Gladstone Region service providers continue to strive for improved outcomes for our local families and children.
Continued identification of improvement opportunities to local service delivery and referrals, has led to the development of a social services program database.
The Program Database was identified in response to regular and consistent feedback from sector reporting the need for improved access to referral information and supports priorities of the community-designed and endorsed Gladstone Region Wellbeing Action Plan.
The Program Database will make it easier for practitioners to access information about local programs and services and enable better-informed, quality referrals. The database will provide accurate information on what programs exist, eligibility criteria, referral pathways, capacity, and the best point of contact. This information will allow social service sector referrers to make well-informed referrals, ensuring that their clients receive the best possible support.
A Referrals Pathway workshop, attended by a diverse range of over 40 service sector representatives in March 2022, identified a program database as one of three top priorities to enable better outcomes for clients. This event and further sector discussions have assessed the pros and cons related to the investment of time into the development and maintenance of a centralised program database and continue to value the return on investment it will offer.
Social, Health and Education representatives, identifying local service system priorities at the Referral Pathways event in 2022.
The Program Database is in development by practitioners now and will be the next community-designed resource in a suite of tools developed through conversations, workshops, surveys, and interagency meetings with local social services.
The commitment of sector to provide program information in the development of the Program Database and to provide updates when changes occur, will be critical in the success and sustainability of the database.
The Program Database will be available to practitioners online later this year and will include an evaluation process to enable continuous improvement.
Existing Social Services Resources
The Social Services Sector Map was developed in 2023 and provides referrers with a visual resource of local services providing supports for families, children and youth, housing, community health, welfare, mental health, alcohol and other drugs.
Click below image to view PDF resource.
The Housing Supports Referral Guide was developed to streamline decision steps to match the right service to meet client need and enable timely and efficient referrals. The positive response to this guide has led to requests for further referral guides. New Referral Guides designed by practitioners to support improved sector referral pathways, include: Youth Wellbeing Support; Disability Support; Pre/Post Birth Supports and Child Development Assessments.
Click below thumbnails to view each resource.
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Another new initiative identified by our local social services is a Gladstone Service System Induction. A collective onboarding induction for existing and new practitioners and organisations in the region, to enhance service system integration and grow consistency and continuity of care, through shared practice, language, resources, values and culture.
Service providers will be invited to consider inclusions for a quarterly local human service system induction, mid-2024.
For further information, please contact GRT
P: 07 4970 7382