The Orange Door is welcoming and located in accessible community locations closely connected to support services. Consistent risk assessment and triage processes assist in keeping people safer, tailoring support and connecting people to the professionals and services within the broader system that can best meet their individual and family needs. Better integration and accountability within the broader service system is also underpinned by strong client management systems and improvements in information sharing.
The Orange Door service model describes the processes and functions of The Orange Door in stages. However, because experiences of family violence or child and family vulnerability are not linear, and risk is dynamic, people accessing The Orange Door experience the service in different ways that may not represent a linear, step-by-step process, and people connect with or leave The Orange Door at different points.
Core components
The Orange Door providers deliver the following core components of the service model.
Access
- Safe, accessible and convenient ways for people (including individuals, families and professionals) to access The Orange Door.
- An equitable service response regardless of the location, method or mode of access.
- Active engagement to increase opportunities for early intervention and to prevent concerns from escalating.
Screening, identification and triage
- Identify the presenting risks and needs with accurate and consistent determination of suitability of The Orange Door services.
- Assist those for whom The Orange Door services are not deemed suitable or where The Orange Door services are unable to be provided.
- Rapid prioritisation of requirements for further actions and responses by The Orange Door.
Assessment and planning
- Gather and analyse relevant information to help identify key risks, needs, high-level goals and preferences of individuals (in the context of their family and community).
- Assess the level of risk and the extent and impact of needs to determine the type, priority and urgency of response.
Connecting people to the right services
- Coordinate the required responses, to incorporate the preferences and requirements of the individual or family, their capacity and capability, the service delivery context (including availability and timeliness) and opportunity for effective intervention.
- Seamlessly transition from assessment and planning to specialist service responses in family violence, family services and perpetrator/men’s services.
- Connect people to community, health and justice services.
- Information and advice to inform next steps.
- Responses to meet immediate risks and needs and reduce harm.
- Interventions to meet emerging needs or risks and maintain engagement with the service system to address more complex issues.
Review and monitoring
- Discover the impact and effectiveness of the intended service response(s) on the person’s or family’s risks and needs with modification of the response(s) where limited effectiveness is identified.
Access and initial contact
To be read in conjunction with the Access section of The Orange Door: service model.
Purpose
People are able to access The Orange Door in ways that are safe, accessible and convenient for them. The Orange Door is accessible through an access network in the relevant area.
This includes:
- telephone and online access
- the primary premises for The Orange Door
- outreach or mobile practitioners who can engage with people where they feel comfortable
- referrals from other professionals and community organisations, including police referrals (L17s)
Requirements
The Orange Door providers:
- facilitate continuous access to The Orange Door from Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm for community members via:
- telephone, through The Orange Door area-based toll-free number provided by FSV
- email, through The Orange Door area email provided by FSV
- physical (‘walk-in’) contact through the primary premises provided by FSV
- outreach services to individuals or families where it is determined that their capability to travel is limited, where travelling would put their safety at risk and when other attempts to engage the person or family have been unsuccessful
- facilitate continuous access to The Orange Door from Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm for professionals for information, advice and to make referrals via:
- telephone, through the area-based toll-free number provided by FSV
- email, through the area based email provided by FSV
- the L17 portal for police family violence referrals only
In response to referrals from professionals that are screened as eligible for The Orange Door response, providers make more than one valid attempt to directly contact the person or family referred or confirm that an appropriate response has been provided directly to the person by another agency or professional (for example, where the person or family has a current service involvement).
Where there is a concern for the wellbeing of children and risk cannot be reliably assessed without seeing the family but there is a lack of engagement in response to The Orange Door contact, providers seek:
- information from other sources to help ascertain the risk
- to undertake a home visit to the family
In facilitating access to The Orange Door for community members, The Orange Door providers ensure that all staff follow the relevant operational policies and procedures for maintaining worker safety and managing the safety of clients and community members. This includes compliance with:
- DHHS’s critical incident management and reporting instructions.
- FSV’s operational guidelines for building access, security and emergency procedures and preventing and responding to difficult or aggressive behaviour.
- occupational health and safety legislation.
Specifically, The Orange Door providers are required to observe specific guidance regarding perpetrators’ attendance at The Orange Door and the assessment and risk management of worker safety risks, particularly when undertaking outreach or performing The Orange Door duties off site.
The Orange Door providers monitor accessibility by capturing data relevant to:
- access methods
- rates of initial contact by telephone, email and physical presentation
- variations in access, and accessibility by key client demographics
- referral sources by type (for example, self, professional, L17)
- demand and unmet demand, including:
- the number and proportion of telephone calls and emails answered/responded to
- the timeliness of responses/calls answered
- critical incidents related to access or safety within The Orange Door (see the ‘Reporting requirements’ section)
Screening, identification and triage
To be read in conjunction with the Screening, identification and triage section of The Orange Door: service model.
