Submission Independent Assessments
I am a parent/carer of my daughter who is 35 years old and who has a severe and profound disability.
I have serious concerns about Independent Assessments being used for planning and budgets in the NDIS. It appears that once again the NDIS is looking to find ways to dehumanise people with disabilities by having to go through a process of proving they are worthy of support.
A possible understanding why new people trying to assess the scheme may find this an improvement on what is in place at the moment exists; however, those already within the system will likely feel it unwarranted after repeatedly needing to prove their right to ongoing support via multiple reports and assessments—especially adults living permanently with lifelong disabilities facing yearly reassessments from individuals lacking insight into their lives. Having to retell one’s story can be heartbreaking. I had hoped we would progress further towards greater public comprehension regarding such issues but evidently not – leaving many attempting to validate their own disability (which isn’t beneficial to anyone’s mental health).
Further concern arises if participants without family or advocacy attend these assessments alone and struggle comprehending questions asked.
The requirement for independent assessors to subsequently consult therapists and doctors represents another breach of privacy when considering existing documentation held by the NDIS.
the NDIS seems to stray away from its original concept - intended as something supported across Australia based upon individual needs & ‘lived experience’, now funded according to perceived notions of ‘reasonable necessity’. Mr Hoffman has recently stated his intention to alter legislation aligning with how the NDIS defines “reasonable” and
- associated costs, progress and outcomes and recommended research to build one. This research never happened!
My daughter is totally nonverbal so an Independent assessment would be totally unsuitable for her and they would have to totally rely on other people’s opinions and reports anyway so why should she have to go through this humiliation.
The whole process would leave people with disabilities feeling demoralized and powerless. Where in Independent assessments do, they take into account the ‘lived experience’ of a participant which is so important for individuals to have people understand.
The NDIS was meant to try and give people with disability control over their lives by supporting them to be able to make choices about their lives.
Nowhere in the documentation we have received so far does it speak about Support Co-Ordination. It mentions LAC’s and Planners. This in itself is disturbing as Support Co-Ordination is essential for people with intellectual disabilities and severe and profound disabilities. We rely heavily on my daughter’s Support Co-Ordinator as she understands the challenges my daughter faces and knows her very well. If there anything was to happen to me or my husband, the only back up would be her Support Co-Ordinator.
I believe the NDIS can do better than Independent Assessments to meet the needs of everyone. If they had only listened earlier and looked at how they made decisions perhaps we would not now be trying to find ways to cut the funding to people with disabilities. Many problems have arisen because they blocked the staffing levels for the NDIS and starting funding outside agencies to do plans many of whom had no clue about disabilities. They had the LAC’s doing the work of planners without the authority to make decisions, instead of allowing them the intended job of working with community for inclusion.
The number of cases over the past 7 years that they have spent millions of dollars on fighting the participant through the AAT may have been different if they had the trained staff and planners they required.
The trials result so far for Independent assessments has been very limited and the results have not been very well assessed and yet they are ready to move ahead with consultation without acknowledgement of the agency issues which is the cause of much of the frustration and grief that people with disabilities live through every year when going through reviews.
I believe that if change is going to occur then it must be researched and not just jump on to any idea, they have, to save money and then make out they are doing it to better the system for people with disabilities.