Data Exchange 101 – Introduction

   Transcript for Data Exchange Training Module 101 – Introduction to the Data Exchange – November 2018

Welcome to this introductory session on the Data Exchange.

My name is Rachael, I am with the Data Exchange Engagement and Hub Learning team, and I will be taking you through this session today.

As we begin, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners on whose land we meet today.  We pay our respects to their elders past and present.

Today we will be providing a broad overview of the Data Exchange where we will cover the principles behind the Data Exchange.

There are two data sets in the Data Exchange known as the priority requirements and the partnership approach. We will be exploring what that means and what information they include.

We will finish off with where you can go to get more assistance.

What is the Data Exchange?

The Data Exchange is a program performance reporting tool.  It is an easy to use IT system that accommodates the sector’s varying business processes regardless of a provider’s size, type or delivery focus.

The Data Exchange was a project that began in October 2013.  Extensive consultation with policy areas and service providers informed the design decisions to create a single, streamlined system.

The name ‘Data Exchange’ reflects the two-way partnership of information sharing between funding agencies and service providers, enabling both to find smarter and more efficient ways of improving service delivery and understand the overall outcomes achieved for individuals, families and communities.

The principles for this project were to:

• Reduce red tape by reducing the data entry requirements for organisations, including standardising the way information is reported, and the reporting periods
• Shift the focus from outputs to outcomes. Outputs are still are very important part of a clients and organisations story. Now we are also focusing on the impact that services have made to a client’s life or situation.
• Enable collaboration between the organisation and their funding agencies. This allows for improvement in services, to the right client at the right time. It also allows for innovation and growth on how processes and programs can be improved.
• And to improve access to inform service delivery and program policy. The data that is reported on is keenly anticipated by policy areas and funding agencies and assists with considering questions such as. Do the programs work? Are they targeting the right client groups? Where are service being delivered compared to where clients live? Is a program achieving the expected outcomes?

Technology is also crucial to the success of the Data Exchange – and allows us to share the information collected back to providers through reports.

There are five (5) standard key performance indicators in relation to the Data Exchange. These KPIs are listed in your grant agreement.

They include:

• KPI 1 - The number of clients assisted
• KPI 2 - Number of events / service instances delivered
• KPI 3 - Percentage of participants from priority target groups
• KPI 4 - Percentage of clients achieving individual goals related to independence, participation and
• well-being
• KPI 5 - Percentage of clients achieving improved independence, participation and well-being

KPIs 4 and 5 are measured using the partnership approach, which we will explain in the coming slides.

The Data Exchange was introduced in the Department of Social Services in July 2014, and has since become part of the Community Grants Hub services.

As at November 2018 the Data Exchange has grown to over 2,500 registered organisations, with over
80 million sessions of service and over 65 programs currently using this performance reporting tool.

This is a government-wide reporting solution used by several agencies including the Department of Social Services, Attorney-General’s Department, Department of Health and the NSW Government Department of Family and Community Services.

The Data Exchange information is used to provide insights into service delivery, outcome achievements and to answer policy and research questions across activities.

In addition to standard demographic information (such as age, gender, CALD information, etc.) data can be enhanced by linking it to other social policy datasets on a de-identified basis, such as the welfare payments data or the socio-economic data.  Using the Statistical Linkage Key gives us insights into what clients are doing in the service and what other services they are accessing.

Data that is provided by organisations is valued by the Department and has many uses.