Purpose
A range of people contact The Orange Door, including people who need help for themselves and their family, professionals who have concerns for people they are working with, and people seeking advice on how to help their friends, family members, colleagues or members of the community. Screening, identification and triage involves determining whether:
- the enquiry is something The Orange Door can help with (screening)
- there are immediate safety issues, wellbeing issues or risks that need to be addressed and priority or urgency of the action required (triage)
Requirements
The Orange Door providers ensure:
- attempts are made to determine a person’s suitability for The Orange Door through identifying:
- current or past experience or risk of experiencing family violence
- risk factors that impact on a child’s safety, wellbeing and development
For all individuals and families who contact The Orange Door or are referred to The Orange Door:
- screening and triage are undertaken within one business day of receiving a referral or initial contact, and high-risk referrals or cases are identified for immediate response
- The Orange Door responses are prioritised on the basis of risks and needs seeking to quickly identify:
- women and children at high risk from family violence
- children at high risk of harm due to neglect
- families and children who are likely to experience greater challenges because the child or young person’s development has been affected by the experience of risk factors and/or cumulative harm or are at risk of concerns escalating and becoming involved with Child Protection if problems are not addressed
- emergency service responses are activated where there is a direct threat of injury or harm
- Child Protection is notified if there are significant wellbeing concerns for children, with all steps taken to inform adult victim-survivors to minimise risk to the family
- screening and triage activity is undertaken through applying the relevant guidance contained within the redeveloped Multi-Agency Risk assessment and Management (MARAM) framework and the ‘Best interest case practice model’
- screening and triage conform with FSV’s demand management framework for The Orange Door
- screening and triage determinations are communicated to referrers (where appropriate) and clients (for L17 referrals this is undertaken through the L17 portal)
- where appropriate, clients are referred to core or networked services.
Cohort
The Orange Door is for:
- women, children, young people and older people who have experienced, are experiencing or are at risk of family violence
- families in need of support with the care, wellbeing or development of children or where there are significant concerns for a child’s wellbeing
- perpetrators of family violence
Eligibility inclusions
Providers comply with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. The Orange Door providers deliver a service to individuals or families irrespective of:
- age (including referrals on the basis of prenatal concerns, with no upper age limit)
- relationship status (including clients who are single, partnered, married, separated or divorced)
- sexual orientation
- gender identity
- cultural or linguistic diversity
- Aboriginality
- disability
- faith community
Eligibility exclusions
Adults seeking assistance that is not related to:
- past or present family violence, or family violence has not directly contributed to the presenting issue or need, or
- the care, development or wellbeing of children, or concerns for the wellbeing of children
Also:
- Male victims of family violence who may present, be referred to, or be identified through engagement with The Orange Door.
- Victims of non-familiar sexual assault.
- Victims of other crime.
- People or families who do not live within the area (see ‘Catchment’ section below).
At a minimum, for people who are not eligible for The Orange Door services, providers must ensure they receive:
- a safe and welcoming first contact
- initial screening (to determine eligibility)
- information or support to access a relevant service, where this is identified as appropriate (for example, sexual assault services, police, Victims Support Agency, disability services or housing and homelessness services)
Catchment
Providers are required to:
- provide services for people and families who live within the DHHS area (this includes people and families who are living temporarily in the area or who demonstrate a strong connection to the area)
- undertake screening for people and families who attempt to access services from The Orange Door and do not live within the area (or have no residential location) to determine whether they have any immediate risks and needs that require an emergency or crisis response and provide, or facilitate, this response.
Service requirements for diverse populations
The Orange Door providers seek to identify clients’ Aboriginal status, cultural and linguistic preference, gender identity and any needs or adjustments required in relation to a disability to be able to effectively facilitate:
- choice to access a specialist service
- access to specific supports such as expertise or access to interpreters, advocates or specialist workers
- tailored or translated information
- screening and triage within The Orange Door that takes account of the impact of the interaction of these characteristics on the person’s or family’s experience and needs
The Orange Door providers ensure the workforce is well equipped in meeting the needs of diverse communities and providing responsive, inclusive services.
At a minimum, The Orange Door providers ensure all staff have received training in:
- cultural awareness and culturally safe practice
- healing and whole-of-family approaches
- LGBTI-inclusive language and practice
- disability awareness.
Information provision
- For all people and families who are determined to be eligible for The Orange Door services, the provider ensures the following information is provided:
- the role and function of The Orange Door, its’ purpose and what it can (and can’t) provide and any relevant obligations in using the service
- how to contact The Orange Door in future, or other relevant services including crisis, after-hours and emergency services
- how their personal information is collected, stored and shared and how their privacy is maintained
- how to provide feedback about The Orange Door
Providers monitor screening, identification and triage by capturing data regarding:
Responsiveness
- timeliness of screening determination following initial contact/referral receipt
- timeliness of communication of screening determination to referrer and/or client
Engagement
- number and characteristics of clients screened as eligible
- service use by diverse communities
Assessment and planning
To be read in conjunction with the Assessment and planning section of The Orange Door: service model.
Purpose
Providers undertake assessment and planning for clients requiring a service response. Providers are expected to prioritise risk and needs assessment for cases where there is a high risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of a person or their family member that requires timely support to prevent their situation from escalating.
