Award of Specialised Residential Care Services for Children and Young People with Extreme Support Needs

About

DCSSDS awarded a contract to Act for Kids Limited for specialised residential care services providing two places at any one time for children and young people with extreme support needs.

The service provides a minimum of one worker to two young people at all times, including awake support 16 hours per day, an 8-hour sleepover shift, 7 days per week, plus additional awake youth worker support equivalent to 10 hours per weekend day, public holidays and school holidays, used flexibly across 7 days per week as required to meet assessed needs.

The service delivers care to improve personal safety, cultural identity and connections, social and community connections, life skills, stable and secure living arrangements, education and/or employment opportunities and access to services, and works toward achieving the most appropriate permanency option, either family reunification or an alternative long-term care option.

The provider partners and builds linkages with Government and non-government stakeholders, including Child Safety Service Centres, to support coordinated needs-based intervention, provides culturally safe services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and young people to ensure cultural identity and connection to family, kin, culture and Community is assisted, supported and maintained, facilitates meaningful engagement that recognises diversity within cultural and ethnic groups, and may support children and young people with disability support needs and work collaboratively with other service providers to implement National Disability Insurance Scheme plans.

The contract value is AUD 520,395 and was procured via a limited procurement method.