Incident reporting

The Client incident management system (CIMS) focuses on the safety and wellbeing of clients by outlining the approach and key actions to manage client incidents.

The CIMS applies to the following department delivered services and funded organisations:

Children, youth and family services

• family and community services
• out-of-home care
• secure welfare
• statutory child protection services

Disability services funded by DFFH

• Disability Forensic Accommodation and Treatment Services (DFATS)
• Disability justice case management
• Specialist Forensic Disability Accommodation (SFDA)
• Forensic Disability State-wide Access Services (FDSAS)
• Department funded disability services ineligible for NDIS

Health services

• aged care and carer's support services
• alcohol and drug treatment services
• community and palliative care services
• home and community care (HACC) services for people aged under 65 and under 50 for Aboriginal people
• mental health community support services (MHCSS)
• sexual health prevention services

Housing and community building services

• department managed housing
• homelessness assistance
• long-term housing assistance

Youth services

• refugee minor program
• youth services

For NDIS providers:   Effective 1 July 2019, NDIS organisations whose supports and services are funded by the NDIS are no longer required to report incidents in CIMS but must now report incidents to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.  Please note, NDIS organisations in receipt of funding from both the DFFH and the NDIS, will remain subject to both state-based (ie: CIMS and NDIS) reporting obligations.  Further information relating to the reporting obligations for NDIS organisations can be found at: https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/providers/reportable-incidents.

Applicable policies

The CIMS is supported by:

• Client incident management guide
• Client incident management guide - out-of-home care addendum
• Client incident management system Policy update 1- 2020

Find out more about the CIMS

The CIMS webpage has more information about the CIMS, including the policy, link to the incident report webform and client incident register, fact sheets, implementation guidance, learning and development materials and IT requirements.

For assistance with the CIMS, refer to resources within the CIMS webpage or email CIMS@dffh.vic.gov.au. Stakeholders using their own IT reporting system and submitting incidents via the application program interface should continue to speak with their IT vendor.

Funded organisations previously reported privacy incidents as category one critical incident reports. With the introduction of the Client Incident Management System (CIMS) a new eform based Privacy incident report form was developed to enable funded organisations to continue notifying the department about privacy incidents.

Privacy incidents must be reported within one business day. A privacy breach that impacts a client may need to be reported as a client incident under CIMS as well as through a privacy incident report.

Visit the Privacy page for more information, including a link to the Privacy incident report web form, fact sheets and guidelines.

The offence for failure to disclose child sexual abuse to the police came into effect on 27 October 2014.

The offence requires that any adult who holds a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed in Victoria by an adult against a child (aged under 16) disclose that information to police.

The offence applies to all adults, not just professionals who work with children, unless they have a reasonable excuse.

For more information about the regime and how to report, visit the DFFH offence for failure to disclose child sexual abuse  page.  

What is happening?

The Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023 was recently introduced to Parliament in March to address critical disability reforms.  The Bill will address critical policy and legal issues to strengthen rights, protections and safeguards for people with disability in Victoria and is a key step to ensuring that the Victorian legislative framework is fit for purpose following the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Bill and supporting documents such as the Minister’s second reading speech, can be found on the Parliamentary Disability and Social Services Regulation Amendment Bill 2023 page.

Further information about service quality, improvement and protecting the rights of people with a disability can be found on the DFFH’s Disability webpage.

Incident reporting information for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) organisations

Effective 1 July 2019, NDIS organisations whose supports and services are funded by the NDIS are no longer required to report incidents in CIMS but must now report incidents to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.  Please note, NDIS organisations in receipt of funding from both the DFFH and the NDIS, will remain subject to both state-based (ie: CIMS and NDIS) reporting obligations.  Further information relating to the reporting obligations for NDIS organisations can be found at: https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/providers/reportable-incidents.

The Reportable Conduct Scheme commenced on 1 July 2017 to improve oversight on how organisations respond to allegations of child abuse and child-related misconduct. 

The scheme is administered by the Commission for Children and Young People.

Guidance material for service providers on undertaking streamlined CIMS and RCS investigations to meet the requirements of both schemes is available on the incident and allegation investigations page of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s website.

For more information about the Reportable Conduct Scheme, including the types of organisations to which the scheme applies, see the Commission for Children and Young People website or email contact@ccyp.vic.gov.au.