Appendix D: Data collection tools

D.1 Phase One 2019 prescribed workforces survey (baseline)

We are interested in the general attitudes of staff at your organisation. These questions refer to the 12 month period up until the commencement of the Child Information Sharing Scheme, 27 September 2018.

Q5 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Generally, staff at my organisation…

were open to sharing information with other agencies within the legal frameworks prior to CISS
were aware of their legal responsibilities when sharing information
knew where to go for guidance on how to share information
understood how information sharing could benefit children
were reluctant to share information, in the fear that they may be doing the wrong thing
promoted information sharing to others, where it may be of benefit, within the existing legal frameworks

Strongly agree / Agree / Neither agree nor disagree / Disagree / Strongly disagree / Prefer not to say

Q6 Up until October 2018, did your organisation have policies covering the sharing of children’s information with external organisations?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q7, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ8

Q7 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

As at October 2018, my organisation’s policies governing the sharing of children’s information…

were up to date
provided clear guidance on when information sharing was permissible
were flexible enough to be applied across many of the situations likely to be encountered
enabled exchange of certain children’s information, between our organisation and other permitted entities
were widely adhered to by relevant staff within the organisation
may sometimes have hindered early identification of needs and issues or early prevention of issues

Strongly agree / Agree / Neither agree nor disagree / Disagree / Strongly disagree / Prefer not to say

PREQ8 For these next few questions, we’d like you to explore the ways in which your organisation shared information about children with other agencies or individuals, either proactively, or in response to a request to share, up until October 2018.

This section does not cover other agencies sharing information with your agency. We will cover that in later sections of the survey.

Q8 Did you share information about children with other agencies or individuals in the 12 months to October 2018?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q8B, ELSE SKIP TO Q9

Q8B Was this sharing of information mostly on a proactive basis, or in response to requests from other agencies? Or was it an even mix of both?

Mostly proactive / Mostly in response to requests / Even mix of both / Prefer not to say

IF MOSTLY IN RESPONSE TO REQUESTS ASK Q9, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ19

Q9 What was the main reason for not sharing information

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

IF YES SELECTED AT Q8 ASK Q10, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ19

Q10 What type of agencies did you share information with?

Verbatim / Other / Prefer not to say

Q11 What type of information did you share and why?

Note, we are interested in the types of information you shared, not specific examples.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q12 Which of the following communication methods did you most commonly use to share information?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q13 [IF MULTIPLE AT Q12] Of the communication methods that you used, which one is your preferred one?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q14 On average how frequently did you provide information to other agencies or individuals in the 12 months up until October 2018?

Daily, or most days / A few times per week / Weekly / A few times per month / Once a month / Once every 2-3 months / Less frequently than once every 3 months / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q15 On a scale of zero to ten, where zero is ‘not at all effective’ and ten is ‘extremely effective’, overall, how effective do you feel your organisation was in providing information to support the wellbeing of children during the 12 month period up until October 2018?

0-10 / Prefer not to say (GO TO Q16A) / Don’t know (GO TO Q16A)

Q16 Why do you say that?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q16A In the 12 month period up until October 2018, did you ever encounter a situation where you determined a need to provide information to promote the wellbeing of a child, but could not act on this due to legal restrictions or organisational policies?

Yes / No / Don’t know / can’t recall

If YES ASK Q16B, ELSE SKIP TO Q17

Q16B Approximately how often did this occur?

Q17 Approximately how often did your organisation refuse an external request for information sharing?

Never / Occasionally / Most of the time / All of the time / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

IF OCCASIONALLY, MOST OF THE TIME, ALL OF THE TIME, ASK Q18, ELSE SKIP TO PREQ19

Q18 What were the most common reasons for refusing a request to share information? [MR]

Proper process/system not followed / The information requested could not legally be shared / The information requested was deemed as not relevant for sharing / The procedures in place were too onerous to justify the time it would take to share information / Privacy had to be prioritised over the wellbeing of the child / Did not have the necessary consent to share / Did not have confidence about the legal obligations in relation to privacy / Other concerns about privacy / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

PREQ19 For these next few questions, we’d like you to explore the ways in which other agencies shared information about children with your organisation, up until October 2018.

Q19 Did you request information about children from other agencies or individuals in the 12 months to October 2018?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF NO ASK Q20, ELSE SKIP TO Q21

Q20 What was the main reason for not requesting information?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

IF YES SELECTED AT Q19 ASK Q21, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ32

Q21 What type of agencies did you request information from?

