Tri-Peaks Project

About the Tri-Peaks Project

The Tri-Peaks Project is a collaboration between the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) and The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) to support and promote good governance and integrated practices across our three different sectors.

Over the next two years, the Tri-Peaks Project is aiming to deliver a range of initiatives to increase collaboration between the child and family welfare, primary healthcare and alcohol and other drug sectors in Victoria.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated adapting some of these activities and their timelines, we hope that Tri-Peaks Project will increase opportunities for professional development and collaboration across our sectors.

You can now read the Tri-Peaks Project ‘Year in Review’ report here.

Board Survey

The Tri-Peaks Project has released a Board Survey to identify what support and resources board members would benefit from to support good governance practice as part of the Tri-Peaks Project.

To review the results of our survey, please click here.

Webinars

The Tri-Peaks Project has collaborated with a number of leading organisation and individuals, including Ernst & Young Australia and Cornwalls Law, to provide expert information on a range of topics from governance to the impact of COVID-19 on separated parents and their children.

Material from previous webinars and upcoming webinars are set out below. A YouTube playlist has been set up with Tri Peaks webinars.

Topic	Description	Presenter	Date	Lead Peak	Presentation / Webinar Link
Financial Viability for the NGO Sector and Government Stimulus during COVID-19	This session considered: Business continuity Financial management during a crisis Government stimulus Financial checklist	Cameron Bird, Partner, EY	15 April 2020 3:00 – 4:00pm	The Centre	Presentation here
Global Workforce Perspectives and Practical Strategies in COVID-19	This session considered: Government & NGO Impacts Due to COVID-19 Experience of human services workforce Workforce essential	Sonia Sharp, Partner EY	17 April 2020 11.30 – 12.30pm	The Centre	Presentation here Webinar here
Tools for Working Remotely and Privacy Implications	This session considered: Tools for remotely working Managing teams remotely	Sonia Sharp, Partner EY	20 April 2020 12.30 – 1.30pm	The Centre	Presentation here
Board evaluation panel discussion	This session discussed what board evaluation is and how regular evaluation contributes to good governance.	Jo-Anne Morfoot Fi Mercer Gayle Boschert	23 April 2020 12.30 – 1.30pm	VHA	Presentation here
The impact of COVID-19 for Separated Parents and their Children	This session discussed managing parenting arrangements during the COVID-19 crisis – issues and solutions for separated parents.	Cath Tregills, Executive Manager & Marney Bowden, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Relationship Matters	5 May 2020 1:00 – 2:00pm	The Centre	Presentation here
Not-for-profit governance during COVID-19	Cornwalls Law provided information on governance considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This session considered: Board director duties, liability and the “safe harbour” provisions Online privacy and data security considerations OH&S and duty-of-care for staff during the pandemic	Dean Katz, Partner Cornwalls Lawyers	14 May 2020 1.00 – 2.30pm	VAADA	Presentation here
Victoria’s New Workplace Manslaughter Laws from 1 July 2020	The new industrial manslaughter laws were added to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (OHS Act). They will result in a much greater spotlight on compliance with existing OHS laws, as well as introducing a new particular offence of industrial manslaughter. The new laws will attract the highest penalty in the OHS Act, introducing maximum fines of approx. $16.5m for employers and jail terms of up to 20 years and fines of up to $1.65m for officers whose actions or omissions: cause the death of a worker or member of the public; involve a breach of an OHS duty; were negligent. This webinar considered the scope of the new laws and how organisations can prepare for them.	Steve Bell, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills	27 May 2020 12.30 -1.30pm	The Centre	Presentation here Webinar here
Four Keys to an Effective Board	This webinar covered: Developing a skills matrix for your board Clarifying the commitment required to be a board member at your organisation Why alignment and diversity of board members is vital	Helga Svendsen, Facilitator and Coach	2 June 2020 12:00 – 1:00pm	The Centre	Presentation here Worksheet here Webinar here
The financial future beyond COVID-19: Why financial education matters for employers and employees	Presented by First State Super, this webinar considered: Data-led insights on the links between the financial wellbeing of employees and productivity. Financial support options available to employees due to COVID-19. How super is invested and the impacts of COVID-19. What you need to be thinking about now to secure your financial future.		17 June 2020 1pm – 1.45pm	VHA
The Journey from Response to Recovery from COVID-19 for Victoria’s Community Health and Human Services Sector	This webinar was presented by Tom Craven, Director, and Rob Camm, Partner, from Cube Group This webinar considered: What Australia’s possible pathways to recovery from COVID-19 look like for health and community services The multiple ‘waves’ of service disruptions that the COVID-19 will cause How other organisations are preparing for the long-term journey to recovery.	Tom Craven, Director, and Rob Camm, Partner, from Cube Group	30 June 2020 12:30pm	The Centre	Webinar here Presentation here
Methamphetamine and Pregnancy: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities	The Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service (WADS) at the Royal Women’s Hospital is Victoria’s only statewide service for pregnant women with complex substance use. WADS uses a multi-disciplinary approach to care for pregnant women and their infants. Methamphetamine use during pregnancy poses a range of risks to mother and baby, as well as a range of challenges in service delivery. This webinar considered: Current evidence: prevalence of methamphetamine use during pregnancy, risk and protective factors, population demographics; Health impacts for mothers and their infants, options for treatment; Effective service delivery, models of care, and WADS’ approach	Associate Professor Yvonne Bonomo – Medical Head, Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital; Director of Addiction Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Dr Theresa Lynch – Manager, Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital. Dr Anna Tottman – Consultant Neonatologist Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital; Honorary Research Fellow, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland.	21 July 2020 12pm – 2pm	VAADA	Webinar here Presentation here
