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Partners in Recovery: information session presentation

Powerpoint presentation used in Partners in Recovery information sessions.

Partners in Recovery: information session presentation (PPT 525 KB large file)
Partners in Recovery: information session presentation (PDF 815 KB large file)

Slide 1: Information session

Partners in Recovery (PIR) Coordinated support and flexible funding for people with severe, persistent mental illness and complex needs initiative
August - September 2012

Slide 2: Overview of PIR and grant program guidelines

Ms Sue Campion
Acting First Assistant Secretary
Mental Health and Drug Treatment Division
Department of Health and Ageing

Slide 3: Background/ context

• PIR is the Australian Government's response to stakeholder concern about the lack of coordinated and integrated care available for people with severe and persistent mental illness with complex needs, who require a multi-agency response.
• The 2011/12 Federal Budget provided $549.8 million from 2011/12 to 2015/16 for PIR.
• PIR will get the services and supports from multiple sectors to work in a more collaborative, coordinated, and integrated way.Top of page

Slide 4: What is PIR?

PIR aims to improve the system response to, and outcomes for, people with severe and persistent mental illness who have complex needs (the target group) by:

• Facilitating better coordination
• Strengthening partnerships and building better linkages
• Improving referral pathways and
• Promoting a community based recovery model.

Slide 5: PIR principles

The implementation principles of PIR are:

• Recovery oriented and client focused
• Flexibility in roll out
• Complementary to existing service systems and
• Better coordination of systems.

Slide 6: PIR target group

• Around 600,000 Australians experience severe mental illness.
• Of these, 60,000 have enduring and disabling symptoms with complex, multi-agency support needs.
• PIR focuses on 24,000 people within this 60,000 group.
• These people experience persistent symptoms, significant functional impairment, and psychosocial disability.
• They are reported to often fall through the system gaps and require more intensive support. Top of page

Slide 7: Role of PIR organisations

System-level focus to drive collaboration and develop innovative solutions collectively owned by PIR partners within the region.

• One PIR organisation in each of the 61 Medicare Local geographic regions.
• Engage and join up the range of sectors, services and supports within a region.
• Build partnerships, establish/ improve collaborative ways of working together.
• Drive collaboration and develop innovative solutions.
• Complement, support or influence care coordination activities already underway in the region.

Slide 8: Role of support facilitators

Engaged by, and undertakes the day to day tasks to support, the PIR organisation

• Deliver the benefits of system collaboration
• Support facilitation with a coordination focus
• Manage referrals, assess client needs
• Develop, monitor and regularly review PIR Action Plans
• Work with existing case managers (not replacing them)
• Build service pathways, networks of services and supports needed and
• Be a point of contact for PIR clients, their families and carers.

Slide 9: PIR referral pathways

PIR is not intending to create a new pathway into services.

• Referrals will be made to PIR organisations and assessed by the support facilitators.
• Applications are to specify referral pathways to match the proposed model.
• A standard PIR referral template will be provided to PIR organisations for use within the region. Top of page

Slide 10: Inclusion criteria

The client:

• has complex needs that require substantial services and supports from multiple agencies (main criteria)
• is diagnosed with a mental illness that is severe in degree and persistent in duration
• has had recent engagement with services and
• consents to being involved in PIR.

Slide 11: Exit criteria

The client may exit the PIR initiative when:

• there are stable arrangements in place
• the client is accessing the required services and supports needed and
• there is no further need for additional coordination or flexible funding support.

Slide 12: Assessment and PIR action plan

The PIR action plan will identify how the client's clinical and other support needs will be addressed.

The support facilitator will:

• undertake an initial assessment of the client's service and support needs
• develop a PIR action plan in collaboration with the client, their carer and family, and other relevant partners
• arrange for the relevant parties to co-sign the plan (committing all stakeholders to deliver what they have agreed to deliver) and
• regularly review the PIR action plan. Top of page

Slide 13: PIR flexible funding

A limited funding pool which can be drawn on to meet the immediate needs of the client.

• Used to purchase services and appropriate supports when not immediately available.
• Used to build system capacity, not to divert responsibility from existing service providers.
• Can cover a range of short term expenses to meet priority needs, pending longer term solutions, such as:
  • supporting access to clinical care
  • urgent accommodation or other social support needs
  • travel assistance to get to services.

Slide 14: Partnerships

The success of PIR will rely on the strength of sector and service partnerships created and fostered at the regional level.

• Public community and specialist mental health services
• Private psychiatrists and psychologists
• Primary and secondary health care services
• Alcohol and other drug treatment services
• Disability services
• Income support services (e.g. Centrelink)
• Supported accommodation services and other accommodation providers
• Personal Helpers and Mentors Program providers
• Providers of community based living skills programs
• Vocational rehabilitation, education and employment services and
• Parenting support, child protection, domestic violence and justice services. Top of page

Slide 15: PIR supporting projects

• Evaluation and Monitoring Project
  Evaluate the impact of PIR at the system and client level, examine its effectiveness, and monitor its delivery.
• Resource Development Project
  Collate existing and develop new resources and tools to assist with implementation.
• Capacity Building Project
  Enable national networking and information sharing, and build the capacity of PIR organisations and support facilitators.