Verbatim / Other / Prefer not to say

Q22 What type of information did you request and why?

Note, we are interested in the types of information you requested, not specific examples.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q23 Through which of the following communication methods did you most commonly receive information you had requested?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Prefer not to say

Q24 [IF MULTIPLE AT Q23] Of the communication methods which you received information from, which one is your preferred method?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Prefer not to say

Q25 Approximately how frequently did you request information from other agencies in the 12 months up until October 2018?

Q26 On a scale of zero to ten, where zero is ‘not at all effective’ and ten is ‘extremely effective’, overall, how effective do you feel these other agencies were in providing information to support the wellbeing of children during the 12-month period up until October 2018?

IF 0 TO 10 AT Q26 ASK Q27, ELSE ASK Q27B

Q27 Why do you say that?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q27b In the 12 month period up until October 2018, did you ever encounter a situation where you determined a need to request information to promote the wellbeing of a child, but you could not act on this or were denied access to the information due to legal restrictions or organisational policies?

Yes / No / Don’t know / can’t recall

IF YES ASK Q27C ELSE SKIP TO Q28

Q27c Approximately how often did this occur?

Q28 On a scale from zero to ten where zero means ‘totally inaccurate’ and ten is ‘totally accurate’, in your opinion, overall, how accurate is the information that you receive from other agencies or individuals?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q29 On a scale from zero to ten where zero means ’not at all relevant’ and ten is ’completely relevant’, in your opinion, overall, how relevant is the information that you receive from other agencies or individuals?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q30 Approximately how often were you refused a request for information by another agency or individual?

Never / Occasionally / Most of the time / All of the time / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

IF CODE OCCASIONALLY, MOST OF THE TIME, ALL OF THE TIME SELECTED AT Q30 ASK Q31, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ32

Q31 As far as you are aware, what were the most common reasons for refusing a request to share information?

Proper process/system not followed / The information requested could not legally be shared / The information requested was deemed as not relevant for sharing / The procedures were too onerous to justify the time it would take to share information / Privacy had to be prioritised over the wellbeing of the child / Did not have necessary consent to share / Did not have full confidence about the legal obligations in relation to privacy / Other concerns about privacy / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Adjusting to the CIS Scheme

The CIS scheme has now been in effect since late 2018. These next few questions relate to your current experience, now that the scheme has been in place for some time.

Q32 As far as you are aware, do your current information sharing practices align with the requirements under the CIS Scheme?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

Q33 Which processes/systems/attitudes have required the biggest changes to align with the CIS Scheme?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q34 What, in your view, are the benefits of the CIS Scheme to your organisation, to prescribed service workers, and to children and families that receive your services?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q35 What, in your view, are the challenges of the CIS Scheme for your organisation, for prescribed service workers and for the children and families that receive your services?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q35b Have you observed any of those benefits or challenges playing out to date?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q35C ELSE SKIP TO Q36

Q35c Please describe any of these benefits and/or challenges that have played out for your organisation.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q36 On a scale from zero to ten where zero means ‘very little effort’ and ten means ‘an extremely high level of effort’, overall, how much effort has your organisation needed to expend in aligning practices, procedures and systems to the CIS Scheme?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

The FVIS Scheme

Q37 Have you participated in the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) Training?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q38, ELSE SKIP TO Q39

Q38 On average how frequently have you shared information with other agencies over the past six months, under the FVISS?

Daily, or most days / A few times per week / Weekly / A few times per month / Once a month / Once every 2-3 months / Less frequently than once every 3 months / Never – have not shared information under the FVISS / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q39 Are there any lessons for the CIS Scheme that can be drawn from your experience of the FVISS?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Demographics

Now we have a few questions about yourself.

Q40 What is your age?

18-20 years / 21-29 years / 30-39 years / 40-49 years / 50-59 years / 60+ / Prefer not to say

Q41 Are you?

Male / Female / Prefer not to say

Recruitment permissions

Q42 Those were all the questions we have to ask you. Is there anything further you would like to add that has not been covered?

Verbatim / No

Q43 Finally, we’d like to invite you to participate in an additional interview. At this stage we are just asking survey participants from a selection of organisations if they would be prepared to take part. It would involve a simple telephone interview of about 30 minutes where we would have a conversation about your experiences with the Child Information Sharing Scheme in more detail. Your identity will be kept confidential.

Would you be willing to participate in this additional interview?

