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© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, May 2014
Human Services Blueprint Technical Specifications
ISBN: 978–0–9752447–2–2
The Human Services Blueprint is an across Government and community sector project,
endorsed by the ACT Government and informed by broader community engagement.
The Technical Specifications is one of three documents in the Blueprint suite of documents.
The Human Services Blueprint Technical Specifications should be read in conjunction with
the Human Services Blueprint and the Human Services Blueprint Consultation Report.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A cohesive human services system for the ACT
The Human Services Blueprint (Blueprint) represents a redesign of the responses available
to people and families, in situations where their resilience, and capacity to participate in
social and economic life, is challenged by vulnerability or adversity.
The ACT Human Services System (human services system) aims to develop the capacity
of people and communities to enable their full participation in a strong and healthy
community. The human services system also intends to support people in appropriate
ways—from providing a universal access model, to more targeted early intervention and
prevention services, to provide an intensive service offer where required—and to do so in
an integrated and cohesive way so that it is simple to understand, access and navigate.
The role of the human services system is to listen, learn and adapt to the changing needs
of our community, making progressive change towards a person-centred, cohesive and
sustainable system.
Under the human services system, each stakeholder has a responsibility to align decision
making with the vision and purpose of the human services system, and to respond as
part of the human services system to build the capacity of people and communities.
This includes having the capability to identify and connect people with the supports
they need, when they need them.
Human ServicesSystem
Operations
Education Health
Community Justice
Leadership & Governance
Learning &Development
Control & Co-ordination
People incommunities
Operations
HumanServicesSystem
HumanServicesSystem
Leadership & Governance
Learning &Development
Control & Co-ordination
Operations Cycle R
epea
ts
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
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The Blueprint, therefore, provides a framework for all systems (health, education,
justice and community) to work in alliance as the human services system to deliver
person-centred, high-quality outcomes-focused responses.
Blueprint Design
The Blueprint is an outcome of Phase 1 of the Blueprint project. The Blueprint was
developed using a collaborative, community engagement, design process.
The purpose of Phase 1 was to describe a cohesive, person-centred and sustainable
human services system for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and a map of how
to get there.
The process to develop the Blueprint involved high-level ministerial endorsement and
joint community-government leadership. Advice was developed by a group of community
and government stakeholders whose shared ideas were tested and refined with broader
community engagement outcomes.
Consultation and engagement undertaken to develop the Blueprint identified that
people wanted better, equitable, services that built on the strengths of existing
programs, with less wait times and a more personal touch. These themes are captured
in the values and principles which will be used to guide decision making related to the
human services system.
The result of this design process was the development of a Blueprint which sets
out the vision and purpose of a human services system, with values and principles
to guide decision making. It includes system design elements and a realisation
pathway to implement and operationalise a cohesive human services system that
is person-centred and sustainable.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Blueprint Architecture
The Blueprint architecture has three parts: Context; System Design and Outcomes.
CONTEXTEnvironment/community within which the service will operate
STAKEHOLDER NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS
FUNCTIONS
VISION & PURPOSE
PROCESS
STRUCTURE
OUTCOMES & PERFORMANCE MEASURES
The Context describes the environmental and community circumstances and stakeholder
needs and expectations within which the system operates.
The System Design is made up of vision and purpose, functions, structure and processes.
Together these provide a description of the Blueprint—all the elements that need to be in
place if the needs and expectations of key stakeholders are to be met.
The Outcomes are the results that emerge from the system. If effective, the outcomes will
positively change both the context within which the system operates and the needs and
expectations of those who have a stake in and/or interact with the system.
Context
The ACT enjoys a great degree of relative advantage, with disadvantage located amongst
relatively affluent communities. Many Canberra suburbs have high numbers of both the
most, and the least, disadvantaged individuals.
The development of the Blueprint responds to the desire to have improved, more efficient
and effective services in order to respond to changing contexts such as an ageing
population, national reforms including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and
financial constraints.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
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By having an integrated system that captures and shares information, and listens and
learns from the experience of people and the community, it may better understand and
adapt to the dynamic needs of our evolving community. Further, governments and other
organisations will be in a better position to appropriately design and target services,
policies and programs to meet individual and community needs.
System Design
Vision and Purpose (page 22)
The Blueprint articulates the following shared vision for the human services system,
which is supported by and encapsulates the values and principles.
All Canberrans have the capability to fully participate in strong, healthy and inclusive
communities and are enabled by a cohesive human services system that is:
• Person-centred, strengths-based and focused on achieving positive outcomes
and services
• Simple to understand, access and navigate
• Adaptive to evolving changes, needs and knowledge
• Viable and sustainable, leveraging resources across the system to respond to current,
emerging and future demand
• Working in collaboration and partnership across the system.
The Vision is supported by a purpose that articulates what needs to happen for the human
services system to achieve its goals. The purpose sets out the human services system’s
primary objectives against which performance to achieve the vision are measured.
By working cohesively, the purpose of the human services system is to develop the
capability of people and communities to enable their full participation in a strong, healthy
and inclusive community by:
• Improving the experience of people who interact with the system
• Improving the outcomes of people of the ACT
• Maximising the effective use of all resources in the system.
Functions (pages 27–30)
The human services system has two main aims to deliver in order to meet the needs and
expectations of the community. Its main functions are to develop capacity and integrate
the delivery of responses.
Capacity development includes building the capacity of:
• Individuals and families to participate in strong and healthy communities
• Communities to identify and respond early to emerging issues that affect
people’s participation
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
• The human services system to meet current and future needs and deliver better,
person-centred outcomes.
Integrated delivery of responses includes:
• Providing responses that are simple to access and navigate
• Agencies working together to provide responses, linking people to the supports
they need, when they need them to prevent escalation
• Offering tailored supports, and responding to crisis and/or complexity in a timely
and effective manner.
Structure (pages 31–34)
The human services system needs to have core elements in place to have the capacity
to meet and deliver the above functions and be viable over the longer term.
The graphic below depicts the Structure the human services system must have in place
for it to be cohesive, person-centred and sustainable.
Leadership & Governance
Learning& Development
Control & Coordination
People in Communities
Operations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
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Structure Description
Leadership and Governance Create a clear sense of authorisation and direction and
effective policy in place to support that direction
Learning and Development Construct an adaptable and innovative system that
has an ongoing understanding of changing needs and
circumstances and capacity to respond to change
Control and Coordination Managing and coordinating the core services delivered
to individuals, along with monitoring and evaluating their
performance (including top down and bottom up controls)
Operations System activities that enable the system purpose to be
achieved
Processes (pages 35–38)
The processes describe how the functions will be delivered and set out the capabilities
needed to deliver them. Processes either support capacity development for people,
communities and the system as a whole, or support integrated service delivery.
For example, to deliver the structures:
• Leadership and Governance need high-level oversight processes
• Learning and Development need evaluation and improvement processes
• Control and Coordination need policy and funding processes
• Operations need implementation processes.
Individual elements are further outlined in the table on pages 37–38.
Outcomes
To evaluate the human services system performance to achieve its vision, a Triple Aim
has been developed. The Triple Aim intends to measure the progressive development
and realisation of the Blueprint, and simultaneously measure:
• Individual: Improved experiences for those interacting with the human services
system, including access, quality, reliability, and continuity
• Population: Improved capability of individuals and families to participate fully
in strong and healthy communities
• System: Effective use of available human and financial resources.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Realisation Pathway
Change will not happen overnight.
The Blueprint puts in place a framework to progressively realise change by identifying
and understanding what needs to happen to improve service experiences and population
outcomes and effectively use available resources.
The Blueprint recognises that we are not starting from scratch and that there are
important initiatives already running in our community that align with the direction we
would like to head. It also recognises that improvements are required to achieve its goals.
As such, the Realisation Pathway provides a methodology to identify, understand, align,
redesign and develop what needs to be in place to achieve a cohesive human services
system that is person-centred and sustainable. The pathway to align practices and
cultures is iterative, and involves localised prototyping to inform scalable and sustainable
system reform.
Continued engagement
Continued collaboration and co-design is vital to realising the vision as the next phases
of the Blueprint project are rolled out.
The values of the human services system that underpin any future work include respectful
and responsive. These mean that our approach to future engagement will value the unique
contributions that diverse perspectives bring to a vibrant community, and also listen, learn
and adapt to the changing needs of people and communities.
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KEY TERMS USED IN THE BLUEPRINTThis section provides descriptions for key terms used throughout the Blueprint suite
of documents.
Person-centred
For the purpose of the Blueprint, person-centred refers to the need to ensure that the
design and delivery of the human services system response, focuses on what matters
to the person. In addition, it also means ensuring that the person is able to be involved,
as a co-designer, of the services they need.
Integrated
For the purpose of the Blueprint, the focus of integration is on organisational and process
boundaries and how to ensure smooth handover across them. While there are many ways
this can be achieved, the ultimate measure is that, for the service user, the boundaries are
invisible and their experience is of ‘one service’.
Control
A key structural element discussed in this document is described as ‘control and
coordination’. The word control is often used in the pejorative sense of one person,
or organisation, exercising control over another. In this document ‘control’ does not
simply mean top-down control. The structure described in this document is specifically
designed to balance top-down authority, ensuring that what is intended to occur does
in fact do so, with the autonomy of front-line staff and communities, who have a much
richer understanding of what is required within their specific context. When control is
effective, it balances the need for consistent, policy-driven practice with the innovation
and flexibility needed to deliver effective person-centred services. Effective control is a
balance of authority and autonomy.
