The Human Services Standards represent a single set of service quality standards for human services funded, regulated or delivered by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
The Human Services Standards were published in Victorian Government Gazette G21 (24 May 2012) as the Department of Human Services Standards (Disability) Determination 2012 and the Department of Human Services Standards (Children, Youth and Families) Determination 2012, respectively.
The Human Services Standards are administered by the Human Services Regulator within the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) as part of its role to regulate human services to minimise harm and to protect the safety and rights of children, young people and adults.
The Human Services Regulator manages end-to-end regulation of organisations across the full suite of human services funded, regulated or delivered by the department. This includes registration, compliance, enforcement and regulatory policy under the Disability Act 2006, Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 and the Supported Residential Services (Private Proprietors) Act 2010.
Find out more about the Human Services Regulator’s role in administering the Human Services Standards on the Human Services Regulator page on the DFFH website, or contact the Human Services Regulator via email: hsstandards@dhhs.vic.gov.au.
COVID19 update – independent reviews against the Human Services Standards
The Human Services Regulator is aware of the impact of the pandemic on both organisations providing direct client services and independent review bodies ability to carry out reviews against the Human Services Standards. Given the current situation, department-endorsed independent review bodies have been advised to enact their governing bodies guidance regarding conducting reviews in extraordinary circumstances.
Cessation of independent compliance certification
As previously advised during the development of the Social Services Regulation Act 2021, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (the department) can now confirm that the use of independent review bodies to certify service providers compliance with the Human Services Standards (including the four service delivery standards and the governance and management standards of the independent review body), will no longer be required under the new regulatory framework commencing on 1 July 2024.
The use of an independent certification process will not be required by either the Social Services Regulator or by the department through organisations’ Service Agreements post 1 July 2024 and will be phased out during the 2023/24 financial year.
The Human Services Regulator will provide further information on how the phasing out of the certification process will occur with finalisation of the above arrangements to occur by late March / early April 2023. If you have any queries regarding these changes please address these in the first instance to HSStandards@dffh.vic.gov.au or to your key departmental contact.
What are the Human Services Standards?
The Standards comprise of five standards: the department’s four service delivery and governance and management standards of a department endorsed independent review body.
Service delivery standards
The Standards represents a single set of service quality standards for organisations delivering services to clients, summarised as:
- Empowerment: People's rights are promoted and upheld
- Access and Engagement: People’s right to access transparent, equitable and integrated services is promoted and upheld
- Wellbeing: People’s right to wellbeing and safety is promoted and upheld
- Participation: People’s right to choice, decision making and to actively participate as a valued member of their chosen community is promoted and upheld.
Governance and management
Organisations must be effectively governed and managed at all times and meet governance and management standards, as established by the Secretary to the department.
The Standards and independent review process seek to ensure that people experience the same quality of service no matter which service provider they access.
The aim
The Standards aim to:
- Embed and promote rights for people accessing services
- Assure the community that service providers are providing services that meet clients’ needs
- Develop a common and systemic approach to quality review processes
- Build greater transparency in quality requirements between the department, service providers, clients and the community
- Enable service providers to select an independent review body from an approved panel that meets their requirements and expectations
- Foster a culture of continuous quality improvement that is embedded in everyday practice and supports the meaningful participation of people in giving feedback about the services they require and the quality of services they receive
- Reduce red tape to help ensure service providers have more time and resources to provide services by reducing the number of quality reviews they are required to undertake.
The Standards have been developed in easy English as a word only version and an alternate version with pictures. The documents are titled Rules: We call them the Human Services Standards: