1. NW LASN Client 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
Page 1 of 7

9. 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

10. 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
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11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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
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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 Copies of the Guide
Copies of the Guide 16