Definition
The Specialist Homelessness Services National Minimum Data Set (SHS NMDS) aims to provide quality information about people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness and who are seeking services from specialist homelessness agencies.
This collection is intended to obtain information about clients receiving ongoing or short term support as well as people who are seeking assistance but did not receive any services. Data collection includes basic socio-demographic information and the services required by and provided to each client. Details about accompanying children are also recorded. Additionally, information is obtained about the client circumstances before, during and after receiving support.
The base unit of this collection is a person who present to a Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) agency requesting a service or services. A person becomes a client once they receive a service or services. The period of time a client receives assistance from a SHS agency is commonly referred to as a support period. It relates to the provision of assistance and/or supported accommodation. A support period is considered finished when the relationship between the client and the agency ends or the client has reached their maximum amount of support.
During a support period there are, in most cases, a series of service episodes or assistance, other than supported accommodation, provided to the client by the SHS agency. For the purposes of the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, assistance also includes contact with a client, or work on behalf of a client.
The SHS NMDS has three ‘views’ for collection purposes, they are: Unassisted person, Client and Specialist homelessness agency.
An ‘Unassisted person’ in the context of this collection is any person who seeks assistance from an agency and is not successful in obtaining that assistance. A ‘Client’ is a person who receives services either directly or indirectly from an agency. A 'Specialist homelessness agency' is an organisation which receives government funding to deliver a specialist homelessness service to a client. If clients present collectively information is collected for each client but the group is referred to as a 'Presenting unit'.
The 2011 SHS NMDS was developed to support the collection of data under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations for Homelessness. It replaced the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) collection from July 2011.
In 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to reform federal financial relations to improve the quality and effectiveness of government services. These reforms led to the establishment of the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) and the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH), which includes specific performance measures in relation to homelessness.
In conjunction with these reforms, the Australian Government initiated a comprehensive policy review, setting out a national approach to reducing homelessness in the White Paper: The Road Home, A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness.
The 2012-13 SHS NMDS continues to reflect the outcome based performance framework promoted by the COAG Reforms and White Paper. It supports the collection, analysis and reporting of client-based data. This allows for the production of statistical information about clients’ circumstances, the assistance they receive and the outcomes that are achieved for them. This information can be used to inform policy design, evaluation, service improvement and monitoring of specialist homelessness services in Australia.
Metadata items in this Data Set Specification
Below is a list of all the components within this Dataset Specification.
Each entry includes the item name, whether the item is optional, mandatory or conditional and the maximum times the item can occur in a dataset.
If the items must occur in a particular order in the dataset, the sequence number is included before the item name.
| Reference | Data Element | Data Type | Length | Inclusion | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Child—care arrangements, care and protection order code N[N]
Conditional Inclusion:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS this data element is collected for all clients aged 18 years and under. |
Number | 2 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Client—amount of assistance, total hours and minutes NNNN
Specific Information:
This data element provides a building block to enable Specialist Homelessness Agencies to report on the total amount of funded assistance received by clients during a reporting period. It enables more detailed analysis of the quantity of outputs/services received by a client (output-based reporting), and provides more detailed data to support cost modelling and economic evaluations. This is particularly valuable in relation to exploring costs and benefits for early intervention versus crisis intervention. It also allows more detailed analysis of the intensity of service provision required for complex versus non-complex clients. Information is recorded for this data item for each reporting period, ie each calendar month.
|
- | - | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Client—case management goal status, code N
Conditional Inclusion:
Information is recorded for this data item for each reporting period, ie each calendar month. |
- | - | mandatory | 4 | |
| Client—case management plan indicator, yes/no code N | Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Client—consent obtained indicator, yes/no code N
Specific Information:
The data collected in the Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) NMDS will be used for policy development and agency activity reporting in a non-identifiable form. This information will enable better placement of agency services and enhance service provision to clients of homelessness agencies. |
Boolean | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Client—reason case management plan does not exist, code N
Conditional Inclusion:
Response conditional on if a case management plan doesn't exist.
