Conducting a social worker unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH) assessment 003-12030010

For a UTLAH wellbeing review, go to Table 7.

For a UTLAH social work assessment:

• conduct an interview with the customer and register the UTLAH assessment, go to Table 2
• contact the customer's parent(s), in most cases go to Table 3
• conduct an interview with an independent third party, go to Table 4
• determine the customer's eligibility for UTLAH independent status, go to Table 5
• finalise the UTLAH assessment, go to Table 6

Interviews for customers aged 15 years or under are, wherever possible, conducted face-to-face by a social worker located in the same geographical region as the young person. However, they can be conducted over the phone with customers who:

• live in regional or remote areas, or
• find it challenging to attend a service centre, for example due to unstable accommodation

Interviews for customers aged 16 and 17 years are usually conducted by phone by social workers.

Special servicing arrangements are in place to support customers from remote communities in Western Australia, Northern Australia and Northern Queensland.

Is the interview to be conducted:

• Face-to-face, go to Step 2
• By phone, go to Step 4

Did the young person attend the face-to-face interview with the social worker?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 3

If the customer is registered to receive desktop messages via SMS, send Social Work - SMS to advise customer that a social worker will be phoning them.

Attempt an outbound call to the customer on all available, appropriate phone numbers, within an hour of the interview time.

Was telephone contact with the customer successful?

• Yes, offer a new interview or if possible immediately undertake the interview by phone, go to Step 6
• No:
• finalise the appointment (if applicable), use status Did Not Attend
• send a Social Work - call back request desktop message (if applicable). Add an appropriate phone number. For example, the Centrelink Youth and Students' main business line
• create the UTLAH Assessment in progress Fast Note, ensuring Document Completion is set to No
• use Work Optimiser to hold the progress Fast Note activity to user and add a hold date
• go to Step 5

Social workers may conduct the UTLAH interview immediately if the customer is on the phone.

In most cases, a social worker will conduct the UTLAH interview by an outbound call to the customer. They should:

• send a Social Work – SMS to advise customer that a social worker will be phoning them. This is if the customer is registered to receive desktop messages via SMS. They should do this prior to the time of the scheduled appointment (if applicable)
• call the customer, on all available and appropriate phone numbers

Note: for booked phone appointments, the social worker should call the customer at the scheduled appointment time. They may make an initial attempt to phone the customer earlier than the scheduled appointment time, but not later. If the young person does not answer an early call, the social worker must also attempt to reach them at the scheduled time.

Was telephone contact with the customer successful?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No:
• finalise the appointment (if applicable) use status Did Not Attend
• send a Social Work - call back request desktop message (if applicable). Add an appropriate phone number. For example, the Centrelink Youth and Students' main business line
• create the UTLAH Assessment in progress Fast Note, ensuring Document Completion is set to No
• use Work Optimiser to hold the progress Fast Note activity to user and add a hold date 21 days from the date of the interview. If the next attempt to contact is successful, the work item will remain in the relevant social worker’s inbox for the duration of the UTLAH assessment
• go to Step 5

At a minimum, the social worker must make a second genuine attempt to contact the young person for the purposes of a UTLAH interview. The second attempt should be made:

• the next possible business day
• at a different time of the day, and
• preferably outside of school hours

If the customer is registered to receive desktop messages via SMS, send Social Work – SMS to advise customer that a social worker will be phoning them, at least 5 minutes before calling.

Attempt an outbound call to the customer on all available, appropriate phone numbers.

Was telephone contact with the customer successful?

• Yes, offer a new appointment or (preferred) immediately undertake the interview by phone, go to Step 6
• No, a UTLAH decision is required
• Even though the customer did not attend the social work interview the social worker must make a UTLAH decision because the young person advised of a change in circumstances that may meet UTLAH criteria for independent status.
• In these cases, the social worker will reject UTLAH independent status, due to insufficient information available to determine it is unreasonable for the young person to live at home.
• See Table 6.

