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Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Individuals

Personal Helpers and Mentors Program - questions and answers during application period

Important information for all potential applicants
Please note: applications closed at 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Friday 25 July 2008.

Questions and Answers week ending Tuesday 22 July 2008

Funding

7.1 Caller thinks that the question 5.8 addressed in last website update was not answered sufficiently. Wants to know how they should indicate a surplus on the 2008-09 budget.
A. All costs should be allocated in the 2008-09 indicative budget, therefore there should be no surplus to indicate.

7.2 Is the funding inclusive or exclusive of GST? If exclusive of GST will GST be paid in addition to the stated amounts? Should indicative budget include GST inclusive or GST exclusive amounts?
A. Funding is GST exclusive, therefore the indicative budget should be GST exclusive.

7.3 Is there a time limit on establishing the service once funding has been allocated? That is, successful applicants are announced in October: when in November is the organisation expected to start providing the service?
A. It is expected that all service providers will have 20 per cent of their program participant caseload within the first three months of operation (that is from the signing of the Funding Agreement) and 80 per cent of their program participant caseload within the first six months. Please refer to Chapter 9 of the Draft Program Guidelines.

Application

7.4 The application requests audited financial statements for the last three financial years and the latest year to date profit/loss and balance sheets. Are these required as a hard copy only or included as soft copy content on the CD?
A. In accordance with the application guidelines all information is to be provided in hard copy as well as included as soft copy content on the CD.

7.5 Can the check list and statutory declaration pages be supplied in hard copy only or do they need to be scanned and supplied on disk together with the rest of the application?
A. Please refer to Question 7.4.

7.6 Please advise if applicants can submit proposals by courier, and if so what would be the physical street address for lodgement?
A. No. In accordance with the Application Guidelines, applications must be submitted to:

Personal Helpers and Mentors Program - Round 3
PO Box 7442
Canberra BC
ACT 2610

Financial viability

7.7 Re Part 3 Financial Viability - it requests applicants to provide an indicative annual budget. Does this mean an annual budget for the whole organisation, or an indicative budget for PHaMs program funding? Please confirm.
A. The indicative annual budget is for the PHaMs program.

Program guidelines

7.8 On p.64 of the Draft Program Guidelines, there is a table that separates the funding into parts (such as the set-up costs). When will the organisation receive these sums, including the establishment payment? Will they be received in lump sums?
A. Please refer to the table on page 64 of the Draft Program Guidelines which details payment dates. Payments will be received in lump sums.

Other

7.9 Is there a benchmark for pay level positions?
A. Remuneration is the responsibility of the organisation.


Questions and Answers week ending Friday 19 July 2008

Eligibility

6.1 We are a limited company, not an incorporated entity. Does that make us eligible? If so, what documentation is required?
A. Yes, if you are a limited company you are eligible to apply. Please provide all required information as per the Application Form.

Funding

6.2 Caller's organisation has approx 150 contracts for funding over 3 streams all with varying expiry dates etc - do they need to list each individual agreement or can they summarise, that is group together different streams and make mention of departments rather than provide full details
A. Please refer to Part 3 of the Application Form.

Team structure

6.3 Caller would like to know what 'specific' credentials that staff employed for the program require.
A. It is expected that each team comprise members from a range of backgrounds with varying levels of skills, experience and qualifications. Please refer to 4.1 and 4.3 of the Program Guidelines.

Application

6.4 Can applicants include additional information as attachments for selection criteria 1 to 5?
A. No. Applicants cannot include additional information as attachments for Selection Criteria 1 to 5. Information provided that exceeds the two-page limit for each selection criteria will not be assessed.

6.5 When applicant is subcontracting certain services can the limit of two-pages be extended in order to adequately describe the sub-contractors functions and services.
A. As per Section 3.1 of the Application Guidelines, information that exceeds the two-page limit for each selection criteria will not be assessed.

Postcode

6.6 Question regarding listed post codes, and how this applies to people who are homeless or transient
A. Please refer to Question 2.18.

