June 2005 - Issue 15

Table of contents:

End of 2004-05 collection period

The DS NMDS 2004-05 collection period ends on 30 June 2005. All CSTDA funded agencies and service type outlets are reminded that their service type outlet, service user and services received data return for 2004-05 is to be lodged with DSQ by COB 1 August 2005. Users of Online Data Collection (ODC) please note that the last extract of 2004-05 data from ODC will occur on Tuesday 2 August 2005. ODC users have until that date to enter and authorise their data in ODC.

CCB&S farewell

The Client Capacity Building and Support (CCB&S) project will cease at the end of June 2005. Thank you and congratulations to the project officers and staff who have worked with them to provide a high level of support to agencies and achieve notable improvements in data quality and compliance.

From July 2005 you should contact the DS NMDS Helpdesk for assistance if you have any questions about reporting.

Lynda's tree change

Lynda MacKenzie, the well-known voice of the DS NMDS HelpLine, is having a "tree change".

She has decided to access her long service leave and take a well-earned break in a mountain setting.

Lynda has been involved with the NMDS collection for more than ten years and is a highly valued employee. Her extensive knowledge of, and experience with, the NMDS collection and her friendly manner when providing answers to HelpLine queries, will be sorely missed.

The staff of the DS NMDS Team wish Lynda well in the future.

Diary dates

June 2005

  • Reference week: 24-30 June
  • Snapshot Day: 29 June

July 2005

  • Deadline for fourth quarter data lodgement: 1 August

A focus on quality data

Brokerage – how to report brokered services

Brokerage is a system whereby an agent is paid by the broker to provide CSTDA funded services and the responsibility for the provision of those services is transferred to the agent.

If your agency brokers CSTDA funded services, it records the time spent in organising the brokered service against service type 2.06 “Case management, local coordination and development”. Your agency collects and reports information about this service type outlet (STO), the service user/s and the services provided in terms of coordinating, managing or arranging the brokered service. Your agency is not required to collect or report information about the brokered service.

If your agency is a CSTDA funded agency and provides services that have been brokered by another agency, your agency is required to report to the DS NMDS about the service outlet, service user and service provided with respect to the brokered services. If the brokered service aligns with one of the DS NMDS service types your agency already reports to DSQ, this information should be combined under the same service type outlet. If not, a separate service type outlet should be created.

Next newsletter: How to report subcontracting.

ODC - 2004-05

With the end of the 2004-05 collection year fast approaching, it is vital that you complete the end of year details in ODC. You are only required to enter these details once per year. Here’s how to do it in ODC. Select Online Data Collection > Service Type Outlet > End of collection year, then select your service type outlet from the list supplied.

  • Select the financial year you are entering data for, then enter the number of weeks per year that your service type outlet operates, or tick the ‘No regular pattern of operation’ box if your outlet operates irregularly throughout the year.
  • Follow the same procedure for the questions about number of days per week and number of hours per day, then click on ‘Add’ to ensure your data is recorded in ODC.

Change of date options in ODC

As the collection year ends on 30 June 2005, all questions in ODC that currently display the financial year '2004-2005' will change as of 1 July 2005 to read '2005-2006'. Please ensure that, if you are entering data for the 2004-2005 reporting year, you select the correct financial year for your data.

HelpLine call statistics

Requests for Help 2004-2005

December 2004 to May 2005

  • Phone: 658
  • E-mail: 245
  • Total: 903

Monthly average

  • Phone: 109
  • E-mail: 41
  • Total: 150

ODC STO details

It is important that you enter STO details as well as service user data into ODC. If you do not do this, DSQ cannot extract your data and your agency may be seen as non-compliant.

To enter data for your service type outlet for a quarter in ODC:

  • Select Online Data Collection > Service Type Outlet, then select the quarter for which you are entering data, i.e. if you are entering data for the third quarter, select Quarter 3 (January–March.)
  • Select the financial year you are entering data for, then select whether your service type outlet operated for the full quarter. If you select "Yes", the Start and End dates are automatically filled in, otherwise enter the relevant dates.
  • Next, enter the number of paid and unpaid staff hours during the quarter. Refer to your Data Guide for help on completing these data items.
  • Finally, enter the number of service users who have received a service this quarter, then click on 'Save'. This ensures that your data is recorded in ODC.

ODC details update

Your contact details are important to us. We use your email address to advise you of important DS NMDS and ODC news, and relevant dates for quarterly data collection. Please ensure that your contact information in ODC is updated regularly by checking and amending your details where necessary. To update them, follow the path 'Online Data Collection > Administration > My Details'.

DSQ DS NMDS help available

If you have a query and cannot find the answer after checking the DS NMDS Resource Kit, either call the HelpLine or send an e-mail to us.

Remember, your call is important, so if the HelpLine is busy, leave a message on the voicemail and we will respond at the first opportunity.