Yes / No

Close

Thank you for your time. This market research is carried out in compliance with the Privacy Act, and the information you provided will be used for research purposes only.

We will be in touch with you (or your organisation) again in 2020 to conduct a short follow-up survey.

If you have any questions related to prescription, the Child Information Sharing Scheme has an enquiry line that you can call on 1800 549 646 which operates Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm. Alternatively, the team can be reached at childinfosharing@edumail.vic.gov.au.

If you require any further information about the study or if you’d like to find out how we manage your personal information, you can call Wallis on 1800 113 444 or view the Wallis Privacy Policy on at www.wallisgroup.com.au/privacy-policy/.

Just to re-iterate, approval for this research project has been gained through the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Queensland (Approval Number: 2018002181).

D.2 Phase One 2020 prescribed workforces survey (follow-up)

We are interested in the general attitudes of staff at your organisation now that the Child Information Sharing Scheme has been implemented for more than a year.

Q5 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Generally, staff at my organisation…

are open to sharing information with other agencies within the existing legal frameworks
are aware of their legal responsibilities when sharing information
know where to go for guidance on how to share information
understand how information sharing could benefit children
are reluctant to share information, in the fear that they may be doing the wrong thing
promote information sharing to others, where it may be of benefit, within the existing legal frameworks

Strongly agree / Agree / Neither agree nor disagree / Disagree / Strongly disagree / Prefer not to say

Q6 Does your organisation have policies covering the sharing of children’s information with external organisations?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q7, ELSE SKIP TO QCOV

Q7 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Currently, my organisation’s policies governing the sharing of children’s information…

are up to date
provide clear guidance on when information sharing is permissible
are flexible enough to be applied across many of the situations likely to be encountered
enable exchange of certain children’s information, between our organisation and other permitted entities
are widely adhered to by relevant staff within the organisation
may sometimes hinder early identification of needs and issues or early prevention of issues

Strongly agree / Agree / Neither agree nor disagree / Disagree / Strongly disagree / Prefer not to say

Q_COV This next section of the survey will explore the ways in which your organisation has shared information about children. But firstly, we understand that the COVID-19 pandemic will have disrupted the way many services are operating.

Please can you describe any impact on the sharing of information about children, as a result of changed practices due to the Coronavirus?

Verbatim / No changes to information sharing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

This section does not cover other agencies sharing information with your agency. We will cover that in later sections of the survey.

Q8 Did you share information about children with other agencies or individuals in the past 12 months?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q8B, ELSE SKIP TO Q9

Q8B Was this sharing of information mostly on a proactive basis, or in response to requests from other agencies? Or was it an even mix of both?

Mostly proactive / Mostly in response to requests / Even mix of both / Prefer not to say

IF NO AT Q8 ASK Q9, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ19

Q9 What was the main reason for not sharing information

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

IF YES AT Q8 ASK Q10, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ19

Q10 What type of agencies did you share information with?

Verbatim / Other / Prefer not to say

Q11 What type of information did you share and why?

Note, we are interested in the types of information you shared, not specific examples.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q12 Which of the following communication methods did you most commonly use to share information

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q13 [IF MULTIPLE AT Q12] Of the communication methods that you used, which one is your preferred one?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q14 On average how frequently did you provide information to other agencies or individuals in the last 12 months?

Q15 On a scale of zero to ten, where zero is ‘not at all effective’ and ten is ‘extremely effective’, overall, how effective do you feel your organisation is in providing information to support the wellbeing of children during the last 12 month period?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q16 Why do you say that?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q16A In the last 12 month period, did you ever encounter a situation where you determined a need to provide information to promote the wellbeing of a child, but could not act on this due to legal restrictions or organisational policies?

Yes / No / Don’t know / can’t recall

IF YES ASK Q16B, ELSE SKIP TO Q17

Q16B Approximately how often did this occur?

Q17 Approximately how often did your organisation refuse an external request for information sharing?

Never / Occasionally / Most of the time / All of the time / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

IF OCCASIONALLY, MOST OF THE TIME OR ALL OF THE TIMESELECTED ASK Q18, ELSE SKIP TO PREQ19

Q18 What were the most common reasons for refusing a request to share information?

PREQ19 For these next few questions, we’d like you to explore the ways in which other agencies shared information about children with your organisation over the past 12 months.

Q19 Did you request information about children from other agencies or individuals in the past 12 months?