The data:

• Informs policy development through input for the Department to get a better feel for what is happening on the ground. For example:
  • Data Exchange data was used in the Evaluation of Settlement grants. In response to this review, an enhanced program (SETS – Settlement Engagement and Transition Support) will be introduced from 1 January 2019.
• Is the main data source for the DSS annual report;
• Data from the Data Exchange is also used to support evidence-based conversations between Funding Arrangement Managers and your organisations, and helps our Delivery Network understand what services are being delivered in their local region.
• Data will also be used to support Try, Test and Learn (TTL). The Data Exchange is used by both internal DSS staff and the external evaluators to monitor the implementation and progress of TTL projects. TTL funded organisations are encouraged to enter the data on a regular basis to enable any issues to be identified early.
• In the past the data has also assisted with disaster recovery planning for Cyclone Debbie in April 2017. The data was useful in helping forecast services that may be impacted by the cyclone and where clients could access similar services in other locations that weren’t affected.
• The data also highlights the breadth of client pathways across services. The data provides a comprehensive picture of government funded services – where clients access them, when and how many times. This can help us understand what levels of service (or service dosage) leads to the best outcome;
• Demonstrates the return on Government investment; and
• Is used by Government to help determine future policy direction so it needs to be accurate and up to date.

In addition to our users, this information supports business planning and innovative service delivery practices for organisations.

There are two data sets of the Data Exchange.

The Data Exchange seeks to tell the ‘story’ about grant programs by breaking them down into a number of linked ‘chapters’ by seeking to answer some key questions:

• How much is being done? – In terms of the services and assistance available to individual, families, groups and communities targeted by the program. These are the priority requirements.
• How well is it being done? – Particularly from the point of view of the individuals, and families who we are trying to assist.
• Did we achieve what we expected? – In terms of resolving the issues for which clients sought assistance, helping clients achieve their individual and family goals and contributing to positive changes in client’s circumstances. These are the Partnership Approach components.

Both of these parts of the story are reported using the Standard Client Outcomes Reporting data items – known as SCORE. This enriches the data collected via the Data Exchange by providing valuable context on client groups, local community profiles etc.

For organisations participating in the partnership approach, we are also providing a suite of additional reports including data sourced from government data sets (such as the ABS and SEIFA).

The Grant Opportunity Guidelines and Grant Agreements will indicate if organisations are required to report on the partnership approach. This requirement is also referenced in Appendix B of the Data Exchange Protocols document.

The Data Exchange has two, 6-month reporting periods per annum:

• the first spans from the 1st January to the 30th June, and
• the second spans from 1st July to the 31st December.

Service providers can enter their data for a reporting period at any point in time within that reporting period. Some choose to enter their data every day, once a week, once a month, or even every 3 months.

The Department strongly encourages organisations to enter data regularly to assist in monitoring targets and checking data regularly. Reports are available to help monitor targets and check the data that has been submitted.

Service providers also have a 30 day closing period at the end of each reporting period to check and finalise their data. These dates are the 30th of January and the 30th July each year, not the last day of the month.

We will now work through the requirements to get access to the Data Exchange.

These are the following steps to getting started in the Data Exchange:

• The first step is to access the training material.
• Step 2 is to apply for an AUSkey.
• Step 3 is to decide on your organisation’s upload method.
• The next step once you have access to the Data Exchange is to set up your organisation’s outlets and attach your funded program activities to them.
• And then set up your staff with their appropriate user access.
• The last step is to start to input your data and check its quality regularly.

We will go through each of these steps next.

There is range of training materials on the Data Exchange website.

These include task cards, e-Learning modules and recorded webinars.

If your organisation needs additional support, please contact the Helpdesk or your Funding Arrangement Manager.

An AUSkey is required to access the Data Exchange. Obtaining an AUSkey may take time so we would recommend that you do this as soon as possible if you haven’t already done so.

AUSkeys come in two forms, administrator and standard.

Administrator AUSkey holders (usually the chief financial officer of an organisation) can then set up their organisation’s standard AUSkey holders.

Having an Administrator AUSkey gives you access to more government online services and sensitive information about the business you represent.

An Administrator AUSkey gives you the ability to manage all AUSkeys linked to the ABN, including yours.

With your Administrator AUSkey you can:

• update or cancel all AUSkeys for your organisation
• register other Administrator or Standard AUSkey users
• approve requests for Standard AUSkeys
• obtain additional AUSkeys for yourself to use on other computers
• register a Device AUSkey for your business.