Other

1. Where it says, in selection criteria 3, to describe how the organisation would 'work with individuals in the broader social context', what is meant by the 'broader social context'?
Personal Helpers and Mentors support program participants in their recovery journey, building long-term relationships and providing holistic support. Their role is focused on providing opportunities, support and services to develop or redevelop skills, build confidence and reconnect with the community, and ensure that services accessed by program participants are coordinated and integrated and complementary to other services in the community. They do this by providing direct and personalised assistance through outreach services, providing referrals and linking with appropriate services, and monitoring and reporting progress.

2. In the section where it mentions 'significant litigation against the organisation', what is meant by 'significant'?
A. Significant litigation refers to any legal action being taken against the organisation in any jurisdiction within Australia.


Week ending Tuesday 15 July 2008

Eligibility

5.1 A participant is to undergo a functional assessment - is an assessment tool provided by FaHCSIA? What is the definition of 'severe mental illness' as relating to PHaMs?
A. Yes. Participation in the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program requires the completion of an eligibility screening tool (EST), a functional assessment that gauges the level of dysfunction across nine life areas and the likelihood that the dysfunction results from a severe mental illness. Participants are eligible if they have a severe functional limitation as a result of a severe mental illness, as determined by an eligible score in the EST. (Refer Program Guidelines 5.4)

Referrals

5.2 How is a client referred to a program, that is by mental health nurse, psychologist, GP or psychiatrist?
Program participants enter the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program through a broad range of community services that they come in contact with in their day to day lives, for example through disability employment service providers, clinical case managers, drug and alcohol support services, or housing support services, a mental health nurse, psychologist, GP or psychiatrist.

Alternatively, program participants may self-refer or be encouraged to access the program by their families or carers, or through a clinical pathway, for example on discharge following hospitalisation.

Team structure

5.3 Does a peer support worker need to be full time?
A. It is expected that each team would have a peer support worker as a paid team member, either in a fulltime or part-time capacity as part of the required five full-time equivalent (FTE). (Draft Guidelines p33)

5.4 The numbers specify that there are to be at least five team members, and the organisation is to take on five to sixty PHaMs clients. What period of time is this over?
Caseloads for the Personal Helpers and Mentors Teams will vary depending on the needs of program participants. Each team member is expected to manage an active caseload of between 10 to 12 participants. Team leaders are expected to manage between three to six active participants. It is expected service providers will be managing 20 per cent of their caseload within three months of signing the program funding agreement and 80 per cent within six months. Some program participants will require intensive support for long periods while others will require intensive support in the beginning with their support needs reducing as their lives become more stable. Some program participants will recover sufficiently to exit from the program; others may require longer term assistance. Some may exit, relapse and re-join the program. Service providers are responsible for managing caseloads to ensure balanced workloads.

Funding

5.5 What happens when the two years is over and the funding runs out?
A. Funding agreements for service providers selected to implement Round 3 of the PHaMs program will be until 30 June 2010, with the possibility of extension. Currently, the Department has authority to enter into multi-year funding agreements until 30 June 2010.

5.6 Could you feasibly get funding for a venture run by special needs (not intellectually disabled) people, run for special needs people with mental illnesses as well as non-special needs people with mental illness, as a 'partnership' between the two, helping each other deal with mental health issues together.
See response to Question 2.22.

5.7 In Round 2 it was a requirement that 10 per cent of the funding was to be allocated to set up costs. In this round there is no mention that this mandatory allocation must be taken into account when providing a budget. Does this mean that the service can determine the percentage of funding that should be dedicated to set up costs ?
Yes. The percentage of funding that should be dedicated to the set up costs is at the discretion of the service provider.

5.8 If running costs for 2008-09 amount to $290 000 andset up costs $20 000, how should the surplus be represented in the indicative budget? For example, should it be carried forward into the following year or does it need to be allocated to costs during the same year? Can the surplus money represented in this indicative budget be allocated to the purchase of a vehicle instead of leasing one.
All costs should be allocated in the indicative budget. Vehicles may be leased but not purchased. For further information regarding funding expenditure and the vehicle leasing policy please refer to the Draft Program Guidelines Section 9.

