module 2: planning ases · nsw specialist homelessness services: quality standards implementation...

NSW Specialist Homelessness Services: Quality Standards Implementation Resource Kit

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Topic: Planning ASES Implementation

Document type: How-to Guide

MODULE 2: PLANNING ASES

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 2

2. THE RESOURCES PROVIDED IN THE PLANNING ASES MODULE ............................................. 4

3. KEY MESSAGES ................................................................................................................... 5

4. PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................ 5

5. DECISIONS .......................................................................................................................... 6

6. PRELIMINARIES .................................................................................................................. 6

6.1. Indicative time frames ........................................................................................................ 6

6.2. Time frame estimation for completing accreditation ......................................................... 7

7. CLIENT RIGHTS ................................................................................................................... 8

8. ASES PROJECT PLAN DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................... 9

8.1. Approach ............................................................................................................................. 9

8.2. Format ............................................................................................................................... 10

8.3. Annotated ASES Project Plan Template ............................................................................ 10

9. PLANNING STAGES ............................................................................................................ 11

9.1. Overview ........................................................................................................................... 11

9.2. Additional Guidance .......................................................................................................... 12

Stage 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 13

Stage 1 continued… .................................................................................................................... 15

Stage 1 continued… .................................................................................................................... 16

Stage 2 ........................................................................................................................................ 17

Stage 3 ........................................................................................................................................ 18

10. FURTHER RESOURCES ........................................................................................................ 19

11. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 20


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1. INTRODUCTION Module 1: Orientation introduced:

▪ The steps involved in ASES accreditation

▪ An overview of the ASES Certificate Level - the 3 streams, 8 standards and 18 standards groupings

▪ The principles and outcomes of the Standards

▪ The various agencies involved in ASES implementation in the NSW Homelessness Sector, and

▪ The importance of preparing and planning all the tasks involved in accreditation.

By working through Module 1: Orientation, you will have:

▪ Learned about how other services (including NSW SHS) have approached accreditation and some of the strategies they used that helped them

▪ Obtained, filed and shared two key documents:

The ASES Certificate Level Evidence Guide

Available from the BNG SHS Quality Portal, Reading Room or from the Industry Partnership: [email protected]

The ASES Certificate Level Workbook

Available from External Assessors or the Industry Partnership: [email protected]

▪ Held information sessions with the governing body, management teams and staff and introduced them to ASES, and

▪ Considered and started a discussion within the organisation about who will lead on ASES implementation, how the work will be shared and how clients and key stakeholders will be engaged in the process.

▪ In this module, we will build on that start and cover how to develop an ASES Project Plan.

mailto:[email protected]



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Where are we in the process?

In Module 1 we presented four flow charts that describe the process of ASES accreditation.

The first page of Flowchart number 2: Overview with Documentation is shown here with a red border that indicates that, in this Module, we will be covering how to develop your Internal ASES Implementation Project Plan.


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2. THE RESOURCES PROVIDED IN THE PLANNING ASES MODULE

Table 1: List of resources for Module 2: Planning ASES Implementation

Resource Description

Blank ASES Project Plan Template A Blank guided ASES Project Plan Template to assist organisations with planning their accreditation. The template is in two parts – an overview section for documenting the broad strategies and a task list for recording and tracking the actions to implement the strategy.

Example of Completed ASES Project Plan Template Example

This is an example of a completed ASES project Plan, Section 1: Overview. The example is fictional but draws on the composite experience of a number of organisations in planning ASES.

‘Real life’ examples of documents from SHSs

Recent examples of ASES resources developed and used by ten SHSs, which participated in the ASES Resource Pilot Project.

These are: ▪ An ASES Implementation Project Plan (large organisation) ▪ An ASES Implementation Project Plan (medium sized

organisation: TFSS) ▪ An ASES Project Plan Progress Report (medium sized

organisation: TFSS) ▪ YPS Poster inviting client (young people) feedback ▪ YPS’s General Information Sheet about ASES for clients

(Young People) ▪ A YPS flyer providing various options for client (young

people) participation in ASES.