• Social workers will have a discussion with the young person about their current circumstances, family situation and background, including:
• why they are unable to live at home with their parent(s)
• their safety and any risk of harm to the customer or others, such as siblings. See Social worker's role regarding Youth Protective Assessments
• existing supports and support needs
• options for mediation/reconciliation with parent(s), if appropriate. In some situations a referral to Reconnect may be appropriate
• if they are receiving continuous support from a parent/guardian
• if they are in state care

Note: if the young person advises they were affected by family and domestic violence (FDV) in the home they have left, invite them to submit a claim for Crisis Payment for extreme circumstances family and domestic violence, as appropriate. Any related claim for Crisis Payment (FDV) should also be assessed by the social worker assessing UTLAH eligibility.

Is the customer in state care?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, and they are claiming
• Special Benefit (SpB), go to Step 8
• another payment, go to Step 12

Social workers may identify that a customer referred for a UTLAH assessment is actually in the care of a state or territory government. For customers in these circumstances claiming, or in receipt of:

• YA or DSP and not living with a parent,
• state care independence applies and a UTLAH assessment is not required
• complete a wellbeing check with the young person and respond to any safety or support needs
• explain written evidence is required to confirm that the State or Territory welfare authority is providing support and the nature of that support. Consider the young person’s capacity to obtain this evidence and offer assistance, if needed
• make an offer of social casework, if appropriate
• to finalise the UTLAH assessment go to Table 6
• ABSTUDY, there is no state care independence category. The customer may be considered independent under UTLAH provisions, go to Step 12
• Special Benefit (SpB), social workers should determine the adequacy of the state support being provided, go to Step 9

For customers aged 15 years and under claiming SpB, the UTLAH assessment includes additional considerations. Social workers should discuss these during the interview with the young person.

Customers will not qualify for SpB if they are a dependent child of a suitable adult or if they are in state care and the state support is adequate. This is because they can receive sufficient ongoing support from another source.

Social workers should provide a recommendation about whether:

• the customer is a dependent child of a suitable adult who provides care and will continue doing so, or
• an Approved Care Organisation can claim Family Tax Benefit (FTB)

Refer to Guardian in UTLAH assessments on the Background page to assist in making this assessment.

Each customer’s situation should be considered on its merits and third parties cannot be compelled to claim FTB on behalf of a young person. The important factor for Special Benefit eligibility is the nature and intent of the support provided to the young person, not qualification for FTB in isolation.

Social workers should also provide a recommendation about the adequacy of any state support. This is determined through a Youth Protective Assessment referral. For customers aged:

• 14 years or under and not in state care, establish the state/territory’s intention to provide adequate support to the young person
• 15 years or under and in state care, determine the adequacy of the support provided by the state, if the young person indicates the support is insufficient

Is the customer aged 14 years or under or aged 15 years, in state care and indicating that the state support is inadequate?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, the customer is aged 15 years, in state care, and advises the state care is adequate, go to Step 10
• No, the customer is aged 15 years, not in state care and:
• considered to be at risk of abuse, serious harm or violence, go to Step 9
• not considered to be at risk of abuse, serious harm or violence, go to Step 12

Start a Youth Protective Assessment referral to determine if the relevant state or territory intends to provide support to the young person and/or the customer is receiving adequate or sufficient support.

Note: adequate support is taken to be the provision of food, shelter, clothing and utilities that are sufficient to meet the needs of the young person. The delegate should use their discretion in deciding if the support is adequate, considering the individual circumstances of the young person. The social worker should help the customer pursue a review of the support they believe is inadequate.

The State or Territory welfare authority should respond within a reasonable timeframe.

If they do not, proceed as if the customer is receiving inadequate state care.

A customer is generally not eligible for SpB if they:

• are under the guardianship, care or custody of a State or Territory authority, and
• refuse an offer of adequate care

This is because an alternative form of support is available.

Is the social worker satisfied that the relevant welfare authority is providing or has offered the customer an adequate level of care?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, go to Step 11

Record the details of the level of care in a DOC on the customer’s record.

Social workers must also:

• determine if the customer needs additional support and offer a social casework referral if appropriate
• complete a General social work report in SWIS with a clear recommendation as to payment eligibility

Note: SpB should only be granted if a state/territory welfare department is not providing adequate support, or the young person needs to contribute to this support.

To finalise the UTLAH assessment go to Table 6.

Is the customer legally under the guardianship, care or custody of a state/territory welfare department, including foster care?

