On this page
Units in this group
Group head
Mr Brent Diverty
What we do
The Continuing and Specialised Care Group develops, maintains and analyses national data to support monitoring and reporting on:
- the health and welfare of specific subpopulations, including children and youth, older Australians and persons living with disability
- the use of services in the health and welfare sectors, including hospital- and community-based services focused on mental health, alcohol and drug treatment, palliative care, child protection, juvenile justice and disability services.
In addition, the group carries the primary responsibility for producing biennial editions of the publication Australia's welfare.
Major achievements
During 2011–12, major achievements of the group were:
- launching the online report Mental health services in Australia, a comprehensive picture of mental health services and resources provided by governments, which is updated with new data as they become available
- supporting the National Mental Health Commission in the production of their inaugural National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- gaining confirmation of the establishment of a centralised Aged Care Data Clearinghouse with in the AIHW, as part of the Australian Government's Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package
- being confirmed as the service provider for the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey
- delivering policy-relevant analyses and providing technical expertise in support of the National Disability Agreement, and the broader National Disability Strategy 2010–2020, with a focus on the National Disability Agreement indicators framework, employment support services for persons with disabilities and their use of health services
- agreeing with jurisdictions on a new Child Protection National Minimum Data Set to be implemented from 1 July 2013, in support of the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020 and the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care
- completing the work required to implement the Validata™ tool and a statistical linkage key for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set collection in 2012–13
- starting work on the redevelopment of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set and a standard disability identifier for use in national administrative data collections
- expanding the National Prisoner Health Census to include persons being discharged, allowing a broader range of health issues to be explored among the prison population.
At the start of or during the year, a number of structural changes were made to the Continuing and Specialised Care Group, as follows:
- the Functioning and Disability Unit moved from the Information and Statistics Group
- the Child Welfare and Prisoner Health Unit moved from the Social and Indigenous Group
- the Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit ceased
- the Disability Information Development Unit was created in October 2011
- the Australia's Welfare Unit ceased in December 2011 following delivery of the Australia's welfare 2011 report.
Ageing and Aged Care Unit
Unit head
Ms Judith Abercromby
What we do
The Ageing and Aged Care Unit analyses and disseminates national information on residential and community-based aged care services, and older people's health and social participation. The unit works closely with the Data Linkage Unit and other areas of the AIHW to analyse and report on the dynamics of the aged care system as a whole and its relationship with other relevant sectors such as acute care. The unit continues to have a particular focus on dementia.
Recently, it was announced that the unit would establish a centralised Aged Care Data Clearinghouse, as part of the Australian Government's Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package. The purpose of the clearinghouse is to increase the availability, accessibility and coordination of aged care data. The clearinghouse will operate from 1 July 2013.
Objectives
- Contribute data and information that support the Australian Government's pursuit of the goal of 'ageing well, ageing productively' under the National Research Priority 'Promoting and maintaining good health'
- Engage with the policy agenda by ensuring that implications for policy development, service planning and delivery that will improve the quality of life for older people are identified in unit projects and reporting
- Develop better ways of presenting aged care statistics to make information more accessible, with clearly identified key findings
- Build relationships with key stakeholders in government and non-government sectors to enhance appreciation of the policy and service issues that can be informed by statistical reporting
