NW LASN Client Feedback Group

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011 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 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 10

Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011 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 11

Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011 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 12

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

Practice Considerations Cared For Enough To Be Involved – Client Participation Guide for Specialist Homelessness Services – December 2011 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 14

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

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