Information for families and caregivers

What are High and Complex Needs?

High and complex needs are needs that are unable to be addressed by local government agencies because:

• there is an intensity and complexity of need in two or more government agencies that cannot be sustained locally
• there is a lack of specialist service locally to meet the need.

The government agencies are Ministry of Education usually Special Education, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and disability needs assessment service coordination organisations, and Child, Youth and Family Services.

The HCN Unit supports collaboration between government agencies and allocates funding for plans for individuals with high and complex needs.

Am I able to access HCN funding?

HCN funding can only be accessed by the government agencies listed above. You should talk to your child's worker about whether they believe HCN funding might be appropriate.

Local government agency managers (the Interagency Management Group) meet regularly to consider presentations from their staff and how they can work together to meet the needs. It is this group who needs to agree that an application for HCN funding is made if the needs cannot be addressed locally. Children and young people who receive HCN funding will usually have been supported by at least two government agencies for at least one year before they are able to ascertain that usual services cannot meet the identified needs.

What does HCN funding pay for?

HCN funding provides intensive interventions over and above what government agencies can provide as recommended by the interagency team to help make lasting changes for the child/young person.

HCN funding is not available for:

• the purcahse of capital items (such as computers, trampolines)
• costs that a family would usually pay for (such as child minding costs, cleaning, outings)
• decorating or building work
• services that are available from the usual government agencies.

How long does the process take?

Once the Interagency Management Group agrees that an application can be made the application process takes four to six weeks.

If the HCN Application Panel agrees that the child/young person meets criteria for HCN funding, the team will work together to develop an interagency plan. This process takes eight to ten weeks. Families/Caregivers will be invited to contribute to some of these meetings.

Funding is available to support the plan from the first of the month following the HCN Unit approving the plan.

What does an interagency plan with HCN funding involve?

Interagency plans are intensive and bring a lot of people into your life and your child's life.

Usually, there will be the people that you already know from the agencies, as well as a specialist advisor to the team (Clinical Advisor) and new people to work with you and your child. There are likely to be a number of supports offered to help you and your child, such as respite care, mentor time and/or specialist therapeutic interventions.

Teams involved in interagency plans meet regularly, and you will be invited to some, but not all, of their meetings.

What do I need to do?

If you agree to an HCN application being made for your child, you will need to sign the consent form for your child's situation to be discussed by the Interagency Management Group, in the application and, later, in the interagency plan.

To help the team with planning, the services coordinator will give you a booklet to complete about your child and your family. It is important that you complete this booklet as openly as possible, as your views, experience and knowledge are important to the team.