| Performance in planned statistical and reporting deliverables |
| Finalise a chapter on ageing and aged care for Australia's welfare 2011 and contribute to Australia's health 2012 |
Achieved |
| Finalise acquisition and verification of residential and community aged care data sets from DoHA |
Achieved |
| Publish a bulletin on depression, ageing and aged care |
Work in progress
To be published in 2012–13 |
| Publish The hospital dementia services project: a study description (jointly with the Data Linkage Unit) |
Achieved |
| Provide annual data to the OECD |
Not achieved
Not required in 2011–12 |
Complete key deliverables related to the Hospital Dementia Services Project, a project funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, in conjunction with researchers at the University of Canberra and the University of New South Wales:
|
|
- contribute to three journal articles on dementia and aged care services in NSW hospitals, and characteristics and outcomes of patients
|
Achieved |
- publish a report on the factors that affect the length of hospital stays for older patients with dementia
|
Not achieved
Withdrawn from workplan |
- finalise (jointly with the Data Linkage Unit) and publish a bulletin on people with dementia in hospitals in New South Wales for 2006–07
|
Achieved |
- conduct return site visits to specific NSW hospitals to convey the project's results and inform modelling
|
Not achieved
To be conducted as video presentations in 2012–13 |
| Publish Residential aged care in Australia 2009–10: a statistical overview |
Achieved |
| Finalise and publish a report on dementia |
Work in progress
To be published in 2012–13 |
| Publish Aged care packages in the community 2009–10: a statistical overview |
Achieved |
Performance in planned data development activities
- Provided advice and input to National Health Agreement performance indicators and the SCRGSP's Report on government services 2012 pertaining to aged care
- Contributed to the extension of the care pathways linked database
Additional projects
- Undertook analysis for DoHA of the length of intervening stays in hospital between consecutive episodes of Transition Care (a program to support older people leaving hospital)
- Updated a range of demographic statistics previously published in Older Australia at a glance in 2007
Committees
- Aged Care Working Group: Member of this working group of the SCRGSP; the working group is chaired by Ms Rebekah Burton (Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet)
- Dementia Collaborative Research Centre Advisory Committee: Member of this committee chaired by Professor Henry Brodaty (Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre)
Data collections managed
The unit does not currently manage any data collections. It analyses national administrative data provided by DoHA on the Residential Aged Care, Community Aged Care Packages, Extended Aged Care at Home, Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia and Transition Care programs.
Spotlight
Increasing workforce participation among older Australians
Engagement in education and employment, and access to income and wealth, bring social and health benefits to individuals, their families and their communities.
Over the past decade, more people have stayed longer in employment. Labour force participation rates have increased markedly for older workers, with a significant percentage of Australians remaining in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age.
In 2010–11, 62% of men and 44% of women aged 60–64 years participated in the workforce. Of those aged 65–69 years, around 1 in 3 (32%) men and 1 in 6 (18%) women participated, along with 7% of men and 3% of women aged 70 years and over.
For men, almost all of the increase in labour force participation since 2000-01 was in the age group 55 and over. For women, participation grew strongly from 45 years, and more than doubled among those in their 60s.
Australia's participation rate for older workers aged 55–64 years ranked 11th for men and 12th for women in the OECD, slightly above the median for all OECD countries.
Australia's welfare
Mature age employment was part of broader information about economic participation discussed in the AIHW's report Australia's welfare 2011 and its in brief companion report.
Child Welfare and Prisoner Health Unit
Unit head
Mr Tim Beard
What we do
The Child Welfare and Prisoner Health Unit coordinates, develops and disseminates national statistical analysis and reporting on prisoner health as well as a diverse range of child and youth welfare issues, including adoptions, child protection services and juvenile justice.
The unit changed its name from Child and Youth Welfare Unit in August 2011.
