Integrated care – Complex care 277-03060050

Complex Care Service Officers in Integrated Care manage:

• all disputed care determinations for Child Support and Centrelink, and
• special circumstances considerations for Left Care without Consent determinations for Centrelink

To refer a customer to the Integrated Care Team:

• Child Support staff, see Customer Referral Guidelines (CRG) – Child Support
• Centrelink staff, see Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB)

Service Officers in Integrated Care, work in both the Centrelink and Child Support programs. The following customer management processes apply:

• Child Support’s Customer Management Approach (CMA). Staff undertake Minimum Collection Activity and common activities until the care decision is made. See Common and specialised activities for Child Support staff
• In scope Centrelink Business Imperatives on the Resources page

Work initiated by:

• Centrelink is allocated using the 'Ready for Work' option in Process Direct/Customer First
• Child Support is managed via intray allocation

Note: always add the DISPUTED keyword to any work item, Fast Note or workflow before actioning.

Complex Care Service Officers in Integrated Care implement ART 1 and 2 care decisions for Child Support in both Child Support and Centrelink systems when the Child Support Registrar is the respondent.

The Appeals Support Team manage all other ART decision outcomes.

Customers can ask ART for a review of a Child Support Objection or Centrelink ARO care decision.

From 1 July 2010 (3 March 2011 for WA ex-Nuptial cases) there are no time restrictions on ART1 appeals related to care decisions.

If the appeal was lodged late the date of effect of the ART decision for child support will be the date the appeal was lodged.

If there were special circumstances that prevented the customer from lodging their application within time, the tribunal may consider the appeal was lodged on time.

The customer can also ask for an ART second review (ART2) of:

• an ART1 decision of a care percentage decision and/or
• Date of effect of an ART1 care decision

ART2 appeals must be lodged within 28 days of notification of the ART1 decision. There are extension of time provisions to ART2 appeals.

During an ART2 review of a care percentage decision the tribunal can also:

• Stay the objection decision under appeal
• Stay an ART1 decision

If the ART stays:

• an objection decision, the Objection decision is removed, and the original decision applies
• the ART1 decision, the ART1 decision is removed, and the objection decision applies

• International cases where the Child Support Assessment Act 1989 does not apply
• Personalised Services, other than disputed care determinations
• Deceased Customers/Child
• New Child Support registrations, other than disputed care determinations
• Income Support new claims (NCL) and Benefit Transfers
• Double Orphan Pension (DOP), Dad and Partner Pay (DAP) and Parental Leave Pay (PPL) claims
• FTB newborn claims (with Newborn Child Declaration FA081)
• Child Care Subsidy new claims
• Foster Care and Health Care Cards
• Other specialist work. For example, Member of a Couple Assessments (MOCA) in Centrelink and Change of Assessment (COA) in Child Support

Integrated Care

• Make and give effect to actual, disagreed and disputed care determinations
• Manage all Disagreed Care changes and Complex Care activities generated across Services Australia
• Make evidence-based care decisions and support customers to understand impacts of care changes on Child Support assessments, Family Tax Benefit (FTB), Child Care Subsidy and Income Support Payments
• Finalise all in-scope Child Support and Centrelink activities across multiple systems including Cuba, Customer First, Process Direct and Work Optimiser
• Receive work via:
• pull allocation from Work Optimiser - Smart Centre WLM Principles support consistent work practices and identification of priorities
• Intray allocation from Cuba – Child Support CMA approach applies consistent with specialised areas exemptions
• Manage urgent activities and customer escalations for families in crisis including Ministerial, Ombudsman, Complaints and Social Worker referrals
• Manage Secretary Initiated Reviews
• Manage Quality On Line (QOL) and Quality Management Application (QMA) activities to make sure Centrelink payment are correct
• Apply Child Support Customer Management Approach (CMA) process, Centrelink Business imperatives and Quality Standards in Service Delivery

Complex Care Service Officers

Complex Care Service Officers in the Integrated Care Smart Centre manage disputed care referrals and complex care determinations across Child Support and Centrelink Programs. In addition to general Integrated Care responsibilities, they:

• make and give effect to Disputed Care determinations
• check and review Disputed Care referrals and consider if Actual Care in Special Circumstances (ACSC) applies
• check and review special circumstances referrals from Centrelink for Child out of care without consent
• implement Administrative Review Tribunal (ART1 and ART 2) care decisions for Child Support
• implement Authorised Review Officer (ARO) Review of Decisions where:
• Integrated Care was the original decision maker
• Centrelink has escalated the case for urgent implementation, or
• a request is received by Integrated Care Service Delivery Support Team for support to manage a review outcome in a holistic, integrated manner