Incident 

If a local service provider or community member witnesses or becomes aware of VSU in the community, they can report it to the Central Coordinating Agency (CCA). The CCA is the agreed agency with responsibility for receiving incident reports and coordinating a response to VSU incidents.

Document

Using the VSU Incident Report Form (Report Form), document all details of the incident. Include as much information as possible.

The Report Form can either be completed by the person who observed the incident or by someone who received information from a person who observed the incident. 

Complete a Report Form even if only limited details are known, for example. if empty cans or containers are found but no further information is available. This information is still important as it can trigger further investigation or monitoring, discussion with community members or the source of supply (i.e. retailers or industry). 

Complete a Report Form for each incident. If there are five people sniffing together you do not need to submit five different reports as it is one incident. However, if the same five people sniff on three separate occasions this would be identified as three separate incidents. 

You can either note the number of incidents on one form or report the three incidents separately if the details differ significantly. Including names on the Report Form is optional. You may choose to provide this information verbally when you are contacted by the CCA (see Step 2 – Verify).

Submit

Submit the Report Form to the CCA via app or email as per the details on the form. Ensure that the Report Form is submitted as soon after the incident as possible, to ensure timeliness of the response.

Verify

When a Report Form is received, the CCA may contact you to find out more about the incident. This may be to clarify the information received or to ensure there is no duplication of reports of the same incident.

Record

Once the incident has been verified, the CCA will record the incident on a confidential database. Where multiple reports are received about the same incident, only one incident will be recorded.

Note: Only de-identified data is provided to the Mental Health Commission for support and state reporting.

Assess

The CCA will then assess the response required for each incident.

Acknowledge

The CCA will provide acknowledgement of receipt of the Report Form to the reporter as soon as possible, preferably within 72 hours.

Coordinate

The CCA will coordinate a response via local service providers, where possible, and may call upon members of a local VSU Working Group (where relevant) to assist. A local response may already be underway in which case the CCA will monitor, follow-up and record the outcome of the response, providing support where required.

If the incident/s involve large numbers of people, serious harms and/or the community feels it is uncontainable, the CCA will inform the Chair of the Working Group so that a broader, coordinated response can be implemented.

Communicate

The CCA will communicate with all relevant stakeholders and Working Group members as appropriate. Stakeholders to be notified will depend on each individual situation and details should only be made available to those that require the information to inform their response. This may include those who require the information at a local level as well as those Working Group members who are called upon to contribute to the response.

Where detail is not required, de-identified information should be used to ensure the confidentiality of the individuals involved, as well as the community. Where a child is at risk of harm to themselves or others, duty-of-care will require relevant services to be informed.

An appropriate ‘alert’ system, which informs or alerts relevant stakeholders to VSU incidents, needs to be developed for each town/community with agreement from the Working Group.

Monitor

The CCA will monitor the response and record outcomes. This is to ensure that all incidents are followed up either locally or at a broader level.

Inform

Where appropriate, the reporter will be informed of the response that has been put in place as a result of the report, within the limits of confidentiality.

The CCA will provide a de‑identified VSU incident summary at each Working Group meeting.

Review

The CCA/Working Group will review coordinated responses as required. This is to learn what worked well and what could be improved for next time.

Where a broader coordinated response was required, in some situations, it may be appropriate to arrange a debriefing session. This would include Working Group members and be arranged by the Chair of the Working Group.