If you are the first person in your organisation to be registered, you will automatically be issued with an Administrator AUSkey.

A good way to ensure the security of your business information is to limit the number of Administrator AUSkeys. We do however, recommend having at least two AUSkey Administrators in your organisation in case the other AUSkey administrator is on holidays or leaves the organisation.

Standard AUSkeys are sufficient for most users. Having a Standard AUSkey will give you access to most government online services.

With your Standard AUSkey you can:

• manage your own AUSkey
• obtain additional AUSkeys to use on other computers
• manage a Device AUSkey if you are the Custodian.

More information can be found in the AUSkey registration guide at Australian Business Register website.

The Data Exchange allows you to submit data in 3 different ways. These are:

1. System-to-system
2. Bulk file upload, or the
3. Web-based portal.

Bulk upload and system-to-system are applicable for organisation’s wishing to use their own client management systems to meet reporting requirements.

Organisation’s considering this approach should refer to the appropriate technical specifications which can be found on the Data Exchange website.

System to system transfer means that you have your own Client Management Software (CMS) or are looking to use a CMS to capture client data.  Your IT vendor can modify the specifications of the software so that Data Exchange relevant fields are automatically uploaded to the Data Exchange at regular intervals (such as midnight each night).

Technical specifications on the coding required can be found on the Data Exchange website.

Bulk Upload is similar to system-to-system transfer, except that in this case your IT vendors can create a function where the organisation’s Data Exchange Organisation Administrator manually bulk uploads the data in the required format.

This means that the fields relevant to the Data Exchange are extracted from your software as an XML file, and then uploaded to the web-based portal manually.

Technical Specifications for bulk uploading can be found on the Data Exchange website.

For organisation’s using either the system to system or bulk upload method we recommend that your IT vendor contact the Data Exchange Helpdesk for access to a sandpit environment. This will allow them to test the upload and fix any error before a live upload is attempted.

For organisation’s who either do not have a compatible software system or do not wish to modify their software, you can report via the free web-based portal provided by the Data Exchange.

User support, task cards and e-Learning modules are available on the Data Exchange website to help users navigate the portal and enter their data effectively and correctly.

The web-based portal allows for recording client, services and outcomes data and allows you and your staff to confidentially meet all the data requirements for your program(s).

No option is preferred over another by the Department; so you should choose the method that best suits your business.

Also it is important to note that an organisation can change the upload method at any time.

For example they may want to start entering data into the web-based portal while working with their IT developers to build the system-to-system or bulk file upload capability for the longer term.

If this is the case it is very important that all parties ensure that the client IDs are different or unique, or if sequential that they start after the client IDs that have already been generated. Otherwise there is a risk that the data that has already been submitted could be overwritten.

The Upload Methods task card on the Data Exchange website under the Training resources tab has more information.

We will now discuss the different Data Exchange User roles.

The Data Exchange Organisation Administrator:

• Has the highest level of access. The Organisation Administrator will automatically be granted full access to all Outlets and Programme Activities.
• This access allows a user to read and create records, and manage outlets and user access within their organisation.
• Providers using Bulk Upload must have at least one Organisation Administrator to upload their data files.
• We recommend that an organisation has at least two Data Exchange Organisation Administrators in case someone is on holidays or leaves the organisations.

Please note that the Data Exchange Organisation Administrator is different to the AUSkey Organisation Administrator. A person in an organisation can hold both roles or only one.

The following system roles can be created and managed by Data Exchange Organisation Administrators in the Web-based portal therefore allowing you to be self-sufficient in creating and removing users.

Organisation editor:
An organisation editor is created by the Organisation Administrator in the web-based portal and allows a user to read and create records for the outlet and program that they have been provided access to. This permission will be mirrored in the data that they will be able to see in the reports.

Organisation view only:
An organisation view only user is only able to view records for the outlet and program that they have been given permission to see. This permission will be mirrored in the data that they will be able to see in the reports as well.