Yes social workers should:

• Record the details of the level of care in a DOC on the customer’s record
• Include the level of support the young person receives in the DOC, to assist processing staff to identify the correct rate of payment:
• Receiving adequate support. SpB will not be recommended as the young person has a means of support
• Receiving support but the support is either inadequate or the young person is financially contributing to this support. In these cases, the young person will receive a rate of payment equivalent to Aged under 18, at home YA rate
• Not receiving any support. In these cases, the young person will receive a rate of payment equivalent to Aged under 18, away from home rate of YA
• Respond to any immediate safety concerns for the young person and offer them a social casework referral, if appropriate
• Complete a General social work report in SWIS. Include details of the state care provided and a recommendation as to Special Benefit payment eligibility.
• Finalise the UTLAH assessment, go to Table 6

No, proceed with a UTLAH assessment, go to Step 12

Continue the interview with the young person. Make sure to discuss the following issues:

This should include:

• the connection between the UTLAH assessment and their current payment, or claim for a payment. This includes checking a claim is submitted and reminding the customer to lodge requested documents
• privacy and confidentiality provisions and Freedom of Information (FOI) procedures
• the requirement that the social worker attempt to contact the customer's parent(s), to seek their input, unless parental contact would pose a risk to the young person or others

Note: if parent details and consent to contact parents was not provided by the young person via their payment claim and they provide details and/or consent during the interview, the social worker must clearly document this information on the customer's record.

• the requirement that the young person nominate an independent third party the social worker can contact, for their input and verification of the circumstances
• how long the assessment is expected to take (approximately)
• how the young person can get in contact with the assessing social worker whilst the assessment is in progress
• the young person's review and appeal rights

This should include:

• their accommodation arrangements, appropriateness and stability
• how they are managing interactions with the agency and if they need assistance learning to use online services or to set up a MyGov account
• whether they have a tax file number and their own bank account
• potential or current nominee (correspondence and/or payment) or Person Permitted to Enquire (PPE) arrangements
• the option of weekly payments
• their existing formal and informal supports and ways for the young person to maintain links with other relatives and their support network
• whether they are engaged in education or training
• what the young person's priorities are and whether they identify needing help with anything
• explore opportunities for social casework

This should include:

• the need for the customer to provide requested information, such as identification, tax file number and bank account details, to support any accompanying payment claim
• any ongoing Services Australia requirements, including if applicable:
• advising the agency of any change to their circumstances, such as returning home or change to study load
• mutual obligations
• compulsory reviews, particularly Special Benefit 13 week reviews
• for customers claiming Special Benefit, the need to submit a claim for another payment within the 13 weeks before turning 16 years.

Note: if there are concerns a young person does not have the capacity to manage their affairs without support, a correspondence nominee and/or payment nominee appointment may be required. If a customer in these circumstances does not wish to have a nominee appointed, or where a suitable nominee cannot be identified, it may be appropriate for the social worker to make a recommendation about the agency appointing a nominee. Such recommendations should always be made in consultation with a Social Work Support Manager and Level 2 Policy Help Desk.

After completing a UTLAH interview and on the same day:

• if applicable, finalise the appointment
• create or update the UTLAH Assessment in progress Fast Note, ensuring Document Completion is set to No
• use Work Optimiser to hold the progress Fast Note activity to user and add a hold date 21 days from the date of the interview
• send the Q465 letter(s) if parental contact is safe and needed. Refer to Table 2

Notes:

• Notes should be added regularly to the document (DOC) the progress Fast Note creates, as the UTLAH assessment progresses. Staff should be careful not to complete the DOC until the assessment has been finalised. Do not record any sensitive information in a DOC
• Occasionally a UTLAH assessment will take longer than 21 days. In these cases, the assessing social worker should update the hold date as it nears expiry. This will ensure the work item remains in their inbox

Staff should record the UTLAH assessment referral in SWIS. Create a new social work UTLAH report in Process Direct > Social Work Recording Application (SWRA).

After creating the referral in SWRA, the interview with the young person and future contacts are added to SWIS manually via Customer First.

See Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) assessment recording in the SWRA in Process Direct.

See Step 1 in Table 3.

Note: in cases where there is any concern parental contact may pose a risk to the young person or others, do not attempt contact, even if the young person has given consent, without considering the next step.

Has the customer provided consent to contact their parent(s)?

