently
underway. A proforma on which to suggest amendments or additions to the
current suite of tool templates has been developed and can be downloaded
below, completed in hard copy and returned by mail or completed electronically
and emailed. All completed proformas need to be returned to the Department
of Human Services by 3 June 2005.
 Proforma
to Suggest Amendments or Additions to the Current Suite of Service Coordination
Tool Templates (72kb, MS Word)
 Proforma
to Suggest Amendments or Additions to the Current Suite of Service Coordination
Tool Templates (122kb, pdf)
Completed proformas can be returned to:
Project Manager
Revision of the Service Coordination Tool Templates
Level 12, 50 Lonsdale St
Melbourne 3000
or
Emailed to sctt.revision@dhs.vic.gov.au
Where can I get more information about the revision of the tool
templates?
Queries about the revision can be directed to sctt.revision@dhs.vic.gov.au or
your local Primary Care Partnership.
A telephone helpline will be available
from April 2005 to June 2005 to assist you with completing the proforma
if required. Telephone: 1300 799 232.
In addition, this website will be
regularly updated to provide information about the revision of the Service
Coordination Tool Templates.
Download document
The PDF below is a printable version of the above information.
About
the tool templates -
Fact sheet 1 (77kb, pdf)
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