Handout: Tips for Project Leaders: Achieving and Maintaining ASES Accreditation

Handout to assist managers, quality managers and other ASES project leaders in developing strategies for work allocation and internal and external stakeholder engagement.

Handout: Client Rights in Participating in ASES External Assessments

Handout to inform organisations of rights of clients in participating in ASES implementation and the external assessment. It is suitable for distribution to clients and to inform staff.

Handout: Tips for Achieving and Maintaining Accreditation

Handout for staff involved in planning and implementing ASES accreditation based on the resources developed by the Standards Owner, the South Australian Department of Human Services (SA DHS).

Handout: Stages of ASES Accreditation Planning

A general handout providing a high-level overview of accreditation stages which also appears as Table 3 on page 12 of this Guide.


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3. KEY MESSAGES The key messages for developing an ASES Project Plan are:

Be informed – make provision in your ASES Project Plan for all staff and the governing body to become familiar with the ASES Certificate Level Evidence Guide and the steps involved in accreditation

Make it your own - there is no perfect plan or perfect template. Develop a plan covering the points made in this guide in any format and style that suits your organisation’s culture and context

Be inclusive – think about how you will involve the whole of the organisation, governing body, clients and stakeholders

Be realistic - step it out into do-able tasks set out in a logical sequence

Be flexible - be prepared to change it as you go along - every project encounters twists and turns that were not always anticipated at the start.

4. PURPOSE The purpose of the ASES Project Plan is to document:

1. How the milestones and steps involved in implementing ASES will be met

2. A clear list of tasks and a timeline for completion

3. The roles and responsibilities of everyone involved (staff, management, the governing body, dedicated quality positions and any external providers who will be involved)

4. The strategies for involving and engaging clients and stakeholders and keeping everyone informed about progress, and

5. The approval process for the Plan and any changes in line with your organisation’s delegations.


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5. DECISIONS Developing an ASES Project Plan involves making a number of decisions such as:

Which year will you obtain accreditation and when will you start work on it?

Who will coordinate and oversee the process?

Who will do the work and how will it be shared?

Will any of the work be outsourced?

How will you give a voice to clients and stakeholders?

Which tools will you use to undertake your self-assessment – the BNG Online SPP Portal or offline using the ASES Workbook? If using BNG, will you use the ‘mapped’ or ‘unmapped version? (see Module 3: The Self-Assessment and ASES Workplan for an explanation of these options).

Which External Assessor will you engage to undertake your external assessment and site visit?

In this Module we will be providing information and resources to inform these decisions.

6. PRELIMINARIES

6.1. Indicative time frames You are required to register your indicative time frame with the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) by completing the form at https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/download?file=663034 and emailing it to [email protected] no later than 1 July 2020.

You are required to send your certificate of accreditation to [email protected] before 31 March 2023.

Throughout the process, keep DCJ Community and Planning teams updated on your progress. You can do this through your usual contract meetings with your CPO.

https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/download?file=663034




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6.2. Time frame estimation for completing accreditation The table below provides information about the time frames associated with some of the steps to accreditation to assist you in calculating your time frame.

Table 2: Time frames for accreditation steps from the end of the site visit to the issue of the certificate

Milestone Time frame Cumulative months

The External Assessment Report

The External Assessment Report requires completion and submission to you and the ASES Team in DHS within 6 weeks from the last date of the site visit (the Draft Report is due to you for comment in 3 weeks after the site visit). Recommendations about addressing identified gaps are also required to be transferred into a Quality Action Plan by the Assessor within 6 weeks of the site visit.

1.5

Completing the Quality Action Plan

If your organisation has any requirements that are not fully met, you have 6 months to complete and submit the Quality Action Plan.

7.5

Issue of the certificate of accreditation

Following the receipt of your completed Quality Action Plan, there are quality checks and administrative tasks undertaken by the ASES Team. It can take up to 6 weeks for the certificate to be issued.

