Record whole numbers only rounded up to the nearest whole day, for the total number of days per week on which the agency provides any service to service users.
An agency is considered to be operating whenever service is provided to service users (e.g. if an agency is open for 4 days per week for service provision to service users, and 1 day per week for management/administration then the agency should indicate that it operates 4 days per week).
The service must be provided by the agency but not necessarily from its physical setting. For example 'own home respite' that is arranged by an agency to occur on a particular day on which the office of that agency is not open still counts as a day of operation for that agency.
When an agency is available for service users on a day but does not provide services to service users on that day it should still be counted as a day of operation. For example, an agency may be open for service, such as an advocacy service, but no service users are seen.
Services which have no regular weekly pattern of operation should record code 90 'no regular pattern of operation through a week'. This includes, for example, cases where a service will be made available to a service user after hours only upon request (e.g. staff on call).
Collection methods:
This data element should be reported by all agencies.
Source and reference attributes
Submitting organisation:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
National Community Services Data Committee
Origin:
National Community Services Data Dictionary Version 2, 2000.
Reference documents:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2005. Commonwealth State /Territory Disability Agreement National Minimum Data Set collection: Data guide-data items and definitions 2005-06.
