SUPERVISED ACCESS SERVICE GUIDELINES F18
Table of Contents 1. About these Guidelines... 3 Who are these guidelines for?... 3 What is the purpose of these guidelines?... 3 How should these guidelines be used?... 3 Will these guidelines be revised?... 3 Where can you go for further information?... 4 2. Relationships... 5 What are the principles that underpin the relationship between MVCOT, the Provider and the client?... 5 Cultural awareness... 5 Accessibility... 5 3. About Supervised Access... 6 What is Supervised Access about?... 6 Who is the client group for Supervised Access?... 6 What is Supervised Access seeking to achieve?... 6 Vision... 6 Long-term outcomes... 6 Results... 6 What are Supervised Access core principles?... 6 How does Supervised Access work?... 7 Figure 1: Supervised Access Process... 7 Social Sector Accreditation Standards... 8 4. Service Delivery... 9 Where do Providers fit in the big picture?... 9 Figure 2: People involved in Supervised Access... 9 Referral to other agencies... 10 What activities does Supervised Access focus on?... 10 What is the role of the referral agencies?... 10 Reporting Concerns... 11 5. Measuring Results and Reporting... 12 How do we know if Supervised Access is working?... 12 What data needs to be collected for reporting?... 12 Where can we find more information about RBA?... 12 What reports are required by MVCOT?... 12 Family Services Directory... 13 6. Definitions... 14 Appendix One Provider Return Format... 15 Appendix Two... 17 Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 2 of 17
1. About these Guidelines Who are these guidelines for? These guidelines are for the Providers that the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki (MVCOT) contracts with to provide these Services. These guidelines do not replace the standards set by Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Children Supervised Contact Services. These guidelines form part of the Outcome Agreement. Outcome Agreements with Providers for these Services require that they are delivered in accordance with these guidelines. These guidelines are a living document and may be varied at the discretion of MVCOT. MVCOT will inform the provider of any variation to be made. What is the purpose of these guidelines? The guidelines provide: a set of commonly agreed practice principles and values to guide service delivery detailed information about service delivery and practice a resource tool to help you deliver the Services consistently a resource tool to assist you in meeting the desired service outcomes a way for us to improve our responsiveness to feedback regarding changes to the service delivery component of the Outcome Agreement. How should these guidelines be used? These guidelines should be seen as setting the minimum standard for service delivery to assist you to competently deliver the Service according to the Outcome Agreement requirements. Each Provider can develop a Service that reflects their organisation s philosophical base, incorporating local need and the culture within which it works. Will these guidelines be revised? This document is a living document and will be updated as required. MVCOT staff will keep you informed of any further editions, updates or changes to these guidelines, as it forms part of the Outcome Agreement. Feedback on the guidelines is welcome at any time and can be sent to MVCOT National Office using the attached Feedback Form (see Appendix Two). Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 3 of 17
Where can you go for further information? For further information on these guidelines please contact your MVCOT Contract Manager as identified in your Outcome Agreement. Further information on supervised contact is also available at www.anzascs.org.nz. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 4 of 17
2. Relationships What are the principles that underpin the relationship between MVCOT, the Provider and the client? For this relationship to be successful, it is essential that all parties collaborate to ensure the Services are effective and accessible. The following principles guide all dealings under the Outcome Agreement. The parties agree to: act honestly and in good faith communicate openly and in a timely manner work in a collaborative and constructive manner recognise each others responsibilities encourage quality and innovation to achieve positive outcomes support the principles of the Code of Funding Practice (http://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/promoting-good-practice). The Outcome Agreement does not constitute a partnership in the legal sense nor does it mean that the Provider is an employee or agent of MVCOT. Cultural awareness Each party recognises the needs of all people, including Māori, Pacific, ethnic communities and all other communities to have Services provided in a way that is consistent with their social, economic, political, cultural and spiritual values. Accessibility Increased participation is supported by enhanced accessibility and recognises the diverse needs of all people, through: ease of communication flow of information physical accessibility. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 5 of 17
