Issue 33 | 31 January 2005
What is FOFMS?
FOFMS is the FaCS Online Funding Management System. It is being developed to give all FaCS programs an integrated funding and management system. FOFMS will allow you to manage your client records, view and update their details and payment history in real time, all on a single system.
Business Services will be the first group of providers to work with FOFMS, which is expected to be online from 4 April 2005. As the date draws closer, we need to work together preparing for the implementation of FOFMS.
What you don't have to do in preparation for the implementation of FOFMS.
You will not have to re-enter all your client or outlet information. We will take information about your Block Grant clients from the Interim Disability Maintenance Instrument System (IDMIS) and your Census Reports and transfer them directly to FOFMS. Details of your existing Case Based Funding (CBF) clients, including Australians Working Together (AWT), Phase Two and Growth Funded clients will be taken from the current payment system called Total Analysis and Recording Disability Services (TARDiS).
There are some things you need to do to help us make the transfer to FOFMS as smooth as possible. We will write to you about this in the near future.
Will providers be given training?
Yes. Between 800 and 1000 users will be trained on FOFMS before the April 4 release. There will be follow-up training sessions available to users as well as access to helpdesk facilities. Training dates will be advised in the next e-News.
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There are a number of changes to the way business services receive payments now that all business services have started to move to the new Case Based Funding (CBF) model from 1 January 2005. Answers to some common questions are given below.
Do I still need to get a Job Seeker Classification Index (JSCI) score?
No. The JSCI was used as part of the Disability Pre-employment Instrument (DPI), which no longer needs to be completed for business service clients.
What payments will I get for a jobseeker who commenced in 2004?
Jobseekers who commenced in 2004 and who have not yet submitted a DPI will automatically receive a monthly $500 pre- Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) fee from 1 January 2005.
From April (when FOFMS is implemented) all DPI payments will cease and all jobseekers for whom a DMI has not been completed will be paid the pre-DMI fee.
My client achieved an outcome in 2004. Will I still get the outcome payment?
Yes. Under the previous funding agreement your client was eligible for an outcome payment. We encourage you to make all outstanding claims for outcome payments as soon as possible.
From 1 January 2005 clients who are employed for 13 weeks, for at least eight hours per week, must have a DMI completed within three months of this achievement. This means that for all your clients who had achieved 13 weeks before 1 January you must complete their DMIs by the end of March 2005.
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IDMIS is the online system that has enabled you to lodge Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) assessment details for your clients, so they can move from Block Grant to Case Based Funding (CBF).
You may have noticed that the IDMIS screen now features a list of all the forms you need to claim payments for CBF clients. This will make it easier for you to lodge forms for your CBF clients. You no longer need to complete your forms and send them attached to an email and you can now go directly into IDMIS to complete and lodge all your forms online.
IDMIS will be the system you use until FOFMS comes online in April 2005.[ top ]
In Issue 31 of e-news we talked about the work FaCS is doing on exploring the benefits of e-marketing for business services.
Thanks to those services that made the time to talk to Bolton Landells Consulting, who are working with us to determine how internet technologies can best support your business. Last week FaCS began a select tender process to engage a provider to design and develop an online e-Commerce application that will help build the viability of the Business Services sector. We are looking for a provider to design and host web pages for Business Services, develop an online catalogue of products and services, with the ability for customers to search, get quotes, price orders and make payments online.
If you want to know more about e-Commerce and how to make the most of your presence on the web, go to the community portal at www.community.gov.au and follow the links to e-Commerce.
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The Consumer Representatives Best Practice Forum will be held in Brisbane on February 9 and 10. Planning began in July 2004, with Belinda Wardlaw in the consulting role. Belinda has successfully undertaken many projects in the disability field and the broader community sector.
One aim of the forum is to develop some positive working models for facilitating consumer participation in services.
As part of the planning process, managers and consumers in Queensland Disability Employment Services were surveyed. Some managers expressed concerns the consumers were more focused on finding a job than in participating in the organisation. However, 78 per cent of the responding consumers said they felt a loyalty to the service that assisted them in finding employment and were keen to help others achieve the same result.