Community
For the purpose of the Blueprint, community is defined broadly as comprising locally
based and interest based population groups, community based services, infrastructure
and social capital, in recognition of the important role communities play in supporting
individuals and families in the ACT.
Early Intervention and Prevention
Universal services, such as those available in health and education sectors, are building
blocks for individuals to reach their potential. Prevention and early intervention approaches
at key transition times throughout the life-course particularly in early childhood and early in
the life of a problem—can increase the chances of positive outcomes.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
CONTENTSExecutive Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iii
A cohesive Human Services System for the ACT ..........................................................................................................................................iii
Blueprint Design ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Blueprint Architecture .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
Realisation Pathway ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ix
Key terms used in the Blueprint ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................x
Overview of the Design Process ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
A different approach to developing the Blueprint .......................................................................................................................................2
Design process ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Design assumptions ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................4
The Blueprint Architecture ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
Key Graphics ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Context .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
The Population of the ACT ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Drivers for the Blueprint ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Human Services System Interactions through the Life-Course ....................................................................................... 12
Scope.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
System Design ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Vision................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Purpose .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Values ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23
ACT Human Services System root definition ....................................................................................................................................................24
Functions .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27
Capacity development functions ...............................................................................................................................................................................................27
Integrated delivery functions ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................30
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Structure ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Leadership and Governance ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................33
Learning and Development ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................33
Control and Coordination ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Operations .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Processes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................35
Outcomes ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Triple Aim .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................39
Key performance behaviours ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................40
Sustainability .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................42
Overcoming constraints..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................45
Realisation Pathway .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................47
Maturity Model .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................49
Continued engagement ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................50
Next steps .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................50
Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................51
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
OVERVIEW OF THE DESIGN PROCESSThe Human Services Blueprint (Blueprint) describes the development of a human services
system, defined as a cohesive, person-centred and sustainable system, which aims to
develop the capacity of people and families to enable their full participation in a strong
and healthy community.
The Blueprint was developed using a collaborative design approach involving experts
and stakeholders—in a broad-reaching conversation between service users, communities
and government.
The design of the Blueprint articulates the Vision and Purpose, Guiding Principles,
Functions, Structures and Processes to achieve a cohesive, person-centred and
sustainable human services system. The Blueprint is only the beginning and is the
end product of Phase 1.
Phase 1 ran from September to December 2013. It involved stakeholders from across
government, the community sector and community. It had endorsement by the ACT
Government and was informed by broader community engagement.
Phase 2 will involve policy work to sequence key activities required to deliver this system,
and will continue throughout 2014.
Phase 3 will align and test key elements and activities required to deliver the system,
and will occur in 2014 and 2015.
Phase 4 will involve evaluation.
The following graphic outlines annual priorities and deliverables that have been identified
with a view to arriving at the desired future state. Note that the Blueprint Work Phases
may change slightly over time to reflect the iterative nature of design work, which aims to
respond to issues and challenges as they arise.
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Human Services Blueprint Work Phases
Phase 1: 2013
Designing theFuture State
We are here
Articulating the key elements
required to deliver a cohesive
Human Services System
AA Learning Human Services System — Annual Refresh and Prioritisation Process
Sequencing keyactivities required to
deliver a cohesiveHuman Services System
Aligning and testing key elements andactivities required
to deliver a cohesive Human Services System
Evaluating and refiningthe key elements
required to deliver a cohesive Human Services System
Designing theRoadmap
Designing/Testing System
Elements
Designing/RefiningSystem
Elements
Phase 2: 2014 Phase 3: 2014–2015 Phase 4: 2015–2016
A different approach to developing the Blueprint
The Blueprint was developed using a different approach to the regular approach used by
government. The approach applied principles of participatory co-development, design
thinking and systems sciences. Rather than a more usual policy development cycle that
develops a nearly polished product and asks for comment, the approach to develop the
Blueprint was iterative, testing and refining ideas throughout the process.
As a result, the Blueprint pays particular attention to designing the linkages between
the situations of people in the ACT, the results and outcomes needed from a cohesive
human services system and how a full spectrum of responses could be connected into
a sustainable mix and balance within the resources available across the system as a whole
– including those of people themselves.
The structure of the text and visual maps used draw on the methods and research of
systems theory to make these connections explicit and conceptually rigorous.
Design process
The Blueprint was developed using a design process. This allowed for iterative
development of the Blueprint and maximised opportunities to incorporate co-design and
action learning principles into the design process.
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Design processes supporting the development of the Blueprint included:
• Establishing a team of Senior Government (Director-General level) and
Executive-Level Community Sector representatives providing strategic
oversight (the Human Services Taskforce)
• Establishing a working group (Core Design Team) with government and
community sector representatives which undertook more intensive work in
order to inform the Taskforce
• A large symposium (a two-day intensive design workshop) at which the ideas
and plans developed were tested, and feedback given
• An online engagement strategy including a public discussion paper and
survey questions
• Service user and provider focus groups
• Targeted stakeholder engagements
• Review of previous consultation themes and related system reforms.
Design processes support innovation in service design, policy programming and
governance practices by:
1. Establishing a shared understanding of the issues and drawing together
diverse perspectives
2. Providing an opportunity for diverse participants to imagine a preferred future,
rather than being limited by current realities
3. Allowing for rapid feedback on potential solutions to increase the potential
for shared commitment to the final outcome.
Initiation Endorsement
Engagement
Development
For further details on the consultation process and findings, please refer to the Human
Services Blueprint Consultation Report.
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Design assumptions
The Blueprint represents a redesign of the responses available to people and families, in
situations where their resilience, and capacity to participate in social and economic life, is
challenged by vulnerability or adversity.
An assumption in developing this Blueprint was that no single perspective will be able
to capture the complexity of multiple organisations, delivering a range of services and
development initiatives to many different communities, population groups, families and
individuals. These different perspectives inform the Blueprint.
The following assumptions emerged as central pillars used to inform the design process:
1. Person-centred
This includes valuing self-determination and self-capacity by focusing on what matters
to people and what would enable their participation, rather than what matters to
agencies or services. As a result, people have the capacity to act and make decisions
in partnership with the system to work towards achieving positive outcomes.
Strong evidence indicates that current service responses are not always
person-centred and generate fractures and discontinuities that get in the way of
effectiveness. Improving experiences of support is seen as a critical driver for redesign.
2. Supporting participation
The assumption of participation is a core value in the redesign. This includes the full
range of reciprocal relationships that sustain a person within family, peer, workplace
and social settings.
It is acknowledged that some people may make choices not to participate. In some
cases there are non-voluntary statutory responses which are in place to ensure the
safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people in our community.
3. Building resilience
The concept of resilience is assumed to cover positive strengths and protective factors,
as well as situations where the limits or constraints on resilience are reached. As a
consequence, participation is affected, which in turn may result in compounding risk.
4. Inclusive Services System
While the label “Services” is used in the title, it is seen as being one form of response.
A full range of responses including promotion, education, community development,
building self-capacity and self-determination, are all considered in scope, alongside
more formalised services provided by organisations supported by a range of
funding sources.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
5. Community focused
This includes notions of place but also recognises that people may see themselves as
belonging to non placed-based communities.
Implicit within this is a value of building community capacity to support individual and
family resilience. This places a special value on responses and organisations that are
aligned with communities, contribute to collective impact, and in some sense ‘belong’
within communities, rather than responses that are one-dimensional and only address
individual symptoms.
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THE BLUEPRINT ARCHITECTURE
CONTEXTEnvironment/community within which the service will operate
STAKEHOLDER NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS
FUNCTIONS
VISION & PURPOSE
PROCESS
STRUCTURE
OUTCOMES & PERFORMANCE MEASURES
When thinking about blueprints for a building, for example, it requires different
perspectives, such as: floor plans, elevations, and site plans, to provide enough information
to enable the plans to be picked up by anyone and built to specification. So too, the
Blueprint will need to be clearly articulated from different perspectives, if it is to be
understood well enough to be implementable.
This Blueprint aims to describe the systems architecture for a cohesive human services
system in the ACT.
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There are three main parts to this architecture:
1. The first is the environmental and community CONTExT within which the system sits.
This provides the rationale for the system and the opportunities and constraints within
which it must operate. It also contains the stakeholder needs and expectations, which
provide the focus for the system design and the evaluation of whether or not the
design is effective.
2. The second is the SYSTEM DESIGN, made up of vision and purpose, functions,
structure and processes. Together these provide a description of the Blueprint—all the
elements that need to be in place if the needs and expectations of key stakeholders are
to be met.
3. The third is the OUTCOMES. These are the results that emerge from the system, that if
effective, will positively change both the context within which the system sits and the
needs and expectations of those who have a stake in and/or interact with the system.
These parts are described in more detail in the following table.
Context From Page 10
Context, Needs and Expectations
This focuses on understanding the ‘place’ within which the system
sits. A human services system may only work when the context is
taken into account. This includes having a good understanding of
the needs and expectations of key stakeholders.
System Design From Page 22
Vision and Purpose Vision and Purpose are central to an effective system design and
should articulate the ‘place’ within which the vision and purpose are
to be fulfilled. The interplay of vision, purpose and place, informed
by the values and principles that guide the system, is what creates
a system that is forward looking and meets the needs of the people
within our community. This is why it is important to gain a good
understanding of the context prior to determining the purpose.
Functions Functions describe what the system delivers to whom and
the results of that delivery. If the purpose is to be met then
the functions have to meet the needs and expectations of the
community being served.
