Delivering for All
Department of Human Services’ Access and Equity Framework 2013-17
Secretary’s Foreword
Why an access and equity framework?
Victoria is a vibrant, engaging and diverse community.
It has played a central role in Australia’s economic, artistic, sporting, scientific, and educational
achievements.
It comprises a rich mix of our ancient Aboriginal cultures, descendents of the first Europeans to arrive on
the continent, and social, economic and humanitarian migrants through the last 200 years.
The place of the Department of Human Services in our community is to support those who need that
extra hand to take best advantage of the opportunities Victoria can offer, and make their own
contribution to this ongoing story.
We provide opportunities for people with a disability through our services, leadership and advice. We
support families so they can give their children a better start, help people into sustainable housing, and
support those acutely affected by natural disasters.
We also provide programs and policy leadership in issues facing women and young people in the
community.
We work to protect our most vulnerable children, and to move young people out of Victoria’s justice
system.
To do this successfully, our services need to provide effective support regardless of a client’s disability,
cultural background, language, faith, gender, sexual orientation, or their distance from our major towns
or cities.
We must also be a leader in the Victorian Government and the broader community through our
employment and service delivery practices.
Delivering for All is our department’s four year framework outlining our commitment to equity, and
ensuring our services are accessible and support every Victorian to participate in our community and our
economy. The framework also aligns with the department’s Strategic Directions 2012-16 and the
underpinning principles of valuing, respecting and treating our clients and staff fairly.
Gill Callister
Secretary
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Our obligations
A range of human rights legislation guides our department’s staff in their work.
Together they provide a foundation for how our department provides its services, how we engage with
our clients and our people.
They focus on addressing
and preventing
discrimination, and
improving access to
services for diverse
groups including people
from multicultural
backgrounds and people
with a disability.
Delivering for All outlines
the department’s plans
to meet its obligations
under the following
legislation by:
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Increasing the participation, inclusion and employment of people with a disability across the
department through the DHS Disability Action Plan under the Disability Act 2006 (see Appendix
1)
Undertaking cultural diversity planning under the Multicultural Victoria Act 2011
Making DHS a Victorian leader in meeting its positive duties under the Equal Opportunity Act
2010
Consolidating work done to implement the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act
2006 and ensure continuous improvement in our commitment to protecting human rights.
It also draws on key principles of non-discrimination under Commonwealth sex, race and disability
discrimination law.
Finally, by committing ourselves to continuous improvement in how we deal with our staff and clients,
we can play a role as community leaders by treating people fairly and respectfully, and in a way that
champions fundamental principles of human rights.
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Principles of Access and Equity
Given the department’s responsibility for supporting disadvantaged Victorians, and the range of
legislative obligations, the department has adopted the following principles of access and equity.
Actions included in Delivering for All are aimed at helping us to meet these aspirations.
Access
1. No one should be disadvantaged in their access to our services regardless of their country of birth,
language, culture, race or religion, sex, sexual orientation, or disability.
2. Our organisation and staff take reasonable steps so that location is not a barrier to support from
our services.
3. Opportunities for employment and advancement in the department are open to all. We have
employment practices that encourage and support applicants from all backgrounds so that our
workforce can reflect the diversity of our community.
Equity
4. Services are developed and delivered on the basis of fair treatment of clients who are eligible to
receive them.
5. Every effort is made so that factors such as disability, cultural background, race, religion, gender,
sexual orientation or caring responsibilities do not result in unequal treatment in seeking
employment or contact with the department.
Responsiveness and Sensitivity
6. Consistent with our client charter and service delivery reform agenda, services are sensitive to
the needs and requirements of clients from diverse backgrounds and responsive as far as
practicable to the particular circumstances of individuals.
Consultation and partnerships
7. Regular consultation and collaborative partnerships are key components of continuous
improvement, and ensuring our access and equity policies meet the needs of people from diverse
backgrounds.
Efficiency
8. Initiatives aimed at improving access and equity are efficiently targeted to those that need them.
Leadership
9. Our organisation and staff show leadership to our colleagues, service partners and the broader
community by reflecting the principles of access and equity in their work.
