How CPSN Halved their Payroll Processing Time for Better Care Outcomes

The Cerebral Palsy Support Network (CPSN) is the peak-body representing individuals with cerebral palsy and their families in Victoria. 

Founded in 1995 by families of children with cerebral palsy, the Network began life as a support group designed to share information and connect with others. It has since evolved to become a member-based, not-for-profit organisation that provides support and services to people with cerebral palsy and similar conditions. This includes direct in-home and community support, telehealth nurse consults and support coordination.

Before foundU, CPSN managed all staff compliance, time and attendance, and payroll manually. Staff information was stored in filing cabinets or a cloud-based box, while timesheets were submitted and processed manually. The process was time consuming, and there was a higher risk for human error in payroll processing.

In what can only be described as a win, foundU happened to be in the area and approached CPSN at the right time. Since implementation, Tish Custance, General Manager, People and Culture at CPSN, reports that they have been able to halve payroll processing time and give their staff more time to focus on what's most important - their clients.

Paper-based, manual and complex systems

The Cerebral Palsy Support Network manages a complex payroll of 250 employees, all with different roles and clients.

Before foundU, Tish reports that compliance, time and attendance and payroll were all managed manually.

"Staff information was stored either in hard-copy filing cabinets or in a cloud-based box," Tish said.

"Time sheets were submitted manually via email, SMS or fax and processed manually. This took multiple teams a substantial amount of time each fortnight, and also posed a higher risk for human error in processing. Payroll week was also extremely busy, and teams found it difficult to juggle other priorities during that week."

Implementation designed to handle complexity

After being approached by foundU and choosing the platform to replace their manual processes, CPSN began the implementation process. Due to strenuous compliance requirements and a unique service delivery model, Tish says this was where foundU really shined. 

"There were many challenges, and I think we were just as much a challenge for foundU," Tish said.

"We had great support from the implementation team. We have quite a complicated system and a lot of compliance requirements under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). We also have a unique and personalised service delivery model, where we provide maximum choice to our clients receiving in-home and community services.

"The implementation team listened and were incredibly innovative, responsive and understanding. This is important for us, because if you don’t work in the disability sector, it can be difficult to understand the intricacies. We face this a lot, but with foundU, it felt like they wanted to listen and find solutions."

50% reduction in payroll processing time

Since implementing foundU, Tish says they have been able to improve their compliance and mitigate payroll errors. They have even halved the amount of time their team spend supporting payroll week.

"The biggest improvement for us is compliance and mitigating risks relating to payroll errors," Tish said.

"The time our service delivery team spend on payroll week supporting the process has more than halved. This is time they can now put into contact with their clients and supporting them to achieve quality outcomes.

"They are really pleased with this result, knowing they can put their time in where it matters most - their clients. From a risk perspective, this has also meant that management can feel comfortable knowing payroll is compliant and processed correctly."

Compliance is often one of the biggest challenges for businesses that operate under the NDIS. For CPSN, the simplicity of the foundU platform has made staying compliant easy.

"We received positive comments from our NDIS auditors about how easy it is to view and access information," Tish said.

"The platform is simple to use and is a huge time-saver - we only need to pull up an employee profile to view compliance information for the audit. The custom fields feature of the platform is helpful for when new standards are introduced, and was also a huge help for capturing information during the vaccine mandate of COVID-19."

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