NDIS Joint Committee Feedback

Lavender House is a small family-run support organisation. The Director, Michael Burke, has 25 years experience in high-needs education, 3 Masters degrees in inclusive education and educational leadership and is currently undertaking steps to pursue his pHD in the field of disability support. Through his observation of young people of the Sunshine Coast accessing respite and witnessing repeated issues and concerns of poor service provision, Michael identified a gapin the market for accommodation support providers.

With 25 staff and more than 40 consistent guests, Lavender House prides itself on provision of exemplary support, excellent accommodation and engagement of guest families.

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Support of Parents and Carers

Asanaccommodation provider, Lavender House has to invest a lot of time and money into supporting parents and carers of our guests. Parents report difficulty communicating with previous service providers, avoidable incidents when in care, or ongoing mental health concerns while the participant is in care.
Lavender House has one fulltime role to solely manage parent and carer communication with our Current guests
NDIS does not compensate providers for this support of parents/carers
Parents/carers lack the knowledge and skills to effectively navigate the NDIS registration, plan renewalor appeal process.
Many of our guest families report being disenfranchised or disempowered through dealings with support services, NDIS staff and past experience with DSQ.
Lavender House manages frequent requests foremergency respite for current guests and new Quests when parents/carers are unable to manage emotionally. The resolution is to support the individual while the parent has a break, but they must then return to this unstable environment. Never has Lavender House experienced Intervention by an external body to assist an individual despite numerous requests.

Suggestions for Resolution:

NDIS provides access for families to engage with extemal support This is publicised and notarised for providers to direct individuals. Qualified and experienced advice and support may be given.
Acoded line item may be changed by providers to allow compensation for resources provided by support providers.

Timelines for Registration with NDIS

¢ No timeline is given and providers have no access to follow up.

e Huge expense for auditing process, while still no timeline for registration.

This process causes great anxiety for individuals wishing to access a provider but the unknown timeline causes them to access other, unfamiliar services.

Suggestion for Resolution:

Set a transparent timeline to support providers. This will also encourage providers to become registered.

Purpose of Registration

¢ We’d like to understand the benefit of being a registered provider when unregistered individuals and companies may apply the price guidelines with no overheads, no transparency and limited to no accountability.

Timelines for registration and registration renewal ranges from vague to non-existent

Cost - benefit analysis for registration in the current marketplace

¢ Communication among individuals and other providers identifies instances where knowledge of improper practice continues to occur with no consequence even for registered providers.

Suggestions for Resolution:

¢ NDiS eliminates private contractors, requiring all who access NDIS funding to comply with registration requirements.

All funding Is accessed through the NDIS portal requiring standardised registration ensuring transparent accounting of funds.

External Stakeholders

Concern withthe Child Safety Department’s efficiency and accountability. Numerous Investigations of our Guests have been initiated from our reporting, but there Is limited follow up and cases are closed with no reasoning given. This has occurred with two separate guests aged 16.
There Is very little collaboration in the current marketplace among providers, due to the fact that organisations wish to secure all participant funds. Organisations are time poor for reasons such as staff management, managing families/carers of guests, managing Invoicing and managing NDIS compliance.

e Plan managers can be very efficient or unreasonably challenging. Following up outstanding invoices detracts from service provision and is an organisational expense that is not compensated through the NDIS.

Suggestions for Resolution:

¢ An external body to manage Child Safety concerns when raised

Invoicing may be done through the Portal, extinguishing the need for Plan managers and allowing The NDIS full transparency on accounting of funds.