Under the Manage Organisation section on the Data Exchange web-based portal homepage, the Organisation Administrator can set up their outlets and attach the program activities delivered from each outlet.

This is also where organisations can opt into the partnership approach.

• Outlets
  • Organisations submit outlet requests via the web-based portal. These are verified and approved by the Data Exchange Helpdesk and organisations are notified accordingly.
  • Program Activities delivered from the outlets can then be attached. 
• Users
  • Users have delegated authority from the Data Exchange Organisation Administrator.
  • Users are associated with a particular outlet and program which allows them to view only their data – this is particularly important for sensitive programs.

We will now have a look at the information captured through the Data Exchange. Additional training on adding and editing clients, sessions, and outcomes is available on the Data Exchange webpage. 

On the web-based portal home page you will find areas to Find clients and cases; view SCORE data and add clients, cases, sessions and SCORE.

Data Exchange Organisation Administrators will also find the My Organisation area to manage their organisation and users and to upload files and find the reference data for system to system transfers.

You will also find the link to access your reports.

On the screen are some commonly used terms and their definitions used in the Data Exchange.

The first of the two data sets in the Data Exchange is the priority requirements. These are the mandatory fields that all providers must complete to add a client.

The priority data requirements cover the basic information on your clients and the services they have received from your organisation.

In the Data Exchange, a client is defined as an individual who receives a service as part of a funded activity that is expected to lead to a measurable outcome. This includes clients you see individually or in group settings such as group therapy sessions.

The client information collected and recorded is:

• First name.
• Last name.
• Date of birth (or an estimated year of birth if a specific day and month are unknown for personal, religious or cultural reasons).
• Gender – male, female, intersex/indeterminate (clients who identify as not fitting the typical binary notions of male or female bodies) or Not stated / Inadequately described.
• Residential Address (at minimum suburb, state and postcode).
• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (which is captured through two questions, ‘main language spoken at home’ and ‘country of birth’).
• Indigenous information (whether the client identifies as having an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander background).
• Disability information – where the client identifies as having a disability, condition or impairment.
• Client Consent - Service providers must ask clients if they are open to participating in client research at some point in the future. This consent forms part of the priority requirements.
• The first and last name, date of birth and gender information automatically generates a Statistical Linkage Key (SLK) - 14 characters numbers and letters - which de-identifies client data but enables it to be matched over time and programs. This information does not include information that identifies a client, or information that can be used to re-identify a client in any way.

Definitions of these fields can be found in the Protocols document on the Data Exchange website.

We know that some of an organisation’s work deals with groups and large community events as opposed to individual clients.

Clients can be defined in two ways:

• Individual clients attending a session such as a group counselling session and;
• People who attend a community event and it is impractical to capture their specific details.

In some instances there may be a combination of unidentified ‘group’ clients and individual clients included in the same case and sessions. For example, if delivering a community event, a number of regular clients (that are able to be identified) may attend as well as a number of unknown new clients or members of the general public.

It is recognised that in limited situations (such as the delivery of services to large groups) it is not always possible or practical to record each client as an individual record.  In these circumstances service providers can still record the number of persons as a simple aggregate number who attended a service using the field ‘Unidentified client attendance’.  This number is reflected against both the case and session records.

We know that some organisations run community events. It is often impractical to collect and record individual client information for those people attending the event. In this case the aggregate number of unidentified ‘group’ clients can be recorded. Clients that have already attended your organisation can also be added to these sessions as previously stated.

This will demonstrate how many people attended the event but it does not include any personal information that is collected to identify individuals such as name, date of birth or gender.

Your reports will show the output count of how many people attended that group or community event but no other details on those people.

Further information on when organisations should create a community or group session is included in the Data Exchange Protocols document. Organisations can also find specific details about the programs being funded and the use of unidentified clients in Data Exchange Protocols Appendix B under the heading “Should unidentified group clients be recorded?”