|
Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
| Date—accuracy indicator, code AAA | - | - | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person (address)—Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) {NNNN}
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is reported twice, for:
|
- | - | mandatory | 2 | |
|
Person (address)—suburb/town/locality name, text A[A(49)]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is reported twice, for:
|
- | - | mandatory | 2 | |
|
Person (employed)—full-time/part-time status, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
- | - | mandatory | 4 | |
|
Person—Australian state/territory identifier, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is reported twice, for:
|
Number | 1 | mandatory | 2 | |
|
Person—conditions of occupancy, code N
Specific Information:
Please note that codes 1 - Leased tenure - nominated on lease and Code 2 - Lease in place - not nominated on lease - are only selected if a lease is in place. Codes 3 to 6 only apply if the person's name is not on a lease. Information specific to this data set: In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for clients. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case.
|
Number | 1 | mandatory | 2 | |
| Person: Country of Birth, Code (SACC 2011) NNNN | Number | 4 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—financial assistance amount, total Australian currency N[NNNN]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for clients in each reporting period. |
- | - | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—financial assistance type, homelessness code N
Specific Information:
This data element relates specifically to assistance provided by the specialist homelessness agency and not assistance provided by any other source. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for the current service episode only. |
- | - | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—first service request indicator, yes/no code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected only for persons who have not received any services requested or assessment, that is, it is collected only for persons known as 'turnaways'. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is applied to an individual 24-hour reporting period. |
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—formally diagnosed mental health condition indicator, code N
Specific Information:
Evidence suggests that the longer persons with mental health problems are supported by specialist homelessness services, the more likely they are to move into public, or community housing or rental housing rather than return to rough sleeping. Access to a range of longer-term supports and community-based services will increase the early intervention and recovery support options for people who are homeless with a mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
|
- | - | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—government funding identifier, Centrelink customer reference number N(9)A
Conditional Inclusion:
Please note that in the SHS NMDS this item is dependent on the consent of the client.
|
String | 10 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—housing tenure type, homelessness code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
Number | 2 | mandatory | 4 | |
| Person—Indigenous status, code N | Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—labour force status, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. Note that this data element is designed specifically to reference the ABS Labour force status standard variable. Consequently, the value domain definitions explicitly exclude anyone aged under 15; effectively this reflects the scope of ABS collections. If information on illegal workers aged under 15 is sought for the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, these persons may also be asked the labour force questions. However, they should be filtered using the Age data element from any returns intended to retain compatibility with ABS data. |
Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—living arrangement, homelessness code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—mental health services received timeframe, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is captured from the perspective of the Agency worker. Therefore, it relates to the agency worker's knowledge of whether or when the client has received mental health services.
|
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—new client indicator, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is used to gain an idea of the 'trend of homelessness'. It does this by collecting data as to whether or not the presenting person has accessed a specialist homelessness agency before.
|
- | - | mandatory | 1 | |
| Person—number of people in the presenting unit, total N[N] | Number | 2 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—previously homeless status, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected a minimum of twice (for the client):
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element may be used to capture multiple responses. |
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—reason for seeking assistance, homelessness code N[N]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected twice (for the client):
In both cases the reasons are those nominated by the client. |
Number | 2 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—reason services not provided, code N[N]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected only for persons who have not received any services requested or assessment, that is, it is collected only for persons known as 'turnaways'.
|
Number | 2 | mandatory | 3 | |
|
Person—registered/awaiting government payment indicator, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected only for those clients who have no income when that client has applied for a government benefit, pension or allowance, but is still awaiting their first payment before the support period starts. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—relationship to the presenting unit head, code N[N]
Specific Information:
The presenting unit head is identified via the relationships within the presenting unit. If there is a child(ren) present (under 18 years old), the presenting unit head is the spokesperson which is:
If there are no child(ren) present (under 18 years old), the presenting unit head is the spokesperson who is:
|
String | 2 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—residential type, homelessness code N[N]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
String | 2 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—school enrolment and attendance status, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS this data element is collected for all clients aged 18 years and under. |
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—service requested, homelessness code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this Data Element is collected only for persons who have not received the services requested, that is, it is collected only for persons known as 'turnaways'.
