Our Purpose

The Department of Human Services (DHS) delivers strategies, programs and services that improve the wellbeing and safety of South Australians.

Our Vision

Fairness, opportunity and choice for all South Australians.

Strategic Goals

• Better services and programs that make a lasting difference for individuals, families and communities
• A customer-focused organisation that puts people first
• Accountable, efficient, open and collaborative government
• A motivated, skilled, safe and inclusive workforce.

Our Approach

• We focus on prevention, early intervention and connected services
• We champion collaboration and engagement to get results
• We reduce red tape
• We prioritise agile and proactive design and delivery
• We use data and evidence to plan and improve.

The Department

• Commissions human services across the not-for-profit sector
• Invests in the community through grants and funding
• Provides core services in areas including:
  • youth justice
  • disability accommodation
  • concessions and rebates
  • employment-related screening
  • family safety and support
• Leads government reform agendas, including disability inclusion and the transition to the NDIS, intensive family support services and women’s equality and safety.

The above chart reflects the department’s organisational structure as at 30 June 2019. Changes to the organisational structure came into effect from 1 July 2019. View the current organisational chart.

Organisational chart in plain text

During 2018-19 there were the following changes to the agency’s structure and objectives as a result of internal reviews or Machinery of Government (MOG) changes:

• On 1 July 2018, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) assumed responsibility for Multicultural Affairs from the department, and the SA Housing Authority (SAHA) commenced operations as a statutory corporation, separate to DHS.
• In August 2018, the organisational structure of the department was reorganised to improve management-reporting processes and realign leadership roles. This included the establishment of the Community and Support Services Division, which consolidated functions that support and engage communities including Screening, Concessions and Support Services, Community Services and the State Recovery Office. A new Disability and Reform Division was also established to consolidate all aspects of disability service and NDIS reform processes.
• On 1 October 2018, the Early Intervention Research Directorate (EIRD) joined DHS from DPC as part of MOG changes. EIRD plays a leading role in collaboration between the government and academic sectors; ensuring child abuse and neglect early intervention and prevention is informed by evidence.

Hon Michelle Lensink MLC is responsible for the Human Services portfolio which comprises the communities, status of women, youth justice, NDIS and disability services and social housing programs.

Through DHS, the Minister has responsibility for community services and grant programs, concessions and financial resilience programs, youth justice, screening services, disaster recovery, and lead policy responsibility in relation to youth, volunteers and carers. Addressing domestic and family violence and managing the transition to the NDIS are key priorities of the Minister.

DHS Executive Leadership Team as at 30 June 2019.

Tony Harrison, Chief Executive

Tony Harrison was appointed to the position of Chief Executive in June 2016 and is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the department. Functions reporting directly to the Chief Executive include:

• Finance and Business Services
• Office of the Chief Executive
• People and Culture
• Youth Justice
• Office for Women.

Lois Boswell, Deputy Chief Executive

Lois Boswell was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief Executive in August 2016. Functions reporting directly to the Deputy Chief Executive include:

• Community and Support Services Division, which includes Screening, Concessions and Support Services, Community Services, State Recovery Office, Early Intervention Research Directorate and Communications and Engagement
• Disability and Reform Division, which includes NDIS Reform and Services and Strategy and Accommodation Services.

Andrew Thompson, Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Business Services

Finance and Business Services provides financial services to the department, including budgeting, financial analysis, monitoring and reporting, management accounting, strategic financial advice and liaison with the Department of Treasury and Finance. It also monitors financial compliance and coordinates financial authorisations, risk management and provides financial and accounting policy advice.

The division is also responsible for the department’s Procurement and Grants Unit and Business Technology and Infrastructure functions.

Gerrie Mitra, Group Executive Director, Disability and Reform

The Disability and Reform Division oversees disability service delivery areas, disability reform and NDIS implementation activities. The division comprises:

• Strategy and Accommodation Services
• NDIS Reform and Services.