Up to 1.5

Total time lapse from the last date of your site visit until the issue of the certificate Up to 10.5*

*In many cases this time frame takes less time and many organisations do not take the full 6 months to complete their Quality Action Plan – however, if you wanted to be on the safe side in planning the timing of your accreditation then allow for an additional 10-11-months after the site visit.

Most organisation take around 12 months preparation time before the site visit, although this can vary. For an approximate estimate, consider three options where the preparation before the site visit is 6, 12 or 18 months.

6 months preparation time before External Assessment Total time up to 16.5 months



The timing of Quality Action Plans and Certificates of Accreditation

▪ When you have completed your site visit, you will receive your report with

recommendations 2-3 weeks after the site visit. You have 6 months to address any

recommendation through a Quality Action Plan – note the 6 months starts from the

last date of your site visit.

▪ When you receive your Certificate of Accreditation it will be dated from the last date

of your site visit.


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7. CLIENT RIGHTS Client engagement and participation is a key part of ASES. Providing clients and, where appropriate, client representatives information and opportunities to participate in ASES is covered in the ASES Project Leaders Guide, which is a document in this Module. When developing strategies for client information and engagement it is important to note that the South Australian Department of Human Services has ethical guidelines for External Assessors’ relating to client participation. This framework is also a good one for organisations to observe in their own client engagement approach. It is set out below and included as a handout in this Module1.

1 Based on the Government of South Australia Standard Goods and Services Agreement DHS76 Australian Service Excellence Standards Panel, 2019.

Client Rights in Participating in ASES External Assessments

▪ Client participation in providing input and feedback can be a valuable part of the External Assessment and is used in a positive and constructive manner

▪ All clients have a right and opportunity to be involved and consulted in the External Assessment

▪ Clients have a right not to be involved

▪ Clients’ decisions to be involved or not involved are respected

▪ Clients’ confidentiality and privacy are respected

▪ Clients’ consent must be obtained for them to speak to External Assessors

▪ Organisations undertaking an ASES External Assessment are required to invite client representation at both the opening and closing meeting of External Assessment site visits

▪ Clients have the right to advocacy and support to assist in having their say

▪ People from ATSI or CALD backgrounds and people with disabilities and their support persons are not to be excluded from the External Assessment and are to be provided with timely, plain language information in line with their communication needs about the audit process to allow for a full and informed contribution


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8. ASES PROJECT PLAN DEVELOPMENT

8.1. Approach The approach you take to managing your accreditation may vary according to a number of variables, including:

The size of your organisation

Available resources

The length of time you have to prepare

Your own personal approach to managing projects of this scope

Your organisational culture

Whether your organisation is familiar with the ASES or other accreditation processes

Your organisation’s accreditation readiness

How developed your quality management and data collection processes are.

What is important is that you develop a workable Plan that is suited to your organisation and,

available resources.

The approaches that lead to successful accreditation outcomes have been found to be:

1. Leadership that champions change and embraces quality improvement

2. Stakeholder and client participation

3. Open channels of communication

4. A systemic approach to quality improvement

5. Identifying local issues and problems and integrating improvement strategies for these into the accreditation process.2

Think about how your organisation can integrate these guiding principles into the ASES Project

Plan.

There are a number of resources in this Module that can assist your organisation to develop your

own approach to ASES including handouts, tips and guiding documents. These are listed in Table 1:

List of resources for Module 2: Planning ASES Implementation. Resources provided by DCJ, the SA DHS and

BNG Online are listed in the Further Resources section.

2 Johnson, R., & Grieder, D. (2005). In a rush towards accreditation? Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow, 14(4), 18–24.


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8.2. Format There is no right or wrong format for an ASES Project Plan. It can be:

A straightforward Word document with text describing the key approach and a table with tasks, dates and responsibilities

A Gantt chart setting out all the steps in a timed sequence

An Excel spreadsheet with key milestones, time frames, responsibilities/task, and status

A formal project plan developed using software such as Microsoft Project

Any combination of the above options.