5.9 The organisation is part of an umbrella organisation which funds them, but they wish to apply for funding in their own right, therefore, can they answer funding questions, such as the insurance issue, using the numbers as provided by the whole umbrella organisation as their backing? This is taking into account that they would not be 'viable' to provide PHaMs services until/unless they get PHaMs funding.
The umbrella organisation would need to apply for funding and enter into a sub contracting arrangement with the organisation intending to deliver the program. For those applicants who intend to use sub contracting arrangements to deliver some or all of the Personal Helpers and Mentors services, the role of each sub contractor must be clearly discussed in the response to Selection Criteria 3. The umbrella organisation would be responsible for management, monitoring, financial performance, service outcomes and insurance coverage. If successful, the umbrella organisations will be held responsible for all obligations contained in the terms and conditions of the funding agreement.

Application

5.10 Individual recovery plan - should the provider or FaHCSIA supply the template for this?
A. A sample of the Individual Recovery Plan is provided at Attachment L in the Draft Program Guidelines on the website.

Program participants from specific groups

5.11 In regards to Program Participants from Specific Groups (e.g. youth, CALD, Indigenous), Page 22-23 of the Draft Guidelines states that:
'Service providers must service the needs of the broader population...but must take into account the specific needs of ... (specific) ... groups. The Guidelines then go on to say that "Information reported on these groups...will indicate whether having a specific service focus improves outcomes for these groups ...'

IF local data can justify this, does this leave room for FAHCSIA to consider Round 3 applications that are using dedicated strategies to target local specific groups, as opposed to providing a generalist service that assists local specific groups as an adjunct to the direct mainstream service?
See Response to Question 2.22.

Other

5.12 In our work with Muslim mothers, we have found that a significant number of families have adolescent boys with behavioural issues because of drug addiction. Generally young men like these do not access outside assistance, so that the family itself must contend with the issues on a day to day basis, including assisting young men to remain drug free or assisting them to undertake day to day living while living with an addiction. Although these young boys do not have a diagnosed mental illness, there are definitely a variety of difficult and challenging behaviours.
All participants must have a severe functional limitation as a result of a severe mental illness to be eligible for the program, as determined by the EST.

5.13 What is meant in section 2.8 of the Application guidelines when it says "Providers should also be aware of any case based law that may apply or affect their service delivery".
A. Section 2.8 of the Program Guidelines sets out, among other things, expectations surrounding service providers and the law. The statement in question means that service providers must be aware of this sort of law, usually referred to as common law. 'Case based law' refers to decisions of the judiciary on legal matters which would be relevant to the service delivery provided by the service providers.


Week ending Tuesday 8 July 2008

Care coordination

4.1 Does each site take on the community coordinator role as part of the program, or is that a separately funded activity? Who determines whether a participant is eligible for community coordination, and is that part of the set funding?
A. Care coordination is a coordinated approach, or system of linking care, between clinical and non-clinical services for people with a severe mental illness. The system aims to build on any existing coordination arrangements already in place in States and Territories. Each site will not necessarily take on the community coordinator role as part of the program. Community coordinators could be an Australian Government-funded Personal Helper and Mentor or from state and territory government funded services. If a Personal Helper and Mentor does take on the community coordinator role for a participant, they will not receive separate funding for this activity - it is one of the core functions of a PHaMs service. Care coordination is designed to ensure people with severe mental illness and complex needs who are most at risk of falling through the gaps, received coordinated care from multiple health and community services. For more information regarding Care Coordination please refer to Chapter 1 of the draft Program Guidelines which are available on the FaHCSIA website.

Eligibility

4.2 People in other care, such as in a hospital ward or clinical care, are not eligible for PHaMs. Does that mean that the model does not support a carryover plan?
A. A principle guideline of the PHaMs program is that people must be able to fully participate in the community. If in a setting where they cannot do this, such as an acute residential care facility, they are not eligible for PHaMs. However, FaHSCIA would expect that providers would take referrals from people about to exit the settings and develop a plan for support where the person is returning to the community.

