✓ For Applicant Agencies
Table of contents
Choosing an FSP Provider
How to view your applications - demonstration video
How to find your way around the application form - demonstration video
Choosing an FSP Provider
In order to apply for a Flexible Support Package, case managers must identify which provider their client wishes to apply to. Each Provider has their own online application link. You should contact each provider you use to request a link to access their particular online application.
There are a number of organisations in Victoria that hold FSP funding and are able to receive and assess applications. These organisations are known as ‘FSP providers’. These include:
- Local Specialist Family Violence Services working within the 17 Department of Families, Fairness and Housing areas.
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) in 4 district areas, and one statewide.
- Two statewide targeted family violence support services for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities and LGBTI communities.
Visit the Flexible Support Packages page to find a list of Providers and their contact details as well as guidance on making a choice. Contact the provider directly and ask for the link to their particular online form.
How to view your applications - demonstration video
Select My Submissions to see your list of FSP applications:
Transcript
Your list view allows you to see all of the applications that you have permission to see. The initial view is a compact one, but you can choose to expand the view and see all of the underlying online forms associated with each of your applications. You’re able to sort and search the applications.
You can also archive applications. This might come in handy for when a funding package is complete, and you wish to move that out of your everyday view. Or you could delete applications. This is useful if you’ve accidentally created two applications for the same client. Delete the one that you don’t need.
You can also share applications with members of your organisation. You can look for users' names within your organisation to find the person that you need to share the application with. You can send them a message. You can also set an expiry date.
You’re able to change users. This will be useful if you have case workers who leave your organisation and you need to reassign their cases to another worker.
Clicking on the full application title here will open up a more detailed view. In this pop-up, I can see who the application has been shared with who owns it, which organisation it relates to, and who the applicant organisation is. I can also print a PDF.
How to find your way around the application form - demonstration video
Transcript
Overview
Let’s take an orientation tour of your new online application form. When you arrive, you’ll have a navigation panel on the right-hand side that lists each of the pages in the online form that need to be completed. The form itself will be filled with lots of instructions. So we don’t need to go through each and every one of these pages in great detail.
We’ll focus in this tutorial on a couple of key areas where some additional information might be helpful. As you navigate through your application, you should complete each page in order, one through 14. This is because some questions that you might answer on page three will actually trigger questions appearing on page eight or nine later in the application.
Along the top and the bottom of each page, you’ve got the ability to save your progress as you go. If you’ve halfway finished an application, and you would like to leave it for the day and come back and continue tomorrow, you can do so, just click save and close and come back and start where you left off. You can also move to the next page, at the bottom of the top of every page, or use the navigation panel on the right-hand side to navigate through to the next page.
How to add your agency’s ABN and flag urgent applications 01.51
When completing information about your applicant agency, you’ll be asked for your agency’s ABN. You can find this information in your SmartyFile. You’re able to flag the urgency for each of the applications that you submit ensuring that providers can prioritise appropriately.
How to add client information and get consent 02.16
You’ll need to get your clients consent for entering their information in this online form. The client information page has been designed to suit a variety of scenarios, we understand that sometimes applicants will be an adult and other times perhaps child and that they may or may not have children, in either scenario.
You should select a package family group title for each of your applications. We suggest a convention of family surname with the quarter and the year that that submission relates to, for example, Sampleson, quarter three 2019. It’s this title that’s going to appear in your my submissions list for example Wonka, quarter 1, 2019. This will allow you to sift and sort applications by family group. You’re also able to enter ID numbers relating to any other system that you might use to help you to cross-reference.
Where a client has received a flexible support package before, you can click yes and provide some details.
How to help improve collected information 04:23
The demographic data page is an opportunity to collect data, it’s one of the focuses of moving to an online form. Improving the information that is collected about recipients of flexible support packages. There’s generally a prefer not to say option, if there are any areas in this demographic data collection that your client doesn’t wish to disclose.
Some information about the client’s cultural background is collected, including information in relation to their country of birth. Drop-down menu menus have been designed to make this nice and easy for you.
Residency status can be provided. And if you know the visa expiry date, if you’ve selected a visa option, you can enter that information as well.
Where a client has identified as Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander, there’s also an option for them to select the language group that they identify with. This list contains all of the various spellings and you can just begin to type and the system will find that language. Again, that’s optional. And you can always choose to say, I don’t wish to supply that information.
