Accreditation for homelessness providers

The Homelessness Accreditation Policy Framework (the Framework) outlines the quality management standards applied to DCJ-funded homelessness service providers in NSW. The Framework outlines the contractual requirements, and high-level procedures for DCJ funded homelessness providers to achieve and maintain accreditation.

The Framework is accompanied by three addendums that have targeted information depending on the role and interests of the reader.

The addendums are as follows:

• Homelessness Accreditation Framework Addendum 1 – Accreditation background
• Homelessness Accreditation Framework Addendum 2 – Additional information about the accreditation process for service providers
• Homelessness Accreditation Framework Addendum 3 - Information for contract managers and assessors

What is accreditation requirement?

Providers contracted to deliver DCJ homelessness programs and services (for longer than 12 months) are required to:

• achieve accreditation within their contract term
• maintain accreditation and demonstrate continued compliance with the standards.

DCJ-funded NSW homelessness providers are required to be accredited with one of the following standards and accreditation programs:

• Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES) by the Department of Human Services South Australia (DHS SA), at the certificate level as a minimum.
• QIC Health and Community Service Standards (QIC) by Quality Innovation Performance (QIP).
• Accreditation Alliance Australia–New Zealand (AAA-NZ) Quality Standards for Community Based Services by the Te Wana Trust, at the accreditation level as a minimum.
• Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP) by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS)

The target date for achieving accreditation will vary based on the provider’s services and programs.  The accreditation requirement will be clearly outlined in relevant tender documents and/ or contracts.

Who/Which providers need to become accredited?

The requirement for accreditation applies to the contracts of the following programs:

• Specialist Homelessness Services Program (SHS)
• Homeless Youth Assistance Program (HYAP)
• Core and Cluster (C&C)
• Aboriginal Homelessness Sector Growth Project (AHSGP)
• Other programs funded by DCJ to deliver services to people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as outlined in the contract or tender with DCJ, including organisations applying for the Homelessness Innovation Fund

This requirement also applies to organisations who are subcontracted to deliver these programs by a lead provider.

Homelessness Innovation Fund

The Homelessness Innovation Fund grant program is open to all accredited Specialist Homelessness Services (SHSs) and registered Community Housing Providers (CHPs) and Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) both through National or Local Scheme. Consideration will be given to organisations who agree to achieve SHS accreditation and housing providers who are in the process of registration.

Accreditation requirements for the provision of services supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness (direct homelessness support services) under the HIF

Providers delivering direct homelessness support services under the HIF need to be accredited SHS, or new entrants who agree to achieve accreditation through one of the four approved standards and accreditation programs.

The accreditation requirements for new entrants are applied as follows:

• New entrants who are provided with one-off grant funding of 12 months or less, will need to demonstrate a willingness and ability to achieve accreditation, however will not be expected to complete the accreditation process during this time.
• New entrants who are provided with grant funding of more than 12 months (applicable to organisations who receive successive one-off grants or an extension to their grant), will have the length of their funding agreement to achieve accreditation.

Note: When undertaking the accreditation process, for the first time or through re-accreditation, the direct homelessness support services under the HIF need to be included in the scope of the assessment. It must be clear in the providers accreditation report that the direct homelessness support services under the HIF were included in the scope of the assessment.  Additional guidance on accreditation scoping is available here.

Please note that the accreditation requirements above also apply to organisations subcontracted to provide direct homelessness support services under the HIF.

What is the accreditation process?

The main steps and average timeframes involved to achieve accreditation are as follows:

• Self-assessment and evidence preparation (12-18 months)
• Site visit with assessor (external review) (2-3 days)
• Complete Quality Action Plan (ASES) or Quality Improvement Plan (QIC or EQuIP) or Quality Workplan (AAA-NZ) (6 months)
• Accredited

The time it takes will vary between organisations, based on their prior experience with accreditation. However, as a guide, the self-assessment process and collating the required evidence will take around 12-18 months to complete. If a quality improvement plan is needed after the external assessment (on site review), organisations will have up to 6 months to complete the actions required prior to achieving accreditation.

Once accreditation has been achieved, organisations are required to maintain accreditation, and demonstrate continued compliance with the standards.  As review cycles can vary between standards, please work with the standard owner and assessor, of your chosen standard and accreditation program, to plan for reaccreditation.

What do organisations need to know about assessment scoping when preparing for accreditation?

As a reminder, SHS providers can seek an accreditation assessment for their organisation in the following ways:

• For their whole organisation (corporate functions and all service areas)
• For their DCJ funded homelessness service area only (corporate functions and for the DCJ funded homelessness service area).
• For a combination of service areas including their DCJ funded homelessness service area (corporate functions, the DCJ funded homelessness service area and a combination of other service areas of the organisation’s choice).

When engaging the assessor, SHS providers need to be clear from the outset about which type of accreditation they are seeking and to present the details of all their DCJ funded homelessness services. Importantly, the DCJ funded homelessness services must be included in the assessment scope. DCJ reviews the accreditation certificates and reports to verify that DCJ funded homelessness services were included in the assessment.

