CIMS IT system

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What is the CIMS incident report webform?
What is the CIMS Client incident register (CIR)?
Types of Users of CIMS
Registering for the CIMS Client incident register

There are two components to the CIMS IT system:

• CIMS incident report webform
• CIMS client incident register

What is the CIMS incident report webform?

The CIMS incident report webform is the online form to report a client incident: CIMS incident report webform.

If you are a first-time user or only have a little experience in using CIMs to report an incident, we recommend:

• doing the CIMS elearning module to get a quick understanding of CIMS (up to 26 mins, depending on your user role)
• using the CIMS IT system instructional videos or the client incident report webform user manual (word) for a step by step guide on how to report a client incident.  

Any staff member of a service in scope of CIMS can report an incident report using the webform.

What is the CIMS Client incident register (CIR)?

The CIMS Client incident register is the information technology platform where all the submitted incident report information is kept.

The Client incident register allows service providers (including department service providers, like child protection) to review and approve the details of the incident.

Copies of the investigation or review reports are saved to the CIMS Client incident register using the appropriate template (templates can be found on the CIMS Guidance and resources page.

Guidance for Managers, Directors, CEO’s or delegated authority roles using the CIMS Client incident register can be found on the Learning and development page, including the client incident register user manual (word) and instructional video ‘How to action and submit an incident report: registered users’.

Note: Some in-scope external service providers use their own IT software systems (such as Riskman or Periscope) instead of CIMS to report client incidents to the department. An API (Application Program Interface) allows the incident data to be transferred over to the CIMS Client incident register after it has been approved by senior staff.

Types of Users of CIMS

There are two types of users in the CIMS. These are ‘unregistered users’ and ‘registered users’.

Unregistered users

Any staff member of a service in scope of CIMS can report an incident using the CIMS incident report webform. Once an unregistered user has submitted an incident report through the webform they will no longer have access to the incident report.

Registered users

Registered users are service provider or department staff who are authorised users of the CIMS Client incident register for managing incidents. Registered users are responsible for reviewing and managing the incident report, follow-up and investigation or review process.

There are four types of registered user: Senior Delegates, Managers, Investigation manager/review manager and Read-only. Further information about each of these CIMS roles can be found in Chapter 2, Client incident register user manual (word).

Registering for the CIMS Client incident register

Service providers external to the department:

• All organisations must be registered to use the CIMS IT platform.
• To register your organisation for the CIMS, please contact the team at CIMS@support.vic.gov.au who will provide step by step instruction on the registration process.
• Please note: in addition to contacting the CIMS@support.vic.gov.au team to commence the CIMS registration process, organisations must also ensure that staff who are to be registered users on the CIMS have an eBusiness account with the CIMS.Production 1.0.0.0 eBusiness application.

External users of the Client Incident Register

To access CIMS, external staff must set up an ebusiness account by:

• selecting “I want to register” on the DFFH eBusiness page.

Once the ebusiness account is established, then external staff can:

• Go to the DFFH eBusiness page and log into their account
• Select “additional application access” menu option and complete the registration form for the CIMS.Production 1.0.0.0 application
• Once approved by both their organisation authority and the department external users will be able to access CIMS.
• A new CIMS staff profile can be created by the Senior Delegate or SP_CEO level user within their organisation using the eBusiness username of the staff member and instructions in the Client incident register user manual (word) (Chapter 14 – page 60).

Internal (department) users of the Client Incident Register

• Internal staff must request a CIMS profile be established by their CIMS Senior Delegate or SP_CEO level representative (generally, a Deputy Area Operations Manager (DAOM) or Director).
• New CIMS staff profiles are created from the Manager users screen using the HSNetID username of the staff member. Instructions to complete this are in the Client incident register user manual (word) (Chapter 14 – page 60).