3. About Supervised Access What is Supervised Access about? Supervised Access is a Service that provides a safe environment for children/young people to have contact with their family/whānau, whom they do not live with due to safety or wellbeing concerns. The Service is delivered in a safe and controlled environment with constant supervision provided by a trained member of the Providers staff. Who is the client group for Supervised Access? The client group for Supervised Access Services is children/young people who do not live with, nor have daily contact with, their family/whānau due to safety or wellbeing concerns, and who require someone to supervise approved access requests. What is Supervised Access seeking to achieve? Supervised Access is seeking to achieve the following vision, long-term outcomes and results for the child or young person: Vision The child/young person has a safe and controlled environment for contact with family/whānau that they do not live with due to safety or well-being concerns. Long-term outcomes The child/young person has been able to remain in contact with their family/whānau. Results The child/young person continues to have contact with their family/whānau that they do not live with due to safety or wellbeing concerns, ensuring a safe on-going relationship. What are Supervised Access core principles? Supervised Access has the following core principles that underpin practice: children/young people are kept safe contact with family/whānau is maintained where appropriate contact is provided in a safe neutral environment children/young people s well-being is paramount. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 6 of 17
How does Supervised Access work? The Supervised Access process is shown in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: Supervised Access Process Referral From Family Group Conference. Family Court. Social Worker. Family member. Pre-access meeting with involved parties Set access rules and guidelines. Outline schedule of access. Ensure the child/young person understands the rules for their safety and wellbeing and has a safety plan which they have helped to develop Following access visits Report provided by supervisor at regular, prearranged intervals to social worker. Debrief of staff involved. Debrief with caregiver/parent of child Termination of access Supervisor and others involved agree on termination of access if child/young person continues to disengage or be uncomfortable with the arrangement. Access visits do not comply with agreed rules and guidelines. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 7 of 17
Social Sector Accreditation Standards Providers delivering Supervised Access Services are required to meet Level Three, Ministry of Social Development specific accreditation standards. Providers are required to maintain their Approval Level according to MSD s relevant Approval and Accreditation Standards. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 8 of 17
4. Service Delivery Where do Providers fit in the big picture? Providers are key contributors to the Supervised Access big picture. How they and other core players all interrelate is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: People involved in Supervised Access Parent having access Parent/ Caregiver caring for the child Child Social worker Supervisor The Supervised Access Provider needs to demonstrate that they: comply with requirements of current health, safety and employment legislation and practices have in place, systems for assessing and managing risks to relevant industry standards undertake Police checks of all staff members annually keep appropriate health and safety and accident records have complete driver records on file where required have obtained at least two employment references for each staff member who has any contact with children/young people on Supervised Access operate a staff and participant s complaints procedure treat all involved in Supervised Access fairly, equally, neutrally and with dignity at all times. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 9 of 17
A Supervised Access Provider will assess: the nature and extent of any risk to the welfare and safety of the child/young person and any other relevant / involved parties that the child/young person is, or will become, comfortable with the proposed Supervised Access arrangements the appropriate level of access, and the Provider s ability to meet this the level of vigilance required by the supervisor whether the Provider has the capacity and resources to provide the required level of access. Referral to other agencies As the Provider you must recognise which services you are able to provide and where referral to other specialist services may be required so that children/young people receive appropriate services. We require that you have processes in place for making referrals to other agencies, including keeping records of referrals. What activities does Supervised Access focus on? providing a safe and controlled environment where children/young people can have contact with family/whānau providing supervision by a trained staff member who is able to deal with any potential conflict situations, or risks to the child/young person providing monitoring and oversight of the meeting so that the meeting is beneficial for all parties providing appropriate intervention when a meeting becomes a volatile situation for the parties. What is the role of the referral agencies? It is the referring agencies role to give the Supervised Access Provider relevant information about the child/young person and the family/whānau they will be having the contact with. They need to be clear on the expectations of the Supervised Access, the level of reporting/feedback required, and amount of Supervised Access sessions required. The family/whānau member will meet with the child/young person under supervision and with a clear understanding of expectations and rules. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 10 of 17