Providers undertake assessment and planning to:
- assess the key risks, protective factors, strengths and needs and to identify high-level goals and preferences of individuals in the context of their family and community to determine the type, priority and urgency of response required
- identify and tailor the type of service response required, including whether a case manager is required, the type of service that should lead the response, and the tier of response, in relation to the duration and intensity required.
Requirements
The Orange Door providers:
- deliver an initial risk and needs assessment for all clients of The Orange Door who have undergone screening and triage and require an initial assessment and plan
- undertake assessment for each client individually, including children
- apply the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework for all adults and children where family violence has been identified or suspected
- assess the safety and wellbeing of children in line with the ‘Best interests case practice model’ for all cases involving children and young people, considering their safety, stability, development and culture, age and stage of life and parental capability
- undertake a risk assessment in relation to the risk posed by all perpetrators of family violence referred or identified through screening, including those who do not engage with The Orange Door.
If The Orange Door providers cannot contact the person or family in response to a child wellbeing referral, providers gather the best available information to inform the risk assessment.
Where there is a concern for the wellbeing of children and risk cannot be reliably assessed without seeing the family but there is a lack of engagement, providers seek:
- information from other sources to help ascertain the risk
- to undertake a home visit to the family
The Orange Door model provides significant opportunity for enhanced information gathering and multidisciplinary analysis to inform assessment and planning. Providers ensure that workers:
- consult with the advanced family violence practitioner in formulating the person or family’s initial assessment and plan for all clients where the risk from family violence has been assessed as high or serious threat of harm
- consult with the senior child protection practitioner in formulating the child or family’s initial assessment and plan for all children and families where there are serious concerns for the children’s safety and wellbeing
For clients who identify as Aboriginal or families where a member identifies as Aboriginal, The Orange Door providers ensure that:
- the Aboriginal practice leader and/or worker either leads, or is consulted (with client consent as appropriate), regarding the person or family’s initial assessment and plan
- clients are offered the choice to work with Aboriginal services (for relevant services where available)
Providers monitor assessment and planning by capturing data related to:
- the number and proportion of assessments by type
- responsiveness defined by the timeliness of the initial assessment and planning and the timeliness of communicating with the referrer and/or client about assessment and planning
- quality defined by the accuracy and completeness of assessments by type and processes for reviewing and updating assessments, particularly in relation to ongoing risk
Connecting people to the right services
To be read in conjunction with the Connecting people to the right services section section of The Orange Door: service model.
Purpose
The Orange Door prioritises and matches services to meet the needs of people and families as identified through screening, initial assessment and planning.
The Orange Door connects people to services by:
- delivering service responses to clients directly – immediate crisis responses, targeted interventions and brokerage
- providing the entry point for family services, family violence services and perpetrator services (‘core services’)
- linking people to any broader services and supports they require.
Requirements
The Orange Door providers:
- clearly identify lead responsibility for continued risk monitoring for each client between The Orange Door and core services
- allocate urgent or priority cases within one day and all other cases to core services within one week
- ensure allocated services have access to the assessment, plan and other relevant information for all clients allocated
- offer all Aboriginal clients service responses provided by an Aboriginal worker or Aboriginal services (for relevant services where available)
- assign responsibility for active engagement with clients/engagement and monitoring of perpetrators when access to services is unavailable or delayed
- conform with the funding guidelines for using flexible support packages or brokerage funding
- conform with FSV’s demand management framework for The Orange Door
In conjunction with area-based core services, providers contribute to local area prioritisation and demand management strategies to prioritise service responses to those most in need.
Providers monitor the connection to and delivery of services by The Orange Door by capturing data regarding:
The number and characteristics of clients:
- provided with targeted interventions, crisis responses and/or brokerage by The Orange Door
- allocated to core services
- referred to other services
Responsiveness
- the timeliness of the service response following initial assessment and planning
Review and monitoring
To be read in conjunction with the Review and monitoring section of The Orange Door: service model.
Purpose
The Orange Door has a key role in helping to ensure that services are effective and that positive outcomes for clients are maximised. The Orange Door plans for and supports people to exit The Orange Door and service system. The Orange Door helps to support monitoring of case plans and client outcomes through developing strong feedback loops with external service providers, and improved data and information systems to collect information about the status of interventions provided to clients.
Requirements
The Orange Door providers monitor risk assessment and management for all clients who receive The Orange Door service, including where the client is waiting for a service response, and take steps to review and respond to changes in risk levels.
Exit from services
The Orange Door cases are closed under the following circumstances:
- clients have been referred to, or are being managed by, core or broader services
- adult clients refuse services or indicate they no longer wish to engage with services and reasonable efforts to engage have been made
- where families refuse services or indicate they no longer wish to engage with services and reasonable efforts to engage have been made, and there are no significant concerns regarding the safety or wellbeing of children
- a client has received a service delivered from The Orange Door and does not require any other services
- clients are deceased
Providers monitor the review function by capturing data regarding:
- service use defined by the number and characteristics of clients exiting the service system and the reason for exiting and the number of repeat presentations to The Orange Door
- the timeliness of communicating case closure information to relevant referrers and services
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