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The Access and Equity Framework
Our department has identified four key focus areas which will guide our actions over the life of
the framework, and help us meet our commitment to principles of access and equity:
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Embedding good practice in new ways of working
Build on our understanding of organisational diversity and better identify discrimination
Improve organisational diversity competency and practice
Ensure services delivered meets diverse needs.
These focus areas, and the actions that accompany them, have been developed taking into
account existing progress in areas like implementing the Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006, and areas where we need to do more.
They also reflect a department that is committed to reforming how our services are delivered,
and the structure and efficiency of the organisation that supports those changes.
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Focus Area 1 – Embedding Good Practice in New Ways of Working
The department has undergone significant
organisational change, and we are
reforming how we provide services to our
clients.
Services Connect and the Positive Duty Obligation
Through these reforms, there is an
opportunity to ensure that access and
equity principles, obligations, and good
practice are embedded early in the new
organisational structure and emerging
service delivery models.
These reforms should lead to a new way of delivering our
services which will make it easier to put the client at the
centre, and remove silos which can hamper efforts to
provide coordinated and holistic support.
Our department is committed to building
the principles of access and equity into
policy and services delivery reforms, and
that there is appropriate governance and
accountability structures under the new
organisational structure.
New models of service delivery are currently being trialled
under our Services Connect reforms.
As part of the design of staff practice manuals, the
department has been consulting with the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to ensure that
the positive obligations under the Equal Opportunity Act
2010 (see box text page 6) are effectively built into service
delivery design from the start.
Building access and equity principles into our policy
development and service design will help to enshrine good
practice from the very beginning and make a lasting
difference.
What we will do…
Build internal access and equity
governance and accountability
arrangements under new
organisational structure
Work with the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission to ensure that Services
Connect practices are consistent with
positive duty obligations
The department is developing appropriate governance and
accountability arrangements to monitor and report on progress
against the actions, and ongoing commitment to principles of
access and equity.
The department will continue to consult with the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to ensure our Services
Connect reforms are consistent with our positive duty obligations.
Develop accountability arrangements to
ensure that principles of access and
equity are embedded in policy
development
Building on our experiences and work to implement the Charter of
Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006, the department is
committed to continuous improvement so that our legislative
obligations and principles of access and equity are embedded in
policy, service design and practice reforms.
Develop and implement a process for
consultation and monitoring of the DHS
Access and Equity Framework
As a first step to ensuring broad understanding of our positive duty
requirements, the department is developing a communications
strategy for raising awareness of these obligations among its staff
and service providers.
Develop and implement a
communications plan to raise
awareness of the Equal Opportunity Act
2010
Transparency and responsiveness to views of employees and users
of DHS services are integral to continuous improvement. DHS will
establish appropriate external consultation and monitoring of our
framework.
5
Focus Area 2 – Build on Our Understanding of Organisational Diversity and
Better Identify Discrimination
Discrimination is not necessarily overt, conscious or intentional. Indirect discrimination, which is
covered under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, can occur as a result of old ways of working, or
systems which unintentionally treat some people less favourably than others because of factors
like disability or cultural background.
This means it can be hard to identify unless we take the opportunity
to review our organisational practice, and analyse trends which might
point to where inequitable practices or outcomes are occurring.
A key component in meeting the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 positive
duty on organisations will be to actively identify potential areas
where discrimination or systemic barriers could exist.
Our department is committed to continually reviewing our
organisation to ensure that our efforts to maximise opportunities for
people from diverse backgrounds are effective.
Implement ways to survey staff
on issues and experiences
relating to diversity and
discrimination
Under the Equal Opportunity Act
2010 all organisations –
Government, not-for-profit and
private– have a positive duty to
identify and eliminate
discrimination that may occur as a
result of workplace practices.
A key goal of Delivering for All is to
make sure our department meets
this positive duty.
What we will do…
Review sources of data relating
to the diversity of DHS staff,
including recommendations for:
improving employment
opportunities in DHS for people
from diverse backgrounds, and
monitoring levels of diversity
among employees
Our Legal Duty to Identify and
Eliminate Discrimination
Understanding the diversity of
our staff assists us cater for the
needs of our people, and
recognise where we may need
to do more to attract people
from different backgrounds to
our organisation.
