Dianne Cahill, John Hedditch, Funded Agency Channel, Department of Human Services, Victoria
The Funded Agency Channel is an internet gateway which the Department of Human Services (DHS) has developed in partnership with the organisations which it funds, to support improved business processes and better relationships.
The Channel differs from other Channels developed under the Victorian Government, as it has a specific target group of boards of governance, managers, administrators and program managers within DHS funded agencies.
It features an "agency centric" navigation structure for links to information and resources on DHS and external websites, a secure area for displaying information, data and documentation relevant to individual agencies, a collaboration centre which contains a range of communication tools, and increasingly a number of tools to facilitate the conducting of online transactions between the Department and agencies.
Implementation of the Channel is being undertaken in a staged approach using both internal Department resources and external contractors. It involves a significant change in the way the Department and agencies interact and transact, and thus is reliant on a comprehensive change management strategy to accompany its implementation to ensure maximum success.
The Project Team have undertaken extensive ongoing consultation with community agencies, peak bodies, and internal DHS business units. It has wrestled with a range of issues such as industry IT infrastructure and skills, how the Channel fits into a broader DHS and Victorian Government web / ebusiness strategy, the use of technology in business process reform, and the creation of varying levels of access and security for different features in the Channel.
The first release of the Funded Agency Channel occurred in January 2002, but significant enhancements will be undertaken between now and August 2002 when the next major version is due to be released. It can be viewed at www.dhs.vic.gov.au/fac