Earlier this year, RAQ was approached by the Department of Social Services to provide Family Relationship Services and Children’s Contact Centres for a temporary six month period – until the 31st December 2014 – when the Department will have completed a competitive tendering process to identify a permanent service provider (from 1 January 2015). These services are:
1. Ipswich Family Relationship Centre;
2. Ipswich Children’s Contact Centre;
3. Logan Children’s Contact Centre and the
4. Gold Coast Children’s Contact Centre.
RAQ is honoured to be responsible for providing ongoing services for clients engaged in these services over the coming months and will submit a tender for these services when the opportunity arises.
RAQ commitment to clients
There was a very short timeframe in which to establish new services, however, we have put in place a number of processes to ensure that the transition for clients is as smooth as possible. Through the existing service provider, we have provided a letter to all current clients, outlining our commitment to provide them with high quality services with limited delays. Clients have been provided with a dedicated number to contact RAQ and the Contact Centre, and the Ipswich RAQ venue have been collecting client details so that we can provide services ASAP.
We have developed client transitions plans for the Family Relationship Centre and the Children’s Contact Service that are also available to clients. These provide a clear outline of the process for clients including; intake, assessment and case planning. The plan also identifies the avenues for clients to provide feedback, express concerns or make a complaint.
Locations
The Ipswich Family Relationship Centre is being provided from our current Ipswich venue (14 Brisbane Street, Ipswich). The Ipswich Children’s Contact Service is located at 1 Denman Street, Leichhardt, and is currently conducting intakes only until the service is fully operational for visits. The Logan Children’s Contact Service is operating from our Eight Mile Plains venue, at Building 13, 107 Miles Platting Road (Technology Office Park). Finally, the Gold Coast Children’s Contact Centre is still looking for a suitable location, but will be offering intakes through our Mermaid Beach venue (Level 2, 5 Markeri Street, Mermaid Beach) until further notice. Visits and changeovers will not take place until a new venue is found.
For further information, please phone our contact centre on 1300 364 277.