Objectives
- Ensure that implications for policy development, service planning and delivery that will improve the quality of life for children and young people are identified in unit projects and reporting
- Improve reporting on children in the child protection system through the continued development and final testing of a unit record data collection, along with the redevelopment and scoping of indicators to support the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020 and the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care
- Develop online products and improve the timeliness and accessibility of juvenile justice and adoptions data to enhance their policy and program relevance
- Undertake scoping work and implement a data collection in relation to available
juvenile justice data for the national measurement of recidivism
- Develop and implement a discharge form for the National Prisoner Health Census, to enhance the ability of this collection to inform policy makers about the health needs of prisoners
| Performance in planned statistical and reporting deliverables |
| Finalise a chapter on children and young people for Australia's welfare 2011 |
Achieved |
| Publish Adoptions Australia 2010–11 |
Achieved |
| Publish Child protection Australia 2010–11 |
Achieved |
| Contribute data to the annual report to COAG on the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020 |
Achieved |
| Contribute data to a substantive biennial report on the health and wellbeing of children for 2012 |
Achieved |
| Publish Juvenile justice in Australia 2009–10 and an overview report |
Achieved |
| Produce two bulletins on girls and young women, and on Indigenous young people in the juvenile justice system |
Work in progress
To be published in 2012–12 |
| Produce a report to the child protection Performance and Data Working Group on the outcomes of the child protection unit record pilot data collection |
Achieved |
| Contribute to the child protection and juvenile justice sections of the SCRGSP's Report on government services 2012 |
Achieved |
| Publish The mental health of prison entrants in Australia 2010 |
Achieved
To be released in July 2012 |
| Publish The health of Australia's prisoners 2010 |
Achieved |
Performance in planned data development activities
- Finalised specifications for a live 'dress rehearsal' for the unit record national child protection data collection, including assessing the feasibility of including geographical data and data on disability and culturally and linguistically diverse populations
- Contributed to the development of new performance indicators for juvenile justice for the SCRGSP's Report on government services 2012
- Developed national measures based on administrative data for children in out-of-home care
- Continued to develop a unit record carer's module to support the collection of national child protection data on foster care and relative/kinship care
- Completed development and testing of a new treatment and support services minimum data set
Additional projects
Data collections managed
- Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set Data Collection
- National Prisoner Health Census
- Adoptions Data Collection
- Child abuse and neglect (child protection) Data Collection
- Children in out-of-home care (child protection) Data Collection
- Children on care and protection orders (child protection) Data Collection
- Foster carer (child protection) Data Collection
- Relative/kinship carer (child protection) Data Collection
- Intensive family support services (child protection) Data Collection
- Child Protection National Minimum Data Set Data Collection (full-scale pilot)
Committees
- Juvenile Justice Research and Information Group: Secretariat of this subcommittee of the Australasian Juvenile Justice Administrators; the subcommittee is chaired by Ms Jackie Bray (South Australian Department for Communities and Social Inclusion)
- Technical Working and Information Group: Secretariat of this technical subcommittee of the Performance and Data Working Group; the subcommittee is co-chaired by the AIHW and Mr John Prent (Victorian Department of Human Services)
- National Prisoner Health Information Committee: Secretariat of this AIHW advisory committee chaired by Dr Alun Richards (Queensland Health)
- Technical Expert Group: Secretariat of this subcommittee chaired by Dr Tony Butler (University of New South Wales)
- Performance and Data Working Group (for child protection): The unit provides support to the AIHW's member on this group, which is a subgroup of the National Framework Implementation Working Group. The subcommittee is chaired by Ms Helen Bedford (FaHCSIA).
Spotlight
15 years of child protection reporting
The AIHW continued its long history of reporting on child protection with the January 2012 release of its 15th annual comprehensive publication on this topic.
Child protection Australia 2010–11 showed that since 2009–10, the number of children subject to 'notifications' (when authorities are notified about alleged child abuse or neglect) decreased by 13% from 187,314 to 163,767.
However in the same period, the number of children subject to 'substantiations' (when authorities investigate and believe a child has been or is at risk of being abused, neglected, or harmed) remained relatively stable. It increased by less than 1% from 31,295 to 31,527.
The number of children on care and protection orders continued to rise (up 4% from 2009–10), as did the number of children in out-of-home care (up 5%).
As in previous years, the majority of children in out-of-home care (93% at 30 June 2011) were in home-based care—45% in foster care, 46% in relative/kinship care and 2.5% in other types of home-based care.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be over-represented in the child protection system and were almost 8 times as likely to be the subject of substantiated abuse or neglect as non-Indigenous children. At 30 June 2011, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children on care and protection orders was more than 9 times the rate of
non-Indigenous children. Similarly, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care was 10 times the rate of non-Indigenous children.