If you find that the number of group clients is higher than what is specified in Appendix B, please speak to your Funding Arrangement Manager about why this is occurring.

In the Data Exchange, a case is like a container that holds relevant and required information.

This information includes:

• The outlet or location the service is being delivered from or where staff are travelling from.
• The program activity being delivered.
• The clients who are expected to attend the program activities.
• The sessions or instances of services that are delivered for that program activity.

Once a client record has been created in the Data Exchange they must then be associated to the programs and activities they are participating in. This is captured using the concepts of cases and sessions. A case is the first step in recording service delivery information within the Data Exchange.

A case captures one or more sessions that are expected to lead to a distinct outcome. A case record is only created once to capture information about a program or activity being provided over a number of sessions to a particular cohort of clients.

Depending on the nature of the service, a case could be linked to an individual, a couple, a family or an unrelated group of individuals.

The case name must not include any client names, date of births or any other items such as a CRN number that would identify the client as this would undermine the privacy principles of the Data Exchange.

Some programs have specific case structure or naming conventions. These can be found in Appendix B of the Protocols document.

For the majority of programs we encourage you to use what works for your organisation. For example you could set up a case for all your Education and skills training sessions undertaken in May.

Or if you are working with a client you can set up a case for that individual. You will not be able to name the case or use any information that can identify the client in any way. So you could create the case with A0123/18 for example.

A question that is commonly asked is: Can I create a case that covers two program activities or two outlets?

If a client receives services under a number of different funded activities, each of these is treated as a separate case.  Cases cannot cross between program activities or cover more than one program activity, nor can they have more than one outlet.

Again, guidance on how you might like to set up your cases for specific program activities can be found in Appendix B to the Data Exchange Protocols.

As per the Data Exchange Protocols: “A session is an individual instance or episode of service, stored within a case. A case may contain between one and a potentially unlimited number of sessions.”

Sessions are about recording the services delivered to clients not about effort-tracking or for tasks such as following up a client for an appointment.

Service types differ from program to program, and should capture the main focus of each instance of service. For example you may have a session that includes both about 20% intake and assessment and 80% providing information / advice and referral. The service type that is selected and recorded against the session will be information / advice and referral.

You will only be able to enter a service type relevant to the program assigned at the case level – so there is never any risk of accidentally selecting a service type that doesn’t belong to your program.

Guidance on service types can be found in Appendix B of the protocols document.

Sessions are the key to the Data Exchange as they trigger your self-service reports and demonstrate;

• the date the instance of service occurred,
• the type of service the participants received (called a ‘service type’), and
• which clients were present on that date.

Under the partnership approach, a session is where a SCORE outcome is recorded and can also include referral information.

Just to recap how all those elements fit together:

A case is the first step in recording service delivery information within the Data Exchange.

• The Case ID allows the organisation to name the case.
• The outlet is the location where the service is being delivered.
• The program activity demonstrates what activity is being delivered at this location.
• The clients associated with the case are included from the group of clients.

The case structure or the way you set up a case is up to each service provider and can be adapted to be meaningful to staff on the ground. For this example we have used Education and skills training May 2018.

The session details are then attached. These include:

• the date the instance of service  occurred,
• the type of service the participants received (called a ‘service type’), and
• which clients were present on that date.

Under the partnership approach a session is where a SCORE outcome is recorded and can also include referral information.

This is an overview of the process to capture data through the Data Exchange portal. Instructions on how to complete each of these steps are contained in the e-Learning modules on the Data Exchange website.

Task cards for each step are also available to assist if required.

The steps are:

• Add/find a client or Add/find a case – These 2 steps are interchangeable. New clients would need to be set up first before adding to the Case. 
• Create/ add a session.
• Add a SCORE.
• Review your data to ensure you have captured the required information. You can do this through the Organisation Overview report and the Organisation Data Quality report.
• Learning Modules on using the reports are also available on the Data Exchange website.

