Human Services Agreement (HSA)
Information for service providers about the standard contract for human services in NSW. The HSA is formally called the Agreement for Funding of Services, but is commonly referred to as ‘the HSA’ for easy reference.
Applying the HSA to DCJ contracts
Prior to 2017, service providers contracted by the Department of Families and Community Services (FACS), now DCJ, had another type of contract:
- the Funding Deed, which has been replaced with the HSA Standard Terms, and
- the Program Level Agreement (PLA), which has been replaced by the HSA Schedule.
From 2017, DCJ has been progressively using the HSA for new contracts as old contracts expire. The majority of DCJ contracts expire in June 2020, and from July 2020 new contracts will use the HSA.
The Permanency Support Program (PSP) has an exemption from the HSA until 2023 because the program went through an extensive recommissioning process at the same time the HSA was being introduced. The PSP will move to the HSA at a later stage, once existing contracts expire.
DCJ developed the Funded Contract Management Framework to assist service providers and DCJ contract managers to improve the way we manage contracts. It’s an important tool that works with the HSA.