How to add client’s children 07:12
Where an applicant has children, there is an option to include information only where those children are going to be recipients of the package. So I might say that this application has three children. And if I say that there are three children, but they’re not necessarily going to be recipients of the package, then a free text box appears which just asks about any information that might be relevant that you feel important to share. On the other hand, if those children are going to be direct recipients of the funding, then more details will appear for you to fill out in relation to each child. And you can click the Add More button to add this information for each of the children.
How to check disability crossover with NDIS 08:21
If a package recipient has ticked somewhere in the application, that they have a disability, then the question will appear to just see whether or not there’s any crossover with their NDIS package if they have one.
How to provide information about the perpetrator 08:47
There is information collected about the perpetrator. This allows you to provide information about the perpetrator and details of family violence experienced there is a place to record whether there’s an IVO and if you have details of the terms of the IVO for you to be able to enter that information there. There’s also an area for you to record the last family violence risk assessment when it was completed and when the last review was conducted. It’s an important requirement of the program that a recent review has been done.
How to add clients housing status, safety, financial situation 09:44
The next page allows you to provide information in relation to your clients housing status, and their safety.
It’s also a place to record some information about the employment situation, their income, and whether or not they’re currently involved with a financial counsellor in relation to their finances.
How to build your package cost items 10:26
On the package cost item page, this is where you get to build your package. The expenditure items are able to be selected from various categories.
You can enter the amount that you’d like to seek for that particular item.
You’ll need to include GST, where it’s relevant, calculated fields in the form, add things up for you as you go.
You need to specify who the beneficiary for that particular item is in the package. And also select a client goal.
You’re able to put an explanation of why the item is required and then include the impact of the family violence and how it links to those goals. As you enter items for your package. The package total summary here adds up. You can add more items by clicking the Add More button and then adding another item as required.
How to respond to additional questions in the form 13:07
Depending on the items that you’ve selected, you may get asked additional questions or additional guidance may pop up throughout the form. For example, because I’ve selected a laptop, it’s giving me a little bit of information here about Queens Fund, which is another way to source a laptop. This includes hyperlinks that allow you to click on them and go and visit that funding source to see whether or not it’s relevant for your client. It’s a requirement for flexible support packages that other avenues of support should first be explored and eliminated as an option before coming for an FSP as the funding option for your client. This area allows you to explain why you need to source this funding through an FSP and not another area.
The additional questions page could be blank, depending what you’ve actually selected. Only certain items in the package cost items area trigger additional questions. Security items is one of the ones that does. And this is where you have an opportunity to answer the additional questions that your provider might need to ask to understand whether or not they can approve the application. For security items that might relate to whether or not you’ve conducted a safety audit or whether or not a personal safety officer has actually reviewed and made recommendations in relation to your client.
You’re able to upload a copy of the PSI recommendations and safety audit if you have them available,
An example where security items have been selected, for example, locks and so forth, the providers might need to know a little bit more about the property that those items are intended to be installed in. For example, if they’re if their rental property or owned by your client. For a rental property, they might then need to ask some more information about whether or not the property owner has consented to having those security items installed on their property. There’s a variety of other questions that trigger these kind of additional questions as you go through the form.
How to use package summary to check 16:25
After completing all of your package cost items, page 12 summarises everything in a concise list for you. So you can have a quick review here and see whether or not you’ve listed everything you need to list and you can see the total amount. There are no fields on this page for you to fill out. This is simply a summary. If you notice anything missing here that you need to add back into the package, you need to go back to page 10. And add another cost item.
How to add supporting documentation 17:06
There’s an opportunity to upload any additional documentation that you might need to support your submission.
How authorise and submit the application 17:21
And the last page is the declaration that you are authorised and able to submit this application on behalf of your organisation, and that everything in the application is true and correct. All of these declarations must be completed in order to submit the form.
When you’ve completed your application, you can come to the review and submit page. This page will tell you if you’ve missed any questions in the form.
And as you go through reviewing the answers that you’ve provided, you’ll get warning messages that explain to you what you’ve missed, and allow you to click on the “go to page” to go back to that area in the form to fill it out. Once you’re happy that the application is complete, you’ll then be able to click on the submit button and submit your application. Once you’ve submitted, the system will send you an automatic confirmation email letting you know that your application has been submitted. You’ll have an ID number that relates to your application that will be your reference number.