SRS Legislation Review

Page content: Overview | New legislation introduced to Parliament | What are the main reforms? | Next steps | Further information

Overview

These are currently contained in the Health Services Act 1988 (the Act) and the Health Services (Supported Residential Services) Regulations 2001 (SRS regulations). The laws protect the safety and wellbeing of residents by establishing minimum standards for the accommodation and support provided in these facilities.

New legislation introduced to Parliament

This is standalone legislation tailored to SRS. While it still establishes minimum standards for the accommodation and support provided in these facilities, the new Act will make it easier to understand what SRS residents are entitled to receive.

What are the main reforms?

• New statutory occupancy rights for residents.
• New statutory protections for security deposits and other up front payments residents may make when entering an SRS.
• New statutory requirements for all new staff to have police checks, and for day to day managers to be assessed, as well as powers to make additional regulations to strengthen staffing requirements.
• Additional enforcement mechanisms that will broaden how the Department of Health deals with non-compliance by proprietors.
• Strengthened reporting requirements for serious incidents.
• A shift to outcome-based standards, with the details of these to be prescribed in regulation.
• Streamlined administrative processes, with requirements to complete approval in principle (as part of the initial registration process), pay an annual registration fee or periodically renew registration removed.

You can get more information about key reform areas from the following fact sheets:

Fact Sheet 2 - Resident protections - money (42kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 3 - Staffing requirements (42kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 4 - Resident protections - occupancy rights (46kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 5 - Incident reporting (32kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 6 - Accommodation and support standards (39kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 7 - Registration changes (37kb, pdf)

Fact Sheet 8 - Monitoring and Enforcement (38kb, pdf)

Next steps

Work has commenced on the development of SRS regulations to support the new Act.

Stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback on these regulations and the associated regulatory impact statement in the coming months.

It is expected the new Act and regulations will come into effect in 2012 (if not sooner).

Until that time, the Health Services Act 1988 and Health Services (Supported Residential Services) Regulations 2001 will continue to be enforced.

Resources will be developed to support all involved with this transition.

Further information

• The Supported Residential Services (Private Proprietors) Bill can be viewed at the “parliamentary documents” section of the Parliament of Victoria’s website, http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/
• If you have additional queries about these reforms, please email srslegislationreview@health.vic.gov.au or phone: 1800 079 537

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