4.3 Will a provider be considered for funding if they only provide services for a specific demographic for example, 'parents'. This provider already operates these type of programs in at least 10 of the postcodes nominated for Round 3.
A. See response to Question 2.22.

4.4 Would the PHaMs program cover women with moderate to severe perinatal depression.
A. See response to Question 2.22.

Application

4.5 Caller wants an extension on her application.
A. No extensions will be granted. Applications close at 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Friday 25 July 2008. Applications must be postmarked on or before Friday 25 July 2008.

4.6 Is supporting documentation required for copies 2 and 3 or only for the original?
A. No. Supporting documentation is only required for the original copy.

4.7 Our organisation is preparing an application for this grant. I have copied PDF application form. Not able to edit with our details. Have highlighted all text and pasted to a Word document. I have lost your setting out plus all your boxes etcetera. Please advise how we copy form to allow us to send you a CD copy.
A. A 'Word' application form is available on the website. The use of this form will allow you to save all documents as Word documents and save to CD.

Team structure

4.8 While the PHaMs team is to be made up of 5FTE staff members, is it possible to have 1FTE team worker operating from another site (due to office limitations and fuel costs), and for that site to be operated by another organisation, but within a community network?
A. See response to Question 3.15. In addition, FaHSCIA is comfortable with flexibility in team structure. The service provider would need to provide details to FaHSCIA to assure program outcomes will be achieved and that the organisation has capacity to provide appropriate support to staff in that structure.

4.9 In regards to the IT requirements, does each team member require a work station, as the bulk of work is outreach orientated the workstation could be shared?
A. Provision of equipment such as computers is at the discretion of the service provider. It is the responsibility of the service providers to provide suitable equipment to enable PHaMs workers to meet the needs of the PHaMs participants. All PHaMs workers must at least have access to a computer on which they are able to enter EST assessments.

4.10 (Refers to Question 3.15) Where you say:
'Where an organisation is funded to deliver PHaMs in adjoining sites or sites with overlapping postcodes, the final team structure will be at the successful applicant's discretion, but must include at least one team leader and peer support worker positions.'
Does that mean that you could propose a structure of one peer support worker and one team leader to cover the TWO ADJOINING SITES or do you need to hire one team leader and one peer support worker per funded site?
A. The minimum is one team leader and one peer support worker in each site.

Postcode

4.11 Is there only one team of 5 PHaMs per site regardless of how many postcodes are in the site? For example QLD- Inner Brisbane South has 4 postcodes that cover around 12 suburbs and Inner Brisbane North has 26 postcodes covering 50+ suburbs. Would there be more than one team operating in the Inner Brisbane North due to the size or will both locations have only one team of 5 staff operating in it?
A. Yes. There is one PHaMs team funded in each site. The exception is sites identified as particularly high need may overlap with existing PHaMs services. Refer to the website for information concerning the overlap of sites with sites of previous rounds.

4.12 Woy Woy (Central Coast 2) - geographically these postcodes represent a large area - is this correct. Has there been a Central Coast 2 site and if so what postcodes does this cover?
A. The postcodes shown for the Woy Woy site are correct on the website. There is a Round 1 Central Coast site, details of which are available on the FaHSCIA website.

4.13 Postcode 4077 is listed in the Inner Brisbane North site. Is this correct as this postcode falls outside the geographical area of this site but is more appropriate for Western Brisbane?
A. Yes. See response to 3.1.

4.14 Cannot understand why postcode 4109 is listed under the Inner Brisbane site and not the Southern Brisbane site. Although this has already been addressed on the website he asked that I forward the question again for absolute confirmation.
A. Postcode 4109 is correctly listed in the Inner Brisbane site. Please refer to answer 2.12.

