The Health and Wellbeing Service Framework

1. The Health and Wellbeing Service Framework An integrated approach to service delivery

2. Background to the Framework • The creation of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) in late 2007, brought together a range of health and wellbeing services for children and young people from birth to 18 years. • The joining of these services under DEECD creates the opportunity to examine how they can work together more effectively to improve services for children, young people and their families. • The development of the Framework involved an extensive consultation process including regional forums, DEECD regional leadership and program manager meetings and feedback from a wide range of key stakeholders, based on the Towards a Health and Wellbeing Service Framework discussion paper. • The Framework is a Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development 2008 Year 2 commitment, that progresses the Blueprint strategies.

3. Progressing Blueprint reform strategies and the life course approach Every child thrives, learns and develops

4. DEECD Health and Wellbeing Services The Framework focuses on DEECD partially or fully funded services that identify health and/or wellbeing as their core business and directly support children, young people and their families.

5. The Health and Wellbeing Services Framework The Framework describes how DEECD health and wellbeing services can work in an integrated way to optimise children and young people’s health, wellbeing, learning and development outcomes. There are four key elements of the Framework: 1. Common service delivery domains 2. Shared principles for service delivery 3. Stronger relationships and partnerships 4. Effective leadership.

6. Element 1 - Common Service Delivery Domains The eight domains will help to services to: • clarify and articulate their core business • identify services with which to build partnerships and referral practices • identify service gaps and duplication and decide how to best use existing resources. The domains are: • Health promotion and primary prevention • Population health monitoring for children and young people • Early identification of risk vulnerability and need • Early identification for children and young people at risk of compromised health and wellbeing • Effective support, intervention and monitoring for those requiring complex responses • Reducing barriers to learning and development • Restoring wellbeing • Linking children and young people to their community

7. Element 2 - Shared Principles for Service Delivery The eight shared principles create a shared language and platform for services to work together. The principles should underlie the work of all DEECD health and wellbeing services and become embedded in the guidelines, standards and daily work of these services. • Universal access • Focus on outcomes • Evidence-based services • Integrated approach to service delivery • Child, youth and family centred practice • Cultural competence • Partnerships with family and community • Commitment to service excellence

8. Element 3 - Stronger relationships and partnerships Smoother transitions between early childhood and school based services and links and partnerships among DEECD health and wellbeing services are needed to develop a coordinated and responsive service system for children and young people. This requires: • Working within existing governance structures and network groups to address priority health and wellbeing issues and development of service coordination practices • Forging new partnerships and governance structures where required • Strengthening partnerships with other relevant government, non government and community services, educators and families.

9. Element 4 – Effective Leadership • Strong leadership and good governance is fundamental to successfully implementing the Framework • Regional leaders, managers of DEECD health and wellbeing services and community leaders, should consider how they can champion the framework and drive its implementation in their area, building on existing work • Health and Wellbeing Service Framework leadership teams can support this work.

10. The Framework’s implementation will mean that services will: • Better understand their roles and responsibilities and those of other services both locally and regionally; • Share a common vision, set of values and understanding with other DEECD health and wellbeing services; • Develop shared skills and knowledge that build their capability to work with children, young people and their families and effectively support their transition to another service as required, • Build relationships with other DEECD and community-based health and wellbeing services and well as with families, educators, and relevant community services.

11. Projects to support implementation of the Framework • A number of DEECD projects will support regions in implementing the Framework. These include: • Governance Demonstration Projects to develop and trial regional governance structures that reflect the Framework’s integrated approach. These projects will help inform implementation of the Framework across all nine regions. • Exploring the possibility of developing a common data set and client record across multiple services. This will include investigating relevant data collection and IT systems, and mapping legislative requirements for sharing client information. • Developing a Performance Measurement Framework to monitor and assess the difference health and wellbeing services are making to children and young peoples’ outcomes.

12. The Framework conveys a vision that is already being pursued across Victoria; it supports this work and offers a common language and approach to further the development of a service system that supports children and young people’s health, wellbeing, learning and development outcomes. This is your Health and Wellbeing Service Framework; its results will be seen in how you translate it to your context and use it to inform your work.

13. Further information The Health and Wellbeing Service Framework: Webpage www.education.vic.gov.au/hwsframework Email: health.wellbeing.feedback@edumail.vic.gov.au