Structure Structure refers to the parts of the system that need to be
in place—and the interactions between them—to deliver the
functions, and be viable over the longer term. It describes what is
needed to convert inputs into outputs for a specific community
and how planning and learning will take place.
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System Design From Page 35
Processes Processes describe how the functions of the human services
system will be delivered and the capabilities needed to deliver
them. Processes relate to either the front facing service delivery
processes, or the back facing system capacity processes.
Outcomes From Page 39
Outcomes and performance measures
The outcomes of a human services system need to demonstrate
how the system is fulfilling its purpose to achieve its vision.
Performance is measured to indicate whether or not a difference
is being made.
Key Graphics
This Blueprint contains a number of important system maps that provide a visual
representation of the design of the Human Services System Blueprint.
Page System Graphics
6 Overview of the Blueprint Architecture
This diagram provides an overview of the architecture of the human services system.
It highlights the three core components of context, system design and outcomes.
14 Human services system interactions Through the Life-Course
This visual highlights the importance of viewing the human services system throughout
the life journey, providing, for nearly all of us, different services at different times.
Above all, we are people moving though our own individual journey, our needs
changing throughout our life, and the graphic focuses on the horizontal nature of this
journey to contrast it with the vertical manner in which services are currently organised.
20 Service Functions Wheel
The ‘service function wheel’ highlights the person-centric focus of the overall system
architecture and the fact that some people will need to go around the wheel a
number of times before developing the capacity to self-manage.
21 Scope
This visual depicts the human services system as a distinct system which is overlain
on health, education, justice and community systems, demonstrating the joined-up
nature of the human services system.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Page System Graphics
28 Capacity Development Functions
This graphic demonstrates the links between the three levels of capacity
development: individual and family, community, and human services system.
30 Integrated Delivery Functions
This graphic outlines the functions for the integrated delivery of responses in relation
to access, early intervention and prevention and intensive responses.
31 Human Services System Structure
This diagram describes the key components that will need to be designed into the
structure of the human services system if it is to meet the needs of the people of
the ACT and be sustainable over time.
32 Detailed Structure
This diagram describes this structure in more detail, showing the key components
that will need to be designed into the structure of the human services system if it
is to meet the needs of the people of the ACT and to be sustainable over time.
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CONTEXT
The Population of the ACT
The ACT is a city-state with the smallest land area of all Australian states and territories.
It is home to 365,421 people (as at June 2011).
The ACT Government is continuing to successfully promote Canberra as a regional
centre for health, education, employment and business.
As the national capital and home to the Federal Government, a large proportion of
Canberra’s population is employed in the public sector, which contributes to its unique
socio-economic profile.
This profile includes, relative to the rest of Australia:
• The highest average income
• The highest level of post-school qualifications
• The highest work participation rates
• The highest self-assessed health status
• The highest levels of participation in sport, recreation and culture.
Among the states and territories, the ACT has the lowest proportion of individuals
experiencing high levels of relative socio-economic disadvantage and also the highest
proportion of individuals experiencing little or no relative disadvantage.
Disadvantage in the ACT
Although the ACT enjoys a great degree of relative advantage, it also has second highest
proportion of socio-economically diverse areas (above average percentage of both
most and least disadvantaged). This means that the ACT’s disadvantage may be located
amongst its relatively affluent communities.
Public housing in Canberra is generally “salt and peppered” across suburbs and has
historically been located in the older suburbs where land is now more expensive. Many
Canberra suburbs—for example, Red Hill and Reid—have high numbers of both the most,
and the least, disadvantaged individuals.
Disadvantage is under-reported when the standard Census-based measure of
socio-economic disadvantage (the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas—SEIFA) is used
because it is based on areas. This under-reporting has been known to government and
community service providers for many years. However, to increase our understanding
of this issue, the ACT Government undertook further analysis of the Socio-Economic
Indexes for Individuals (SEIFI) developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to better
understand disadvantage in the ACT at the individual level.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
SEIFI is a new, multi-dimensional measure of individuals’ relative access to material and
social resources based on personal attributes such as income, education or housing status.
Using this measure, it is estimated that more than 40,000 ACT residents experience high
levels of disadvantage—not the 712 identified using SEIFA at the suburb level.
Identifying where people experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage live can help
governments and other organisations to better target services, policies and programs
to meet their needs.
Drivers for the Blueprint
There are a number of external factors impacting on the human services system — such as
increasing levels of demand, an ageing population, revenue pressures, increasing wages,
national reforms, and advances in technology — that create an environment for change.
As Canberra continues to be promoted as a regional centre, a wider regional demand
for services is emerging. Services across Canberra and Australia are experiencing
increasing levels of demand. In part, this is an expected outcome of our growing and
ageing population. There is an increased emphasis on supporting people to age in place,
promoting independence and reducing demand for high cost residential services.
Service systems are further impacted by paradigm shifts which are moving towards giving
individuals purchasing power for their own services. Consumer-controlled funding models
may represent a profound transformation and fundamentally change — or remove — the
funding base of many organisations.
There are increasingly diverse and innovative models of operation and funding
in the human services sector, such as social enterprises and social impact bonds.
For example, philanthropic partnerships are growing in Canberra with the help of
Hands Across Canberra — a group of community, business and government leaders
seeking to facilitate philanthropy to support community sector services and charities.
Social Ventures Australia have also established a Social Enterprise Hub in Canberra
which provides business development support to community organisations or social
entrepreneurs that want to develop a social enterprise to create employment for people
excluded from the labour market.
Technological developments are driving demand for services and information that is easily
accessible at any time, and delivered according to the needs of individuals and families.
Currently there are many different access points and channels such as phone, internet,
face-to-face and Canberra Connect.
It is important to note these drivers are relevant now and may change over time. It will be
the role of the human services system to listen, learn and adapt to the changing needs
of our community.
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The following table outlines a range of drivers for the Blueprint.
Drivers for Change
FROM TO
Increasing vulnerability and demand for services ➟ Increasing resiliency
Increasing early intervention and prevention to reduce demand for intensive service offers
Tailored service offers
Crisis focused responses ➟ Responding early
Preventing crisis
Fragmented and inefficient service delivery ➟ One system approach
Shared infrastructure
Focused on outcomes not inputs
Multiple reform efforts ➟ Alignment of reform efforts
Constrained resources ➟ Restructure service outputs and models to work within available resourcing arrangements
Human services system interactions through the Life-Course
The human services system takes a whole-of-system approach that is person-centred and
able to respond at any age or stage of life.
Each person has a unique journey, in which the interactions with human services are just
one part. People are sons and daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and members
of a family and social group. Sometimes people are in need of care or are caregivers, and
sometimes they are both.
Furthermore, people actively seek wellbeing and are not just passive recipients of what
the system has to offer. They seek wellbeing for themselves and their family and will have
different goals depending on their personal circumstances.
It is also important to note that the significant interactions with the human services system
will often happen over a relatively short period, but can have significant impact on future
wellbeing and life outcomes.
People seek wellbeing throughout their life—before during and after any type of interaction
with the formal service system. However, service providers are often unaware of this longer
and broader journey, seeing the person simply as a client or customer who has some
specific needs that require a response. A person is a client/customer for only a limited
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
time. Seeking wellbeing is, however, a lifelong journey. This perspective highlights that the
person plays an active, not a passive role in service interactions. People are not simply
consumers of what is presented by someone else. They are not passive recipients, following
a path determined by the provider, but active partners in a journey towards wellbeing.
This ‘life-journey’ perspective highlights that the services provided by the human services
system must be based on supporting people in the context of their own lives, and not just
vulnerable people but all Canberrans. Interacting with human services is just one aspect of
a person’s search for wellbeing, a continuous process of taking steps towards a better life,
which is different for each person.
The following visual highlights the importance of viewing the human services system
interactions throughout the life journey, providing, for nearly all of us, different services at
different times. Above all, we are people moving though our own individual journey, our
needs changing throughout our life, and the graphic focuses on the horizontal nature of this
journey to contrast it with the vertical manner in which services are currently organised.
By understanding this flow, it is possible to design a human services system that better
meets the needs of people and communities, and reduces the costs of service delivery
over time.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
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Des
ign
of th
e ACT
Hum
an S
ervi
ces
Syst
em
10
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
While each journey is unique, we have used a small number of ‘archetypes’ to help think
through the service implications for a wide range of people who would interact with the
human services system. These archetypes typify major groups of service users who,
together, constitute a large percentage of total service demand.
The archetypal journeys used to guide the design work are:
1. Families requiring support during family formation, pregnancy and early
childhood development
2. Families, including children, exposed to family violence, or other risky/
adverse environments
3. Young people with vulnerability to successful transitions to adulthood
and independence
4. People/families at risk of, or experiencing, offending and incarceration
5. People and families who experience a sudden crisis (e.g. losing your job,
sudden illness, divorce)
6. People requiring assistance as they age
7. People/families experiencing disability or illness.
While interactions with the human services system will vary for each of these archetypes,
the system challenge is the same; that is, to ensure that people are:
1. Aware of their own needs and the services that can help
2. Able to access and engage with the services needed
3. Able to effectively use the services
4. Able to develop their use to meet changing needs
5. Able to ‘move on’, not becoming trapped in a cycle of service dependency.
Archetypal Life Journeys
The archetypal journeys used to guide the design of the Blueprint were:
1. Families requiring support during family formation, pregnancy and early childhood development.
In 2011, there were 56,792 families with children living in the ACT with just under a
quarter of those families being single parent households. Of all families with children,
65 per cent had at least one child under the age of 15 years (2011 Census Fact Sheet,
Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate (CMTD): 2012).
