Issue 34 | 14 February 2005
In Issue 33 of e-news we gave you an update about e-Commerce and our progress with selecting a provider to help us develop the web application. Design work will begin in late February.
Early reports are encouraging, with twice the average return rate for questionnaires. So once again, thank you for taking the time to talk to Bolton Landells Consulting.
FaCS will contact you for some information about the products and services your organisation delivers. This will be used to help design and develop the e-Commerce application. We need a suitable name for the e-Commerce application, for example www.selectaname.bus. If you have a good idea please send it to paul.larcombe@facsia.gov.au.
If you would like to know more about how e-Commerce might benefit you, some examples of e-Commerce sites are: www.e-businessguide.gov.au, www.line56.com or www.marketboomer.com
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We are aiming to release the new FaCS Online Funding Management System (FOFMS) to business services on 4 April 2005.
Service providers can learn how to use FOFMS via Computer Based Training (CBT). A CD-ROM will be mailed out at the end of February, showing the key features of FOFMS to help familiarise providers with the new system.
A second CD-ROM will be sent out in early March with a training package to give service providers step-by-step instructions on how to use FOFMS. For service providers who need more support after working through both CD-ROMs, FaCS staff will conduct regional follow-up training sessions.
Further information about FOFMS will be provided in the next edition of e-news .
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In late 2003 FaCS set up a FOFMS DEA User Group to help design and test the new FOFMS system to ensure it meets provider needs. We now have an opportunity to add more providers to the user group. If you would like to nominate to join the user group please contact Geoffrey Villalba on 07 3005 6034 or geoffrey.villalba@facsia.gov.au
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In the next few days you will receive a letter asking you to help us prepare for the implementation of FOFMS. A critical element to its success will be the accuracy of the information we enter into the new system. FaCS will be taking information from a number of sources and entering it into FOFMS in preparation for the April 2005 release. These sources include: Total Analysis and Recording of Disability Services (TARDIS), the 2004 disability census and the Interim Disability Maintenance Instrument System (IDMIS). We ask that you do three things for clients who have already been entered on IDMIS for Transition Point One.
It is crucial that information transferred to FOFMS is accurate and up to date. We are aiming to complete this exercise by 11 March 2005 . For more information please contact your local STO Contract Manager.
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DEWR has distributed a discussion paper on Next Steps for Disability Open Employment Services. Broadly, it proposes that from 1 July 2005, Disability Open Employment Services will continue as a specialist network of services. To coincide with the release of the paper, discussion forums will be held nationally in February 2005.
As some of you have an interest in open employment services you may wish to have your say. The discussion paper is available at: http://www.jobable.gov.au/home/news.asp#paper.
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The National Auslan Interpreter Booking and Payment Service (NABS) provides accredited Auslan interpreters fee free for Deaf Auslan users attending private medical consultations.
Senator the Hon Kay Patterson, Minister for Family and Community Services, launched the new service with the successful service provider, Wesley Mission of Brisbane.
The service began taking bookings from 31 January 2005. Wesley Mission Brisbane will be providing information sessions to the Deaf community about the new service throughout Australia in early 2005. Wesley Mission Brisbane can be contacted 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
(Monday - Friday) - except on national public holidays on:
Telephone |
1800 246 945 |
TTY: |
1800 246 948 |
Fax: |
1800 246 914 |
SMS: |
0427 671 261 |
Email: |
Mail: |
National Auslan Interpreter Booking and Payment Service |
For further information refer to the new website www.nabs.org.au.
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Commonwealth, State and Territory responsibilities for providing services for people with disabilities are set out in the Commonwealth State Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA). Under this agreement, the states and territories have primary responsibility for providing accommodation support services, respite care services and community access programs. The Commonwealth has primary responsibility for providing employment assistance and shares responsibility with the other jurisdictions for advocacy, information and print disability services. Governments have committed $16.2 billion over five years to delivering specialist disability services under the CSTDA.
The Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) Annual Public Report 2002-03 highlights the progress and achievements of the first year of the third CSTDA. The report contains tables prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from the first six months of available data from the CSTDA Minimum Data Set.During the first six months of 2003, 155 707 people were reported as using CSTDA-funded specialist disability services, provided by the 7007 service outlets Australia-wide. Employment services and community support were the most widely accessed service types, with take-up rates of 35 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.
You can read the report at CSTDA Annual Public Report 2002-03
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The Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) has recently convened a technical committee to review Procedure 18 - General requirements for bodies operating assessment and certification of disability employment services. All stakeholders were represented, and industry recommendations from the mid-term review of the quality strategy were considered. JAS-ANZ has finalised the now more user-friendly procedure, which is on the JAS-ANZ website at www.jas-anz.com.au, and at www.facsia.gov.au/qa . The next update of the Quality Assurance Handbook will contain this version.
The following table identifies the key changes to Procedure 18.
Issue |
Procedure 18 Clause |
Rationale |
Targeted Support |
|
Definition provided. Scope of Procedure 18 to cover disability employment services, CRS Australia and targeted support. |
Team competencies/activities |
G.2.2.7 to G.2.2.21 |
Clarification of team/Consumer technical expert competencies and activities |
Audit reporting requirements |
G.3.4.3 G.3.5.6 |
Clarification on detail required to support decision Clarification of reporting requirements to Department |
Surveillance audits |
G.3.6.4 |
Standards 7,8 and 9 now mandatory |
Complaints Resolution and Referral Service (CRRS) |
G.3.8.2 |
Definition provided Links to CRRS explained |
Audit Duration |
Annex 1 |
Days increased for surveillance audits with more than 31 consumers, and initial assessments with more than 300 consumers |
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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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