Joe Young, Executive Director, Strategy and Accommodation Services

Strategy and Accommodation Services is responsible for supporting people with a disability in community based group homes, and residents at Highgate Park and the Northgate Aged Care Service. The directorate is also responsible for the transfer of government disability services to the non-government sector and the implementation of activities associated with the Disability Inclusion Act 2018. This includes consultation around a State Disability Inclusion Plan and progressing Disability Access and Inclusion Plans across government agencies.

Nick Ashley, Executive Director, NDIS Reform and Services

NDIS Reform and Services has oversight of the key elements of the planning and implementation of the transition to the NDIS and supports service transfer activities. The directorate also oversees services delivered through the Disability Transition Unit (formerly Disability SA - Community Services), Domiciliary Equipment Service, Independent Living Centre and Continence Resource Centre.

Kim Summers, Executive Director, People and Culture

People and Culture provides strategic leadership, advice and operational implementation of strategies that support the recruitment, performance, development, management and wellbeing of DHS employees. The DHS Incident Management Unit operates as an independent function within the division.

Michael Homden, Executive Director, Youth Justice

Youth Justice is responsible for the statutory supervision of young people in contact with the justice system. Responsibilities include the administration of the Adelaide Youth Training Centre and supervision of young people on community-based orders.

Fiona Mort, Director, Office for Women

Priorities of the Office for Women include addressing violence against women, improving women’s participation in leadership and decision-making and women’s economic empowerment. The Office for Women also provides high quality statewide information and referral services through the Women’s Information Service and executive support to the Premier's Council for Women.

Nancy Rogers, Director, Office of the Chief Executive

The Office of the Chief Executive is responsible for a range of functions including executive support, governance responsibilities, correspondence and briefings, Cabinet coordination, Parliamentary business, coordination of policy advice on inter-governmental and intra-governmental matters, business intelligence and legal services.

Carers Recognition Act 2005
Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016
Children’s Protection Law Reform (Transitional Arrangements and Related Amendments) Act 2017
Cost of Living Concessions Act 1986
Disability Inclusion Act 2018
Disability Services Act 1993
Julia Farr Services (Trusts) Act 2007
Not-for-Profit Sector Freedom to Advocate Act 2013
Supported Residential Facilities Act 1992
Volunteers Protection Act 2001
Youth Justice Administration Act 2016

The South Australian Housing Trust, trading as the SA Housing Authority, is responsible to the Minister for Human Services to deliver better housing opportunities for all South Australians.

The following is a brief summary of the overall financial position of the agency. The information is unaudited. Full audited financial statements for 2018-19 are attached to this report.

* Variation between 2018-19 Budget and 2018-19 Actual

The 2018-19 Actual total comprehensive result is a deficit of $39.252 million, which is $19.547 million unfavourable when compared with the 2018-19 Budget. Explanations for variances in the above table are include in Note 1.4 of the Financial Statements.

* Variation between 2018-19 Budget and 2018-19 Actual

The increase in net assets between the 2018-19 Budget and 2018-19 Actual result is mainly due to the decrease in short and long term liabilities relating to employee provisions.

The following is a summary of external consultants that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for the work undertaken during the financial year.

Consultancies with a contract value below $10,000 each

Consultancies with a contract value above $10,000 each

Total all consultancies equals $1,729,701

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/organization/dept-of-human-services under Government reporting and policy.

See also the Consolidated Financial Report of the Department of Treasury and Finance for total value of consultancy contracts across the South Australian Public Sector.

The following is a summary of external contractors that have been engaged by the agency, the nature of work undertaken, and the actual payments made for work undertaken during the financial year.

Contractors with a contract value below $10,000

Contractors with a contract value above $10,000

The following table shows contractors greater than $10,000 (GST exclusive) reported under Note 3.1 Supplies and services - Contractors and agency staff of the DHS 2018-19 Controlled Financial Statements and under Supplies and services of the DHS 2018-19 Administered Financial Statements. This excludes transactions between government agencies and agency staff.

Total all contractors equals $1,750,328

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/organization/dept-of-human-services under Government reporting and policy.

The details of South Australian Government-awarded contracts for goods, services, and works are displayed on the SA Tenders and Contracts website. View the agency list of contracts.