Financial viability

4.15 We are a new non-government service provider who only commenced trading as a company on the 1st April 2008, however we are keen to apply for PHaMs funding. On closer inspection of part 3- Financial viability several questions have been raised. The application requests audited financial statements for the last three financial years and the latest year to date profit/loss and balance sheets. As a new service provider we are unable to provide these statements. Is there anyway that we can still apply for funding? We would be happy to provide statements of our current financial practices and letter from our chartered accountant, however the application states that no other information will be accepted and that all sections must be completed. Can you please advise?
A. Yes your organisation is encouraged to apply. All service providers will undergo a financial viability assessment to determine their capacity to manage program funds.


Week ending Tuesday 1 July 2008

Site / postcode

3.1 The Goldfields of WA has one postcode listed on the site - 6430. Esperance, which is considered a 'goldfields' district, is not included in the goldfields area. Why is Esperance not included - postcode 6450?
Why is the postcode for Camperdown 2050 not listed under the Camperdown/Rozelle site?
A. Each state and territory government provided FaHCSIA with nominations for PHaMs round 3 sites through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Mental Health Working Group that has been established in each jurisdiction. The site nomination process took account of issues such as relative need and optimum geographic coverage.

3.2 Postcodes 4017, 4018 and 2795 have been included in two sites - is this correct?
A. Each of these postcodes were identified in two sites due to their geographical size and high level of identified need. Two service providers will receive referrals from these postcodes.

3.3 Is the Australian Capital Territory site considered metropolitan or non-metropolitan?
A. The ACT site of Belconnen/Gungahlin is a metropolitan site.

3.4 Can you please confirm the classification of the Tasmanian sites - are they classified as metropolitan or non metropolitan.
A. The Tasmanian sites have been classified as metropolitan.

3.5 Is it possible to get post codes for NT sites advertised in Rounds 1 and 2 as well as an indication if these sites attracted applications and funding?
A. A full listing of postcodes in the Northern Territory that are currently serviced by the PHaMs program is available on the FaHCSIA website. FaHCSIA was not able to engage an organisation to deliver PHaMs services in one site in the Northern Territory that was advertised in the 2007 Round 1 service provider selection process. The Department is currently engaging with the Northern Territory Government and with local stakeholders to develop appropriate servicing arrangements for this site.

Budget

3.6 Can you please confirm that service providers of metropolitan sites can allocate the $864 866 over the 20 month contract period according to their model/need or is there a need to acquit all the $436 000 for year one financial year during the 1 November 2008 to June 2009, and not carry over any of the year one funds to the following financial year. In other words, will an acquittal of Round 3 for year 1 funding $436 000 be required at 30 June 2009 or will it be only required at the end of the contract period 30 June 2010?
A. An acquittal of the total funds for the first financial year 2008-09 will be required for the period from commencement of funding to 30 June 2009. If there are funds from the 2008-09 funding allocation unspent at this time, funded organisations would be able to apply to the Department to reallocate these funds to 2009-10 for purposes consistent with the terms and conditions of the funding agreement.

3.7 For the indicative budget, please confirm that we do either a budget of $ 436 866 (metro) for the annualised first year (12 month equivalent) or the 2008-09 budget is pro rata November to June 2009 only.
A. Funding of up to $436 866 for a metropolitan site is available in the 2008-09 financial year to allow for costs that would be incurred in establishing a new service including staff recruitment, orientation and training, office set-up and equipment purchase. The indicative budget must detail the proposed expenditure this funding would be allocated against over the 2008-09 financial year.

3.8 Please confirm that we do or do not complete a budget for subsequent years.
A. An indicative budget is only required for the 2008-09 financial year in the application. For applicants that are successful in the selection process an establishment report and final annual budget must be submitted within four weeks of execution of the Funding Agreement. Please refer to Chapter 2 of the Application Guidelines for further information.

3.9 That this budget may include set up costs such as office equipment.
A. Yes. See answers to previous questions.

3.10 Do we use attachment 'O' budget template.
A. Applicants may use the budget template provided at Attachment 'O' to prepare their indicative budget.

3.11 Do we add indicative budget Part 5 checklist.
A. Applicants may add 'indicative budget' to the checklist found at Part 5. The omission of this requirement from the checklist was an administrative error.

