NSW Department of Communities and Justice / ROI for appointment to Preferred Regional Provider Lists for provision of Non Placement Support Services 2012 - 2012NonPlacementServicesROI

To respond to need and maintain flexibility in service provision for children and young people in Out-of-Home Care, Community Services has had contingency arrangements for a number of years to purchase placement and non placement supports from a number of non government organisations and other providers under Header Agreements.

The Header Agreements established the general terms and conditions under which Community Services would purchase supports on a fee-for-service basis. The Header Agreements did not commit Community Services to purchasing services from providers and did not commit providers to supplying services to Community Services.

In response to the Wood Inquiry, the NSW Government is committed to gradually increasing the provision of Out-of-Home Care by the non-government sector. As part of this reform process Out-of-Home care placement services (eg fostering and residential care) now form part of all-inclusive funding packages.

New arrangements are now being put in place for Non Placement Support Services. Community Services is holding a Registration of Interest (ROI) process for appointment of organisations to Preferred Regional Provider Lists.

Under these changes, Community Services aims to:

• ensure appropriate state wide coverage of agencies providing fee-for-service Non Placement Support Services so as to improve service provision to children and young people;
• support the development of effective collaborative relationships between Community Services regional staff and service providers by widening the range and scope of organisations providing services;
• implement standard base payments in a phased approach.

At this stage, standard base payments are being applied to supervised transport, supervised contact and youth work support services (which includes mentoring). Revised standard base payments were developed for these service types following input from the sector in February 2012. These payment schedules are provided in Section 3, Part 2 of the ROI Application.

Organisations providing specialised Non Placement Support Services (which include respite, behaviour support, relative and kinship carer care assessment, disability care and therapeutic camps) are requested to attach current service descriptions and price lists with their ROI Application Forms.

It is expected that the Preferred Regional Provider Lists will be operating from 1 July 2012. At this time all existing Header Agreements for Non Placement Support Services will cease. When the Preferred Regional Providers Lists are in place, Community Services caseworkers will be directed to contract organisations on the List to purchase fee-for-service Non Placement Supports.

The amount of work contracted from Preferred Regional Providers will reflect demand. Community Services is not committed to purchasing services from a Preferred Regional Provider and Preferred Providers are not committed to supplying services

As this Registration of Interest process is open to all organisations with skills and experience in the provision of child protection and/or out-of-home care services, it is expected to enhance the range of service providers available in regions.

Organisations wishing to make a Registration of Interest are requested to complete the attached Community Services Registration of Interest Application Form.

This Application Form contains the following four documents:

Section 1 Conditions of Registration of Interest (ROI) – this is the standard Community Services’ document that provides the terms and conditions of the ROI.

Section 2 Applicant Information – this is the standard FACS application form and asks for organisational details including name, address, ABN number and legal status.

Section 3 Returnable Schedules – this consist of three parts:

• Part 1 Eligibility Information – non profit and for profit organisations with skills/experience in the provision of child protection/out-of-home care services are eligible.
• Part 2 Services Being Purchased – description of service types and standard base payments for supervised contact and transport and youth support work.
• Part 3 Service Delivery Areas – organisations are asked to complete regional service delivery tables identifying where they want to provide services and the services they want to provide.

Attachment A Localities by Status This provides an alphabetical list of NSW localities and identifies the relevant Community Service Centre, the region and the locality’s metropolitan or regional or remote status.

Please note: this Registration of Interest process has been streamlined as far as possible to reduce demands upon service providers. Organisations are asked not to provide additional material apart from the current service descriptions and price lists requested in Section 3, Part 2, for the specialised non placement support services (respite, behaviour support, relative and kinship carer assessment, disability care and therapeutic camps).

Applications will only be accepted in electronic format via the NSW E-Tendering website. Applications will not be accepted by email or fax. Exceptions to this shall only apply where Community Services has provided written permission to an applicant to lodge an application or part thereof by hardcopy, some other physical form. Such permission shall only be granted in circumstances, deemed exceptional by Community Services (The Convenor), at its absolute discretion

Registrations of Interest are sought from organisations with skills and experience in the delivery of child protection and/or Out-of-Home Care services for appointment to Preferred Regional Provider Lists for the provision of Non Placement Support Services on a fee-for service basis.

To be established as part of the selection process.