Quality Update #6 for June 2013
This update is to inform Board members about developments in the quality of
disability services and the Quality Management Framework during the sixmonth period 1 October 2012 to 31 March 2013.
Contents (click on the hyperlink)
1. National Standards for Disability Services
2. 2011/12 Self Assessment
3. Quality Evaluations – Good practices and Required Actions
for October 2012 to March 2013
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1. National Standards for Disability Services
The revised National Standards for Disability Services (the Standards) have
been endorsed. An associated National Standards resource package is
undergoing final revision and user testing. It is hoped that the resource
package and each jurisdiction’s plan for implementing the revised National
Standards will be presented for endorsement by mid-May 2013.
The six draft National Standards are summarised as:
 Standard 1: Rights
 Standard 2: Participation and inclusion
 Standard 3: Individual outcomes
 Standard 4: Feedback and complaints
 Standard 5: Service access
 Standard 6: Service management
The new Standards will apply to the National Disability Insurance Scheme
(NDIS) trial areas, which will commence in July 2013. For further
information, please see the National Quality Framework project website.
2. 2011/12 Self Assessment
The annual Self Assessment was sent to 106 organisations in early
September 2012, and was required to be submitted by 26 October 2012.
The final organisational response reached the Commission on 13 December
2012. (NB. Two organisations were not required to complete a 2011/12
assessment, either due to operating for less than 12 months or being given
approval to prioritise addressing governance issues instead).
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The Quality Unit conducted a qualitative analysis of part C which identified
the actions planned to improve the quality of services during 2012/2013.
With 104 organisations submitting assessments and more than 460
strategies and responses outlined, analysis of the data resulted in a set of
four overarching themes that emerged to represent typical dimensions of
contemporary human service organisations. These include:
 Governance and leadership
 Management and systems
 Service delivery – operational
 Service delivery – developmental.
The average number of strategies per disability sector organisation was 3.6.
Most strategies focussed on continuous improvement in the area of
operational service delivery (28.27 per cent) followed by developmental
service delivery (27.47 per cent), management and systems (24.27 per
cent) and governance and leadership (20.00 per cent).
Within these key strategic focus areas, organisations reported planned
actions in relation to a range of strategies. The most common amongst
these included:
Sub-theme
Overarching
% of total
themes
strategies
Improve/increase access to
information/services/supports
Improve staff communication, support,
training and/or development
14.93%
11.47%
Develop and implement IT, quality and/or
business systems
10.40%
Review and evaluate services
7.73%
Design and develop service model/s
6.40%
Strengthen organisational capabilities
5.87%
Service delivery –
operational
Service delivery –
developmental
Management and
systems
Service delivery –
developmental
Service delivery –
developmental
Governance and
leadership
The information provided serves as an annual reference point for
organisations in demonstrating progress towards improved quality of
services; and guides continuous service improvement, investment strategies
and sector development activities.
3. Quality Evaluations – Good practices and Required Actions
for October 2012 to March 2013
Through external independent contractors, the Commission evaluates all
funded disability services in WA across a three-year schedule. People with
disability, their families and carers, support workers, management and other
significant stakeholders are invited to have a say about the quality of
services provided.
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Independent evaluators report on the good practices that demonstrate how
services support people to achieve better outcomes. They also report on
any gaps in relation to the Standards and person-centred outcomes, and
identify key priorities for service improvement.
Good practices
Independent evaluators identify the strengths of each Service Point,
particularly in relation to the service’s success in addressing people’s
outcomes. For this period, good practices observed have included:
Choice and control over life
 Individuals with disability and their carers being supported to make their
own choices, be involved in decisions and have a role as citizens on all
levels.
 Support worker interactions with residents demonstrating a holistic
understanding of their strengths, challenges, histories and achievements,
and the tone of their communication conveying respect, dignity, patience
and a sense of fun.
 Individuals being supported to maintain a high degree of dignity and
independence.
Community participation
 Facilitating fully inclusive activity and social opportunities for individual
participants, through staff researching community groups that match
individual participants’ interests, supporting regular attendance, and
instigating personal contact between participants and fellow group
members.
Learning new skills
 The use of multimedia (eg video, Skype, emails) between the service,
country therapists and families, providing useful, practical information to
assist in helping individuals work around limitations and develop
independence.
Supporting family, friends and carers
 The way therapists work to empower parents to know what is available,
drive their own services, develop their own goals and priorities, and make
choices.
 The information packages the service has developed for families and
individuals on how home sharing (and shared management, and
shared management with coordination) works, and the specific
responsibilities of all parties.
 LACs’ passion for their work and their demonstrated commitment to
improving the lives of people with disability, their family and carers.
The understanding, patience, resilience and innovation, sometimes
with crises and often involving complex and challenging issues.
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Wellbeing
 Very caring, compassionate and knowledgeable staff showing insight
into each client’s support issues and needs, and practical approaches
to meeting those needs resulting in improved wellbeing.
 Thorough attention being given to clients’ specific wellbeing needs,
including those related to health, medical, therapy, behaviour and aging.
Service management
 Strong values base underpinning an organisational commitment to
accept clients with the highest of support needs, and to work towards
solutions to supporting people in very remote locations.
 Employing an Aboriginal Coordinator to set up an Aboriginal service and
develop an Aboriginal Service Plan.
 The flexible approach to service delivery and genuine openness to
accept all people, dedication displayed by all staff to focus on the needs
of each client, and the continuous improvement ethos and adaptation of
service delivery models.
 The service’s ongoing reflective practice, continuously looking at how
they can improve and adapt their support for individuals. Strategies
observed included: ongoing communication with the residents, families,
external support services and each other; availability of professional
support to extend staff members’ knowledge base in supporting
individuals with complex needs; and changes in policies and
procedures to reflect the needs of the residents.
Community inclusion
 The positive community partnerships developing with the local council,
schools in the area and other community resources increasing
community awareness of disability and of individuals at the units as
residents of the community.
Service access
 The service’s website is welcoming, informative, interactive and has
access features.
Summary of Required Actions
Required Actions result when a service fails to demonstrate enough
evidence that they meet one or more of the nine Disability Services
Standards. Service providers are required to address any Required Actions
within a given period of time negotiated by the organisation with the
independent evaluator.
For the October to December 2012 quarter, 12 Service Points were
evaluated – 91.7 per cent of Service Points met the Standards and 8.3 per
cent did not meet the Standards.
For the January to March 2013 quarter, 14 service points were evaluated –
64.3 per cent of service points met the Standards and 35.7 per cent did not
meet the Standards.
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For the six-month period October 2012 to March 2013, six Service Points
had eight Required Actions for Standard 8 – Service Management and one
Required Action for Standard 9 – Protection of human rights and freedom
from abuse and neglect.
Standard 8 Required Actions included the following focus areas:
 review and amendment of policies
 development and implementation of a shared management framework
 training staff and volunteers in the Disability Services Standards (noting
in particular Standard 9)
 provision of a safe physical environment, an emergency evacuation plan
and records of emergency evacuation exercises (four Required Actions)
 development and implementation of a structured induction and ongoing
skills training program for all staff, support workers and host carers to
ensure they have the necessary skills to provide for the safety, health
and well-being of people with disability.
In relation to Standard 9, the Required Action focused on the
implementation of Standard 9 policies and procedures as stated in the
organisation’s ‘Policies’ handbook.
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