We will now have a look at the extended data collected through the partnership approach. This includes extended demographic information and SCORE data.

The partnership approach is where an organisation agrees to collect an extended data set of outcomes-focused information in return for access to additional reports.

This is an extended dataset comprising of:

• additional client demographic details (Homeless indicator through to NDIS eligibility), and
• client needs and referral reasons (reason for seeking assistance and referrals to other services), and most importantly
• SCORE or outcomes data on the impacts of services that clients are accessing.

Unless specified in your grant agreement and program guidance information, the extended data set items are optional. This means that organisations can collect any of these additional items if they are relevant to the program that they are delivery.

For example, for an organisation delivering a program to reduce homelessness, the ‘Homeless indicator’ may be collected and reported on. Or if you are delivering a program aimed at assisting aged care clients to remain independent and living at home, you might want to collect ‘Household composition’.

If delivering a financial program you might want to collect’ Main source of income’, ‘Approximate gross income’ and ‘Income frequency’. Organisations delivering settlement services programs might want to collect ‘Month / Year of first arrival in Australia’ or ‘Visa type’ and ‘Ancestry’. Or you might want to collect the reason the client sought assistance or the reason you have referred the client to other services.

You are also able to collect and report the ‘Service setting’ and ‘Assessed by’ fields in relation to how and where outcomes data is collected.

The Service setting is the place it took place such as at the organisation’s premise, the clients home, was it over the phone, a mobile service, or at another location and the relationships between participants and the client (so a family member, support person). This provides additional context on what happened in the delivery of a service.

As mentioned, these items may be optional or some may be required for your activity. These items can be collected at any time or for any client. Obviously the more data you collect the more data is visible in your reports.

The most important part of the partnership approach data is the outcomes data collected through SCORE.

SCORE, the Data Exchange outcomes framework, supports consistent outcomes measurement through four components that are relevant to the range of programs reporting in the Data Exchange.

SCORE includes a standard set of outcome domains to help report the difference programs are making to a client's life.

Organisations are also able to identify how the assessment was made. Was it by the client, practitioner, joint assessment made by the client and practitioner or a support person who might be accompanying a younger or older client who may not be able to make the assessment themselves?

Organisations can also identify the tool that was used to make the assessment. Was it a validated outcomes tools such as a Kessler K10? Or was the assessment made using SCORE directly?

The ‘Additional guidance for using SCORE’ document on the Data Exchange website provides information on using SCORE directly with clients. An e-Learning module is available to help capture the partnership data.

SCORE has four main components to measure changes as a result of service delivery: Circumstances, Goals, Satisfaction and Community.

The SCORE components are linked to standard domains to make it easy to compare and aggregate client outcomes across DSS programs – these are listed on this slide.

Each domain target a specific area and has a separate set of questions within them, relating to a possible client outcome. The answers are then rated on a Likert scale from 1 to 5.

It is clear that, while one domain may relate to services being delivered by one organisation, another may not. Organisations should therefore choose to report on the domains that are relevant to the services they provide, based on clients’ needs and what they are aiming to achieve or improve through contact with the service.

The first three domains show the domains used for individual SCORE assessments, while the fourth Community domain is only used for group or community events. (See also program specific guidance in Appendix B of the Data Exchange Protocols).

Note that SCORE is not a clinical evaluation tool and may be used differently by different organisations. For organisations using clinical assessment tools, a translation matrix has been developed to translate the results of nine commonly used assessment tools into SCORE data such as Kessler 10 and Outcome Rating Scale to name a few.  This document should be taken as a reference only and is available on the Data Exchange website.

Organisations are encouraged to refer to Appendix B to see what SCORE domains would be most relevant to the program/s that they are delivering.

How do you record SCORE on a practical level?

