Questions
The collection
Data items
- My outlet is closed during reference week. Can we choose another week?
- Is travel time included in service hours?
- How do I calculate hours in typical week?
- What do I report if a service type outlet was not operational for a particular quarter?
- What if we are still setting up a service and don't have any clients - do we report not operating?
- If a staff member is on call - are these hours of service?
- How do I calculate hours of service for a sleepover?
- How do I answer the questions on unpaid staff hours?
Service types
Reporting
Answers
What is the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS)?
Previously known as the Commonwealth-State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) National Minimum Data Set (NMDS), the DS NMDS is a set of nationally significant data items that is captured by all jurisdictions as part of the National Disability Agreement (NDA).
Why do I need to report?
The data collected under the DS NMDS is used to feed back information to the Australian Government about how Australian government funds have been spent in each state. This reporting ensures Queensland can continue to source national funding. DS NMDS data is a key source of data collected in Queensland on persons with disabilities.
In the past, this data has been used for a wide range of purposes, such as for planning, national program evaluation and to monitor achievement of program objectives and agreed priorities.
DS NMDS reporting is a mandatory requirement outlined in the schedules of Funding Agreements between the Queensland Government (coordinated by Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services) and all Funded Non-government Service Providers (FNGSPs).
What funding is reportable?
All grant funding received from the department is reportable. This includes all recurrent funding listed in your Service Agreement as well as one-off grants. Fee for Service items do not need to be reported. Please contact a Regional data Support Officer (RdSO) (see below) to see whether your funding is reportable.
What happens if I don't report?
DS NMDS reporting is a mandated requirement in your Funding Agreement. If you do not report, you will be in breach of your agreement.
When is my data due?
It is requested that data is submitted to the department 15 days after the end of each quarter. Data can be submitted via the Online Data Collection (ODC) system, hard copy form or via own system reporting (see Reporting ).
The requested dates are:
Quarter 1: 15th October
Quarter 2: 15th January
Quarter 3: 15th April
Quarter 4: 15th July
Timely submission of data assists the Community Resource Officers (CROs) to maintain healthy contract management.
Who do I contact for assistance?
Five Regional data Support Officers (RdSO) are available to provide training, support and assistance to all funded service providers. Details can be found on the contacts page.
My outlet is closed during reference week. Can we choose another week?
No. Please enter zero into the 'Staff hours - reference week' fields if your service did not operate during the reference week.
Is travel time included in service hours?
Travel time to and from appointments with service users should be included in staff hours, but not included in the hours of service received by the service user, unless the travel time is part of the service. For example, if taking a client to a doctor's appointment, this time is reportable against the service user.
How do I calculate hours in typical week?
The preferred method is to calculate an average for the quarter: Add the total number of hours received in the quarter and divide by 13 (there are 13 weeks in every quarter). This should then be rounded up to a whole number.
(Please see data guide section 4.6 for typical week staff hrs.)
What do I report if a service type outlet was not operational for a particular quarter?
There is an option for a service type outlet to be entered as 'not operating' for a particular quarter. This is only to be used for a service that is sporadic, such as Emergency and Crisis. For non-ODC users, please contact your Regional data Support Officer (RdSO) for assistance.
What if we are still setting up a service and don't have any clients - do we report not operating?
It is better to report that the service is operating. Record staff hours that have been accumulated due to the process of setting up the service (if using contractors, estimate these staff hours also) and record service users as zero. It is important that you notify your Regional data Support Officer (RdSO) that the service user count of zero is correct.
If a staff member is on call - are these hours of service?
Only the hours a staff member is answering or responding to a call should be captured.
How do I calculate hours of service for a sleepover?
Irrespective of pay schemes, if a staff member is on sleepover for 8 hours, this should be captured as 8 staff hours and 8 hours of service to each service user.
How do I answer the questions on unpaid staff hours?
If staff are working unpaid overtime this should be recorded in unpaid staff hours. The DS NMDS aims to capture the entire cost to a funded service provider in terms of what is required to provide a service - it is important that ALL staff hours are captured.
How does my Organisation know what service types it provides?
There are several sources where funded Service Providers can access this information. Service types are listed in Service Agreements. Community Resource Officers (CROs) and Regional data Support Officers (RdSO) are also able to provide this information.
Do I need to report emergency or crisis services?
Yes. Specific codes have been developed to capture emergency and crisis (E&C).
1.082 = E&C Accommodation/ Accommodation Support
4.051 = E&C Respite
As E&C are one-off instances, these service types do not require approval. Once an outlet is set up it can be entered as 'not operating' for quarters where no E&C services were provided. (See FAQ re: What do I report if a service type was not operational for a particular quarter?)
Where can I get copies of paper forms?
They are available online on the resources page.
Is it better to report electronically?
The Online Data Collection (ODC) is the preferred method of collection.
Advantages of ODC :
- saves time due to the service user information being maintained and rolled over each quarter for the next report submission;
- retains the history of reporting;
- has built-in checklists to ensure correct data is reported; and
- it allows Regional data Support Officers (RdSO) to provide quicker support as they can assist end users online.
If we already use a database or client management system are we required to use ODC?
No. However there are technical specifications that must be met for data to be submitted by your system. The technical guidelines are available online on the resources page. Note: Data Services does NOT provide technical support for commercial software or in-house systems.
How do I know that Disability Services has received my quarterly data return?
If you report through ODC you can check that data is complete by viewing the quarterly reporting checklist. If this checklist says 'nothing more to do' your data is finalised and has been accepted.
If you are using a different reporting system, it is important that you get in touch with your Regional data Support Officer (RdSO) to confirm that your data has been received and is finalised.