This Module includes examples of three ASES Project Plans that have been developed by Specialist Homelessness Services (SHSs) which participated in the development of this Resource Kit – a small, medium-sized and large organisation. These examples, as well as the NSW Story and the South Australian Story in Module 1: Orientation, provide many examples of how services have approached and planned their accreditation that you can draw on.

Whichever format/s your organisation decides to use, it is important it makes provision for:

Describing the roles and responsibilities of staff members, the governance body and the governance arrangements for the Plan

Listing all the tasks you need to complete

Recording timeframes and responsibilities for each task, and

A method for tracking progress.

8.3. Annotated ASES Project Plan Template An annotated ASES Project Plan Template in Microsoft Word has been developed as a resource in this Module with a task list that you are welcome to use and adapt to your organisation’s particular circumstances. The template is in two parts:

Part 1 is the Plan overview that prompts organisations to describe their overall approach to accreditation and record decisions that were described in Table 2 in Section 5 above. It includes the following headings:

1. Time frames 2. Introduction 3. Roles and responsibilities 4. Staff engagement and participation 5. Client and stakeholder engagement and participation 6. Potential barriers to successful accreditation and strategies to overcome them, and 7. Self-assessment tool selection, and 8. Tracking progress.

Part 2 is the task list and tracking table for recording the particulars of the actions that need to be taken.


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9. PLANNING STAGES

9.1. Overview You may find it helpful to break up your ASES Project Plan into stages.

At the broadest level, the Plan can be broken down into three stages as captured in the table below. The first two stages focus on preparing your service for the external assessment, and the third stage focuses on the external assessment and the steps that immediately follow.

Table 3: Planning ASES Stages – High Level Overview (This table is also available as a handout in this Module:

Planning ASES)

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

- Develop the ASES Project Plan - Include strategies for client

input, staff and external stakeholder communication and engagement

- Get to know the requirements of the Standards by studying the ASES official Evidence Guide

- Undertake a self-assessment carefully rating how your organisation meets/doesn’t meet all of the 98 requirements at the ASES Certificate Level

- Develop an ASES Workplan to address any gaps that your self-assessment has identified

- Start gathering evidence that you will provide to your External Assessor that will support your self-assessment

- After completing your ASES Workplan repeat your self-assessment and link all of your evidence to your updated assessment

- Research the options of the External Assessors Provider Panel on the SA DHS(DHS)

- Select an External Assessor and sign a contract with them

- Provide your self-assessment and evidence to your External Assessor

- Work with your External Assessor to plan your site visit and develop an agenda

- Work with your staff, clients and partner organisations to make sure that they are available for interviews at the site visit

- Get written consent from a representative sample of clients for the Assessor to review their files

- Undertake your external assessment site visit

- Receive the Draft Assessment Report

- Provide evidence-based comment on the report if you think any of the ratings are incorrect

- Work with your External Assessor to develop your Quality Action Plan (QAP) based on their report for any areas that require more work

- Complete and submit your QAP - Respond to any queries about

your QAP from the External Assessor and the Service Excellence Team in the SA DHS

- Receive your Certificate of Accreditation and ASES logos

- Congratulations you have achieved accreditation! This will mean you will be able to promote your ASES accreditation to your clients and stakeholders and use the logo on your website, emails, etc.

More information about Stage 1 is in:

Module 3: Internal Self-Assessment and Workplan, and

Module 4: Guide to Good Evidence


Module 5: External Assessment a) Introduction and Selecting an External Assessor

Module 5: External Assessment b): Planning and Undertaking an External Assessment (Site Visit)


Module 5: External Assessment b): Planning and Undertaking an External Assessment (Site Visit)

Module 5: External Assessment c): The ASES Assessment Report and Quality Action Plan


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9.2. Additional Guidance The information provided so far in this Guide together with the templates, examples and handouts may be enough to assist you to develop an ASES Project Plan for your organisation. For those who would like additional guidance, more information is provided about each of the three stages including:

The decision/s you need to make at each stage

The tasks that are involved

The resources that this Resource Kit provides for each stage of the process

The outcomes, and

The outputs.

