NW LASN Client Feedback Group

1. NW LASNClient Feedback Group

2. George Hatvani • Service Development and Research Manager, HomeGround Services • Facilitator and Chair of Client Feedback Group since March 2010

3. Who is Client Feedback Group? • Working group of the North and West Local Area Service Network (LASN) • Opening Doors • Formed in March 2010

4. Current members are from the following organisations: • Council to Homeless Persons Peer Educator Support Program (CHP PESP) • Department of Human Services – Housing and Community Building • HomeGround Services • Hope Street Youth and Family Services • Salvation Army Social Housing Service (SASHS Western) • Wombat Housing • Yarra Community Housing/Metro West Housing

5. Past members have included staff from: • Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) • Hanover Welfare Services • Aged Housing Action Group (AHAG) • Salvation Army

6. Why do we exist? • Develop mechanisms to channel client feedback into LASN developmental work • Develop the sector’s capacity to hear and incorporate client feedback into organisational and regional development • Conduct a client review of the operation of Opening Doors • Model good practice in relation to client feedback and participation practices

7. Our achievements • Analysis of current regional client participation and feedback practices: March – July 2010 • Case Study Project: November 2010 • Experiences of Homelessness in the North and West Metropolitan Region • Two Client Focus Groups • Client involvement in homelessness services: February 2011 • Client experiences of Opening Doors: July 2011 • Workshop on Client Inclusive Practice: July 2011 • Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services: December 2011

8. Cared For Enough To Be Involved - Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011 The purpose of the Client Participation Guide is to: • document and share good client participation practices that are currently in place across the region, and to • assist homelessness services to achieve such practices, taking into account relevant practice settings and service standards. The Final Client Participation Guide was created in December 2011 and is available on the North West Homeless Network webpage http://www.nwhn.net.au/Client-Participation.aspx Page 1 of 7

9. The guide is organised in the following way: • Background • Purpose • Findings from the analysis of current regional client participation and feedback practices and client focus groups Page 2 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

10. 10 Practice principles Service Standards with respect to Client participation Homelessness Assistance Service Standards Consumer charter for community managed housing and homelessness services One DHS standards Page 3 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

11. Challenges and suggestions to overcome them Case Planning Overview of relevant standards and good practice in the region Suggested strategies at 3 levels of Staff contributions organisational contributions LASN contributions Along a participation continuum from Information, Partnership, Empowerment Page 4 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

12. Service delivery Overview of relevant standards and good practice in the region Suggested strategies at 3 levels of Staff contributions organisational contributions LASN contributions Along a participation continuum from Information, Partnership, Empowerment Page 5 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

13. Complaints Overview of relevant standards and good practice in the region Services System Development Overview of relevant standards and good practice in the region LASN strategies – 5 key activities which form part of the 2012 Client Feedback Group Workplan Page 6 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

14. Practice Considerations Client group or Practice Setting E.g. Young people, Aboriginal people, Women and Children who have experienced family violence, Initial Assessment and Planning, Crisis Supported Accommodation Special considerations Practice suggestions Summary of Focus Group Findings Resources Page 7 of 7 Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011

15. Current work of the Client Feedback Group – 2012 • Promoting the use of ‘Cared For Enough To Be Involved’ – ongoing • Two Client Focus Groups on the specific aspects of the homeless service system: • Client experiences of Interim Response 2 – May/June 2012 • Emergency Accommodation – July/August 2012 • Client Participants Register – May 2012 • Annual Client Surveys – September 2012 • Process for feeding back the work of the group to the clients of the North and West Homelessness Service System

16. Contact details George Hatvani georgeh@homeground.org.au 9 288 9721 Copies of the Guide http://www.nwhn.net.au/Client-Participation.aspx