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In the ACT 22 per cent of children were developmentally vulnerable on one or
more domains in 2012 (Australian Early Development Index (AEDI): 2012). In
2009, 230 women aged 19 or under gave birth in the ACT (Chief Health Officer
(CHO) Report: 2012).
System Objectives: Promote effective parenting skills, encourage social participation
and minimise the impacts of disadvantage during the early years of life.
2. Families (including children) exposed to family violence, or other risky/ adverse environments
In 2011–12, 548 people were homeless in the ACT as a result of Domestic Violence.
Specialist Homelessness Services Collection Report 2011–12.
In 2012–13, 1,234 children and young people received a Care and Protection service,
and 30 per cent of all children exiting care had experienced more than two placements.
System Objectives: Promote safe and healthy living environments for families and
children, and respond quickly and appropriately when safety is at risk.
3. Young people with vulnerability to successful transitions to adulthood and independence
In 2011–12, half of the people accessing homelessness services in the ACT were
under 25 years of age with 30.6 per cent of service users aged from 15 to 24 years
of age (Specialist Homelessness Services Collection Report 2011–12).
In September 2013, the number of young persons in Bimberi Youth Justice in the
ACT was 54 (remands and committals) ACT Criminal Justice Statistical Profile—
September 2013.
System Objectives: Promote positive life choices and skill development for young
people with a dual focus on immediate safety concerns and working towards
future aspirations.
4. People/families at risk of, or experiencing, offending and incarceration
During 2012, the average occupancy for men at the Alexander Maconochie Centre
was 261.3 daily, and for women it was 13.5 daily. In 2009–10 the recidivism rate for
prisoners returning to detention in the ACT was 41 per cent, which increased to
47 per cent in 2010–11. ACT Government, ACT Criminal Justice Statistical Profile,
December 2009–December 2012.
System Objectives: Promote positive life choices and skill development to support
people to participate meaningfully in their community and to promote public safety.
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5. People requiring assistance as they age
In 2011, 10.6 per cent of the population in the ACT was 65 years or over, with
44 per cent of individuals within that age bracket also having a disability. Census 2011.
The rate of people aged over 70 years who are living in residential aged care in the
ACT is 80.8 per 1,000. Chief Health Officers Report 2012.
System Objectives: Support choice and control in the determination of options that
will best suit the needs of individuals, carers and support networks.
6. People and families who experience a sudden crisis
When crisis occurs, social connections can play an important role in helping people get
through difficult times. In 2011, the proportion of people in the ACT who report having
no involvement in social and community groups in the last 12 months increased from
23.8 per cent in 2006 to 27.8 per cent. Measure of Australian Progress 2013.
System Objectives: Provide timely and appropriate support to help get people back
on their feet in times of crisis and to build capacity and community connections to
prevent crisis from occurring in the future.
7. People/families experiencing disability or illness
In 2013, there were 8,481 people in the ACT in receipt of the Disability Support Pension.
In 2012, 11.2 per cent of the population in the ACT provided care to people with a
disability (nationally 11.9 per cent), of which, 2.8 per cent of the population in the
ACT were primary carers and 8.2 per cent are carers but not the primary. Survey
of Disability and Ageing 2012.
System Objectives: Support choice and control in the determination of options that
will best suit the needs of individuals, carers and support networks.
The system objectives outlined under each life journey have been used to inform key
performance behaviours in the Outcomes section.
The following graphic depicts a range of statistics relevant to the life journeys
outlined above.
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Percentrage of the population aged over 65 years (2011) - 10.6%
Percentrage of the children developmentallyvulnerable (2012) - 22%
Number ofyoung peoplein BimberiYouth Justice(2013) 54
Percentage of adults who drink harmful amounts of
alcohol (2012)- 30%
Numberof women giving
birth under the ageof 20 (2009)- 230
Percentrage of the population
with a disability (2011)- 15.8%
Number of peoplehomeless as a result of
domestic violence(2011-12)- 548
Recidivism rate (2010-11)- 47%
Percentage of homeless people aged between 15-25
(2011-12)- 30.6% Service usersaged
from 15 to 24years accounted
for 30.6%
Percentage of people who report
having no involvement in social and community
groups in thelast 12 months (2013)- 27.8%
System Interactions
A person-centred human services system would help to develop a population who
are able to identify and assess their own needs, able to access the needed services
and manage their own needs and interactions with helping agencies.
In terms of identification, the human services system would help to develop individual,
family and community capabilities, so that they are able to self-identify and remove any
stigma attached to seeking help. For the delivery of formal services, the human services
system would support the early identification of those who are not able to self-identify.
Thus the focus of the formal service agencies would be to develop individual, family and
community resilience, only ‘stepping in’ when resilience is challenged, and being a true
‘safety net’ for those most in need, rather than a ‘first-port-of-call’.
The following ‘service function wheel’ provides an operational definition of what it means
to be person-centred, describing the functions that need to be delivered at different
stages of service interaction.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
The service functions include:
• Identification of needs and vulnerabilities
• Assessment of needs and aspirations
• Linking in with supports and services
• Delivering supports and services
• Following up of individual and family outcomes. Listen, learn and adapt to
changing needs.
This diagram describes the system interactions with individuals, families and communities,
and the outcomes desired from each stage. It is depicted as a wheel to highlight the
person-centric focus of the overall system architecture and the fact that some people
will need to go around the wheel a number of times before developing the capacity to
self-manage.
The following statements provide a description of what ‘results’ the service functions
aim to support stakeholders to achieve:
• Person: Able to self-identify, self-assess, self-access and self-manage
• Family and Friends: Able to assist a person to achieve results, and provide
information regarding assessment or connections
• Community: Builds the capability of individuals, family and friends to achieve results,
and provide direction on assessment or connections
• Human Services System: Proactively identifies people, understands diverse and
unique experiences, able to make connections, offer seamless delivery and make
evidence-informed improvements that are outcomes-focused
• Social Context: Cultural norms shift towards a strengths-based approach, allow for
“are you okay?” questions to be asked and remove stigma from seeking help.
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Design of the ACT Human Services System
14
System Interactions A person-‐centred Human Services System would help to develop a population who are able to identify and assess their own needs, able to access the needed services and manage their own needs and interactions with helping agencies.
In terms of identification, the Human Services System would help to develop individual, family and community capabilities, so that they are able to self-‐identify and remove any stigma attached to seeking help. For the delivery of formal services, the Human Services System would support the early identification of those who are not able to self-‐identify. Thus the focus of the formal service agencies would be to develop individual, family and community resilience, only ‘stepping in’ when resilience is challenged, and being a true ‘safety net’ for those most in need, rather than a ‘first-‐port-‐of-‐call’.
The following ‘service function wheel’ provides an operational definition of what it means to be person-‐centred, describing the functions that need to be delivered at different stages of service interaction.
The service functions include:
• Identification of needs and vulnerabilities • Assessment of needs and aspirations • Linking In with supports and services • Delivering supports and services • Following up of individual and family outcomes. Listen, learn and adapt
to changing needs.
This graphic describes the system interactions with individuals, families and communities, and the outcomes desired from each stage. It is depicted as a wheel to highlight the person-‐centric focus of the overall system architecture and the fact that some people will need to go around the wheel a number of times before developing the capacity to self manage.
The following statements provide a description of what ‘results’ the service functions aim to support stakeholders to achieve:
• Person: Able to self-‐identify, self assess, self access and self manage • Family & Friends: Able to assist a person to achieve results, and provide
information regarding assessment or connections
• Community: Builds the capability of individuals, family & friends to achieve results, and provide direction on assessment or connections
• Human Services System: Proactively identifies people, understands diverse and unique experiences, able to make connections, offer seamless delivery and make evidence-‐informed improvements that are outcomes focused
• Social Context: Cultural norms shift towards a strengths-‐based approach, allow for “are you okay?” questions to be asked and remove stigma from seeking help.
Scope
The human services system in the ACT has as its prime function the responsibility to
develop the capacity of people and communities through the delivery of integrated
responses. This enables full participation in a strong and healthy community.
Within this context it is proposed we define the ‘human services system’ broadly, as it
represents a better way of organising responses for people in the ACT. This is envisaged
to include the full spectrum of services supported by community, health, education and
justice systems, noting that each system is a dynamic and interrelated component of a
broader human services system.
This Blueprint recognises that each ‘system’ delivers a range of responses provided
by government, community sector, and for-profit partners. The Blueprint provides a
framework for these systems to work in alliance as the human services system to deliver
person-centred responses.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Under the human services system, each partner has a responsibility to align decision
making with the vision and purpose of the human services system, and to respond as
part of the human services system to build the capacity of people and communities. This
includes having the capability to identify and connect people with the supports they
need, when they need them. The functions to enable these systems to work in alliance as
a cohesive human services system are further articulated under the Functions section.
The following visual depicts the human services system as a distinct system which is
overlain by and draws on existing systems, emphasising the joined-up nature of the
human services system to deliver cohesive and sustainable, person-centred responses.
Human ServicesSystem
Operations
Education Health
Community Justice
Leadership & Governance
Learning &Development
Control & Co-ordination
People incommunities
Operations
HumanServicesSystem
HumanServicesSystem
Leadership & Governance
Learning &Development
Control & Co-ordination
Operations Cycle R
epea
ts
Note: Community responses may, for example, include housing, disability, children, youth and family support as well as community infrastructure, such as transportation.