Efforts toward building on our
understanding of our staff and
clients are being designed so that we
can meet our obligation to seek out
and identify direct and indirect
discrimination wherever it might be
occurring.
Receiving feedback from our staff about how they perceive the
organisation’s commitment to access and equity will assist us to
better identify where we may need to focus our efforts to build a fair
and diverse workplace.
Review the effectiveness of data
collection relating to outcomes
for clients from diverse
backgrounds
Good data collection assists in ensuring that our services achieve
outcomes that do not vary in effectiveness depending on cultural
or diverse backgrounds of clients.
Consider ways to drive
improvements in the
accessibility of DHS locations
A full understanding of where improvements in accessibility are
required can support future infrastructure and accommodation
planning, raise awareness of accessibility issues, and allow for
adjustments to be made at the local level.
6
Focus Area 3 – Improve Organisational Diversity Competency and Practice
The face of our services is our people. When we all respect the diversity of our clients and our staff, we
will be able to secure better outcomes and make the department a more attractive and dynamic place to
work.
Maintaining a broad and thorough understanding of human rights and equal opportunity legislation
among staff is also central to us meeting our obligations.
The department will maintain a continuous program of training for new and existing staff to raise
awareness and improve the base level of competency in diversity practice.
What we will do…
Expand existing references to the
Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006 in
Performance, Progression and
Development Plan templates to include
access and equity principles
Including reference to the Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006 in staff Performance, Progression and
Development Plans (PPD) played an important role in raising
awareness of staff’s human rights obligations. Revising the PPD to
encompass access and equity principles will assist staff to understand
their broader legislative obligations and incorporate them into work
practice.
Incorporate modules on the positive
duty obligations under the Equal
Opportunity Act 2010 in staff and
manager development
The positive duty obligation is relatively new. It will require staff,
managers, and executives in the department to fully understand the
meaning of discrimination under the Act and be aware that they have
an obligation to actively identify where discriminatory practices may
be occurring.
Improve staff and funded sector
awareness of and access to diversity
and equity resources
A review of existing access and equity resources, including
incorporation of the principles in this framework, will be undertaken.
Raising awareness of the availability of these resources will form part
of the communication strategy.
Celebrate diversity at local area levels
through a calendar of events, and
ensuring positive representations of
diverse groups in DHS publications
A regular program of events will help maintain awareness of the
valuable contribution people from all backgrounds bring to our
community. It is also an opportunity to raise the level of
understanding of complex issues that may arise when working with
people from different cultures or with different needs.
Strengthen employment pathways for
people with a disability and improve the
department’s employment and
retention of people with a disability
Building on the introduction of the Disability Employment Advisory
Service, the department will explore how it can continuously improve
its capacity to employ, retain and offer professional development to
people with a disability.
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Focus Area 4 – Ensure Services Delivered Meets Diverse Needs
Service delivery is our primary
business. We also fund a wide
variety of not for profit service
providers to deliver good outcomes
for clients.
Our systems must be designed so
that they reflect the principles of
access and equity, and we should
use our role as a contractor of
services to give leadership and
guidance to the broader service
sector.
The Youth Parole Board Larry Osborne Scholarship
The Youth Parole Board scholarship was introduced in 2011 to
encourage and support the development of innovative best practice in
parole planning and supervision of parolees in the community.
The 2012-13 scholarship winner will investigate new approaches to
working with young people from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transsexual (LGBT) community in the youth justice system with a view
to developing initiatives to improve current practice.
What we will do…
Review language services to ensure the
service delivery model maximises
access, efficiency and responsiveness to
need
A review of how translating and interpreting services are
delivered by the department is currently underway. This is
intended to ensure they are delivered efficiently to those
who need them.
Review and update the department’s
policy on the use of translating and
interpreting services
The department currently has a language services policy
which outlines when and how translating and interpreting
services should be used by service providers and DHS staff.
This will be reviewed and updated.