• Yes, and there are no concerns parental contact may pose a risk to the young person, go to Step 3
• No, or there are risk concerns, or the social worker is unsure if parental contact is needed, go to Step 2

Contact with both parents is needed in all cases unless:

• the young person refuses permission
• there are verified circumstances of family and domestic violence, neglect or abuse
• this includes all elements of family and domestic violence, including homophobia and transphobia
• contact with the parent presents a severe risk to the young person or others, such as siblings, or
• it has been verified that there has been no parental concern for 2 years or more
• the parent is deceased
• the parents are living together, one parent is contacted and the other parent is satisfied their input has been represented
• the parent does not respond to 2 Q465 letters
• the young person is in State Care

Consultation with an EL2 Social Work Manager must occur on all occasions where a young person's parent(s) are not contacted because of:

• the young person refusing permission
• verified circumstances of family and domestic violence, neglect or abuse being obtained
• the young person indicating contact with the parent(s) presents a severe risk to them or others, including siblings

The serious risk consultation must be documented in the UTLAH report in the Social Work Information System (SWIS) and relevant contacts added to the existing SWIS referral.

If serious risk circumstances are unable to be established and the EL2 Social Work Manager does not approve proceeding with the UTLAH assessment without parental contact, the social worker should reject UTLAH independent status.

Can the UTLAH assessment proceed without parental contact?

• Yes, see Table 4
• No, finalise the UTLAH assessment. See Step 1 in Table 6

Make initial contact with the parent(s) by telephone. Make at least 2 genuine attempts to reach the parent(s).

Social workers are permitted to access the record(s) of the young person's parent(s) only for the purpose of contacting a parent to assess UTLAH. This includes obtaining contact information and sending a Social Work - SMS to advise customer that a social worker will be phoning them.

Offer the parent(s) the following options:

• telephone interview
• providing written information to the social worker

Are the parent(s) able to be interviewed?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 4

Where the parent(s) cannot be contacted by telephone or prefer to provide written information, issue a Q465 letter, requesting the parent(s) contact the social worker.

Note: it is best practice to send the Q465 letter(s) as soon as possible, preferably on the same day as the interview with the young person, even if the social worker has not yet attempted to reach the parent(s) by phone. This will help prevent unreasonable delay in finalising the UTLAH decision.

If the parents reside together, address the Q465 to both parents. This gives both parents the opportunity to provide information about the family situation.

Document on the customer's record that the Q465 has been sent to the parent(s), the date on which it was sent and the date the parent will be considered to have received the letter.

If the parent(s) do not make contact within 7 days of receiving the letter, issue another Q465.

Note: the 7 days should start from the date the parent can be considered to have received the letter, taking into consideration the delivery standards for Centrelink and Australia Post. See the Resources page of Letters and customer advices for the delivery standards for Centrelink letters and forms.

Have the parent(s) returned the Q465 or made contact within 7 days of having received the most recent letter?

• Yes:
• Q465 has been returned, see Table 4
• parent(s) have made contact, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 5

If the parent(s) do not respond to the second letter within 14 days of the date the first letter was reasonably received, the UTLAH assessment may be completed without parental contact.

Record details of all attempts in the Social Work Information System (SWIS) report.

If contact with parents is eventually made, the young person's UTLAH status must be reassessed, taking into account the views of the parent(s).

See Table 4.

Discuss the following issues with the parent(s) during the interview:

• the process for assessing the young person's eligibility for UTLAH independent status, review procedures, privacy requirements and FOI procedures
• provide any information the young person has agreed can be released to them
• their willingness to allow the young person to return home and conditions applicable
• their perspective of the reasons the young person left home
• the information they provide about the family situation may need to be explored with the young person before a decision is made
• previous attempts to resolve family conflict through use of professional or community support services
• the scope for referral to mediation/counselling services, including Reconnect if appropriate
• the requirement for third party verification from independent persons
• verify the date the young person left the parental home and clarify the issue of continuous support
• advise that they can provide more details about the family situation at any stage and that this would be considered for the young person's continuing entitlement

A SWIS contact should be recorded for each interview conducted with the parent(s).

See Table 4.

Verification from an independent third party for assessment of UTLAH is needed in order to conduct a holistic assessment of the young person's circumstances. However, the assessment may be completed without a third party, after consultation with a Social Work Manager if:

• the young person and their parent(s) are unable to nominate an independent third party and
• the social worker considers that there is enough evidence, that it is unreasonable for the young person to live at home

Make contact with the third party by phone. Make at least 2 genuine attempts to reach all third parties offered by the young person.