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SYSTEM DESIGNSystem design is made up of vision and purpose, functions, structure and processes.
Together, these provide a description of the human services system, and represent the
elements that need to be in place if the needs and expectations of key stakeholders are
to be met.
Vision
The Blueprint provides a shared vision of the desired future state of a cohesive human
services system. The Vision encapsulates the purpose and values of the system.
All Canberrans have the capability to fully participate in strong, healthy and inclusive
communities and are enabled by a cohesive human services system that is:
• Person-centred, strengths-based and focused on achieving positive outcomes
and services
• Simple to understand, access and navigate
• Adaptive to evolving changes, needs and knowledge
• Viable and sustainable, leveraging resources across the system to respond
to current, emerging and future demand
• Working in collaboration and partnership across the system.
Purpose
The purpose sets out the human services system’s primary objectives against which
performance to achieve the vision are measured.
In order to achieve the vision, the human services system in the ACT has as its prime
purpose the responsibility to develop the capacity of people and communities to enable
their full participation in a strong, healthy and inclusive Canberra community.
The Triple Aim of the human services system, further explained under the Outcomes
section of this Blueprint, is to work cohesively to develop the capability of people and
communities to enable their full participation in a strong and healthy community by:
• Improving the experience of people who interact with the system
• Improving the outcomes of people of the ACT (both individual and population
level outcomes)
• Maximising the effective allocation and use of all resources in the system.
This purpose statement is expanded in Human Services System Root Definition to describe:
i) what the system does, ii) how it does it, and iii) the outcomes it aims to achieve.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Values
Values are shared beliefs that guide priorities and provide a framework for decision
making that defines how we will work to achieve our goals.
Respectful The System will respect people and communities in the way it works by
valuing the unique contributions that diverse perspectives bring to a
vibrant community and to work in genuine partnership with all stakeholders
(individuals, communities, human service providers and leaders).
Responsive The System will listen, learn and adapt to the changing needs of people
and communities.
Cohesive The System will have a coherent and shared responsibility and work in
partnership to achieve positive outcomes for people and communities.
Excellence The System will be accountable, transparent, innovative, forward looking
and reflective.
Effective The System will balance achieving positive outcomes for people and
communities while making good use of available resources.
Note: The Social Compact: A relationship framework between the ACT Government and Community Sector outline the shared vision, role and contribution of the community sector and ACT Government and principles for working together and guiding standards or undertakings for both the community sector and ACT Government for working together, planning and policy development and governance, management and accountability, and delivery of quality services and programs.
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Principles
Principles are a shared set of criteria that guide daily decisions.
Person-centred People and communities are at the centre of decision making, and
services are delivered holistically.
Community-focused Service design responds to the context in which it is delivered by
understanding the needs and expectations of people and communities.
Strengths-based Relationships and service responses empower individual and familial
resilience, self-determination and independence.
Outcomes-focused Service design, funding, accountability and performance measurement
focus on individual, community and system outcomes.
Simple Information and access to services is easy to understand, navigate
and access.
Collaborative People and communities, community services and government agencies
are aligned and united in their efforts to build collective impact.
Sustainable The current needs of people and communities are balanced with
considerations for future needs.
High quality People and communities are supported by evidence-informed,
innovative, continuously improving responses that appropriately meet
their needs and enable them to achieve their desired outcomes.
ACT human services system root definition
A root definition is a high-level description of the system and captures the vision, values,
principles and aims of the human services system. The root definition is described in more
detail under the ‘Function’, ‘Structure’ and ‘Processes’ sections of this Blueprint.
The ACT human services system is a system that…
• Assists to eliminate disadvantage by empowering and strengthening people
and families
• Partners with communities and other systems of support in building peoples’
capability, resilience and self determination, and early identification and
intervention when required
• Responds as quickly as possible, providing needed support and re-enabling
independence
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
• Provides universal and specialist services in a coordinated, collaborative and
integrated way to minimise compounding crises and complexity, loss of strength
and risk of ongoing dependency and disadvantage
• Is accountable, transparent, forward looking and reflective.
By maintaining a viable, adaptive and sustainable system of…
1. Capacity development, promotion, prevention and risk reduction including:
• Promotion of individual/family strengths by providing information, resources
and opportunities for individuals and families to develop their own understanding,
knowledge and skills to maintain or enhance their social participation and to develop
capacity for self-determination to resolve issues when they arise
• Promotion of community strengths that support communities to build social
participation for individuals and families, and support community-based resolution
of issues if they arise
• Human services system capacity development where government agencies and
community organisations work alongside and with each other to build the capability
of the system to understand and respond to straightforward social needs, recognise
when emerging patterns of vulnerability or complexity require a step up in social
response, and facilitate connection to the supports needed.
2. Integrated service delivery is one where clients benefit from joined-up social services,
where integration models on the funding, administrative and organisational levels
create increased connectivity, alignment and collaboration within and between
them. Services become increasingly convenient and accessible to the needs of key
populations and capable of providing individualised and targeted responses for
people across key stages of their life-course, through:
• Simple access and navigation to ensure an ‘open door’ and ‘any door right
door’ approach
• Coordinated and progressive responses that address emerging or complex
issues limiting social participation, using ‘least intrusive, most effective,
closest to home’ approaches
• Crisis and/or complexity and statutory responses that provide tailored and timely
support with a focus on capacity building to prevent cycles of crisis from occurring
• Improving the experience of using the service with a focus on high quality, enabling
access and reliable engagement.
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3. Enabling and sustainable ‘single system’ infrastructure:
• Leadership and Governance: through an authorising environment, and processes
of inclusive ‘purpose and culture’ development, that enable a network of agency
and community based services to function as a single system that is sustained and
maintained as required
• Learning and Improvement: through data informed intelligence, understanding
of community demographics and needs, reflective action learning and structured
performance improvement
• System-wide network control and coordination capability: that can build and
manage the effective and efficient use of the combined capacity and resources
across multiple organisations and services, to ensure that the purpose and intent is
translated into practice
• Coordination: through building alignment of roles, processes and information that
enable a responsive, person-centred approach to be woven seamlessly together
• Effective Operations: through balancing the needs and expectations within
individuals and families with the resources available.
In order to…
• Improve experiences for those interacting with the human services system,
including access, quality, reliability, and continuity
• Improve capacity of individuals and families to participate fully in strong and
healthy communities
• Ensure effective use of available human and financial resources.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
FUNCTIONSIf the Vision, Purpose and more detailed Human services system root definition describe
what it is we are aspiring to achieve with the human services system, the ‘system functions’
refer to those things that the human services system will need to deliver, and what will be
the result of that delivery. It is important to get a good understanding of the core functions
any system has to fulfil before developing the structures and processes needed to deliver
them.
Functions refer to the activities and the ‘outcomes’ or results that arise out of system
interactions. That is, what will be the effect of all the activity?
In this Blueprint, the archetypal life-course journeys (referred to on pages 15–17) are used
to identify service experiences for large segments of the population who would interact
with the human services system—acknowledging that the common functions described
here will have unique attributes for each population.
The human services system has two main functions:
1. Develop capacity
2. Integrated delivery of responses.
Capacity development functions
The critical human services system functions are those that inform, enable and empower
others to act. By developing the capacity of people, communities and agencies/
organisations to build strengths and resilience and to respond early to emerging issues
that affect participation, the system as a whole, may achieve better outcomes while
leveraging its specialist skills and resources.
Capacity development is targeted at three levels:
1. Individual and family capacity
2. Community capacity
3. Human Services System capacity.
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The links between these are shown in the following graphic and more detail is
provided below.
Strong and healthy communities able to
support individuals and families in need
BuildingCommunity
Capacity
BuildingSystem
Capacity
Individuals and familiesable to contribute to
their communites
Building theCapacity of
Individuals andFamilies
Individual and family capacity
• Continued development of individuals and families awareness, knowledge or
‘social literacy’ of actions that promote strength and resilience leading to positive
outcomes. These should be appropriate to each stage or situation across the
life-course
• Resources and opportunities for people to develop their own capability to
maintain or enhance their social participation within their normal living, education
or working environments
• Availability of self-help and self-determination support tools (for example technology
enabled) or resources (for example peer support) that help people understand their
situation, mobilise their own resources and resolve issues if they arise
• Resources and opportunities for people to understand how to access and ‘pull value’
from step-up support if truly needed when resilience is compromised with a view to
mitigating further escalation, crisis or complexity.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Community capacity
• Enable the maintenance of effective connections between people and communities
• Build community capacity where it will have the most impact on population-level
outcomes.
Community is defined more broadly than place and geographical boundaries and may
be considered on the basis of culture, heritage, language, interest, peers, occupation,
as well as virtual communities. From a human services system perspective, each
represents networks with a social capital of connections skills and resources that are
available to support individuals and families to participate and develop reciprocal
strengths. For each journey the mix and nature of the communities available may change.
Human services system capacity
• Establish effective partnerships and knowledge base though an integrated system
• Deliver person-centred responses to address straight forward and complex needs
• Build individual, family and community strengths
• Capacity for innovation allows for the identification and responding to emerging
patterns of vulnerability or complexity
• Provide an open door approach to link individuals with appropriate responses
to enable trust and continuity of support
• Actively participate in support systems, including governance, collaboration,
learning and coordination.
While each of these three areas is important, more detailed work was done on the
functions needed to build the capacity of individuals and families across the different
life journeys (described on pages 15–17). The additional detail is discussed in the section
titled Integrated delivery functions.