Provide accessible information and
communication that takes into account
the needs of people with a disability
The department will also review its current communication
practices and identify ways to make its communication more
accessible for people with a disability including through use of
alternate formats, readable print and compliance with AA or AAA
web standards.
Improve support for service delivery
partners to improve diversity
competency as part of the human
services sector reform
The department will work in partnership with the funded
sector to consider ways to help improve diversity
competency as part its ongoing work with the human
services sector on service delivery reform.
Review and update the department’s
cultural diversity guide
The department’s existing guide for staff and funded service
providers will also be reviewed and updated as required.
Consider ways to receive feedback on
the experience of people with a
disability and other diverse groups
accessing services
Understanding the user experience is crucial to knowing whether
our efforts to ensure access and equity are effective. The
department will look at ways of receiving continuous feedback
on service delivery experiences.
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Our commitment to consultation and continuous improvement
As part of the implementation of our access
and equity initiatives, the department will
develop forums for continuous consultation
with relevant stakeholders to:
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Assess whether the implementation
of our actions is effective and meets
their needs
Consider new areas for action or
emerging issues.
In this way, the framework and
implementation plan is intended to be a
living document. Actions can be refined, rescoped or replaced on the basis of feedback
from staff, stakeholders or effectiveness.
The framework provides overarching
guidance for our department.
The development of accountability
procedures and regular reporting on actions
included in the framework will be used to:
 Monitor the progress and
effectiveness of actions under the
framework
 Adopt new actions and areas for
improvement.
2. Consultation
Consultation with relevant stakeholders on the
detailed implementation of the actions.
Continuous improvement which is informed by a
regular consultation program will form part of
the implementation plan.
Regular
consultation
on the
progress and
effectiveness
of actions
Refine action
based on
feedback from
staff and
stakeholders
Establish new
initiatives
based on new
or emerging
issues
Legislative
Environment
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Our timeframes
The broad timeframe includes regular consultation, reporting and evaluation. A detailed implementation plan, including an outline of the monitoring
and reporting framework has also been developed.
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Appendix 1
Delivering for All
The department’s Access and Equity Framework and the
DHS Disability Action Plan
The Department of Human Services has developed an overarching Access and Equity Framework.
Consistent with the department’s reform agenda aimed at providing client-centred services, the
framework seeks to:
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Make sure our services provide effective support regardless of a client’s disability, cultural
background, language, faith, gender, sexual orientation, or their distance from our major towns
or cities; and
Demonstrate leadership through our own corporate and organisational practices.
Delivering for All has also been developed to include a series of actions specifically aimed at improving
access and equity for people with a disability. They have been designed to address the Disability Action
Plan outcome areas as determined by the Disability Act 2006.
We hope that the broader access and equity principles in Delivering for All and its related
implementation plan, together with actions outlined in the Victorian state disability plan below, will
contribute to reducing direct and indirect discrimination and promote greater opportunities for people
with a disability in our department.
The Victorian state disability plan 2013-16
The Department of Human Services, through the Office for Disability, played a lead role in the
development of the Victorian state disability plan 2013-16.