Risk Management Fundamentals for Health and Community Services	The webinar covered: Key risk management concepts Risk management frameworks and governance Using risk management to make informed decisions related to strategic risks and risk register development.	Presented by John Belfrage and Cat Strawa, Risk Advisers, VMIA. VMIA is the Victorian Government’s insurer and risk adviser, covering a wide range of organisations across Victoria in the public and not-for-profit sectors.	Thursday 20 August 12:00 – 1:30pm	Victorian Healthcare Association	Webinar here Presentation here
Changes in working, innovation and impact on clients that have been developed and implemented during COVID-19		Bronwyn Pike CEO of Uniting Vic Tas, Nicole Bartholomeusz CEO of CoHealth, and Dr. Stefan Gruenert CEO of Odyssey House Victoria will present and be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A.	Thursday 3 September 12pm – 1pm		Webinar here.
‘AOD 101’ – Introduction to the alcohol and other drug sector: part 1	This webinar included: An overview of the not-for-profit AOD treatment sector, incorporating its structure, agencies, consumers and workforce Where and how to access treatment for your clients How does Safescript work? Pharmacotherapy A background to the Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR)	Moses Abbatangelo – Principal Project Adviser, Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Mental Health Branch, Health and Wellbeing Division, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Dr Suzanne Neilsen – Associate Professor Suzanne Nielsen (BPharmSc[Hons] PhD MPS) is the Deputy Director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Melbourne Kasey Elmore – Operations Manager, Medical Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR)	Tuesday 22^nd September 2pm – 3.30pm	VAADA	Webinar here.
Young people and AOD	This webinar has specifically been designed for workers across the child and family services, community health, and AOD sectors. The webinar covered: Overview of common issues for young people who are using AOD Engaging constructively with young people about AOD Developmentally appropriate interventions for young people The benefits and opportunities of working with young people.	Geoff Bayldon, YSAS	Wednesday 16th September 12pm – 1:30pm	VAADA	Webinar here Presentation here
‘AOD 101’ – Introduction to the alcohol and other drug sector: part 2	This webinar included: What does the client’s journey look like? (from Intake through to discharge) Substance types and signs and symptoms of use (intoxication, overdose and withdrawal) Client populations: youth, adults, forensic, older people and their differences in terms of engagement and treatment. Managing complexity: prevalence and management of MH and trauma issues, homelessness and FV, and cultural awareness. Treatment modalities (relapse prevention, motivational interviewing, CBT, mindfulness) A first-hand view of the AOD treatment system and the journey from the perspective of a consumer	Moses Abbatangelo – Principal Project Adviser, Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Mental Health Branch, Health and Wellbeing Division, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Dr Suzanne Neilsen – Associate Professor Suzanne Nielsen (BPharmSc[Hons] PhD MPS) is the Deputy Director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Melbourne Kasey Elmore – Operations Manager, Medical Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR)	Tuesday 29^th September 2.pm – 3.15pm	VAADA	Webinar here.
An update on the first Australian Child Maltreatment Study, Prof. Ben Matthews	The joint DHHS and Tri-Peaks webinar provided an update on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS). This is the first national study of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect in Australia, its mental and physical health outcomes, and the burden of disease. This is a 5 year study (2019-23), funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.	Prof. Ben Matthews	Thursday 8 October 1pm – 2pm	Centre and DHHS	Webinar here. Presentation here.
Implementing a quality clinical governance framework in a community health service	Overview of the Victorian Community Services Quality Governance Framework, and a case study of a community health service’s experience of developing and implementing its framework.	Simone Corin – A/Deputy Secretary, Children, Families, Communities and Disability Lauren Daly – Quality Manager, Latrobe Community Health Service	Tuesday 12 November 12:30pm – 1:30pm	Victorian Healthcare Association and DHHS	Webinar here Presentation here
The State of Social Innovation	When we talk about innovation we are talking about new ways of thinking, acting and collaborating that unlock better outcomes for people. At this time innovation matters more than ever to enable us to respond to the size and nature of the challenges that we are facing, Sarah draws on ThinkPlace’s experience of running innovation processes globally and present on the pulse of leaders, the myths of innovation labs, why social innovation attempts fail and how to avoid this, and what innovation could look like for you and your organisation.	Sarah Patterson, General Manager of Victoria at ThinkPlace Sarah leads ThinkPlace’s Victorian Studio in delivering local, national and international work, and brings deep expertise in facilitating co-design engagements that traverse policy and technical environments.	Friday 27 November 12:00pm – 1:00pm	The Centre	Webinar here Presentation here ThinkPlace report here

Research and resources

Tri-Peaks Literature Review and Summary

The literature review was undertaken to highlight the key elements of effective organisational collaboration between non-government organisations. The report is based on a desktop review of published resources on strategic collaboration; initiatives that supported clients across the health and/or human services sectors; and organisational collaborations across different sectors or disciplines. We found limited research specifically on cross-peak collaborations and their positive impacts on outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Read the Tri-Peaks Literature Review.
Read the Tri Peaks Literature Review Summary.

Other resources

Contact

If you would like to learn more about the Tri-Peaks Project or have a query relating to any of the information above, please contact Emma Fenby at emma.fenby@cfecfw.asn.au, Kerryn Garner at kerryn.garner@vha.org.au or James Petty at jpetty@vaada.org.au