3.12 Can a successful applicant apply for funding for 'one off' set up costs?
A. No. Successful applicants will receive the annual amounts as specified in Chapter 9 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website. In 2008-09, this is an amount of $436 866 (metro) and $483 066 (non-metro) that includes provision for costs that would be incurred in establishing a new service including staff recruitment, orientation and training, office set-up and equipment purchase.

Application form

3.13 The Application Form does not allow me to insert text to address the Selection Criteria. Can the Selection Criteria be in a separate document? Can a Word version of the Application Form be provided.
A. Yes. The Application Form word document on the website will only allow you to enter text within the text boxes. Responses to the Selection Criteria should be created and submitted on a separate word document. FaHCSIA has had the Application Form converted to an alternative format that may be completed and saved as a word document. This form is available on the website as an alternative to the current application form available. Please check the website for the updated version.

3.14 What exactly is meant by 'Please include details of organisation's internal infrastructure supports' as stated in Application Form, page 9 of 16, selection criteria 3.
A. Internal infrastructure means the organisational support mechanisms, procedures, processes and structures that are in place to support the delivery of the PHaMs program.

Team structure

3.15 If an existing PHaMs service provider is successful in a Round 3 site covering the same postcodes, how will they be expected to structure their teams?
A. All PHaMs providers are required to engage the equivalent of five full-time staff in each funded site in accordance with the conditions of the Funding Agreement. Maximum flexibility is encouraged but there must be at least one team leader and one peer support position in each site. Where an organisation is funded to deliver PHaMs in adjoining sites or sites with overlapping postcodes, the final team structure will be at the successful applicant's discretion, but must include at least one team leader and peer support worker positions.

Eligibility

3.16 Are PHaMs applications open to private organisations or just non-profit organisations.
A. To be eligible to apply for Personal Helpers and Mentors Program Round 3 funding, an applicant organisation MUST be a non-government organisation, a legal entity, and able to confirm their legal status. This includes both 'for profit' and 'not for profit' organisations.

3.17 Can 'for profit' organisations team up with 'not for profit' organisations to receive funding?
A. Yes. Applicants may choose to enter into collaborative arrangements with other organisations. However, FaHCSIA can only enter into a funding agreement with a single entity. Therefore, consortiums or other collaborative arrangements will be treated as a sub-contracting arrangement. An 'applicant organisation' must be nominated and full details of the other organisations and the specifics of how and by whom services will be delivered must be included in the response to Selection Criteria 3 in the application for funding. A successful provider who utilises an authorised sub-contracting arrangement will be held liable for all obligations contained in the terms and conditions of the funding agreement. This includes monitoring, management, financial performance, service outcomes, and insurance coverage.

Please refer to Chapter 2 of the Application Guidelines for further information.


Week ending Tuesday 24 June 2008

2.1 Information in Question 4 of Application Process Questions and Answers states that there is no requirement to submit a budget with the application however, the Application Guidelines at page 10 states that applicants are required to provide an indicative budget. Please clarify.
A. The request for an indicative budget was a late inclusion and IS required as per Section 3 of the Application Guidelines. This was an editing error in the application process.

2.2 The Victorian site of North and West - City of Brimbank. Should postcode 3875 be included in this site. This postcode is approximately 300 kms away from other postcodes in the site?
A. Postcode 3875 was included in the site of North and West - City of Brimbank by mistake and was listed on the Round 3 site documentation available on the FaHCSIA website between 5pm (EST) Friday 13 June 2008 and Thursday, 25 June 2008. The error has now been rectified and the postcode has been deleted from the documentation.

2.3 Is a Certificate 3 in aged care or Certificate 3 in disability a sufficient qualification for people employed in a PHaMS program? Is there a minimum qualification for employment under the program?
A. It is the responsibility of funded providers to ensure PHaMs workers are appropriately qualified for roles they are to undertake. The Personal Helpers and Mentors team structures are determined by service providers according to local need, the needs of program participants. It is expected that each team will comprise members from a range of backgrounds with varying levels of skills, experience and qualifications. The level of the team member's qualifications, skills and experience will determine their role. For further information regarding the program team and roles please refer to Chapter 4 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.4 The postcode of 2582 is not included in the site of Queanbeyan/Yass. Is this correct?
A. Please note that there was an error on the Round 3 site documentation available on the FaHCSIA website between 5pm (EST) Friday 13 June 2008 and Friday, 20 June 2008. This related to the postcode of 2582 being omitted from the site documentation on the FaHCSIA website. The error has now been rectified and the postcode appears in the documentation.

