SupportLink

Queensland	Victoria	ACT
Emergency Services are a natural gateway in early intervention as they regularly connect with people who require support across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities.
SupportLink is contracted by the Queensland Police Service to roll out the Australian designed and developed SupportLink Referral Management Framework to all Police stations across the state. Xstrata Coal Queensland has financially supported the implementation of this project. SupportLink manages a referral framework that allows Police and Government and non Government agencies to work together for the benefit people requiring assistance in all regions of Queensland. In the new process, Police identify persons or families who present with support issues and refer them via a single referral gateway (SupportLink). Support issues may include, homelessness, drug and alcohol support, parenting and youth support, road trauma support, family violence, mediation, victims assistance, couple relationship counselling, mental health and aged care support. SupportLink also provides service coordination and monitoring of persons who are repeat callers to Emergency Services, as well as youth who are identified at risk of entering or re-entering the justice system.	Since 2010, in partnership with Victoria Police, SupportLink has been delivering the Referral Management Framework across various rural and metropolitan Police Service Areas (PSA’s). The Victoria Police Service have been highly motivated to offer additional support options to people they engage, however like so many other Police Services, they lacked a standardised method to manage referral making and referral partnerships. Victims of crime have been significant beneficiaries of the new project with a sharp increase in referral activity from Victoria Police to the Victorian Victims Support Agency. Notably, this success has also extended additional assistance to people who are homeless within the Melbourne CBD. The Support Agencies working with persons who are homeless have welcomed a heightened level of collaboration with Police. In Melbourne East, Police now refer sightings of vulnerable homeless persons via SupportLink to the Salvation Army who then deliver an outreach service to the reported location to offer assistance. Mildura, in country Victoria, is one other PSA that has embraced the benefits of the SupportLink Framework.	ACT Policing (Australian Federal Police) began working with SupportLink in 1997, through a suburban Station in the South of Canberra called Tuggeranong. The initial scope of the project was to develop a single referral pathway for Police to be able to refer clients to social care. Our first step was developing a paper based referral template that was faxed to SupportLink. Whilst this method was successful there were many limitations and inherent risks for all stakeholders. In 2003 the 1st web based referral framework was implemented into all sections of ACT Policing. The implementation progressed smoothly and was embraced bygeneral duty officers and management. The referral partnership between ACT Policing and the social support sector, whilst still developing is an ongoing testament to what can be achieved when you combine community development through partnership development, information technology and social work. ACT Policing has continued to contract SupportLink to deliver this service and have been instrumental in the maturity of the Framework.

Queensland

Victoria

ACT

Emergency Services are a natural gateway in early intervention as they regularly connect
with people who require support across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities.

SupportLink is contracted by the Queensland Police Service to roll out the Australian designed and developed SupportLink Referral Management Framework to all Police stations across the state. Xstrata Coal Queensland has financially supported the implementation of this project.

SupportLink manages a referral framework that allows Police and Government and non Government agencies to work together for the benefit people requiring assistance in all regions of Queensland.

In the new process, Police identify persons or families who present with support issues and refer them via a single referral gateway (SupportLink). Support issues may include, homelessness, drug and alcohol support, parenting and youth support, road trauma support, family violence, mediation, victims assistance, couple relationship counselling, mental health and aged care support.

SupportLink also provides service coordination and monitoring of persons who are repeat callers to Emergency Services, as well as youth who are identified at risk of entering or re-entering the justice system.

Since 2010, in partnership with Victoria Police, SupportLink has been delivering the Referral Management Framework across various rural and metropolitan Police Service Areas (PSA’s).

The Victoria Police Service have been highly motivated to offer additional support options to people they engage, however like so many other Police Services, they lacked a standardised method to manage referral making and referral partnerships.

Victims of crime have been significant beneficiaries of the new project with a sharp increase in referral activity from Victoria Police to the Victorian Victims Support Agency.

Notably, this success has also extended additional assistance to people who are homeless within the Melbourne CBD. The Support Agencies working with persons who are homeless have welcomed a heightened level of collaboration with Police. In Melbourne East, Police now refer sightings of vulnerable homeless persons via SupportLink to the Salvation Army who then deliver an outreach service to the reported location to offer assistance.

Mildura, in country Victoria, is one other PSA that has embraced the benefits of the SupportLink Framework.

ACT Policing (Australian Federal Police) began working with SupportLink in 1997, through a suburban Station in the South of Canberra called Tuggeranong.

The initial scope of the project was to develop a single referral pathway for Police to be able to refer clients to social care. Our first step was developing a paper based referral template that was faxed to SupportLink. Whilst this method was successful there were many limitations and inherent risks for all stakeholders.

In 2003 the 1st web based referral framework was implemented into all sections of ACT Policing. The implementation progressed smoothly and was embraced bygeneral duty officers and management.

The referral partnership between ACT Policing and the social support sector, whilst still developing is an ongoing testament to what can be achieved when you combine community development through partnership development, information technology and social work.

ACT Policing has continued to contract SupportLink to deliver this service and have been instrumental in the maturity of the Framework.