Reporting Concerns If the Provider considers that a child /young person has any of the following issues or their behaviour gives cause for concern it is appropriate to talk to the child/young person s caregiver and the MVCOT Social Worker. Where there is an immediate concern it is important that the Provider talks to someone directly to ensure they are aware of the concern; do not leave a voicemail message. If the MVCOT Social Worker is unavailable then please contact their supervisor or call the National Contact Centre (0508 FAMILY) and ask for the duty Social Worker at the child/young person s site. Issues of concern are listed below but this is not an exhaustive list. A child/young person: not attending appointments or programmes when the Provider expect them to and there are grounds to believe they are at risk of being harmed by others, or there are mental health concerns, or they are at risk of harming themselves or others contact the child/young person s caregiver and the MVCOT Social Worker has a pattern of missing planned sessions contact the child/young person s caregiver and the MVCOT Social Worker displaying behaviour that is concerning contact the child/young person s caregiver and the MVCOT Social Worker appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol contact the child/young person s caregiver or the MVCOT Social Worker and supervise till someone comes for them have suicidal ideation or reveal they have self-harmed contact the child/young person s caregiver and the MVCOT Social Worker become seriously unwell contact the child/young person s caregiver and apply / seek appropriate medical assistance. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 11 of 17
5. Measuring Results and Reporting How do we know if Supervised Access is working? We are all interested in being able to demonstrate that Supervised Access achieves outcomes (or results) for children and young people. MVCOT does this through various reporting requirements which are all based on a Results Based Accountability (RBA) framework, and are reflected in the Supervised Access Provider Return Report attached to your Outcome Agreement or provided electronically by your MVCOT Contract Manager. What data needs to be collected for reporting? To tell us if the initiative is making a difference MVCOT requires the Provider to collect data that will tell us: how much we did how well did we do it if anyone was better off. The data is backed up by a narrative report. A guide to writing the narrative report is found in the Provider Return Report (attached to your Outcome Agreement or provided electronically by your MVCOT Contract Manager). Where can we find more information about RBA? More information on RBA can be found at: http://www.business.govt.nz/procurement/for-agencies/buying-social-services/resultsbased-accountabilitytm-rba/ http://www.msd.govt.nz/what-we-can-do/providers/results-basedaccountability/index.html Your MVCOT Contract Manager, as identified in your Outcome Agreement, will also be able to assist and provide further information on RBA. What reports are required by MVCOT? Reporting is required to meet the contractual obligations set out in the Outcome Agreement. Reporting is necessary to ensure accountability to Government for the funding provided under the Outcome Agreement. MVCOT has agreed on the quantity and nature of the Services the funding supports, and we are required to report to Government that this has been achieved. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 12 of 17
The following reports must be completed and sent to your MVCOT Contract Manager: Statistical Report (refer to the Outcome Agreement for reporting frequency). Narrative Report (refer to the Outcome Agreement for reporting frequency). An example of the reporting template is attached as Appendix One to these guidelines. Family Services Directory Through the term of the Outcome Agreement with MVCOT, Providers must ensure that their organisation is listed on the Family Services Directory (https://www.familyservices.govt.nz/directory/), and that necessary information is updated when required. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 13 of 17
6. Definitions In these guidelines, unless the context otherwise requires words or phrases beginning with capital letters are defined as follows: Outcome Agreement means the contract entered into by the Provider and MVCOT for these Services. Provider means the organisation MVCOT has contracted with to provide these Services. Services means the Services to be provided under the Outcome Agreement, and Service has a corresponding meaning. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 14 of 17
Appendix One Provider Return Format Provider Return Report Legal-Name Report Form for Period Report1-Period1-Start-Date to Report1-Period4-End-Date Report Due Dates Report1-Due-Dates N.B. Clients are to be recorded at point of entry into the service post Report1-Period1-Start-Date Signed by: Date: Name: Position: Description of Service Service Unit of Measure Quantity of Service Report1- Period1-Start- Date Report1- Period2-Start- Date Report1- Period3-Start- Date Report1- Period4-Start- Date to to to to Report1- Period1-End- Date Report1- Period2-End- Date Report1- Period3-End- Date Report1- Period4-End- Date Contracted-Service-Provider-Service-Descriptions-For- Report Reporting-Measure- Descriptions-For- Report Reporting- Measure- Contracted- Volumes- Period-1-For- Report Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 15 of 17
Provider Narrative Report to support the data 1. What is the story behind the data? (e.g. environmental factors impacting on client results including issues, gaps, overlaps and trends). 2. What are your areas for improvement towards achieving better results for clients (continuous improvement)? 3. Who are your partners that help you achieve results, and what joint activities have you participated in? 4. What combination of services do you think is most effective for your clients? 5. Provide examples of strategies or practices used to encourage hard to reach clients to engage. 6. Provide an explanation of the variances (if any) between the volumes contracted and volumes delivered. Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 16 of 17
Appendix Two Provider Feedback Form Please email to your Contract Manager or your Community Investment Advisor. Name of service Summary of, and reasons for, suggested change Topic Reference (section/page) Suggested change/description Contact name: Provider name: Provider email: Provider phone: Position: Date submitted: Supervised Access Service Guidelines Page 17 of 17