Is the third party able to be interviewed?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 2

Advise the young person their nominated third party has not been contactable. Give them the opportunity to:

• nominate an alternative third party, or
• contact the original third party themselves, to remind them to answer calls from a private number

Staff should attempt to make contact with the new or original third party by phone. Make at least 2 genuine attempts to reach all third parties offered by the young person.

Is the third party able to be interviewed?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No,
• but the social worker considers that there is enough evidence from the young person and their parent(s). Consult a Social Work Manager, then see Table 5, or
• and there is not enough information to determine if it is unreasonable for the young person to live at home. UTLAH independent status is to be rejected, see Table 6

Explain to the independent third party that:

• the young person and/or the parent(s) have given permission for the contact, and
• any information they provide may be released to the young person

Discuss the following issues with the third party during the interview:

• their perspective of the reasons the young person left home
• if known to them, previous attempts to resolve family conflict through use of professional or community support services
• if they consider there is scope for referral to mediation/counselling services
• if known to them, verify the date the young person left the parental home and clarify the issue of continuous support

Document any information provided by the third party. Written or verbal statements should have:

• the name, address and telephone number of the party
• their position and organisation (if applicable)
• the basis and length of their relationship with the young person, and
• information about whether they have had contact with parents, siblings or other family members of the young person

Note: if a referral for a Youth Protective Assessment is made to a State/Territory Welfare Authority, evidence provided from the State/Territory Welfare Authority can serve as third party verification and other independent third parties may not be needed.

Record details of contact with each independent third party in the Social Work Information System (SWIS) report and a SWIS contact for each interview conducted.

See Table 5.

Using the information provided during the assessment process, decide if the customer's circumstances meet unreasonable to live at home independence criteria:

• The young person is unable to live in the home of a parent because:
• of extreme family breakdown or other similar exceptional circumstances, or
• living at home would cause a serious risk to the customer's physical or mental well-being due to family and domestic violence, sexual abuse or other similar unreasonable circumstances, or
• the parents are not able to provide a suitable home for the customer due to a lack of stable accommodation, or
• there is no parental concern for two years or more from one or both parents, and
• they are not received:
• continuous financial or other support, directly or indirectly, from their parent(s) or guardian(s), or
• any other payment in the nature of income support from a commonwealth, state or territory government

Note: make sure the UTLAH assessment supports an intervention in line with the Social Work Practice Standards focus areas of:

• safety and wellbeing
• financial support
• education and employment
• strengthening communities

In situations where parents are separated, there may be other considerations.

Have the parents separated?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, see Table 6

Establish the parties involved. If parents are separated, the circumstances about each of the 2 parents must be assessed. Parents are referred to as:

• Parent 1 - the parent the customer normally lives with, or most recently lived with. Review the circumstances of parent 1 first, go to Step 3
• Parent 2 - the other parent. After reviewing parent 1, go to Step 4

Has the assessment found that it is unreasonable for the young person to live at the home of parent 1, because of extreme family breakdown, serious risk, the parent is not able to provide a suitable home or there has been no parental concern for two years or more?

• Yes, review the circumstances about parent 2, go to Step 4
• No, UTLAH criteria is not met and the young person is not eligible for UTLAH independent status. See Table 6

Has the assessment found that it is unreasonable for the young person to live at the home of parent 2 because of extreme family breakdown, serious risk, the parent is not able to provide a suitable home or there has been no parental concern for two years or more?

• Yes, UTLAH criteria is met and the customer is eligible for UTLAH independence status. See Table 6
• No, go to Step 5

In exceptional circumstances, it may be considered unreasonable for the young person to live with parent 2, though extreme family breakdown, serious risk or lack of a suitable home has not been established.

Such exceptional circumstances may include situations where parent 2 does not meet the definition of a parent for the purposes of the parental income test (PIT), and either:

• it has been verified that there has been no parental concern for the young person for at least the past 2 years, or
• the young person qualifies for the away from home rate of payment based on the home circumstances of parent 2. That is, there is an approved reason for living away from home

In such exceptional circumstances, the young person meets UTLAH provisions. Go to Step 6.