Slide 16: When successful, PIR will deliver...

• Individuals will be better supported in navigating the range of services and supports they need across different sectors
• A more integrated and coordinated service response (and experience) by the client that meets their full range of needs
• Services will work better together
• There will be more regular communication between services in determining how best to meet the needs of PIR clients
• Governance arrangements will be in place between services (e.g. MOUs, service level agreements) outlining who will do what for the target group
• There will be collective ownership and shared responsibility across services and sectors for meeting the needs of the target group

Slide 17: Comments from the panel

PIR Expert Reference Group members
State/Territory Government Mental Health representativeTop of page

Slide 18: Questions/ comments

Slide 19: Application process

Ms Sue Campion
Acting First Assistant Secretary
Mental Health and Drug Treatment Division
Department of Health and Ageing

Slide 20: Eligibility to become a PIR organisation

Suitably placed and experienced non-government organisations can apply.

PIR organisations must be:

• incorporated
• non-government health and welfare service providers and
• governed independently (could be funded by Commonwealth and/or state/ territory governments).

Slide 21: What is eligible to be funded?

In general, only one PIR organisation will be funded in each of the 61 Medicare Local geographic regions.

• Funding will support all costs associated with the establishment, operations, functions and activities of the PIR organisation.
• Funding will be provided for PIR-specific tasks only (recognising PIR organisations may receive funding from other sources to deliver programs and services other than PIR).
• Retrospective items/activities will not be funded through the PIR initiative.
• Models may vary across regions depending on need and context. Top of page

Slide 22: Invitation to apply (ITA) process

• Eligible organisations can apply for funding through an ITA process.
• The ITA is not intended as a nationally competitive process, given all Medicare Local regions will receive funding.
• The ITA will be released in early September 2012 after the information sessions have been completed, and will be available on the department's website under mental health.
• Applications will likely close in late October 2012.

Slide 23: PIR applications

Applications must include:

• Proposed model
• Project plan
• Project partners
• Communication strategy
• Risk management plan
• Capability and capacity requirements
• Detailed budget

Slide 24: Estimated available funding

• Very large region:
  • Indicative average one-off establishment funding = $750,000 - $800,000
  • Indicative recurrent funding = $5.2 to $7.8 million/year
• Large region:
  • Indicative average one-off establishment funding = $750,000 - $800,000
  • Indicative recurrent funding = $3.4 to $5.2 million/year
• Medium region:
  • Indicative average one-off establishment funding = $500,000 - $600,000
  • Indicative recurrent funding = $1.6 to $3.4 million/year
• Small region:
  • Indicative average one-off establishment funding = $250,000 – $300,000
  • Indicative recurrent funding = $0.9 to $1.6 million/year
• Very small region:
  • Indicative average one-off establishment funding = $250,000 – $300,000
  • Indicative recurrent funding = $0.4 to $0.9 million/year Top of page

Slide 25: Assessment process

• Formal assessment process by an assessment committee(s) established by the Department.
• Independent advice will be sought on applications.
• Applications will be ranked based on merit, suitability, regional readiness, and value for money as:
  • highly suitable
  • suitable
  • further work required or
  • unsuitable.

Slide 26: Indicative timeframe

Milestones and anticipated dates:

• Information sessions for potential applicants and interested parties - Aug - Sept 2012
• Applications for PIR organisations open (through an invitation to apply) - early Sept 2012
• Applications for PIR organisations close - late Oct 2012
• Assessment and decision on PIR organisations - Oct - Dec 2012
• Funding agreements executed - from Dec 2012

Slide 27: Questions/ comments

Top of page

Slide 28: next steps - where to from here?

• PIR is an opportunity for services and supports across different sectors to work together differently.
• There is no need to wait for the ITA to be released before getting started.
• Program guidelines deliberately released prior to ITA to give regions time to undertake necessary partnership building and planning activities.
• Use the program guidelines, fact sheet, information paper and other materials as guidance to get started.

Slide 29: Next steps - where to from here? (continued)

• Start getting together in your region to determine:
  • what are the specific needs in your region
  • who are the potential PIR clients in your region
  • what are the issues in being able to effectively join up services and sectors / how could PIR best assist with this
  • a map of the services in your region, and identify the gaps
  • what is a suitable PIR model for your region / what are the service solutions on-the-ground in your region that PIR could assist with
  • which organisation is best placed (and eligible) to be the PIR organisation for your region
  • who should the 'PIR partners' in the region be
  • how will PIR partnerships be established / what will be the governance arrangements for the PIR model
  • who in your region will write the application

Slide 30: For more information

Mental health area of department's website

• Grant program guidelines
• Information papers (including case studies)
• Fact sheets
• Question and answer booklet
• Invitation to apply
• Other information (as it becomes available)

Email: Partners in Recovery at partnersinrecovery@health.gov.au