NDISNDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme

Employment and OpportunityDisability Employment Australia, National Leaders’ Forum

Mary Hawkins

Branch Manager, Market, Innovation, Quality and Pricing

National Disability Insurance Agency

NDISThe NDIS is a new way of delivering disability support

• Supports tailored to individual needs

• Insurance approach for more stable long term costs and better outcomes

• Choice and control is central

• Demand-driven rather than rationed funding

• Delivered in local community

• Working towards national coverage

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There are currently 7 launch sites being

established over the next 3 years

On 1 July 2013, the first stage of the NDIS commenced in• South Australia• Tasmania• The Hunter in NSW and• The Barwon area in Victoria

The ACT and NT will join the first stage on1 July 2014Western Australia commences a two year pilot for NDIS and MyWay from 1 July 2014

Perth Hills

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Progress so far has been good

• Website receives between 2,000 and 5,000 visits each day – over 1million so far

• More than 40,000 people have visited My Access Checker with over 25,000 completing it

• More than 1,500 people have walked into NDIS shopfronts.

• Majority of visitors sought general information about the scheme

• Close to 2000 plans have commenced or completed• Those who have had their first planning session reported

a high level of satisfaction with the process

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• Give effect to the obligations under the UNCRPD and certain obligations in other conventions

• Support independence and social and economic participation – not passive• Provide reasonable and necessary supports, including early intervention• Enable people to exercise choice and control in pursuit of their goals, and in

the planning and delivery of their supports• Facilitate a nationally consistent approach to the access, planning and funding

of supports• Promote the provision of high quality and innovative supports to maximise

independent lifestyles and full inclusion in the community

Principles expand on the objects for implementation and to guide administration.

Principles and objects of the NDIS Act 2013 underpin delivery

NDIS A primary aim of the scheme is to increase participation

• Consistent with UN Convention on the Rights of People with

Disabilities - aim to achieve full social and economic participation of people with disability

• Scheme design assumes that people with disability will participate to the extent they are able

• Increased economic participation translates to better long term outcomes for individuals and communities

• Higher participation rates will permanently deal with social constraints of disability

• Scheme will work to ensure that other supports, such as employment assistance, and that are provided by other systems are accessible

• Scheme will fund reasonable and necessary disability supports required to achieve participation

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The way Participants access support is likely to change over time

• Scheme will support participants to access appropriate and responsive mainstream systems such as DES and JSA.

• Where Participant is not eligible for mainstream support they will be funded to access support that will build their capacity and to enable them to participate in work.

• Innovation, competition and the emergence of new markets are a possible response to greater choice and control.

• New opportunities are expected to emerge for employment and employment supports over time

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8

Developing the Statement of Supports takes into accountSustainable informal care • Records informal care that will be provided• Talk with the family about sustainable

arrangements into the future. • Reasonable expectations of care by family

Optimise mainstream supports• Not funded by NDIS• Plan records nature, referral and support to

access to be provided• NDIS will not provide supports that should be

provided in mainstream

General supports Services provided by Agency e.g. • Provision of information • Local area co-ordination to assist person to

access mainstream or other community services

Identify the Reasonable and Necessary Supports• Provides funding for support reasonable and necessary to achieve goals in participant statement• Assist independence, social and economic participation• Are effective or beneficial for the participant, having regard to current good practice

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Management of funding for supports to be resolved with Participant

The type of funds management that the participant chooses can vary depending on their circumstances.

Different options can be chosen for different supports.

Plans may have a combination of the options as shown.

Agency can limit self management where financial or personal risk.

Self management (by participant

or nominee)

Agency Managemen

t

National Disability Insurance

Agency

Plan Managemen

t Provider

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Employment: Guiding principles

NDIS: Supports required regardless of the activity they are undertaking• supports required regardless of

the activity (i.e. those not primarily relating to employment)

• supported employment (ADE’s)

• transition assistance to access and sustain employment

Employment system: Reasonable adjustments in the workplace, plus employment services• work-specific support – reasonable

adjustments

• employment services for people with disability

• Disability awareness training for staff

• Building modifications to enable access

Examples: workplace modifications, work-specific aids and equipment, and transport within work activities

Examples: personal care and support during work, portable aids and equipment and transport to/from work

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Employment: Service offerAlways NDIS Context dependent Always employment

1. Personal care – support regardless of the setting (e.g. assistance with eating)

2. Specialist transport – only to and from employment where the transport is required because of the student’s disability and no other transport option is available

3. Individualised training – for workplaces related to the specific personal support needs of a participant

1. Therapies and allied health- NDIS: required to maintain

functioning or to improve functioning in an early intervention context

- Employers: where it is specifically for the purpose of undertaking an employment related activity

2. Permanent aids and equipment- NDIS: where this is required for

a range of life domains (e.g. hearing aid)

- Employers: where it is primarily for the purpose of engaging in employment (e.g. a modified desk)

1. Building adjustments – including modifications and fixed aids and equipment

2. Transport for work activities – attending meetings

3. Capacity building within workplaces – to assist colleagues to respond to the needs of people with disability

4. Employment services – assistance for people with disability to find and maintain employment

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Diversity and Employment within the NDIA • The Agency is committed to being an exemplar in the disability

employment

• Has set participation target of 12% and is working towards meeting this

• As at end September, the Agency has 9.4% of its overall staffing identifying as having a disability

o 11.8% of the client facing network

o To compare, the current APS-wide participation level for people with disability is 2.9%

• A range of strategies are in place to improve performance such as selection processes including an experienced person with a disability

• 2% are from indigenous backgrounds

• And just under 6% from diverse cultural backgrounds.

NDISNDIA role to build individual, community and sector capacity• Practical Design Fund projects are available through our

website• My Choice, My Control, My Future: DisabilityCare

Australia conference on 23 and 24 June 2013. The proceedings are available on the NDIA website.

• Sector development fund• Likely to be applied to needs of individuals,

community and provider readiness• Building on previous work by jurisdictions

• Roundtable discussions with the not for profit sector, stakeholders and key interest groups have taken place and more are planned.

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Questions?