For DSP customers, see Assessing payment rates and independence for DSP under 21 years.

For YA and SpB customers, has the assessment found that circumstances about Parent 2 meet an approved reason for living away from home?

• Yes, UTLAH criteria is met and the customer is eligible for UTLAH independent status
• No, UTLAH criteria is not met and the young person is not eligible for UTLAH independent status

Finalise the UTLAH assessment, see Table 6.

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer before finalising the decision.

When making a favourable decision:

• advise the customer UTLAH independent status has been granted
• if the young person is not already in receipt of payment, explain the outcome of their payment claim is still to be determined
• check the young person's payment destination details, particularly if, before the UTLAH independent status grant, the young person was in receipt of payments that were received by a parent
• remind the young person of any obligations such as advising the agency of any change to their circumstances, mutual obligations, outstanding requested documents and/or reviews
• if the young person will be subject to Special Benefit 13 weekly reviews, undertake a digital conversation to:
• ensure the customer has a MyGov account with Centrelink linked and is able to locate 'My Tasks' where 13 week reviews will appear
  Note: customers can alternatively opt for paper-based reviews; however, this method is reliant on the postal system and the young person keeping their address up to date. It is often unsuccessful
• check they are registered for online letters and electronic messaging, to enable them to receive a push notification 21 days before the review due date
• offer them a digital coaching appointment at their closest service centre, if they require more assistance with online services, refer to Booking appointments in the Centrelink Appointment System
• tell them their payments may automatically cancel if the review is not completed and returned every 13 weeks, until they turn 16 and transfer to another payment
• invite them to contact the agency if they need assistance with the review, preferably before the review due date. If cancelled, payments can be restored if they make contact to complete the review within 13 weeks
• tell them their Special Benefit payment will cancel soon after they turn 16 years. Advise them to submit an early claim for Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY or Disability Support Pension, in the 13 weeks before they turn 16. Offer assistance with this if the young person needs help
• consider offering social casework again, if appropriate and previously declined
• go to Step 2

When making an unfavourable decision:

• explain the decision
• give the young person a chance to provide more details or evidence relevant to the decision
• advise them of their review and appeal rights, and run the Internal Review/Explanation script if needed
• discuss any barriers to the young person obtaining parental income details for a dependent rate of payment, if applicable
• consider:
• recommending the away from home rate of Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY, if applicable
• offering social casework again, if appropriate and previously declined
• go to Step 2

For UTLAH rejections due to insufficient information, because the customer did not attend an interview, go to Step 3

For all other decisions complete the following:

• make sure all confidential material is stored appropriately
• record all information in the SWIS report:
• check all procedures have been followed correctly and there is sufficient verification to support the UTLAH eligibility decision
• clearly outline the reason for granting or rejecting independent status based on UTLAH criteria
• if required, input a date in the Follow-up field to initiate a future UTLAH wellbeing review, otherwise leave the field blank
• determine any need for immediate follow-up with the customer, for example:
• a reminder to lodge outstanding requested documents that may prevent payment claim finalisation, such as identity documents, tax file number or bank account details
• referrals to appropriate services
• a referral for social casework for more intensive support
• go to Step 5

The social worker will reject UTLAH independent status due to insufficient information if:

• the customer has not attended their UTLAH interview, and
• they have made at least 2 unsuccessful contact attempts to the customer (over more than one day, and at different times of the day)

For these cases, the:

• rejection reason will be Failed to attend interview (RFA)
• social worker is not required to complete a UTLAH report
• social worker must create the relevant UTLAH grant/reject Fast Note

Go to Step 4.

Social workers should record the delegated decision to reject UTLAH (HOM-RFA) in SWIS, without producing a UTLAH Report.

To record the decision:

• manually create a new SWIS referral in Customer First (not Process Direct > SWRA for these cases)
• select Delegated UTLAH Assessments as one of the Referral Issues
• create a File/Paper Assessment contact
• select Delegation Assessment from the Entitlement Decision drop-down
• select Eligibility Assessment Undertaken from the Social Work Intervention options
• select Assessment Completed from the Outcome of Intervention options
• select Continue
• select Yes when the dialogue box pops up, warning that a report will be created

After recording the decision, the social worker should cause the report to fail to register, to do this:

• go to the bottom of the Social Work Assessment Report
• select Cancel

Go to Step 5.