The website also provides details of across government contracts.

As required by the Public Sector Act 2009 and Public Sector Regulations 2010, the audited financial statements of the department for the financial year ended 30 June 2019 are included in the Appendix to this report. The department’s financial statements include both departmental and administered items.

The Financial Statements include assets, liabilities, income and expenses controlled or incurred by the department in its own right. The Administered Financial Statements include assets, liabilities, income and expenses which the department administers on behalf of the South Australian Government, but does not control. A separate set of financial statements is produced as these administered items are regarded as significant in respect to the department’s operations.

Nil to report

NB: Fraud reported includes actual and reasonably suspected incidents of fraud.

DHS has a zero tolerance to fraud and corruption and a commitment towards fostering a culture of trust, integrity and honesty. This is achieved through maintenance of a robust internal control environment, supported by the DHS Fraud and Corruption Framework, which documents the processes for identifying, responding to and reporting of fraud and activities that could be perceived as fraudulent or unethical.

As a major component of fraud and corruption relates to organisational financial interests, an integrated approach comprising, but not limited to risk assessments, internal controls, reporting systems, investigative capabilities, staff training, and communication exists.

This includes Internal Audit, which provides independent assurance that risk management, governance, and internal control processes are operating effectively by considering the risk of fraud and maladministration as a standard objective in their audit program.

The Incident Management Unit (IMU) ensures that care concerns and misconduct matters are responded to in accordance with relevant legislative and departmental policies. IMU also triages, investigates and determines all misconduct and fraud matters relating to DHS staff.

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/organization/dept-of-human-services under Government reporting and policy.

Number of occasions on which public interest information has been disclosed to a responsible officer of the agency under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993: 0

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/organization/dept-of-human-services under Government reporting and policy.

As at 30 March 2019, 31 people with disability were living at the Fullarton campus, now known as Highgate Park.

During the 12 months since 30 March 2018, 28 clients have moved from Highgate Park to a variety of accommodation options. This includes one person who moved back to their family home, four who chose to move to a non-government service and three people over 65 years of age who moved to an aged care service close to their family. A further 20 people moved to purpose built houses which were part of the 100 new homes allocated for people with disability through the 1,000 Homes in 1,000 Days initiative.

Sadly, four residents passed away.

All people living at Highgate Park have participated in the Reconnecting to Community project, which has provided an opportunity to move to community accommodation. Of the remaining residents, 23 are preparing to move to houses being built through the 1,000 Homes in 1,000 Days initiative while eight have not decided on an accommodation option outside Highgate Park.

No previous residents returned to Highgate Park during the preceding 12 months and there were no new admissions.

The department provides funding to projects through the auspices of the Consumer Advocacy and Research Fund (CARF) to support advocacy or research in relation to water usage that promotes the interests of consumers with disability, on low-income and/or in regional areas. CARF receives $250,000 (indexed) per annum, primarily from water retail licence fees.

Projects which received funding in 2018-19 included:

• Water Pricing Inquiry Project (conducted by Business SA) to provide a consumer perspective on the Government’s election commitment to undertake an independent Water Pricing Inquiry.
• High Water Needs of Consumers Living with a Disability Research Project (conducted by Julia Farr Purple Orange) to document the particular conditions of people living with disability which necessitates high water use.
• Supporting Regional Customers in Financial Difficulty Project (conducted by Kerri Muller NRM Pty Ltd) that aims to provide minor and intermediate retailers with improved service options for customers in financial difficulty. This project also received funding in 2017-18.
• Sponsorship of the 2019 SACOSS Energy, Water and Telco Conference ‘What Does it Mean to Put Consumers at the Heart’ which explored the consumer-centric transformation evolving in essential services across Australia.

The Youth Justice Administration Act 2016 and Youth Justice Administration Regulations 2016 came into operation on 1 December 2016. The legislation is reflected in the Youth Justice service model, promoting contemporary practice that recognises assessment, case planning and rehabilitation programs as key to reducing re-offending.