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Integrated delivery functions
While capacity development functions enable individuals and families to participate fully
in their communities, integrated delivery functions allow for the differentiation of service
responses at times when the capacity to self-manage is affected.
There are three integrated delivery responses that collectively ensure people receive
the right supports, in the right place, for the right duration, and at the right time. These
responses include:
1. Access Model: Providing simple to access and navigate responses that ensure agencies
work together to link individuals and families to the supports they need. This includes
self-help through to supported access models that provide common assessment tools
and processes that are strengths-based and help people to identify outcomes that
matter to them.
2. Early Intervention and Prevention: Responding early in life or in situations to prevent
escalation of issues. This includes light touch and preventative models of support,
identification of risk indicators and leveraging informal supports to enable early
resolution of issues in the future.
3. Intensive Service Offer: Tailoring supports to respond to crisis situations and/or
complexity in a timely and effective manner. This includes statutory and non-statutory
responses that support self-determination where possible, wrapping supports
around individuals and families, case coordination processes with lead workers,
and supporting the stabilisation of situations in order to enable people to work
towards positive outcomes.
While these functions represent a graduation of responses from least to most intensive,
all delivery functions focus on building resilience and capacity for self-management in
order to re-enable independence where possible.
HUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT – SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE(Purpose, Functions, Structures, Processes)
ONE SYSTEM – SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL – OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK – EVALUATION
Access Model Early Intervention and Prevention
Building resiliency and capacity for self management where possible
INTE
GR
ATE
D D
ELI
VE
RY
FU
NC
TIO
NS
The above graphic outlines the integrated delivery functions of the human services
system, demonstrated by the dynamic nature of individuals accessing appropriate
responses that change as their needs change.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
STRUCTUREThe structure of the human services system is important to ensure both its short-term
success and its longer-term sustainability.
Four structural elements have been identified as key to achieving a cohesive human
services system:
• Leadership and Governance: Create a clear sense of authorisation and direction
and effective policy in place to support that direction
• Learning and Development: Construct an adaptable and innovative system that
has an ongoing understanding of changing needs and circumstances and capacity
to respond to change
• Control and Coordination: Managing and coordinating the core services delivered
to individuals, along with monitoring and evaluating their performance (including
top-down and bottom-up controls)
• Operations: System activities that enable the system purpose to be achieved.
While the above elements relate to an overall human services system, they are also
relevant to individual organisations and services. For example, they have been written to
be applicable to the ACT human services system, to individual Government or community
based organisations, or to specific services and programs.
The structural elements of the human services system, including their broad application,
are described in the following diagram.
Leadership & Governance
Learning& Development
Control & Coordination
People in Communities
Operations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
Leadership
Learning
ControlOperations
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
32Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Th
e d
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Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME33
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Leadership and Governance
The purpose of leadership and governance is to:
• Provide an appropriate context for managing the human services system and
developing strategies for implementation
• Understand and manage human services as they are described in the Vision
and Values section of this document
• Ensuring services have structures and resources in place to manage themselves,
maintain viability and fulfil their responsibilities.
Leadership and governance should balance the “demands of today” with the “needs
of tomorrow”.
To achieve this, it is important that leadership and governance structures have high-level
and across-agency authorisation that is consistent and coherent, with a clear purpose
and direction. It should support local delivery (including building community capacity,
outcomes-based funding, alignment of procedures and shared information access
points) and provide clarity to local management, which may include joint Government,
community and service user authorities.
Learning and Development
The purpose of learning and development is to help service units to:
• Deliver services effectively and efficiently; and
• Respond and adapt to changing services.
Learning and development should focus on “outside and tomorrow” as well as the
immediate day-to-day demands placed on the human services system.
To achieve this, it is important that learning and development structures incorporate
a focus on data collection and usage so that future needs are managed and
risks are mitigated, developing the workforce including staff and volunteers,
and supporting innovation.
It should support ongoing research to understand changing needs and circumstances
through an “intelligence framework” to capture significant patterns and trends and
understand future needs. It should also feature quality improvement programs.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
34Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Control and Coordination
The purpose of control and coordination is managing and coordinating the core services
delivered to individuals, along with monitoring and evaluating their performance.
Control and coordination’s focus should be the “inside and now”: legal, regulatory and
operational requirements along with funding and resourcing considerations.
To achieve this, it is important that core services are defined and delivered in a
collaborative and sustainable way with service providers. Agreements about performance
targets and measures should be matched by an appropriate allocation of resources.
Services should be organised around the needs of people in their communities. Attention
should be given to coordination across services, especially when they cross directorate
boundaries, to support a person-centred approach to human services delivery (for
example, an “any door is the right door” approach).
Some common tools to support a coordinated approach include shared timetables
or schedules, agreed protocols for managing boundaries between services, agreed
standards for measuring practices and performance, and an aligned set of objectives.
Operations
Operations are the primary activities, or business, of the human services system. They
deliver value to individuals, families and communities and enable the purpose of the
human services system to be achieved.
Operations should assess need and manage demand, utilising triage, common assessment
tools and, where appropriate, service co-location, for example. Location of services should
be acutely informed in a part of any community response.
While the detailed work of describing the operations will be part of Phase 2 of the Blueprint
design, the guiding principle for these activities should be to “develop the capability of
people and families to enable their full participation in a strong and healthy community”.
Organising these operations will be driven by a concept of “value creation”—how the
structures are best organised to maximise value.
However, they are finally defined and organised, a major challenge will be to ensure
that services are open and accessible to those in need, while managing demand within
available resources.
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME35
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
PROCESSESProcesses describe how the functions of the human services system will be delivered and
the capabilities needed to deliver them. Processes relate to either the front-facing service
delivery processes, or the back-facing system capacity processes. To be effective, the
human services system processes must:
• Support self-determination; helping people to problem solve and to prioritise
what matters; and enable people to understand, find and flexibly access the
information and support they need from the system, rather than offering a
menu of pre-packaged services
• Respond quickly, so that early, more effective and less costly interventions are
utilised where possible; respond holistically to people’s situations to resolve
interrelated issues rather than addressing issues in isolation; and respond with
the right level of targeted specialist supports as appropriate
• Reduce complexity and the number of steps required to achieve positive progress;
link coordinated community based responses and Territory-wide networks that are
involved in supporting people, rather than requiring multiple referrals and delays
• Maximise opportunities for people to build capacity for independent resilience
rather than establishing dependency on services, where possible; and follow
through so that if something is not working it is fixed, rather than exacerbating
the problem and generating more service demand later on.
Processes provide alignment between the functions and the structures, completing the
service system architecture, as depicted on the following page which is the key to reading
the system processes table on pages 37–38.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
36Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Stru
ctur
es
Lead
ersh
ip a
nd G
over
nanc
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Lear
ning
and
Dev
elo
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Po
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eliv
ery
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME37
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
While further work will be required to design the individual processes during Phase 2,
the following table outlines anticipated processes required to deliver the preferred
human services system:
Structures Processes to Support Capacity Development
Processes to Support Integrated Delivery
Leadership and Governance
Shared accountability framework
to support improved outcomes
and ongoing improvement.
Joint community, corporate and
Government commitment to
collaboration, identification of
service needs, and responsibility
for community outcomes.
Learning and Development
Online evaluation bank enabling
open sharing of cross systems
evaluations to inform policy and
practice development
Demographic information is
captured and used to inform
policy and practice
An across system workforce
development strategy is
established to build capacity for
person-centred and integrated
service delivery.
Reflective practice models allow
front line workers to contribute
to the ongoing design and
development of the system
Tiered outcomes frameworks allow
for population based and personal
outcomes measurement
Multi disciplinary workforce
development modules are
delivered online and available
across government and
non-government sectors.
Control and Coordination
Multi-agency service delivery
partnerships allow for collaboration
and coordinated service delivery
Pooled funding models support
multi-agency collaboration
System-wide information sharing
protocols support holistic and
multi disciplinary responses
Social Impact Investment
supports innovative and
sustainable responses
Risk based reporting model
to reduce red tape.
Community-based assessments
are recognised by the formal
service system
Leveraging community based
infrastructure to provide points
of access and information
(e.g. community centres, libraries,
medical centres, schools etc.)
Community-based and
Territory-wide networks enable
holistic understanding of people’s
needs and aspirations
Investment in early identification
and intervention models to reduce
demand over time.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
38Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Structures Processes to Support Capacity Development
Processes to Support Integrated Delivery
Control and Coordination (continued)
Aligning and embedding work
that has proven effective
(e.g. Strengthening Families,
Throughcare).
Service hubs provide open
access to spaces that enable
multi disciplinary/multi-agency
collaboration
Supporting and strengthening
peoples roles and responsibilities.
Operations System workers proactively identify
individuals and groups that may
need assistance to participate
Shared IT systems enable
choice-based information sharing
where possible, and linking of
cross system support networks
Client data is available on mobile
devices to support outreach
service delivery.
People have access to tools
and resources to support
self-management in a variety of
formats including, online, phone,
and face-to-face
Multi disciplinary/multi-agency
support networks are wrapped
around people when needed, rather
than requiring multiple referrals
Multi disciplinary panels assess
complex needs in order to allocate
resources appropriately.
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME39
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
OUTCOMESThe overall goals for the human services system described in the Human Services
System Root Definition on pages 24–26 are based on concepts of the ‘Triple Aim’
framework developed by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, as a way to achieve
simultaneous improvements across the three core performance domains: individual;
population; and system.
While originally developed within a health context, it has achieved solid international
acceptance as a means of focusing performance and developing sustainable services
across a range of sectors.