You will need to:

• Determine the way an assessment will be made – either by the client, practitioner, jointly by the client and practitioner, a support person or using an evaluation tool.
• Select the relevant domain(s) in SCORE.
• Make an initial SCORE assessment towards the beginning of a client’s engagement with a service or activity on the Likert scale of 1-5.
• Make a subsequent SCORE assessment throughout the client’s engagement with a service or activity on the Likert scale of 1-5.
• Multiple SCOREs may be recorded for long-term clients.
• To be able to determine the difference over time, an initial and a subsequent SCORE needs to be recorded in the same domain.

Outcomes are the changes in an individual, group or family’s life following interaction with a funded service. These occur over time and are not always immediately visible. This means regular reporting of this data is critical.

We also know it’s important to build trust with clients, and for this reason we recommend that the initial SCORE assessment is completed sometime towards the beginning of service delivery, such as during the first month. For some services this can be during intake, others will need more time.

The subsequent assessments can be undertaken at any time, depending on the intensity and length of service delivery.

For some programs and clients it can be tricky to identify the end point but we recommend a final assessment if that is possible. In a number of programs there is a natural end point, others may not know when the client will drop out.

We suggest undertaking an assessment once a change is observed or the client indicates a change has occurred in their goals or circumstances.  Undertaking subsequent assessments with the client can be valuable in determining if the client has achieved what they expected, and may be used in their case management.

Due to the varying nature of programs reporting in the Data Exchange, flexibility is built into the SCORE process. This allows you to undertake assessments when it fits into service delivery practices.

For example, if your service is delivering Emergency Relief, you may complete the initial and subsequent assessment in the one session, both before and after you’ve provided a food parcel or financial support.

An organisation delivering a financial literacy program where an assessment is made of a person’s financial goals or their savings behaviour at the beginning and end of them accessing the service.

Likewise, a program delivering settlement services will likely meet with clients a number of times across years, so they may record several subsequent assessments every few months, until the client no longer requires that service.

Overwhelmingly, outcomes measurement works best when it’s integrated into service delivery. The key to making it work is planning for it to occur at logical points in your service delivery practices where you would see incremental changes over time and it could be a change in circumstances or behaviours.

Here is an example of one of our SCORE domains ‘Circumstances’ and the questions and Likert scale attributed. For example, a client may come to your service to improve their ability to communicate in their family.

In this example, you would record an initial SCORE assessment against ‘family functioning’, where the client may start at a 1 at the commencement of the course.

Once the course is complete, a second SCORE assessment - a subsequent SCORE would be recorded to demonstrate any change in their ability to communicate in their family, and may move to a 3.

Depending on the nature of the service or program, clients may have just one SCORE domain, or have outcomes across a number of domains. They may also move up or down the scale, or remain the same, depending on their progress.

This is expected and appropriate; SCORE has been designed to be flexible and report the true outcomes of the client, wherever they may be at that point in time.

Here is an example of one of our SCORE domains ‘Goals’ and the questions and Likert scale attributed.

For example, a client may come to your service to learn a new skill. In this example, you would record an initial SCORE assessment against ‘changed skills’, where the client may start at a 2 at the commencement of the course.

Once the course is complete, a second SCORE assessment is completed and a subsequent SCORE would be recorded to demonstrate any change in skills, and may move to a 4 or 5.

Depending on the nature of the service or program, clients may have just one SCORE domain recorded, or outcomes over a number of domains. They may also move up or down the scale, or remain the same, depending on their progress.

This is expected and appropriate; SCORE has been designed to be flexible and report the true outcomes of the client, wherever they may be at that point in time.

On the Data Exchange website, there is a wealth of useful information. These including the Data Exchange Protocols Document, training resources such as task cards and e-Learning modules, and notifications and updates that will assist with using the Data Exchange.

All users should subscribe to Data Exchange mailing list by using the Subscribe button on the homepage.  This will allow you to receive the latest news concerning the Data Exchange such as reminders about the end of reporting periods, and to find out about the latest training available.

If you still need help, please contact the Helpdesk.

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