|
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—source of cash income (all), code NNNN
Specific Information:
Note that this data element is designed specifically to reference the ABS Sources of income standard variable. Consequently, the value domain definitions explicitly exclude anyone aged under 15; effectively this reflects the scope of ABS collections. If information on children under 15 years old who present, is sought for the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, these persons may also be asked the sources of income questions. However, they should be filtered using the Age data element from any returns intended to retain compatibility with ABS data. For the purposes of the SHS collection the following list is used which aggregates to the ABS Sources of Income Classification. Government pensions and allowances Newstart Allowance Parenting Payment Disability support pension (Centrelink) Youth allowance Age pension Austudy/ABSTUDY Disability Pension (DVA) Service pension (DVA) War Widow(er)'s Pension (Including income support supplement) (DVA) Sickness allowance Carer Allowance Carer Payment Other government pensions and allowances Other sources of income Employee income Unincorporated business income Other income nec Nil income Not stated/not known/inadequately described In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case.
|
Number | 4 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—source of information on a mental health condition, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for all clients. |
Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Person—student type, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—student/employment training indicator, code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected four times, for the following points in time:
Only one permissible value is selected in each case. |
Number | 1 | conditional | 4 | |
| Person—time elapsed since last permanent residence, code N | Number | 1 | mandatory | 1 | |
| Person—type of institution recently left, homelessness code N[N] | - | - | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—urgency of requested assistance, time period code N
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected only for persons who have not received the services requested, that is, it is collected only for persons known as 'turnaways'.
|
Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
|
Person—year of first arrival in Australia, date YYYY
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this Data Element is ascertained for all persons who have indicated that their Country of Birth is not Australia.
|
Date/Time | 4 | conditional | 1 | |
| Referral—formal referral source, homelessness code N[N] | Number | 2 | mandatory | 1 | |
| Service episode—episode end date, DDMMYYYY | Date/Time | 8 | conditional | 4 | |
| Service episode—episode start date, DDMMYYYY | Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 4 | |
|
Service episode—service cessation reason, homelessness code N[N]
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element may be used to capture multiple responses.
|
Number | 2 | mandatory | 1 | |
| Service episode—service ongoing indicator, code N | Number | 1 | conditional | 1 | |
| Service event—accommodation period end date, DDMMYYYY | Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 1 | |
| Service event—accommodation period start date, DDMMYYYY | Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Service event—assistance request date, DDMMYYYY
Specific Information:
In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this Data Element refers to 'turnaways' and clients, that is, it captures the date on which a person sought assistance from a Specialist Homelessness Agency but did not receive the assistance or service sought.
|
Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Service event—first service contact date, DDMMYYYY
Specific Information:
This data element refers to a specific provision of a service (a service event) within the service episode. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for all clients. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, the reporting period is defined as being a calendar month. Therefore any date of the calendar month may be reported for this Data Element. This data element is collected for the first service contact date within the reporting period. If the first service contact was also the start of the service episode, as recorded by the data element Service episode—episode start date, DDMMYYYY, then the same date will be recorded for both data elements. If the service episode is ongoing but the service event is new, then the actual date of the new service event should be recorded. This data element should ascertain the actual date of service, not the date when the data is recorded. |
Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 1 | |
|
Service event—last service provision date, DDMMYYYY
Specific Information:
This data element refers to a specific provision of a service (a service event) within the service episode. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is collected for all clients. In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, the reporting period is defined as being a calendar month. Therefore any date of the calendar month may be reported for this Data Element. This data element is collected for the last service provision date within the reporting period. If the last provision of a service was also the end of the service episode, as recorded by the data element Service episode—episode end date, DDMMYYYY, then the same date will be recorded for both data elements. If the last provision of a service is not the end of the service episode (i.e. where other services continue to be provided) the actual date of the end of the service event should be recorded. However if the service event within the service episode is ongoing to the next reporting period, ie ongoing to the following month, then the Service event—last service provision date, DDMMYYYY will be recorded as the last day of the current month. This data element should ascertain the actual date of service, not the date when the data is recorded. |
Date/Time | 8 | mandatory | 1 | |
| Service event—supported accommodation type, code N | - | - | mandatory | 1 |
Comments
Guide for use:
For jurisdictions who have high volume central intake or localised entry point agencies (for example ACT and Victoria), data for unmet demand and unassisted requests for services are not directly comparable with other states and territories.
References
Related content
| Relation | Count |
|---|---|
| As a numerator in an Indicator | 0 |
| As a denominator in an Indicator | 0 |
| As a disaggregation in an Indicator | 0 |