Disability Information Development Unit
Unit head
Mr Sean Ackland (from October 2011 to May 2012)
Ms Barbara Levings (acting from May 2012)
What we do
The Disability Information Development Unit undertakes disability data development projects that support performance reporting and policy development. The unit works closely with the Functioning and Disability Unit to ensure the alignment of data development projects with the ongoing disability data and reporting activities of the AIHW.
The unit was created in October 2011 on a temporary basis.
Objectives
- Strengthen the capacity of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set to meet the strategic needs of government, including, where feasible, anticipating the possible information requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme
- Improve data definitions and data sources for measuring demand for disability services
- Support mainstream services to meet their reporting obligations under the National Disability Strategy 2010–2020 with the development of a standard disability identifier for use in national administrative data collections
Performance in planned data development activities
- Continued to redevelop the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set, with associated metadata, which culminated in a national workshop in April 2012 at which stakeholders refined the list of data elements required to support a client-centred information collection
- Undertook work to refine and implement a standard disability identifier: a short set of questions for use in mainstream services (that is, services that are not specifically for people with disability) to help services better identify and meet the needs of people with disability
Committees
- Disability Policy and Research Working Group (DPRWG): Member of this Community and Disability Services Ministers' Advisory Council working group, which is chaired by Mr Jim Moore (NSW Department of Family and Community Services)
- National Disability Data Network: Secretariat of this sub–working group of the DPRWG; the network is chaired by Ms Alison Crisp (NSW Department of Family and Community Services)
Drug Surveys and Services Unit
Unit head
Ms Amber Jefferson (to November 2011)
Dr Louise O'Rance (November 2011 to May 2012)
Mr Justin Harvey (acting from May 2012)
What we do
The Drug Surveys and Services Unit manages and produces reports from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which is conducted every 3 years, and develops data and information and produces reports on publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment services and opioid pharmacotherapy programs. The unit also compiles reports using tobacco, alcohol and other drug statistics and information from other sources.
Objectives
- Provide national leadership in statistics and information about drug surveys and treatment services
- Develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders involved in the National Drug Strategy
- Develop strategies for better integration and consistency between drug use and drug treatment data collections
- Continue to improve the process for collecting data on treatment services, for example, through the implementation of the Validata™ tool
Performance in planned data development activities
- Completed work to introduce a statistical linkage key into the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set for collection beginning in the 2012–13 collection period
Additional projects
- Released confidentialised unit record files for the 2012 National Drug Strategy Household Survey that allow public access to the survey
Committees
- Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set Working Group: Secretariat of this working group of the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs; the working group is chaired by Ms Anita Reimann (Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services)
- National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data Working Group: Secretariat of this AIHW advisory group chaired by Ms Anita Reimann
- 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey Technical Advisory Group: Chair, member and secretariat of this AIHW advisory group
- National Drug Strategy Research and Data Working Group: Member of this working group of the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs; the working group is chaired by Mr David McGrath (NSW Health)
Data collections managed
- Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set Data Collection
- National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data Collection
- National Drug Strategy Household Survey Data Collection
Functioning and Disability Unit
Unit head
Mr Sean Ackland (to October 2011)
Ms Elizabeth Clout (from October 2011)
What we do
The Functioning and Disability Unit develops, collects and reports on data related to functioning and disability in Australia. The unit manages the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set, contributes information about disability services to the national performance reporting process, and analyses ABS survey data and other sources to inform discussion about disability issues such as the nature and extent of disability in Australia and disability-related need for assistance.
