The human service sector in New South Wales is made up of government departments and more than 5,000 non-government organisations (NGOs). These organisations work to maintain or improve the wellbeing of the various communities and people which make up our society.

A whole-of-government approach to service delivery is necessary to help agencies work together more effectively. The Human Services Network provides the vehicle to help agencies deliver their services in a coordinated, effective way.

The developement phase of the program is now complete and an operational team - the Human Services Network will continue to support this aim.

Aims

• Improve the delivery of services to the community
• Assist human service agencies, government and non-government, to exchange information
• Foster networking and cooperation between agency staff
• Make accurate information about services easier to obtain
• Assist agencies to make faster, more accurate referrals for clients
• Protect the client’s privacy in collecting, processing and recording information
• Improve the use of resources by agencies
• Identify and address gaps in services

The Tools of the Human Services Network

The Human Services Network (HSNet), provides agencies with multiple tools to assist in service delivery. The tools available through HSNet include ServiceLink, an online directory of human services in NSW and ReferralLink, an electronic client referral system. These tools enable agency staff to quickly locate and refer clients to appropriate services.

HSNet also serves as a central meeting place for information exchange between agency staff. HSNet has online discussion forums which offer agencies the facility to exchange information, to publish and share documents, as well as online learning (e-learning) opportunities. Together, these tools and resources serve to improve communication and collaboration in the delivery of a wide range of services to people and communities throughout New South Wales.

HSNet offers:

• Cost-effective access to programs, tools and information
• Time saving through faster searching of human service information
• More accurate data through reduced duplication of data entry
• Time saving through faster, more accurate referrals
• Information exchange and online training programs resulting in savings in time and cost and less travel effort
• Productivity gains through easy access to professional development materials
• Resources to enhance service planning

Non-Government Organisations

In order to meet client needs, government agencies must work together with non-government organisations (NGOs). There are considerable benefits for NGOs joining the Human Services Network.

HSNet will enable NGOs to:

• Save effort - finding information and communicating with other agencies will be easier
• Improve service delivery to people in need - making referrals will be easier and there will be better protection of people's information
• Improve service planning - exchanging ideas and information will be faster and easier especially over long distances

Clients

The large number of referrals made in New South Wales each year indicates that not all of a client's needs can be met by a single agency. Clients often have multiple or complex problems, requiring help from more than one agency.

The use of HSNet to deliver services benefits clients in that they will be able to access a wide range of services from the first agency contacted.

This means that clients:

• Avoid having to tell their story over and over again
• Are not faced with multiple, uncoordinated case managers
• Experience lower levels of frustration

Summary

In summary, the Human Services Network has benefits for both government and non-government agencies, their clients, and therefore the community. HSNet, ServiceLink, ReferralLink and HSNet's additional resources, assist knowledge sharing and access to information for agencies throughout the New South Wales human services sector.