Victorians access important social services every day. The children, young people, families and adults who use these services are often vulnerable to abuse or exploitation. Many live with the impact of trauma and are dealing with complex circumstances. This can lead to an imbalance of power which, if not acknowledged and managed well, can place service users at risk of harms such as abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The department is replacing the existing set of disjointed schemes with one single, streamlined regulatory framework that will be administered by a new Regulator that reports directly to the Minister. This will create a separation from the functions of system stewardship, policy design, funding and contract management. The new framework will better support safe service delivery whilst reducing administrative burden.

New Social Services Standards will form the foundation of the new regulatory framework, replacing the current Human Services Standards. These will also replace the Supported Residential Services sector’s Accommodation and Personal Support Standards. They set out outcome-based requirements that focus on ensuring safe service delivery and protecting the human rights of service users. They were designed through extensive consultation with people who had accessed support from a range of social services. While they cover similar areas to the current standards, their strong connection to specific outcomes will provide clarity to regulated entities about what is required for compliance. They are designed to target key risks to service users and be capable of enforcement.

The purpose of this paper is for the department to introduce the reforms and provide a baseline level of information about them: what they do and don’t involve, implementation timeframes and consultation opportunities. It is designed to support stakeholders to participate in more targeted discussions over the coming months on an informed basis.