The key milestones and outputs in the tables are also integrated into the ASES Project Plan Templates Task List.

The links to the additional information are below:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3


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Stage 1

1. Getting started Becoming informed about the accreditation process

Learning about the Standards, and

Outlining your ASES Project Plan, timing and governance model

Decision/s - When do you plan to start and finish your accreditation process? - How will the process be led/coordinated by: (of who will lead, will there be any working

groups and reference or advisory groups)? - The frequency of meetings of any working groups and advisory groups - The frequency and method of reporting to the governing body on accreditation - Will any of the work be outsourced (e.g. through hiring a temporary ASES project officer

or a consultant to review and redevelop the strategic plan, risk management plan, etc.)?

- How will you mark the start of your ASES journey (e.g. a kick-off event, a launch, a communique from the Chair of the governing body, etc.)?

- The strategies for keeping staff motivated and engaged (how will staff be provided with opportunities to participate in the activities of accreditation, will there be any incentives, etc.)

Tasks - Obtain copies of the ASES Evidence Guide: Certificate Level and the Workbook, Certificate Level

- File the Evidence Guide and Workbook in a common drive and advise everyone where it is

- You may decide to also the ‘break up’ the Evidence Guide and Workbook into separate Standards or Standards Groupings and file them individually (if different people/trams will be responsible for different sections of the Standards)

- An example of the top level of a filing system is below

- Further filing hierarchies can be added below the top level of the filing system - Use the Module 1: Orientation resources to hold as many information sessions as

needed for the organisation to get all staff, and the governing body across the process of accreditation and how it will be managed in your organisation. Add your own content to the presentations


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- Decide who will be co-ordinating the self-assessment and advise everyone in the organisation about the details

- Decide how the organisation will become familiar with the contents of the Evidence Guide [which is where the Standards are explained] (e.g. will someone go through 1-2 Standards at each team meeting, etc.)

Resources - All the resources in Module 1: Orientation of this Resource Kit, particularly the two Introductory Webinars

Outcomes Everyone in the organisation is clear: - That the organisation is embarking on ASES accreditation and that it is a funding

requirement - About what the key steps in the process are and the outline of the contents of the 8

Standards - About the roles and responsibilities of everyone in the organisation with respect to

accreditation - Where the source documents (the official ASES Evidence Guide: Certificate Level and

ASES Workbook: Certificate Level) can be accessed

Outputs - Initial information sessions held with all staff and governing body - Governance model decided and communicated - Beginning of accreditation announced/launched - Indicative time frame registered with DCJ completed using the Registration of

Timeframes form and emailed to [email protected] - Documentation for any work that will be outsourced and hiring/tender completed - If using the BNG SPP Portal check you have a current subscription - If outsourcing any of the work project brief for a consultant or a position description for

a temporary project officer





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Stage 1 continued…

2. Stakeholder engagement and overcoming barriers

Developing client and stakeholder engagement strategies

Identifying potential barriers to accreditation and developing strategies to overcome them (risk management)

Decision/s - What are some of the organisational issues that may pose a barrier to accreditation and which strategies will you use to avoid or address those (e.g. lack of awareness about the process which is ameliorated by a communication and education strategy)?

- How will clients and stakeholder be advised of accreditation (will all clients be sent a letter/fact sheet, will this be covered in a newsletter, will information sessions be held at any client meetings e.g. house meetings, therapy groups, yarning sessions, will they be asked to participate in any reference groups, etc.)?

- How will input about the service be sought from clients (if this does not already take place through regular feedback loops such as regular client feedback mechanisms)?

Tasks - Tasks aimed at informing clients and stakeholders about the accreditation and ensuring their ongoing feedback about the services is available

Resources - Case examples of client and stakeholder engagement by SHSs see: o YPS Poster inviting client (young people) feedback o YPS’s General Information Sheet about ASES for clients (Young People) o A YPS flyer providing various options for client (young people) participation in

ASES.