Objectives
- Support the information requirements of the National Disability Agreement, particularly in the areas of national performance indicators and data development under Priority 1: Better measurement of need
- Build analytical capability to increase and enhance the use of existing data on specialist disability services
- Enhance information products to better meet the needs of government, disability service providers, people with disability and their carers, and the broader community
Performance in planned data development activities
- Provided advice on performance indicators and associated data to support the National Disability Agreement
Additional projects
- Undertook analysis of ABS survey data about people of working age with a disability
- Began work to update a 2006 publication on Australian incontinence data analysis and development, to be released in 2012–13
Committees
- Disability Policy and Research Working Group (DPRWG): Member of this Community and Disability Services Ministers' Advisory Council working group, which is chaired by Mr Jim Moore (NSW Department of Family and Community Services)
- National Disability Data Network: Secretariat of this sub–working group of the DPRWG; the network is chaired by Ms Alison Crisp (NSW Department of Family and Community Services)
Data collections managed
- Disability Services National Minimum Data Set Collection
Mental Health and Palliative Care Unit
Unit head
Mr Gary Hanson
What we do
The Mental Health Services and Palliative Care Unit reports on a range of hospital, community-based and residential mental health services. It provides leadership in developing and refining the various data sets and indicators, including the mental health performance indicators for the National Healthcare Agreement. The unit also undertakes other mental health-related projects under contract on behalf of various federal and state government entities, including the National Mental Health Commission. It is also responsible for a work program in support of the National Palliative Care Strategy launched in 2010, including the development of a compendium-style publication on palliative care services and scoping of potential national palliative care indicators.
The unit changed its name from Mental Health Services Unit in August 2011.
Objectives
- Continue to work closely with the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee of the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council to enhance the usefulness of the mental health information products that support the National Mental Health Information Priorities
- Support the National Mental Health Commission in the production of their inaugural National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention by providing them with a mental health data analysis and report production capability
- Improve the usefulness and relevance of the unit's work towards the objectives of the Fourth National Mental Health Plan agreed to by health ministers in 2007
- Continually review the content, presentation and relevance of the online report Mental health services in Australia, in collaboration with DoHA and the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee
- Develop and report on mental health-related performance indicators for the National Healthcare Agreement
- Undertake a number of data development, analysis and reporting activities on palliative care to support the implementation of the National Palliative Care Strategy 2010
| Performance in planned statistical and reporting deliverables |
Produce mental health performance indicator data for National Healthcare Agreement reporting
|
Achieved
|
Publish information to the online report Mental health services in Australia throughout 2011–12, which is current to at least 2008–09, and publish an associated Mental health services—in brief 2011 publication
|
Achieved
|
Contribute to the development and reporting of indicators for the Fourth National Mental Health Plan
|
Achieved
|
Publish a report on national palliative care performance indicators for 2009
|
Removed from work plan
pending developmental work on indicators
|
Present options for performance indicators to support the National Palliative Care Strategy to the Palliative Care Data Working Group
|
Achieved
|
Performance in planned data development activities
- Refined the mental health performance indicators required for the National Health Agreement, including the development of data linkage infrastructure to improve one indicator
- Improved the timeliness of the Mental Health National Minimum Data Set data flows, for reporting of National Health Agreement performance indicators
- Contributed to national and international mental health services data development and the development of consistent reporting on the provision and utilisation of mental health services in Australia and internationally
- Reviewed and further developed specifications for the collection of data under 3 mental health-related national minimum data sets
- Further refined the validation processes for the mental health-related national minimum data sets to ensure accuracy
- Further refined and piloted the draft Mental Health Intervention Classification
- Continued work to scope a collection of data on mental health services delivered by non-government organisations
- Refined the guidelines for data providers regarding the 3 major mental health-related national minimum data sets
Additional projects
Committees
- National Minimum Data Set Subcommittee (for mental health): Chair of and secretariat to this subcommittee of the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee
- Palliative Care Data Working Group: Secretariat to this data working group of the Palliative Care Working Group; the data working group is chaired by Mr Tom Goff (DoHA)
Data collections managed
- Admitted Patient Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set Collection
- Mental Health Establishments National Minimum Data Set Collection
- Community Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set Collection
- Residential Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set Collection
- Palliative Care Performance Indicators Data Collection