The department is leading or co-leading a number of key commitments under the state disability plan in
2013-14 including:
GOAL 1: A strong foundation in life
Outcome area
Improved housing and accommodation choices
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
Example of DHS led or co-led action
Strengthen the disability accommodation
service system to:
> increase resident choice
> provide portability of funding
> support people with complex support
needs
11
GOAL 1: A strong foundation in life (continued)
Encourage social housing providers to
incorporate Livable housing design
guidelines in the construction of new
housing
Develop a Victorian Social Housing
Framework to ensure public and community
housing is both sustainable and fair
An improved response to lifelong health needs
Fund and monitor specialised clinical
assessment and treatment services for
people with a disability who also have a
mental illness
Conduct a cancer-screening awareness
project for people with an intellectual
disability
GOAL 2: Upholding rights and promoting participation
Outcome area
Example of DHS led or co-led action
Better protection of human rights
Implement the Victorian roadmap for the
reduction of restrictive practices – a
human–rights based framework for service
providers to assist them to reduce their use
of restrictive practices
Monitor and evaluate the use of restrictive
interventions and compulsory treatment
across disability services and recommend
improvements in practice
Involve people with a disability in
monitoring, evaluating and reporting on
disability action plan
Support women with a disability or women
who have a child with a disability
experiencing or escaping from family
violence to access a crisis response or
remain safely in their own home
Better pathways to employment
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
Roll out a coordinated communication
strategy to better inform young people with
a disability, their parents and teachers
about further education, training and
employment options
12
GOAL 2: Upholding rights and promoting participation (continued)
Outcome area
Example of DHS led or co-led action
Develop and implement approaches to build
work awareness and work readiness of
young people with a disability both in
school and post-school, with particular
emphasis on opportunities to gain work
experience in open employment
Improve the capacity of the Victorian public
sector to employ, retain and offer
professional development to people with a
disability
Greater participation in the community
Encourage the representation of people
with a disability on boards and committees
Include provision in the Aboriginal
Recruitment and Retention Strategy to
improve recruitment of Aboriginal people
with a disability in DHS
Support, monitor and implement the
Enabling choice for Aboriginal people living
with a disability principles in order to:
> build the capacity of government and
community-based disability services to be
more culturally inclusive for Aboriginal
people and
> promote and enable increased leadership
and participation by Aboriginal people with
a disability in community and service
development activities
GOAL 3: Accessing information, transport, buildings and places
Outcome area
Example of DHS led or co-led action
Improved access to buildings and places
Support implementation of the Disability
(Access to Premises – building) Standards
2010
Review the current government
communications requirements and develop
a tool kit for Victorian Government
Departments to assist in making their
communication more accessible to people
with a disability
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
13
GOAL 4: A contemporary approach through disability system reform
Outcome area
Example of DHS led or co-led action
More opportunities for independence, choice and
Continue to identify opportunities to
control
transition from a system that funds services
to one that funds individuals
Support the launch and evaluation of the
National Disability Insurance Scheme in the
Barwon area in order to better prepare for
full scheme launch
Better targeted and integrated services
Simplify the way that people with a
disability receive support services at
Services Connect lead sites in Dandenong,
Geelong and the South-West Coast, by
providing individuals and families with just
one key worker and one client or family
plan
Develop a statewide disability forensic
practice framework to drive consistent
approaches and evidence-based practice
The role of families and carers is better supported
Involve people with a disability, families and
carers in the development of respite policy
and programs
Improve access to government services
including disability services, for children in
out-of-home care
More information about the Victorian state disability plan can be found at:
www.officefordisability.vic.gov.au
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
14
The DHS Disability Action Plan – Year 1
This departmental Disability Action Plan (the DAP) focuses on key actions in Year 1. The intention
is that the DAP will be a living document and future Year 2 and Year 3 actions will build on
learnings, as well as respond to emerging issues identified by the Access and Equity Reference
Group to be established as an ongoing part of the framework’s consultation and monitoring
arrangements.
Some of the key actions identified in Year 1 are highlighted below.
DAP Outcome Area 1
Reducing barriers to persons with a disability accessing goods, services
and facilities
Work with the Victorian Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission to ensure that
Services Connect practices are
consistent with positive duty
obligations
Y1
1
The Services Connect trial sites are an integral part of the DHS
service reform agenda. If rolled out more broadly, it will form the
department’s basic service delivery model.
Ensuring that Services Connect practices are consistent with the
new positive duty obligations under the Equal Opportunity Act
2010 means that good practice in identifying barriers to services
for people with a disability will be built into the model from the
ground up.
Year 1 outcomes: Positive duty obligations are effectively built
into service delivery design from the start
Consider ways to drive
improvements in the accessibility
of DHS locations
Review and update the
department’s policy on the use of
translating and interpreting
services
Y1
1
Provide accessible information
and communication that takes
into account the needs of people
with a disability
Y1
1
It is important to continue to review accessibility across the
department’s locations to help raise awareness of
accessibility issues and support future planning at the local
level.
A review of how translating and interpreting services are
delivered by the department is currently underway. This is
intended to ensure they are delivered efficiently to those
who need them, and includes the use of AUSLAN
interpreting via the Video Relay Interpreting Service.