2.5 The postcode 4508 is not included in the site of Redcliffe/Deception Bay. Is this correct?
A. Please note that there was an error on the Round 3 site documentation available on the FaHCSIA website between 5pm (EST) Friday 13 June 2008 and Friday, 20 June 2008. This related to the postcode 4508 being omitted from the site documentation on the FaHCSIA website. The error has now been rectified and the postcode appears in the documentation.

2.6 What is meant by existing clinical services and existing mental health services?

A. Selection criteria 4 specifically asks applicants to demonstrate knowledge of complementary services in the site in which they are applying for funding and, details of how the application organisation would work with complementary services. Complementary services include:
2.7 Is there a minimum/maximum number of clients that a provider is expected to service for each site and if so would this figure be the same for every sites.
A. FaHCSIA's expectation is that Personal Helpers and Mentors will assist 10 to 12 active program participants for each full-time equivalent worker. Team leaders are expected to manage a smaller caseload of between 3 and 6 active participants. This is the same for all sites. For further information please refer to Chapter 6 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.8 Please confirm that successful applicants will receive the full amount of funding ($443 300 or $489 600) for the period November 2008 to June 2009 and that it will not be paid on a pro rata basis.
A. Successful applicants will receive the annual amounts as specified in Chapter 9 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website. This is an amount of $436 866 (metro) and $483 066 (non-metro).

2.9 Are service provides allowed to use the funding to implement centre based support as well as home based support where possible? For example, when someone becomes well enough to leave home and start doing things, where transport and regional factors allow, can PHaMs funding be used to support a model that includes social events such as cooking classes, etc, which has been proven to improve people's socialisation?
A. Yes. Service providers are able to allocate their funds according to the needs of the participants in their site. For information regarding what funding may be used for, please refer to Chapter 9 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.10 Can a summary of the services to be performed by successful providers be provided on the website.
A. For information regarding the services to be performed by successful service providers, please refer to the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.11 Is it correct that postcodes 2017 and 2042 are to be serviced by two sites?
A. These postcodes were identified in two sites due to their geographical size and high level of identified need. Two service providers will receive referrals from these postcodes.

2.12 Why is postcode 4109 included in the Inner Brisbane site and not Southern Brisbane?
A. Postcode 4109 was recommended for inclusion in the Inner Brisbane site in the joint site nomination process between FaHCSIA and the Queensland Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Mental Health Working Groups.

2.13 Has there been a shift in eligibility focus for the PHaMs program to now include clients already being supported under another program/service provider, that is: supported accommodation provider?
A. No. Detail is provided in Attachment S of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.14 Would like to see some population spread statistics.
A. Population spread statistics will not be provided in information FaHCSIA publishes about this selection process.

2.15 If a postcode or site has not been included in the Round 3 site documentation, will this postcode or site be included in the future rounds?
A. The selection of sites for the program has been informed through joint consultation between FaHCSIA and the State and Territory Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Mental Health Groups. The Department is committed to revisiting areas where gaps have been identified in future rounds.

2.16 How was demand determined when deciding the Round 3 sites?
A. The selection of sites for the program was informed through joint consultation between FaHSCIA and the State and Territory Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Mental Health Groups.

The State and Territory COAG Mental Health Groups nominated and have endorsed sites in each state and territory based on a range of factors, including:
2.17 What is an Indicative Budget - should this include funding provided by the PHaMs program?
A. An indicative budget is a proposed budget that will be considered as part of the assessment of each application. It should indicate how the PHaMs program funding will be used and will be confirmed with successful applicants as part of the funding agreement negotiation process. For information regarding what funding may cover, please refer to Chapter 9 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.18 Can services only be provided to people who live in the listed postcodes? How does this apply to people who are transient or homeless?
A. Potential participants are required to reside in the postcodes allocated in each site. People who are homeless are eligible for the program when they live predominantly within the boundaries of the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program site. For more information regarding eligibility based on postcodes, please refer to Chapter 2 of the draft Round 3 Program Guidelines which are available on the website.

