Latest Update – April 2025
A Request for Proposal, PICS0004097, Central Intake Service was released to the market on 9 October 2024 and closed 12 November 2024. The procurement remains an active process.
Woden Community Service (WCS) currently delivers the ACT Government’s central intake service (OneLink) for specialist homelessness support and children, youth and families services.
WCS has extended the service until 30 April 2025, with negotiations underway to extend for a further period of time.
Background
The current central intake service is being delivered by Woden Community Services through OneLink. This service was established in July 2016 as the central intake, assessment and referral service for Homelessness Services and Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) in the ACT. For accommodation and CYFS services, OneLink prioritises people according to their needs, makes referrals based on a triaging process and manages waitlist including active holding of clients seeking support.
OneLink is provided by a non-government organisation and its primary focus is referring people in need to services delivered by other non-government organisations. It does also refer to services provided by Government (such as the process to register for social housing and to health services) and to the private sector (such as for specialist health services) as required. In a commissioning approach we can test all options, including whether this current scope and provider model will best meet needs of the future.
Through the development of our commissioning approach in 2021 it was acknowledged that:
- Our current funding practices lack flexibility to respond to community needs.
- Investment in service provision has primarily been skewed towards provision of crisis services rather than services providing early support.
- Prevention and early support can reduce crisis service demand and provide better outcomes for people.
- Sector partners and people with lived experience have valuable insights and expertise to inform service and system design.
- Where we have worked together to identify needs and gaps and design solutions, people have better outcomes.
- Vulnerable Canberrans often need to use the services of several support agencies, this involves them engaging with and retelling their story to multiple organisations. This can be re-traumatising for them and difficult to manage and coordinate their contact with multiple service agencies. Using a coordinated intake and referral model can reduce these complexities.
- Future contract arrangements for post 30 June 2024 need to be considered. We have an opportunity through commissioning, to plan, design and improve service models as part of the strategic partnership approach.
An evaluation report on the current OneLink service was published 6 June 2022 and some of the findings of this report are examined in the discovery document. To review the evaluation report: OneLink Evaluation Report
This process isn’t starting from scratch, we have learnt a lot through other commissioning processes underway and will use that to move swiftly towards an investment plan for a future community/central intake and referral service.
Engagement and collaboration
Thank you to those who provided comment on the draft discovery document to build our understanding the needs and challenges of the sectors that rely on a community central intake and referral service. Thank you also to stakeholders that engaged with us at these forums:
- CYFSP workshop on 8 July 2023,
- Homelessness Complex Clients workshop on 17 July 2023,
- MACR Service Design workshop on 22 July 2023, and
- Workshop 1 – Central Intake Service on 12 September.
While this commissioning cycle is paused at this time as we further explore intersecting pieces of work, we invite input and feedback through CSDCommissioning@act.gov.au
Timings
- June-July 2023 – Draft discovery paper undertaken
- August 2023 – Draft discovery paper released for public review
- 1 September 2023 – Comment period on discovery paper closes
- 12 September 2023 – Workshop 1 held with stakeholders
- October 2023 – Commissioning cycle paused for further consideration
What we are looking at, listening to, and sharing
We are seeking insights, perspectives and experiences that help us understand:
- Solutions or ideas or innovations that could meet the service needs of the homelessness, the CYFSP and the CPS sectors
- How to develop better linkages and coordination across service delivery
- Lived experiences of people accessing services
- How your organisation is receiving referrals and providing services
- Any new or emerging groups you have identified that may have specific needs
- What service gaps you have identified
- What emerging needs you have identified
Contact Us
To learn more about the commissioning process or to provide insights and feedback, please email: CSDCommissioning@act.gov.au
Related commissioning cycles
Key links
Page updated: 28 Feb 2024