During 2018-19, the Youth Justice Division continued to ensure that operational practices are consistent with legislative requirements through ongoing review of procedures and staff training.

DHS is currently implementing section 21A of the Act, which came into operation on 22 October 2018. This new section requires all people employed to work in training centres to undergo psychological assessment of a kind determined by the Chief Executive.

In the past year, Youth Justice also continued to explore improvements to information technology systems to increase the capacity to record and analyse client data to regularly review practice and monitor legislative compliance.

During 2018-19, Youth Justice continued to provide reports and records as required by the Training Centre Visitor (TCV). The role and functions of the TCV were established under the Act and include independent monitoring to ensure that the rights of residents of training centres are upheld. The current South Australian Guardian for Children and Young People was appointed as the TCV on 11 July 2017.

Under Section 6 of the Carers Recognition Act 2005, the department is required to ensure all officers, staff and agents have an awareness and understanding of the principles of the Carers Charter, which promotes consultation with carers or their representatives in policy development, service planning and delivery. DHS must also consider carers who receive government services and carers who are employees.

The following information summarises actions undertaken by the department during 2018-19 to support compliance with Section 6:

• employees were exposed to the requirements of the Act and Carers Charter during induction and training
• flexible carer leave arrangements were available across the department
• responsibilities under the Act and Carers Charter were raised at carers’ network and across-government meetings and during community forums
• young carers were provided with the opportunity to participate in the development of a three-year Youth Action Plan for South Australia
• the department, through the Community Services Directorate, continued to assist and liaise with other government departments that deliver services to carers or whose employees are carers
• South Australian Home and Community Care (SA HACC) program funding continued to be provided to five statewide carer support organisations for a range of carer services.

In addition to the above, the department consulted with the Department for Health and Wellbeing to identify carer services and supports for carers that will be available outside of the NDIS, through a range of government and non-government (community-based) initiatives and the Commonwealth Integrated Carer Support Service (ICSS).

Carers and service continuity remained a priority of the department during transition to the NDIS and implementation of the ICSS. DHS worked closely with the Carer Support Network SA during the roll-out of the NDIS, the Carer Gateway and establishment of Regional Delivery Partners under the ICSS.

Source: DHS Client Feedback System (note: complaints data is influenced by various factors including Machinery of Government changes, changes in service provision and relies on complaint data being entered into the Client Feedback System).

Data for previous years is available at: https://data.sa.gov.au/data/organization/dept-of-human-services under Government reporting and policy.

Service improvements that responded to customer complaints or feedback

ConcessionsSA

In response to customer feedback, ConcessionsSA simplified and streamlined concession processes in 2018-19 to reduce red tape. As a result, ConcessionsSA is due to process 250,000 less sheets of paper each year. Customer service improvements include:

• Simplified concessions application form: The number of questions on the customer application form was significantly reduced from 34 to 14 questions. Forms were also consolidated, resulting in a single application for all household concessions (energy, water, sewerage, Cost of Living and Emergency Services Levy).
• Reduced supporting documents: Operational systems were improved so that customers no longer need to provide copies of a range of documents with their application or when their living arrangements change.
• Shift in customer communication channels: DHS now seeks any missing customer information via communication over the phone, rather than by post.
• Notification of approval: Written notification was introduced to advise the customer that their application was approved, reducing any uncertainty for the customer. A summary of concession payment methods and timeframes is included to help keep the customer informed.

As a result of service improvements, the processing time for customer applications has been reduced from two to three months to less than one week.

In 2019-20, further work will be undertaken to simplify and streamline online forms and to utilise SMS technology to provide concessions notification updates to customers.

Interpreting and Translating Centre (ITC)

Changes to the ITC Management System were made to address client complaints regarding invoicing and response times to booking confirmation. These include the centralisation of accounts and process enhancements.

Youth Justice

In 2018-19, following research into alternative options to partially clothed searches at the Adelaide Youth Training Centre - Kurlana Tapa, Youth Justice implemented the use of ion scanning machines that can detect various forms of contraband, such as illegal drugs. This has contributed to a reduction in the number of partially clothed searches being undertaken.