Why is this important?
There are times when we run out of options for our clients. Service staff told us that sometimes clients can’t get the immediate help they need, for example when outside of normal hours, or when a service is at capacity.
Some organisations address this through brokerage – making a small amount of funding available at the right time so staff can make an intervention and change a client’s trajectory.
It is critical that as a linked network of services we have the systems and capacity in place to ensure all people, regardless of which service they access, can get the help they need at the right time.
Through collective brokerage clients will experience a more responsive service system that has the capacity to support them in critical moments.
What is this?
Brokerage allows frontline staff from organisations in the Linker Network to quickly access the right resources for an individual or family.
Brokerage is available for interventions that result in:
- ‘leap’ from immediate danger
- ‘leap’ towards longer-term independence, safety, empowerment, and family preservation.
What is this not?
It is not a new bucket of money that everyone can use to avoid spending their own organisation’s money. Nor is it a quick fix in its own right. Rather, it is linked to a broader plan for the client/family.
HOW TO GET STARTED
STEP 1:
Agree to participate in and contribute to a shared brokerage pool with other services in your Local Linker Network (LLN).
STEP 2:
Nominate a contribution amount.
STEP 3:
Sign the Collective Brokerage Agreement.
STEP 4:
Establish training/systems within your organisation so your staff know how to access brokerage.
STEP 5:
Participate in ongoing reviews of how collective brokerage is being used in your LLN.