Workshop 3: Working safely with people accessing SHS: An introduction to new SHS client risk and safety tools, to support informed decision making and planning

Why this workshop?
Specialist Homelessness Services face one of the most challenging tensions in social services: the obligation to include people who are eligible for support, balanced against the very real risks that some clients can present — to themselves, to other clients, to staff, and to the wider community.

A finding by the NSW Ombudsman confirmed that clients were being turned away from services unreasonably, and called for a consistent, sector-wide approach to risk decision-making. In response, Homelessness NSW and DCJ developed the Access, Eviction and Withdrawal of Service Policy, released in December 2024. SHS providers are now required to have documented, compliant processes in place within 12 months.

This workshop is your opportunity to get ahead of that requirement — and to leave with the tools, skills and confidence to put it into practice.

What you’ll do in this workshop
This workshop is built around doing — working through real scenarios, comparing judgements with your peers, and building a shared understanding of what reasonable, defensible risk decision-making looks like in practice.

You will leave having:
• Understood the policy context and what it requires of your service
• Walked through the risk assessment tool and the decision-making tool, step by step
• Practised applying those tools to real-world cases
• Compared your risk ratings and decisions with colleagues, and explored where and why they differ
• Developed the confidence and materials to train your own team

How the workshop is structured
We open by setting the scene: why this policy exists, what the Ombudsman found, and what it means for your service. We then walk through each of the tools you will be using:
• The risk assessment tool, which guides you through identifying and weighing risks presented by a client
• The decision-making tool, which helps you reach and document a reasoned decision about access, continuation or withdrawal of service
• The client charter and practitioner guidance, which sit alongside these tools and support fair, consistent practice

You will then work through a series of real-world scenarios drawn from the sector — starting as a whole group and then moving into small groups to go deeper.

The scenario work is designed to help you:
• Apply the tools to cases that reflect the complexity you actually encounter
• Compare your risk ratings and decisions with others in the room
• Understand why reasonable practitioners sometimes reach different conclusions — and how to narrow those differences
• Build a shared, defensible standard of ‘reasonableness’ that your organisation can use consistently.

We then shift into a reflective session on training your own staff: how to adapt these materials for your team, what approaches work, and how to anticipate the questions and challenges that are likely to come up.

Who this workshop is for
This workshop is designed for SHS practitioners who will go back to their organisations and train their own teams. You do not need to come with prior expertise in risk assessment frameworks — you need to come ready to engage, ask questions, and work through cases with your colleagues.

Presenters

Greg Davies

Director, The Insight Partnership

We are a small consulting firm focused on strategy and public policy. We work with Governments, and the organisations that work closely with Governments in a range of ways. I am energised by helping people build great relationships and solve complex problems. I like to focus on both the people and the issue, creating solutions that endure. I have extensive experience in public policy and management, strategy and performance measurement from 15 years’ senior experience in the NSW Government and as a consultant for the last 20 years. I have deep experience in environmental policy and human services, having advised the State and Commonwealth Governments on a broad range of issues—particularly housing, disability and health. I have worked with clients across government, NFP and private organisations. Recent projects include a review of the accreditation process for homelessness services in NSW, developing a joint health and homelessness plan for the Hunter/New England and a review of the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan, with recommendations for the next iteration of the plan.

Lacy Barron

Associate Manager, The Insight Partnership

Lacy is a social policy professional committed to creating and delivering meaningful, sustainable outcomes. She has over 20 years’ experience working in social policy, driving concrete solutions through collaboration with not for profits, private sector, and all levels of government.

Lacy has worked as a strategic advisor and consultant across government and the non-government sectors. She has extensive experience in facilitating planning and strategy sessions, delivering evaluations, and delivering strategic projects. Prior to consulting, Lacy’s roles in the not-for-profit and public sectors included senior executive positions in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) in social and affordable housing, homelessness, and disability.