Victims of crime at risk as counsellors left unpaid

Psychologists treating victims of crime are out of pocket tens of thousands of dollars, as the state’s new scheme makes it impossible for them to get paid unless their traumatised clients undertake an onerous, technical process.

The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) has made three budget bids to try to implement a system to allow practitioners to bill the government scheme directly, but these have been knocked back, Department of Justice and Community Safety correspondence obtained by The Age shows.

Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Victims Anthony Carbines.Credit: Joe Armao

The state government said these budget bids had not been progressed to the treasurer and that the difficulties would be resolved, but did not say when.

The scheme replaced the former Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT) in November to expand assistance and create a more trauma-informed approach to link victims of violent crime with counselling, medical care or the ability to make up for lost earnings outside the court system.

But community legal centres – which fear a hotline for victims will lose funding in the May 20 state budget – and the Victims of Crime Commissioner all said teething problems posed a risk to the success of the scheme and to victims of violent crime.

Psychologists, trauma counsellors and industry bodies told The Age the scheme disincentivised care, had the potential to re-traumatise victims, and would ultimately block people getting help they need.

Clinical psychologist Dan Jones.

Under the new scheme, victims of crime or their lawyers have to lodge invoices in an online portal to get their treating counsellor or psychologist paid.

These patients could have psychosis, paranoia, be neurodiverse, abuse alcohol or drugs, be culturally or linguistically diverse or otherwise struggle to do administrative tasks, including as a result of the crime they’ve endured. Practitioners said the most vulnerable patients should not be nagged by those supposed to be helping them and that this model hampered their relationships and recovery.

Clinical psychologist Dan Jones, who works from Sydney but treats Victorian patients by telehealth, told The Age he was owed about $30,000 for supporting victims of crime in the state. He estimated two-thirds of that was because of the transition to the new scheme.

“I’ve been seeing people for months now with no way of getting paid,” Jones said. “The choice is between abandoning them, even if you’re referring them on [to another practitioner], or continuing without getting paid.”

Practitioners were weighing up whether turning away the highest-need patients was more ethical than churning through them if it was likely to be unsustainable.

The industry has been calling for a portal allowing providers to lodge invoices directly and the government said this would be developed, but did not say when.

Psychologists and counsellors also raised concerns that support letters for patients applying to the scheme were no longer being funded.

Community legal centres separately said there had been delays for clients transitioning onto the new scheme, and that some people who had been previously rejected who should now be eligible were being automatically denied help.

Women’s Legal policy director Roj Amedi said the FAS was a promising step but that the government’s intentions needed to be matched with investment to resolve significant issues.

A Women’s Legal client, who could not be named, faces possible eviction because rental assistance has stopped while her package is moved onto the FAS. The woman, on a temporary visa with complex mental health challenges and who does not speak English, almost returned to family violence the last time she fell behind on rent before being awarded support through the former tribunal.

Amedi said this client’s compounding vulnerabilities showed the necessity of funding the Victims Legal Service, which is due to expire on June 30. Community legal centres fear the funding will not be renewed despite demand while the government looks to cut its spending.

South-East Monash Legal Service deputy chief executive Ashleigh Newnham said the former VOCAT system was in desperate need of reform, as identified by the Victorian Law Reform Commission, and she was hopeful the FAS could be developed into what was intended.

But she said teething issues had to be resolved and that access to wraparound services for the most vulnerable cohorts needed to continue.

Victims of Crime Commissioner Elizabeth Langdon.Credit: Penny Stephens

Victims of Crime Commissioner Elizabeth Langdon said she was concerned about accessibility issues and delays to support under the new scheme.

“The initial delivery is not meeting the expectations of victim/survivors and is delaying their access to the support and assistance to which they are entitled. These issues need to be remedied urgently,” Langdon said in a statement to The Age.

“I have been briefed by those leading the Financial Assistance Scheme on work that’s currently underway to address these issues. I will be watching closely and will not hesitate to continue to raise the concerns of victim/survivors and the agencies that support them.”

Australian Association of Psychologists Inc executive director Tegan Carrison said she believed there was a genuine desire to get the new system right but that it appeared under-resourced. She said she was aware of multiple psychologists down tens of thousands of dollars and that it was critical they had a way to lodge invoices themselves.

“If psychologists can’t pay their bills, they’re not going to keep working in this scheme,” Carrison said.

“It’s a really appalling situation ... I’ve had psychologists in tears with me. They do not know what to do.”

Australian Psychological Society chief executive Dr Zena Burgess and Australian Association of Social Workers chief executive Cindy Smith each confirmed their members had complained about the new invoicing system and had made representations to the government to fix it.

Minister for Victims Anthony Carbines, who moved to the portfolio in December, said the government had been working closely with stakeholders and the commissioner to improve the new scheme.

“We worked closely with victims when building the FAS, which is all about reducing time in court for victims and making sure they get the support they need when they need it,” Carbines said.

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