Outcomes - Clients and stakeholders are informed about accreditation and have been offered an opportunity to participate

- The organisation has considered potential barriers to successful accreditation and identified strategies to avoid or overcome them which are documented in the ASES Project Plan

Outputs - Communication and engagement strategy for clients developed (e.g. newsletters featuring content on accreditation, information sheets, letters about accreditation, articles on website or blog communicating accreditation to clients and stakeholders)

- Face-to-face presentations to client groups, yarning sessions, etc. - Projects that may involve clients becoming involved in quality and accreditation

activities commenced


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Stage 1 continued…

3. The Self- assessment and Workplan

Undertaking a self-assessment, gathering evidence and developing an ASES Workplan

Decision/s - Which tools will you use to undertake your self-assessment and submit your evidence to the External Assessor? Will you use: ▪ the ASES Certificate Level Workbook provided by the SA DHS(DHS) and submit

evidence on a flash drive or links to SharePoint/One Note, or ▪ the BNG SPP Portal to undertake an electronic self-assessment and load the

evidence into the Portal - If using the BNG SPP Portal, will you use the ‘mapped’ or ‘unmapped’ version?

Tasks - Undertake your self-assessment (for more information about the self-assessment see Module 3: Internal Self-Assessment and Workplan)

- Complete your ASES Workplan (Word and Excel Templates are provided in Module 3: Internal Self-Assessment and Workplan)

Resources - Module 3: Internal Self-Assessment and Workplan has a Word and Excel Workplan Template tilted: ‘Manual ASES Workplan Template for Organisations using the ASES Certificate Level Workbook only for their self-assessment’

- For organisations using the BNG SPP Portal, the system will automatically generate a Task List in an Excel spreadsheet that can be used as a basis for an ASES project Plan

Outcomes - The organisation has a solid understanding of the Standards and how the service is performing in relation to the 98 requirements at the Certificate Level

- The organisation is clear what it needs to do to align its systems, policies and practices with the ASES

Outputs - Self-assessment completed - Workplan aimed at addressing any gaps the self-assessment has identified developed

and completed


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Stage 2

4 The External Assessment

Selecting an External Assessor

Planning the site visit

Decision/s - Which External Assessor will you select for your organisation from the Panel of Approved provider? See: https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards/contact-ases-external-assessors2

Tasks - Undertake market research into a number of External Assessors - Identify a short list with at least three quotes - Obtain quotes from your shortlist of providers and ask for a copy of their standard

contract or service agreement - Review the contracts/service agreements to make sure your organisation is

comfortable with the content and that you can meet your responsibilities in that contract

- Select a provider in line with good purchasing principle, one that matches your organisational culture, values, preferences, that represents good value for money and is available to fit in with your time frame

- Make a final selection and submit to the CEO or governing body for approval - Enter into a formal agreement with your chosen External Assessor and sign a contract

or service agreement - Provide the External Assessor with your updated self-assessment and evidence or give

them temporary access on the SPP portal

Resources - More detailed resources on this topic are provided in Module 5: External Assessment a): Introduction and Selecting an External Assessor

Outcomes - The organisation has achieved a major milestone in accreditation by booking in their External Assessment and site visit

Outputs - A signed service agreement or contract with your chosen External Assessor - Agreed dates for the site visit

https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards/contact-ases-external-assessors2

https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards/contact-ases-external-assessors2


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Stage 3

5. The site visit Preparing for and undertaking the site visit

Decision/s - How will you provide your clients with the opportunity to participate and be interviewed in the External Assessment site visit as well as inviting them to the opening and closing meeting?

- Which partner organisations and external stakeholders you will ask to be interviewed at the site visit?