Respondents identified some barriers to participation, with 42 per cent citing transport availability and the cost of attending meetings as significant deterrents. Others had difficulty understanding the information provided.
For more information about the forum, contact Peter Callaghan by email corporate@employment.org.au or phone (07) 49226 122.
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Case management is not just a pre-requisite for clients who are interested in leaving work and entering targeted support, it is also available for all eligible* clients of business services whose productivity level has been assessed at 15 per cent or less.
Since case management commenced in business services in 2004, the majority of employees who have accepted the offer of case management have chosen to remain in work.
CRS Australia case managers have recommended a variety of improvements to support clients in the workplace. Some of these have had a broader impact and provided benefits for the workplace as a whole.
Examples of recommendations include:
Business Services that wish to find out more about case management should contact the Disability Program Manager in their FaCS State or Territory Office or CRS Australia on 1800 444 557.
* Clients eligible for support under the ‘Quality services and choice for people with disabilities package’ are those who were existing employees of a business service between 1 July 2003 and 1 May 2004.
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The FaCS website is being redeveloped to reflect recent changes to the department's responsibilities. While we do this, some web pages and links will be unavailable. If you can't find what you're looking for on the FaCS web site, please contact your state or territory FaCS Office or your FaCS Contract Manager.
We have also changed the format of disAbility e-news, removing the pdf and rtf version options. A new template has been created, making each copy "print friendly".
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As advised in issue 29 of e-news , after the federal election, responsibility for open employment services transferred to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
FaCS disAbility e-news will now concentrate on information relating to Business Services . If you no longer wish to receive FaCS' e-news , email your request to unsubscribe to disability.enews@facsia.gov.au and we will remove you from our mailing list.
To keep abreast of issues relating to disability employment assistance and open employment services , we encourage you to subscribe to DEWR's new fortnightly e-newsletter, Open Disability Employment Update . Send your subscription request to jane.klose@dewr.gov.au
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Work Solutions Gippsland makes Quality Assurance (QA) a part of its day-to-day operations by inviting input from all stakeholders. Executive Director Donna Faulkner said "C lients are encouraged to provide feedback and employers have the opportunity to respond to surveys, automatically generated six weeks after a job starts." Staff can also suggest improvements, or can speak to the QA Coordinator or a QA committee member at any time for clarification on any aspect. "All feedback and employer surveys are tabled and the results of the QA meetings are tabled at team meetings," Ms Faulkner said.
"QA and Continuous Improvement largely cover the same territory," Ms Faulkner said. QA certification ensures adherence to a specific set of guidelines and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Continuous Improvement ensures delivery of the best possible standard of service, by constantly measuring, monitoring and improving work processes and systems. "It is a more internal approach," she said.
Putting a quality system in place helps deliver efficient and consistent service and provides a clear understanding of operation standards. The surveys, feedback and suggestions offer real data to measure, monitor and review. Ms Faulkner said it also leads to "Improved morale due to the opportunities for teams to contribute to the big picture and to gain skills across business areas".
Ms Faulkner said "Work Solutions have integrated Continuous Improvement into their service with management leading the way via active participation and adequate resource allocation". Other initiatives include forming both a QA committee - with a client representative - (with regular documented meetings) and an internal audit committee.
"We have found our auditors to be a good sounding board, as they review many services and see some great ideas," Ms Faulkner said. Internally, it has "Assisted our business with multiskilling, learning and understanding how all the pieces of the jigsaw (our business) fit together." She said the external audits (one certification and one surveillance) were very positive experiences overall. Ms Faulkner felt the key to being ready for a surveillance audit lay in maintaining a quality system throughout the year, leaving little need for preparation. "We didn't do anything in preparation other than contact and schedule clients for meetings," Ms Faulkner said.
"From my perspective, QA and Continuous Improvement have been an integral part of our success as a new agency. It has streamlined the way in which we work and I have absolute confidence that service for clients consistently meets the requirements of the Disability Services Standards throughout our six outlets. It has enhanced the way in which we induct staff and keep everyone up to date with all facets of the service and the business," Ms Faulkner said.
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Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program or to let us know what you think of this e-newsletter.
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Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
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