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The State Commissioning Strategy for Community Services identifies Inclusive services with a focus on Aboriginal outcomes and partnerships as a key theme. A priority of the State Commissioning Strategy Implementation Plan is improving and increasing contracting with ACCOs to enable culturally safe services.  

Developing culturally safe services planned and co-designed with Aboriginal and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people will result in increased engagement in services that meet people’s needs, and improved outcomes.

The DCSP Policy defines an ACCO as an organisation that is:

• Incorporated under State or Commonwealth legislation and not for profit.  
• Controlled and operated by a majority of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.  
• Involved or connected to the community, or communities, in which it delivers the services. 
• Governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander governing body.

Agencies can refer to these sources of evidence to assist in the identification of an ACCO.  

Integrated services involve collaboration with multiple parties to provide coordinated, efficient and accessible services to achieve better outcomes for service users and the community. To ensure successful integrated service delivery, there must be an ongoing commitment to genuine collaboration and information sharing.

The Western Australian (WA) ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿  outlines the importance of planning and designing integrated and place-based services and this is identified as a priority area in the . Integrated service delivery is also outlined in the . The strategic and policy framework supporting integrated services highlights the WA ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿â€™s shift towards integrated and place-based service delivery.

Joint commissioning

Joint commissioning is an approach used to achieve integrated services by two or more government agencies working together across the commissioning cycle. Through this collaborative approach, agencies can share responsibility to achieve improved outcomes for communities and reduced administrative burden for both government and service providers.

Joint commissioning ranges from a shared policy environment, tools, and approaches to a more explicit strategic alignment to meet shared outcomes. The best approach will depend on the needs of the community, maturity of each agency’s commissioning practices, flexibility of resources and strength of interagency alignment and relationships.

Some members of the community access services across multiple government departments. Integrating service delivery can assist in reducing unnecessary overlap in services, remove organisational barriers, allow for increased resources, and encourage holistic service provision to vulnerable communities.

Formalising arrangements between commissioning agencies

For a successful integrated and place-based community service, formalised arrangements with all co-commissioners must be created. Formal arrangements can be a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other contractual instruments. The agreement must define the details of the arrangements and the lines of responsibility each commissioner holds.

(CPAs) are one procurement method agencies can use to establish integrated services. Role and responsibilities for CPAs are generally outlined through a MOU.

Key points to consider when creating formal arrangements are: 

• Who will be the contract owner?
• How will contract management responsibilities be shared?
• What are the reporting requirements for each commissioning agency?
• How will the program plan be created and who is responsible for each component?
• What is the flexibility of resources?
• Is a budget submission required and who will be responsible?
• Which agency is funding which commissioning elements?
• What is the timeframe?

For joint commissioning and collaborative arrangements to be successful, they must be grounded by enabling principles for collaboration. These include^[1]:

^[1] Supporting information and outcomes through joint commissioning PricewaterhouseCoopers and Commissioning NSW July 2020

Key Challenges to Successful Joint Commissioning 

Joint commissioning presents challenges as it requires a high level of communication and flexibility throughout the process. By understanding some of these challenges, agencies can create structures and systems that support open and consistent communication.

These challenges can include differing commissioning styles, misaligned timelines, power imbalances, lack of capacity and capability, funding arrangements, and data sharing protocols and governance^[2]. To avoid and minimise these issues, it is important to clarify and document agreed expectations regarding the distribution of responsibilities, commissioning approach, transition plan, timelines, data protocols and funding.

² Supporting information and outcomes through joint commissioning PricewaterhouseCoopers and Commissioning NSW July 2020

Where an agency has awarded multiple service agreements to a single service provider, resulting in multiple and inconsistent reporting requirements, individual service agreements between the state agency and service provider can be combined into a single contract. This single contract, known as a master agreement, will generally contain a single set of contract conditions but comprise of multiple service schedules. A master agreement allows for standardised reporting and consistency for the service provider. The mechanism for agencies to create master agreements is outlined in the DCSP Policy and is in keeping with commitment under this policy to reduce administrative burden for service providers.