Year 1 outcomes: Accessible and responsive language
services system that is client focused
The department will review its current communication practices
and identify ways to make its communication more accessible
for people with a disability including through accessible formats,
readable print and compliance with AA or AAA web standards.
Year 1 outcomes: More accessible departmental information
and communication responsive to the needs of people with a
disability
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
15
Consider ways to receive feedback
on the experience of people with a
disability and other diverse groups
accessing services
Understanding the user experience is crucial to knowing
whether our efforts to ensure access and equity are
effective. The department will look at ways of receiving
continuous client feedback on service delivery experiences
for people with a disability.
Improve staff and funded sector
awareness of and access to
diversity and equity resources
The department will review and revise its existing access and
equity resources to ensure these continue to be relevant and
up-to-date to assist staff and the funded sector to build on
good practice in delivering services to people from diverse
backgrounds including those with a disability.
Improve support for service
delivery partners to improve
diversity competency as part of
the human services sector reform
The department will work in partnership with the funded
sector to consider ways to help improve their diversity
competency as part of its ongoing work with the human
services sector on service delivery reform. This includes
providing practical support and encouragement to partner
agencies to produce disability action plans.
DAP Outcome Area 2
Reducing barriers to persons with a disability obtaining and maintaining
employment
Review sources of data relating
to the diversity of DHS staff,
including recommendations for:
improving employment
opportunities in DHS for people
from diverse backgrounds, and
monitoring levels of diversity
among employees
As part of the review of our employee data sources, the
department will look at continued monitoring and reporting
on levels of employment of people with a disability in the
department.
Year 1 outcomes: Emerging discriminatory practices
are identified and can be addressed at the earliest
opportunity
Y1
1
Strengthen employment
pathways for people with a
disability and improve the
department’s employment and
retention of people with a
disability
The department will draw on findings from the culture
survey regular monitoring of employment and length of
service to improve the support provided to people with a
disability. Building on the introduction of the Disability
Employment Advisory Service, the department will explore
how it can continuously improve its capacity to employ,
retain and offer professional development to people with
a disability.
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
16
Outcome Area 3
Promoting inclusion and participation in the community of persons with a
disability
Celebrate diversity at local area
levels through a calendar of
events, and ensuring positive
representations of diverse
groups in DHS publications
Y1
1
A regular program of events will help maintain awareness of the
valuable contribution people from all backgrounds bring to our
community. This will include events focused on people with a
disability, such as celebrating the International Day of People with
Disability.
Year 1 outcomes: A workplace that celebrates diversity and
encourages engagement in access and equity issues
DAP Outcome Area 4
Achieving tangible changes in attitudes and practices which discriminate
against persons with a disability
Implement ways to survey staff
on issues and experiences
relating to diversity and
discrimination.
Y1
1
Receiving feedback about how our staff perceive the
organisation’s commitment to access and equity will assist us to
better identify where we may need to focus our efforts to build a
fair and diverse workplace free of discrimination including for
people with a disability.
This information will also be used to inform efforts to change
departmental attitudes and practices where required, including
targeted training and support.
Year 1 outcomes: A fair and diverse workplace where staff
views are heard and respected
Expand existing references to
the Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006 in
Performance, Progression and
Development Plan templates to
include access and equity
principles
Y1
1
This action will assist staff to consider their own professional
responsibility to contribute to equity and rights, facilitate
conversations between staff and managers and understand how
their work practice can contribute to the department improving its
access and equity practices including for people with a disability.
Year 1 outcomes: An informed and aware workforce committed to
access and equity principles
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
17
Incorporate modules on the
positive duty obligations under
the Equal Opportunity Act 2010
in staff and manager
development
Y1
1
The department will develop training modules to ensure staff,
managers and executives fully understand the meaning of
discrimination under the Act and are aware that they have an
obligation to actively identify and eliminate discriminatory practices
including in relation to people with a disability.
Year 1 outcomes: Staff are informed and aware of their positive
duty obligations
The Access and Equity Framework and the DHS Disability Action Plan
18