Triple Aim
In the context of the Blueprint, the performance of the human services system will be
considered against the following domains:
1. Individual: Improved experiences for those interacting with the human services system,
including access, quality, reliability, and continuity
2. Population: Improved capability of individuals and families to participate fully in strong
and healthy communities
3. System: Effective use of available human and financial resources.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
40Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Pursuing these three overall aims as simultaneously balanced objectives for the human
services system, will provide a discipline for progressive development and realisation
of the Blueprint, acting as a lens through which each step of development is viewed,
and with objective data used to guide improvement.
The ‘Individual’ lens focuses attention on designing approaches and processes that
work for people. However, this lens can also be used to identify waste, where blocks,
discontinuities, or poor quality are costly and/or add little value. Similarly, taking an
individual lens facilitates tuning of systems and processes to the real needs of individuals
and families, combined with evidence of what works at a population level.
The ‘Population’ lens focuses attention on the life-course ‘journeys’, where there are
distinct patterns in the drivers of need and demand, requiring different responses and
performance from the human services system. A population lens helps focus attention
and resources on activities that will have the greatest impact, balancing promotion,
prevention and primary, secondary and tertiary risk reduction, within each journey
to most effectively use resources across the continuum.
The ‘System’ lens focuses attention on sustainability and maximising the value of limited
and constrained resources and the need to reduce the per capita cost of service delivery.
However, at a people level this lens helps focus on collaborative partnerships with
individuals, families, and with the ecology of organisations within the system, in order
to make the best use of collective resources.
Without this balance the Blueprint for the human services system could improve quality
at the expense of cost, or reduce costs in ways that both leave people dissatisfied and
reduce performance in ways that ultimately are more costly as the consequence of poor
population level outcomes drive up service demand.
Key performance behaviours
The Triple Aim approach provides a framework to articulate the key performance
behaviours that the human services system will be required to deliver. The key
performance behaviours form a basis for monitoring performance overtime, in recognition
that moving towards the preferred human services system will be an iterative and
multi-year process.
Key performance behaviours to be delivered by the human services system overtime
are outlined below:
1. Individual
Improved experiences for those interacting with the human services system, including
access, quality, reliability, and continuity
• Person-centred and strengths-based; builds resilience and capacity for choice,
participation and independence
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME41
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
• Community focused; facilitates connections and social bonds
• Approachable, respectful and inclusive
• Simple, seamless and accessible across multiple entry points
• Responsive, timely, flexible and effective
• Transparent, honest and trustworthy
• Accountable.
2. Population
Improved capability of individuals and families to participate fully in strong and
healthy communities
• Promotes effective parenting skills, encourages social participation and minimises
the impacts of disadvantage during early years of life
• Promotes safe and healthy living environments for families and children, responding
quickly and appropriately when safety is at risk
• Promotes positive life choices and skill development for young people with a dual
focus on immediate safety concerns and working towards future aspirations
• Promotes positive life choices and meaningful participation of offenders in the
community while improving public safety
• Supports choice and control in the determination of options for people as they age,
with consideration to the needs of the individual, their family and carers
• Provides timely and appropriate support to get people back on their feet in times
of crisis while building capacity and community connections to prevent crisis from
occurring in the future
• Supports choice and control in the determination of options for people with a
disability, with consideration of the needs of individuals, their family and carers.
3. System
Effective use of available human and financial resources
• Streamlines and reduces inefficiencies in order to reduce the cost per
service episode
• Shifts ‘upstream’ demand in order to reduce dependency on crisis responses
• Builds independent resilience to minimise duration and intensity of support
• Creates effective tiers of response to match intensity of need (Progressive
Universalism)
• Builds partnerships with capacity to drive collective impact from
combined resources.
The key performance behaviours will be developed into a comprehensive performance
measurement framework in Phase 2.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
42Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
SustainabilityA fundamental challenge to be addressed in the realisation of a cohesive human
services system is to achieve sustainability within the opportunities and constraints of
the resources available within the system; including those of individuals, communities,
non-government organisations, private businesses and funding from the wider ACT
and Federal funded systems.
More efficient for the future
Delivery of human services is a long-term investment in the people and the community
of Canberra.
Being more efficient means making the best use of the resources you have—producing as
many services as possible from a given set of resources, but also providing services in a
way that best meets people’s needs and wants.
The need for future services depends on being able to fund the services and infrastructure
the Canberra community deserves and expects. A sustainable system allows the
Government to support those in need, to function effectively, and to make investments
for the benefit of current and future populations.
Sustainable service systems include collaboration between agencies, better methods for
targeting those in need, integrated policy focused on key systems that can maintain the
gains of investment in prevention or intervention and ongoing quality assurance.
It is important then that systems should be sufficiently resourced to be flexible and
capable of change and capable of delivering services across the breadth of community
needs. Service integration can engage all agencies and individuals with the responsibility
to deliver services to individuals, families or communities.
The dimensions of process and structural quality are very important determinants of good
outcomes. An important aspect of sustainability is administrative simplicity and efficiency,
where this is balanced against a system that targets priority assistance to those who need
it the most.
There are a number of key metrics that capture the key challenges facing the human
services system in the ACT. These are measures that reflect the key drivers related to
rising service demand and constrained resources.
The number of people engaged in most statutory and crisis services is rising due to the
fragmented and crisis-driven nature of the service system.
Limited investment in community and early intervention will lead to continued increases
in statutory and crisis service demand. An increased focus on community and early
intervention approach can reduce demand over time.
The following time series graphics provide visual examples of system performance,
providing qualitative depictions of a rising demand for statutory and crisis services.
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME43
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Graphic 1 indicates a continuation of the demand trend where current human service
delivery practices remain unchanged.
Graphic 1ic
Scale – Number of people engaged in statutory and crisis services
Demand for statutory and crisis services are rising due to the fragmented and crisis driven nature of the service system
Failure to invest in community building and early intervention will lead to continued increase in statutory and crisis service demand
Increased focus on community buildingand early intervention approaches canreduce demand over time
2006 2013 2020
• Service system costs continue to rise due to increasing demand for high cost and
intrusive service responses
• Failure to reduce high cost service demand will lead to continued increase in service
system expenditure
Graphic 2 depicts a ‘preferred future’ that shows a decline in the demand for these services.
Graphic 2Graphic
Scale – Funding expended by the Service System
Service system costscontinue to raise due toincreasing demand forhigh cost and intrusiveservice responses
Failure to reduce high costservice demand will lead tocontinued increase in servicesystem expenditure
Investment in early intervention andprevention services will initially costmore, but will lead to reducedexpenditure in the longer term
2006 2013 2020
Graphic
GraphicInvestment in early intervention and prevention services will initially cost more, but will
lead to reduced expenditure in the longer term.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
44Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
Return on Investment Modelling
A common challenge in addressing demand for government services is that narrow
funding cycles focus on services that meet today’s needs, compromising the capacity
to invest in initiatives that could reduce future demand.
Budgets are often constrained at a threshold where there is no free resources to do
anything other than respond to presenting need, even when it is clear that the pattern of
need will persist and generate large future costs, which could be mitigated by incremental
investment to change the underlying pattern.
By contrast where there is a clear focus on predictable trajectories of need and service
demand these predictable future costs can be anticipated enabling the impacts of today’s
action or inaction to be compared with future service costs. If a different mix of responses,
made today, can reduce the future liability by more than the cost required, then debate on
funding constraints can be shifted to a different level.
In the ACT most households receiving government assistance require some short-term,
low cost assistance and are able to avoid long-term dependency on human services.
However, a proportion of households move along pathways of repeated service use and
higher and higher cost service provision. If the proportion of individuals requiring repeat
services or higher cost interventions can be reduced through preventive interventions,
then this investment may reduce the overall long-term cost of human services.
The focus is changing predictable trajectories of high-cost service demand over time,
using a return on investment approach drawing on longitudinal data to target investment
in preventative interventions.
Examples where this has been applied include the future impacts of unsupported teen
pregnancies and parenthood and the impact of long term unemployment and patients
with predictable risk of readmission or high hospital service usage. A successful Victorian
pilot project—‘Doorway’—supports people with mental illness from homelessness into
stable housing resulting in fewer hospital admissions and an overall reduction in social
housing and health costs.
Taking a return on investment approach represents an opportunity for the human services
system since relatively predictable trajectories are known to be common in our client
populations. In a tight fiscal environment it can provide the platform for the human services
system to deliver better outcomes for people, for populations and ongoing sustainability.
Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME45
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
Overcoming constraints
The process of idealised design used in the development of the Blueprint focuses on
conceptualising the best implementable system possible with the challenge—what stops
us from doing this tomorrow? The process focuses on three types of constraints:
Type 1 External
• Constraints that cannot be removed within the existing framework and include
—regulatory, legal, etc
• Constraints that need to be continually monitored so that the target design can
get closer to the idealised design as soon as the constraints are removed.
Type 2 Resource and organisation, those that will require investment and/or preparation
• Resource Constraints; activities come up against constraints of time and money
as well as knowledge and talent
• Organisational Constraints; activities which come up against constraints of key
policies and current commitments.