Create the relevant UTLAH grant/reject Fast Note, ensuring Document Completion is set to No. The open Fast Note will automatically transfer to the correct processing team once completed. For:

• Youth Allowance Student, use UTLAH STUDENT GRANT/REJECT Fast Note
• Youth Allowance Job seeker, use UTLAH JOBSEEKER GRANT/REJECT Fast Note
• Tertiary Access Payment, use the UTLAH TAP GRANT/REJECT Fast Note
• Disability Support Pension (DSP), use UTLAH DSP GRANT/REJECT Fast Note
• ABSTUDY, use UTLAH ABSTUDY GRANT/REJECT Fast Note
• Special Benefit (SpB), use SW recommendation - SpB Under 16 Fast Note

Note: social workers should not create other Fast Notes, DOCs or edit other open DOCs (such as the UTLAH Assessment Progress DOC) to request a UTLAH outcome to be actioned. This will lead to delays for the young person.

For more detail on creating these Fast Notes using the Auto text function, see Table 4 on the Process page of Assessing unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH) for customers claiming or receiving Youth Allowance (YA), Disability Support Pension (DSP), Special Benefit (SpB) or Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)

Go to Step 6.

If the UTLAH decision is to:

• Reject:
• Make sure a request to issue a Q168 letter is included in the relevant Fast Note for the Service Officer processing the claim and/or coding the NIH screen
• Go to Step 7
• Grant:
• Make sure a request to issues a Q170 letter is included in the relevant Fast Note for the Service Officer processing the claim or rate change
• If the customer's UTLAH start date is not the same as the grant date of the payment, the Service Officer processing the claim needs to manually issue a Q170 letter. Note: this in the Fast Note so the Service Officer can follow it up
• Go to Step 7

Update and complete the UTLAH Assessment in progress DOC.

Check the following to make sure there are no open activities or unfinalised social work referrals:

• Customer First > Activity List (AL)
• Customer First > CRN/BP > Activities
• Work Optimiser > Worklist

Procedure ends here.

Make at least two genuine attempts to contact the young person by phone for a wellbeing review.

If the customer is registered to receive desktop messages via SMS, send Social Work - SMS to advise customer that a social worker will be phoning them, before making the call attempts.

Was telephone contact with the customer successful?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 2

If contact attempts are unsuccessful, send a review letter (Q205):

• allow 7 days, from the date they can be considered to have received the letter, for the young person to respond
• see the Resources page of Letters and customer advices for the delivery standards for Centrelink letters and forms
• hold the review activity for the relevant period of time

Has the customer responded to the letter?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, do a file review, go to Step 4

Complete the wellbeing review interview with the young person and:

• make appropriate support service referrals
• write a brief General report in SWIS
• finalise the review activity on the Activity List (AL) screen
• procedure ends here

A UTLAH wellbeing file assessment should include review of the following:

• UTLAH Report in SWIS for vulnerability information and why the review was initiated
• If payment is current and correct
• Correct coding of the Independent/Homeless/Away from Home Details (NIH) screen
• Any changes to Homelessness Indicator, address or accommodation details and if they are receiving Rent Assistance
• Crisis Payment claims or Urgent Payment requests made since the UTLAH assessment
• If any debts have been raised, debt investigations are in progress or withholdings are in place
• Any other recent contact on the Document list (DL) screen
• If the customer is a job seeker, check for indications of how the young person is managing with mutual obligations, this includes:
• circumstances impacting compliance updates
• mutual obligations exemptions granted
• appropriateness of the employment assistance the customer has been connected to. For example, Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider rather than Workforce Australia Online
• appropriateness of the young person's Job Plan
• recent Job Seeker Snapshots or Employment Services Assessments
• attendance history in Online Diary
• participation compliance action, for example a Capability Assessment

Does the file review indicate recent vulnerability or concerns not previously identified?

• Yes, do not suspend payments, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

Create a Display on Access (DOA) DOC on the customer's record:

• record the contact attempts
• advise that the young person should be referred to social work when they next contact the agency
• go to Step 6

• Write a brief General report in SWIS. Indicate the review was conducted as a file assessment due to 'no response via phone or letter' and include a brief summary of the file review
• Finalise the review activity on the Activity List (AL) screen
• Procedure ends here