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Social work role in the Participation Solutions Team (PST) 003-12080000

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This document outlines the role of social work in participation and compliance, specifically the role of the Participation Solutions Team (PST)-skilled social worker.

Social work role in PST

The social work role has 2 broad functions, providing Service Delivery and Service Delivery Support. All requests from PST-skilled Service Officers to PST-skilled social workers for consultation, assessment or intervention align with Accessing a PST-skilled social worker.

As an integral part of both the Targeted Compliance Framework and Job Seeker Compliance Framework, social work involvement is provided through Service Delivery Support and Service Delivery.

Service Delivery Support

  • Consultation
    • To support the PST-skilled Service Officer conducting a Capability Assessment, Comprehensive Compliance Assessment or investigating a failure, who identifies relevant personal circumstances and requires support to understand and assess the impact on the customer's capacity to meet their compulsory requirements. It is not appropriate for PST-skilled social workers to be consulted just for an exemption from compulsory requirements
    • To develop the PST-skilled Service Officer's skill set and knowledge in relation to assessing and understanding a customer's personal circumstances and their impact. Developing capability builds confidence to undertake future assessments, in particular to use a strengths-based approach, effective communication and questioning techniques
  • Targeted training/coaching
    • To develop the PST-skilled Service Officer's skill set and knowledge in relation to assessing and understanding a customer's personal circumstances and their impact. Training/coaching is provided, where there is capacity

Service Delivery

  • Comprehensive Compliance Assessments
  • General PST referrals
    • If the compliance action is completed and the customer needs immediate social work crisis intervention, a general referral to a social worker may be made by a PST-skilled Service Officer
  • Suicide referrals
    • If the customer presents at risk of suicide or self-harm
  • Service recovery
    • If the customer presents in crisis via the Social Work Line and in face to face channels

It is the social worker's responsibility to assess the impacts of personal circumstances on a customer's capacity and functioning, which contributes professional value to the PST-skilled Service Officer decision-making process.

In addition, PST-skilled social workers:

  • Work closely and collaboratively with PST leadership teams and other specialists to influence service delivery and promote a culture of quality decision making, drawing on professional skills, and utilising various modes of practice
  • Provide service delivery support through training and coaching to social work colleagues in the network to enhance their ability to identify, understand and assess the impact of the circumstances on a customer's capacity to comply and determining appropriate interventions
  • Use their expertise to provide feedback and inform business planning, programme design and service delivery, with particular attention to the needs of client groups experiencing or at risk of vulnerability in the participation and compliance context
  • Monitor and provide data for management information purposes
  • Participate in core stakeholder and PST Leadership meetings

Contents

Accessing a PST-skilled social worker

Recording participation and compliance interventions in the Social Work Information System (SWIS)

Completing a Comprehensive Compliance Assessment (CCA)

Services Australia's responsibilities for managing compliance with compulsory requirements