Type 3 Behavioural—current behaviour patterns and mental models
• They are constraints that can be removed if there is the desire and will to do so
• These constraints act as the ‘cultural default’ and function to reinforce the
status quo.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
46Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
The below table outlines a range of constraints to achieving the Blueprint, along with
mitigation strategies to overcome them:
Constraint Type Constraint Making it Happen
External Restrictive legislation
Uncertain Federal funding
Risk adverse
Divided governance arrangements
Monitor and influence change
Taking mitigated risk to
enable innovation
Shared accountability and
governance frameworks
Resource and Organisation
Programmatic funding
Workforce retention and
development issues
Fragmented policies and processes
Incompatible data bases and
IT systems
Inconsistent assessment processes
Pooled funding models and
social impact bonds
Whole of system workforce
development strategy
Shared evaluation and learning
processes to inform consistent
approaches
Data linkage and systems
interface development
Common Assessment Framework
Behavioural Professional demarcation
Inconsistent values and
understanding of the vision
Resistance to change
Siloed practices
Practice frameworks that recognise
specialist and generalist expertise
Workforce development and cross
system collaboration strategy
Create a change and risk reward
environment to support innovation
Treasury reforms to support joint
budget initiatives, relationship
management and succession
planning
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
REALISATION PATHWAYThe Realisation Pathway provides a framework for progressive implementation of
the Blueprint. The Realisation Pathway articulates processes to identify, understand,
align, redesign and develop elements of the Blueprint. It takes an iterative, prototyping
approach to inform scalable and sustainable system reform.
1. Identification of System Outcomes and Drivers
The Blueprint outlines a Triple Aim for the human services system: to improve
experiences, population outcomes, and resource utilisation. Realising the Triple Aim
requires progressive identification and prioritisation of system outcomes to inform
short-term, medium-term, and longer-term investment priorities. System outcomes
have been articulated in the key performance behaviours on page 40.
Prioritisation will involve analysis of the drivers impacting on the current capacity of
the system to achieve the identified outcomes, in order to target investment to those
outcomes that will achieve the greatest return on investment. The prioritisation process
will consider the following:
• Short-term priorities—must be delivered to support future change processes
and priorities that can be achieved quickly to deliver early results. These priorities
will be sequenced to ensure a balanced investment between short and medium
term priorities
• Medium-term priorities—require a long lead in time to deliver longer term change
and therefore require early investment
• Long-term priorities—depend on completion of other change processes and will
likely require future investment.
2. Identification of Locality Needs and Expectations
The community focus and capacity development functions of the Blueprint support
the prototyping of the Blueprint within a local context. While not all communities
are geographically based, local prototyping will provide a feasible scale to test the
Blueprint elements in order to inform scalable change. Prototyping within a locality
will require analysis and consultation on local needs and expectations, linking to the
broader system outcomes and drivers relevant to the particular locality.
3. Alignment and Redesign of Existing Building Blocks
The strengths based focus of the Blueprint is supported by recognising that there are
existing building blocks that support the Blueprint objectives, such as; community
based resources and infrastructure, service delivery models and networks, and social
capital. Alignment of building blocks that are congruent with the Blueprint will allow for
early achievement of outcomes while recognising that some building blocks will require
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
48Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
redesign in order to align. Redesign may include investment in capacity building,
technologies and infrastructure to enable a cohesive human services system within
the local context.
4. Development of Supporting System Policy and Processes
In addition to aligning and redesigning existing building blocks, prototyping will also
highlight supporting system policy and processes that need to be developed, such as
governance models, funding models, and common assessment tools. This will require
increasing the flexibility of existing governance and funding models to achieve the
identified outcomes.
The below diagram provides an example of the realisation pathway in action, noting that
Phase 2 will articulate the prioritisation of outcomes to be achieved:
• Outcome: Ensure safe and healthy living environments for families and children, responding quickly and appropriately when safety is at risk
• Driver: Evidence of increasing complexity and demand for crisis and statutory responses
• Shared Accountability framework
• Cross system workforce development
• Multi-agency service delivery partnership
• Pooled funding models• Whole of Government Authorisation
• Child and Family Centres• Strengthening Families Initiative• Early Intervention and
Prevention Platform• Child, Youth and Family
Services Program• Student Wellbeing and
Behaviour Support
2. Identification of Locality Needs and Expectations
4. Development of Supporting System Policy and Processes
3. Alignment and Redesign of Exisiting Building Blocks
1. Identification of System Outcomes and Drivers
Maturity Model
The Maturity Model recognises that for the human services system, as a framework, to
become an integrated system which delivers person-centred and sustainable responses,
progressive improvements will need to be made over time. Progressive improvements
will be identified using the Realisation Pathway methodology and the degree to which
things align under the human services system will be evaluated and measured against
the Triple Aim.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
The intent of the Maturity Model approach is to embed system improvements, leading to
increasing realisation of a cohesive human services system which is person-centred and
sustainable. The Maturity Model will test system elements to identify those that already
align, along with areas requiring redesign or development. The alignment of system
elements will be assessed on the basis of the following maturity levels:
Level 1: Inconsistent—System elements do not align and require complete overhaul to
form part of the human services system, or cessation.
Level 2: Partially Consistent—System elements align with, but require some degree of
redesign to achieve consistency to form part of the human services system.
Level 3: Consistent—System elements align with, but require embedding to form part
of the human services system.
Level 4: Optimal—System elements align with and are embedded as part of the
Human Services System.
The maturity of the human services system will be measured by the (increasing)
proportion of system elements that have optimal alignment. The Maturity Model also
provides an investment strategy for assessing new budget proposals in future years.
As part of establishing the Learning and Development Structure, processes will be
established for assessing maturity across the system.
1. System Outcomes and Drivers
2. Locality Needs and Expectations
4. System Policy and Process Development
3. Building Block Alignment and Redesign
1. System Outcomes and Drivers
2. Locality Needs and Expectations
4. System Policy and Process Development
3. Building Block Alignment and Redesign
1. System Outcomes and Drivers
2. Locality Needs and Expectations
4. System Policy and Process Development
3. Building Block Alignment and Redesign
1. System Outcomes and Drivers
2. Locality Needs and Expectations
4. System Policy and Process Development
3. Building Block Alignment and Redesign
Prototyping to Inform Progressive Implementation
Partially Consistent
Inconsistent
Consistent
Optimal
Maturity Pathway
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50Right SERVICE Right DURATIONRight TIME
CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT Achieving a cohesive human services system that is person-centred and sustainable
will take time. Continued collaboration and co-design throughout each phase is vital to
realising the vision of the human services system as the Blueprint project rolls out and
the system is progressively realised.
The values of the human services system that underpin any future work include being
respectful and responsive. These mean that our approach to future engagement will:
1) value the unique contributions that diverse perspective bring to a vibrant community,
and 2) listen, learn and adapt to the needs of people and communities.
Next steps
The second phase of the Blueprint project will involve policy work to sequence key
activities required to deliver this system, and will continue throughout 2014. The third
phase will align and test key elements and activities required to deliver the system,
and will occur in 2014 and 2015. The fourth and final phase will involve evaluation and
embedding of the Human Services System Blueprint across the ACT.
Future phases will continue to be developed in collaboration with the community,
community sector and government agencies.
If you would like any further information on the Human Services System Blueprint project
or to be involved in future phases, please contact the Community Services Directorate at:
Strategic Policy
Community Services Directorate
GPO Box 158
Canberra ACT 2601
www.communityservices.act.gov.au
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSHUMAN SERVICES BLUEPRINT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe ACT Government acknowledges the significant contribution of the individuals and
organisations that contributed their time and expertise to design the Blueprint between
September 2013 and February 2014.
Phase 1 was supported by Synergia Consulting PTY LTD. The ACT Government
acknowledges the expertise that Synergia partners, Philip Gandar and David Rees,
have contributed to the Blueprint’s design.
Human Services Taskforce membership
• Natalie Howson, Director-General, Community Services Directorate (Chair)
• Peggy Brown, Director-General, ACT Health
• Gary Byles, Acting Director-General, Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate
(from December 2013)
• Barbara Causon, Southern NSW Service Leader, Commonwealth Department
of Human Services
• Andrew Cappie-Wood, Director-General, Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate
(until November 2013)
• Stephen Fox, Manager, National Disability Service ACT
• Susan Helyar, Director, ACT Council of Social Service Inc
• Diane Joseph, Director-General, Education and Training Directorate
• Rudi Lammers, Chief Police Officer, ACT Policing
• Kathy Leigh, Director-General, Justice and Community Safety Directorate
(until February 2014)
• David Nichol, Under Treasurer, Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate
• Gordon Ramsay, Executive Minister, UnitingCare Kippax
• Emma Robertson, Director, Youth Coalition of the ACT
• Simon Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Northside Community Service
• Leanne Wells, Chief Executive Officer, ACT Medicare Local
Core Design Team membership
• Kate Cvetanovski, Northside Community Service (Co-chair)
• Jodie Robinson, Community Services Directorate (Co-chair)
• Claire Barbato, Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate
• David Clapham, Community Services Directorate
• Mimi Dyall, Community Services Directorate
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• Norm Fraser, Community Services Directorate
• Annette Kelly-Egerton, Barnados
• Fiona MacGregor, YWCA Canberra
• Heather McKay, ACT Health
• Cameron Moore, Community Services Directorate
• Nicole Moore, Community Services Directorate
• Sue Sheridan, Connections ACT
• Satnam Singh, Community Services Directorate
• Penny Taylor, Community Services Directorate
• Angelene True, ACT Medicare Local
• Rebecca Turner, Education and Training Directorate
Blueprint Project Team
• David Matthews, Senior Director, Community Services Directorate
• Melanie Saballa, Senior Manager, Strategic Policy
• Nicole Moore, Project Team Member
• Natasha Hudson, Project Team Member
• Christina Myers, Project Team Member
• Alison Oakleigh, Project Team Member