The design of a new system of services to provide an alternative to the National Disability Insurance Scheme for Australians with milder disabilities is under way. Source: The Australian.
Labor has launched consultation on the “foundational supports” to be funded by the Commonwealth and states on a 50-50 basis.
While the cost of this new set of services is yet to be released, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth yesterday laid out the first blueprint for the system of foundational supports – set to begin rolling out from the middle of next year.
The new system will be split into two tranches, general supports and targeted supports, Ms Rishworth revealed.
General supports will include guidance, peer supports and capacity building that help individuals and their families make decisions about matters that affect them, with consultation on this first tranche beginning later this month.
Details on targeted supports for specific groups – for example, children with developmental delays including mild autism – will be released later in the year, with consultation on this category of supports to begin in October.
Ms Rishworth said the Government was committed to improving the availability of supports outside the NDIS.
“There are 5.5 million Australians with disability and we want to ensure we have the systems and supports in place to ensure they can fully participate and be included in society,” Ms Rishworth said.
“Foundational Supports is a key part of this journey.
“For these supports to be effective they must be shaped by the experiences, insights and voices of Australians with disability and their families.”
The new system of foundational supports is a key pillar of the Government’s goal of reining in the annual growth of the NDIS from about 15 per cent to 8 per cent by mid-2026, along with reforms contained in legislation passed last month that gives the disability agency more power to intervene in participants’ plans and limit what can be claimed with NDIS funding.
FULL STORY
Work begins on new disability services outside NDIS (By Sarah Ison, The Australian)
