Reviews and seeking further funding

The third review is the time to identify if funding needs to continue for another 12 months or for a three or six month transition plan.

To agree a further period of funding, the Plan Approval Panel needs evidence that:

• the plan direction is successful the young person continues to have needs that cannot be met by local services
• there is potential for significant change
• the intensity of interventions will reduce over time.

The need for further funding should be discussed by the Interagency Management Group. If necessary, direction should be given regarding whether:

• a further 12 months of funding is necessary, if significant interventions continue to be indicated
• a three- to six-month transition plan is needed, if local services can meet the need after this time.

Longer duration of HCN funding requires evidence at different levels of interagency agreement, as outlined below:

• A second year of funding: team, lead agency manager and Plan Approval Panel
• A third year of funding: team, lead agency manager, Plan Approval Panel and Interagency Management Group
• A fourth year of funding: reapplication, supported by team, lead agency manager, Interagency Management Group and Application Panel.

Plans should be developed and submitted during the fourth quarter of the plan cycle to ensure continuity of funding.

Every three months the team formally reviews the client's progress against the goals set using the measures and scales developed by the team when the plan was approved.

The review process is much easier if you have been collecting data as the plan has been implemented.

If a young person has received three years of HCN funding, or if they have previously had HCN funding and now a further plan is indicated, then a reapplication is required.

When considering a reapplication, the Application Panel needs to agree:

• there is a continued complexity of need across two government agencies
• local services are unable to meet the need.

In addition, they look for:

• understanding and analysis of why previous interventions have not created lasting changes
• what would be different with a further plan
• the likelihood of lasting change for the child or young person as a result of a further plan.

The final review form should be completed when HCN funding ceases. It is designed to assist the whole team to reflect on the progress that has occurred as a result of the interagency plan(s).

The final review is an opportunity for the whole team, as well as the lead agency manager, to look back on the goals set at the beginning of HCN funding and reflect on the progress that has occurred, which interventions have been most effective and to identify anything that could have been done differently.

Contributions from the Interagency Management Group, the family / caregivers and the young person help the HCN Unit reflect on its processes and identify resources that could be changed or developed to better support Interagency Management Groups, practitioners, teams and services coordinators.

The information provided is also used by the HCN Unit to identify what contributes to successful interventions, successful collaboration and assisting teams to overcoming barriers.