2.19 To what degree is specialisation expected for the specific/special needs groups as against targeting the whole service to the broader population?
A. Service providers must service the needs of the broader population with severe functional limitation resulting from a severe mental illness but must also take into account the specific needs of identified groups as part of their broader program participant base. For example, organisations applying to service a site with a significant Indigenous population must be able to demonstrate a capacity to service this group.

2.20 Is there any value in referring to how you could work across two adjacent sites?
A. FaHCSIA is seeking applications that provide innovative and appropriate service delivery approaches that are clearly responsive and tailored to the local area.

2.21 Why have some postcodes been omitted within particular sites?
A. Sites have been identified in close consultation with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Working Groups in each state and territory. Omitted postcodes were determined to have a lower priority for PHaMs servicing.

2.22 Are applicants who currently deliver services to a specific cohort excluded from applying for funding?
A. PHaMs is designed to assist individuals 16 years and over who have a severe functional limitation as a result of a severe mental illness. Applicants who currently deliver a service to a particular cohort would need to demonstrate their capacity to deliver services to the PHaMs target group as defined in the program guidelines.

2.23 Would like to see a map of all round 3 PHaMs sites for a visual representation.
A. FaHCSIA is not able to provide a map of all sites to potential applicants.


Week ending Tuesday 17 June 2008

1.1 Why was the site of Broome/West Kimberley removed from the website?
A. There was an error on the Round 3 site documentation available on the FaHCSIA website between 5pm Friday 13 June 2008 and 9am Monday 16 June 2008 (EST). This related to Western Australian non-metropolitan sites only. Broome/West Kimberley was incorrectly listed as a non-metropolitan site for which funding applications are being sought through the PHaMs round 3 selection process. Applications are not being sought for this site and any applications lodged through the selection process will not be considered. Minister Macklin previously announced this site on 9 April 2008 as part of a remote servicing project.

FaHCSIA would like to apologise for any inconvenience this error may have caused.

1.2 Will supporting information for criteria other than that provided for Part 3 Financial Viability be considered?
A. No. Additional information will not be considered.

1.3 Will new applicants for sites with existing service have much chance of success.
A. The selection of service providers to deliver the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program - Round 3 is an open competitive process. FaHCSIA has funding principles in place to guide selection processes. The selection process will be conducted in accordance with these principles. Please refer to section 1.5 of the Application Guidelines.

FaHCSIA will conduct an assessment of all eligible and compliant applications. To enable a comprehensive and accurate assessment of applications, applicants must respond fully to the Selection Criteria and provide the information required in the format, and to the extent specified in the Application Guidelines and Application Form.

This means that all applications will be considered on their merits.

1.4 Round 3 sites in the Brisbane area are already being serviced by successful services from Round 2. Is the funding for these successful Round 2 providers affected by Round 3?
A. No. While there are some overlaps in sites, funding for Round 2 service providers will not be affected by Round 3.

1.5. Is the Application Form available in a RTF or Word format?
A. FaHCSIA has had the Application Form converted to an alternative format that may be completed and saved as a word document. This form is available on the website as an alternative to the current application form available. Please check the website for the updated version.

1.6. Why are there duplicate sites and postcodes renominated for the 3rd round that are currently being serviced by service providers selected in previous funding rounds?
A. There have been three sites renominated for Round 3 selection that are identical to Round 2 sites. These sites were identified by state and territory governments as areas of high demand, which is supported by data from regular reports from the existing PHaMs providers in these sites. These sites are Burleigh/Coolangatta and the Northern Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and Outer Southern Metro, South Australia. Other Round 3 sites may also have postcodes that exist already in sites from the previous rounds. These too have been re-included as they were indicated as areas of high demand.