Yes / No / Prefer not to say

IF NO ASK Q20, ELSE SKIP TO Q21

Q20 What was the main reason for not requesting information?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say/ Don’t know

IF YES AT Q19 ASK Q21, ELSE SKIP TO Q32

Q21 What type of agencies did you request information from?

Verbatim / Other / Prefer not to say

Q22 What type of information did you request and why?

Note, we are interested in the types of information you requested, not specific examples.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q23 Through which of the following communication methods did you most commonly receive information you had requested?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q24 [IF MULTIPLE AT Q23] Of the communication methods which you received information through, which one is your preferred method?

Telephone / Electronic (email) / Face to face / Specific Form (hardcopy or email) / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

Q25 Approximately how frequently did you request information from other agencies in the past 12 months?

Q26 On a scale of zero to ten, where zero is ‘not at all effective’ and ten is ‘extremely effective’, overall, how effective do you feel these other agencies were in providing information to support the wellbeing of children during the past 12-months?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

IF 0-10 ASK Q27, ELSE ASK Q27B

Q27 Why do you say that?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q27b In the past 12 months, did you ever encounter a situation where you determined a need to request information to promote the wellbeing of a child, but you could not act on this or were denied access to the information due to legal restrictions or organisational policies?

Yes / No / Don’t know / can’t recall

IF YES ASK Q27C ELSE SKIP TO Q28

Q27c Approximately how often did this occur?

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q30 Approximately how often were you refused a request for information by another agency or individual?

Never / Occasionally / Most of the time / All of the time / Other (Specify) / Prefer not to say

IF OCCASIONALLY, MOST OF THE TIME OR ALL OF THE TIME ASK Q31, ELSE SKIP TO DISQ32

Q31 As far as you are aware, what were the most common reasons for refusing a request to share information?

Adjusting to the CIS Scheme

The CIS scheme has now been in effect since late 2018. These next few questions relate to your current experience.

Q32 As far as you are aware, do your current information sharing practices align with the requirements under the CIS Scheme?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

Q33 Which processes/systems/attitudes have required the biggest changes to align with the CIS Scheme?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q34 What, in your view, are the benefits of the CIS Scheme to your organisation, to prescribed service workers, and to children and families that receive your services?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q35 What, in your view, are the challenges of the CIS Scheme for your organisation, for prescribed service workers and for the children and families that receive your services?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Q35b Have you observed any of those benefits or challenges playing out to date?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q35C ELSE SKIP TO Q36

Q35c Please describe any of these benefits and/or challenges that have played out for your organisation.

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

0-10 / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

The FVIS Scheme

Q37 Have you participated in the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) Training?

Yes / No / Don’t know / Prefer not to say

IF YES ASK Q38, ELSE SKIP TO Q39

Q38 On average how frequently have you shared information with other agencies over the past six months, under the FVISS?

Q39 Are there any lessons for the CIS Scheme that can be drawn from your experience of the FVISS?

Verbatim / Prefer not to say / Don’t know

Demographics

Now we have a few questions about yourself.

Q40 What is your age?

18-20 years / 21-29 years / 30-39 years / 40-49 years / 50-59 years / 60+ / Prefer not to say

Q41 Are you?

Male / Female / Prefer to self-describe / Prefer not to say

Close

Thank you for your time. This market research is carried out in compliance with the Privacy Act, and the information you provided will be used for research purposes only.

This survey was undertaken by Wallis Market & Social Research on behalf of the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

If you have any questions related to prescription, the Child Information Sharing Scheme has an enquiry line that you can call on 1800 549 646 which operates Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm. Alternatively, the team can be reached at childinfosharing@edumail.vic.gov.au.

If you require any further information about the study or if you’d like to find out how we manage your personal information, you can call Wallis on 1800 113 444 or view the Wallis Privacy Policy at www.wallisgroup.com.au/privacy-policy/.

Just to re-iterate, approval for this research project has been gained through the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Queensland (Approval Number: 2018002181).

Updated 31 March 2021

Appendix D: Data collection tools

D.1 Phase One 2019 prescribed workforces survey (baseline)

Attitudes towards information sharing at your organisation

Baseline: information sharing with other agencies

Baseline: other agencies sharing information with your organisation

Adjusting to the CIS Scheme

The FVIS Scheme

Demographics

Recruitment permissions

Close

D.2 Phase One 2020 prescribed workforces survey (follow-up)

Towards information sharing at your organisation

Follow-up: information sharing with other agencies

Follow-up: other agencies sharing information with your organisation

Adjusting to the CIS Scheme

The FVIS Scheme

Demographics

Close