For information about the different assessment scoping options please contact standard owners and assessors.

Who conducts the external review?

For those undertaking ASES

There are nine assessment bodies certified to accredit against ASES, each certified for other accreditations and with different cost structures and office locations. Providers are encouraged to contact assessors directly to discuss their accreditation needs. Contact details are available on the ASES website.

The Department of Human Services South Australia (the ASES owners) has produced the How to choose an ASES external assessor guide to help organisations know what to consider when choosing an external assessor.

South Australia has also produced A guide to ASES sampling and scope of assessment so service providers have a better understanding of:

• who in the organisation might need to speak with the assessor during the external review
• which aspects of accreditation they will likely be discussing.

For more information about ASES, please visit the DHS SA website or contact the DHS SA ASES team at serviceexcellence@sa.gov.au.

For those undertaking QIC

Quality Innovation Performance Limited (QIP) developed and is the exclusive provider of the QIC Standards. QIP is a not-for-profit accreditation organisation that is part of the Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL) Group of Companies.

For more information about the QIC, please visit the website or contact QIP at info@qip.com.au or 1300 888 329.

For those undertaking AAA-NZ

The Te Wana Trust is the exclusive provider of the AAA-NZ Standards. The AAA-NZ gives particular consideration to being responsive to services and reviewers that work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori, Pacific Nations and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse clients. The Te Wana trust approach to accreditation is to support and walk with organisations through the assessment process. Capacity building is a core part of the assessment, and this is based on an understanding that every organisation and sector type is different.

For more information about the AAA-NZ please visit the Te Wana Trust website or  get in touch with the Te Wana Trust via email at admin@tewana.org.nz.

For those undertaking EQuIP

For more information about assessors for the EquIP standards please visit the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) website.

How to get started

How to get started

The first few steps are to:

1. Visit the Homelessness NSW website to view uploaded resources developed specifically to support homelessness providers to achieve ASES accreditation or visit the website of other approved accreditation bodies/ owners.
   • QIP website to learn more about QIC accreditation
   • Te Wana Trust website to learn more about AAA-NZ
   • ACHS website to learn more about the EQuIP.
2. Decide when the external assessment and site visit will take place for your organisation.
3. Decide which accreditation program and assessor your organisation will use. 
4. Select an accreditation program/assessor and sign a service agreement. The service agreement will include the dates of your site visit.

When planning your assessment, please note that site visits generally take 2-3 days to complete depending on the size of the organisation.

Tools and resources to support providers

Homelessness NSW has been engaged by DCJ to administer a range of supports to help homelessness providers achieve accreditation. The following supports are available across standards and accreditation programs:

• Tailored accreditation support sessions: These sessions are designed to set organisations up with tools to begin accreditation or unpack areas that are needing more insight to prepare for the accreditation assessment. These sessions are by appointment only and are offered based on organisational needs
• Breaking New Ground Service Provider Portal (BNG SPP): DCJ will continue to subsidise access to the BNG SPP for providers with less than $6m in annual revenue. Many providers have used the portal to conduct the self-assessments against the SHS Standards. Funded subscriptions are available by emailing a request to: accreditationsupport@homelessnessnsw.org.au

For further details contact accreditationsupport@homelessnessnsw.org.au

For providers undertaking the ASES

Homelessness NSW administers targeted supports to help homelessness providers achieve ASES accreditation including:

Additional supports and resources, including templates and communities of practice are also available for providers undertaking the ASES on the DHS SA website.  To access these supports, providers can contact DHS SA at serviceexcellence@sa.gov.au.

For providers undertaking QIC

Providers who choose to be accredited with QIC will have access to the following supports as a part of their service agreement with QIP:

• a dedicated Client Liaison Officer
• access to the online QIP accreditation hub which includes a self-assessment tool
• education and resource library containing useful documents, interpretive guides, customisable templates, fact sheets, checklists
• QIP communications with industry and organisational news, helpful tips and standards information
• marketing collateral to support self-assessment and promoting accredited status including a framed A3 certificate, display stickers, customisable media release and digital files.

To access these supports, providers can contact QIP at info@qip.com.au or 1300 888 329.

For providers undertaking AAA-NZ

The Te Wana Trust offer a range of options to assist organisations to improve their quality systems and outcomes for service users, staff and community. Organisations do not have to be highly advanced or knowledgeable in quality systems to benefit from the program – training and resources are provided. This flexible approach means the Te Wana Trust can customise the assessment to meet the individual requirements and needs of organisations and funding agencies.

For more information about the support available, please visit the Te Wana Trust website or  get in touch with the Te Wana Trust via email at admin@tewana.org.nz.

For those undertaking EQuIP

For more information about supports for the EquIP standards please visit the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) website.

Where can I get more information?

• The Homelessness Accreditation Policy Framework
• ASES website
• QIP website
• Te Wana Trust website
• ACHS website
• Homelessness NSW website
• ASES Evidence Guides: available in the BNG portal reading room or via Homelessness NSW