Tasks - Most of the tasks involved in planning a site visit will be guided by your External Assessor, see also Module 6: External Assessment b): Planning and Undertaking an External Assessment (Site Visit)

- Your service will be working closely with the Assessor to develop an agenda for the site visit

- Organising and coordinating all of the events for the site visit - Ensuring staff are available for interviews at the site visit - Obtaining consents for client files to be reviewed by the External Assessor - Undertaking the site visit - Preparing evidence for the site visit in addition to that provided to the External Assessor

with the self-assessment

Resources - The resources for this topic are in Module 5: External Assessment b): Planning and Undertaking an External Assessment (Site Visit)

Outcomes - The organisation has achieved a major milestone in accreditation by completing the External Assessment and site visit

Outputs - An agenda for the site visit - Written consents from clients for a file review by the External Assessor

6. Completing accreditation

Receiving the Draft Assessment Report Developing and undertaking a Quality Action Plan

Decision/s n/a

Tasks - Receive and review the Draft Assessment Report - Provide evidence-based comment on the report if you think any of the ratings are

incorrect - Receive the final version of the Assessment Report - Work with your External Assessor to develop your Quality Action Plan (QAP) based on

their report for any areas that require more work - Complete and submit your QAP - Respond to any queries about your QAP from the External Assessor and the Service

Excellence Team in the SA Department of Human Services - Receive your Certificate of Accreditation and ASES Logos

Resources - The resources for this topic are in Module 5: External Assessment c): The ASES Assessment Report and Quality Action Plan and Module 8:

- Receiving the ASES Certificate and Use of the ASES Logo

Outcomes - Accreditation achieved

Outputs - Final Assessment Report - ASES Certificate and ASES logos


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10. FURTHER RESOURCES There are a number of sources of information, support and resources that you access to assist you with ASES implementation. Below is a list with links.

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice - has a page on Australian Service Excellence Standards accreditation for homelessness providers at:

▪ https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/providers/homelessness-services/ASES-accreditation-for-providers

▪ The page describes the supports available and weblinks to relevant pages. Included in the supports is the South Australian ASES Mentorship Program.

▪ There is an ASES Checklist to ensure providers are supported to complete the required steps

▪ You can subscribe to the DCJ Homelessness Updates Bulletin (HUB).

The ASES Team within the South Australian Department of Human Services - has ASES-related resources, questions and answers pages and runs a mentorship program. The ASES page is at:

▪ https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards

The Panel of External Assessors for ASES hold workshops on the ASES program from time to time and can hold an information session based on the specific requirements of your service. Their contact details are at:

▪ https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/ases/contact-ases-external-assessors2

▪ Once you have engaged your External Assessor, they will guide you through the steps of accreditation and provide you with the information you need.

Breaking New Ground (BNG) Online - provides:

▪ the SHS Quality Portal which sits on BNG’s broader compliance platform – the Standards & Performance Pathways (SPP), which enables SHSs to streamline self-assessment work against more than 60 standards, including ASES.

▪ The Portal provides templates, resources and practice guides to help organisations meet standards requirements

▪ An ‘unmapped’ stand-alone version of the self-assessment so it looks like the Evidence Guide is also being developed. The BNG web address is:

https://www.ngoservicesonline.com.au/

https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/providers/homelessness-services/ASES-accreditation-for-providers

https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/providers/homelessness-services/ASES-accreditation-for-providers



https://nsw.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0197ef3962bdab9e348a14b5a&id=5a55c6256a

https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards

https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/australian-service-excellence-standards

https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/ases/contact-ases-external-assessors2

https://www.ngoservicesonline.com.au/


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The NSW Homelessness Industry Partnership - in addition to developing this resource kit, the Partnership is currently developing an ongoing program to support SHSs with quality and accreditation. Contact:

https://www.homelessnessnsw.org.au/industry-partnership/quality-ases/nsw-specialist-

homelessness-services-quality-standards-resource

Email: [email protected]

11. REFERENCES Johnson, R., & Grieder, D. (2005). In a rush towards accreditation? Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow, 14(4), 18–24

South Australian Department of Human Services ASES Resources Page at: https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/ases/support (accessed 20.09.18)

https://www.homelessnessnsw.org.au/industry-partnership/quality-ases/nsw-specialist-homelessness-services-quality-standards-resource

https://www.homelessnessnsw.org.au/industry-partnership/quality-ases/nsw-specialist-homelessness-services-quality-standards-resource


https://dhs.sa.gov.au/services/community-services/ases/support

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