A response by Cootharinga North Queensland to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Townsville, Queensland Hearing Date: 29 January 2013

National A response by Cootharinga North Disability Queensland to the Inquiry into the

National Disability Insurance Scheme,

Insurance Townsville, Queensland

Scheme Hearing Date: 29 January 2013

This document has been prepared by Cootharinga North Queensland. It contains a summary of a series of opportunities and challenges that Cootharinga believes will arise during the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

We have grouped our responses relating to the issues in the following areas:  issues for individuals and families  issues for the community  issues for workforce  issues for organisations

We congratulate the Senate, the Australian Parliament and all members for the courage and

speed  with which they embraced the  report  of the  Productivity Commission on the

introduction of the NDIS. Australians can be proud of their political representatives who have shown leadership and compassion over this important national issue – a fairer go for Australians with a disability.

Cootharinga welcomes additional questions in writing after the time of the Hearing, should the Committee or Committee Chair wish to seek clarification from us.

Rob Grant          Brendan Walsh       Julie O’Neil           Brett Edwards

President        CEO            GM, Training,      GM, Community Living

Board of Directors Respite,

Allied Health

1. ISSUES FOR INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES Issue Opportunities Challenges

   Self Direction,  Choice and Need to prepare and support individuals and

   choice and control flexibility for families to be ready for self direction

individuals and Urgent responses need to be available families unpaid effort of agencies that will have to offer

  individuals can have    guidance to individuals managing their own

choice over the of funding level of Added stress on people and carers already under management they pressure, including financial responsibilities undertake for their People with impaired capacity: will their ‘package’ funding and cover the real cost of paid guardians services Will funding levels meet the true needs of people with multiple and complex needs

People from            Culturally sensitive  We believe additional support is needed to ensure

diverse              and locally based       appropriate access by individuals with disability

backgrounds            solutions can be       and their carers from these groups.

(Aboriginal and         developed          Local Area Coordination has proven to be an

Torres Strait Island important vehicle to promote access to services by peoples, Culturally individuals or groups who have traditionally been and Linguistically under-represented in the use of available and Diverse funded services (by governments, and also not communities) for-profits).

Screening and         opportunity to           Service recipients will be subjected to invasive

Assessment           develop a single       assessments that will accord higher resources to

point of entry, with those who are prepared to share more intimate straightforward details of their struggles to cope. processes and We have concern that prescriptive screening and assessment tools assessment tools will be imposed that do not adequately meet the information needs of service providers. Information collected by assessors should be passed on in total, and preferably via electronic referrals

2. ISSUES FOR THE COMMUNITY Issue Opportunities Challenges

   Social Innovation Creative choices Resourcing for ongoing service innovation is not

supported adequately factored into the proposed NDIS Community inclusion work to be supported and funded, alongside individualised funding for support and equipment. Some people may choose community inclusion support but there is a role for fostering community-wide change about community inclusion of people with disability. Potential pressure for organisations to have to fundraise for innovative developments and service enhancements

Regional, rural and   Opportunities for       consistently delivering high quality and up-to-date

remote issues           local and practical       services and practices

solutions to flourish absence of suitably skilled workforce implications for travel costs for staff and equipment deliveries

3. ISSUES FOR THE WORKFORCE Issue Opportunities Challenges

   Workforce  Increased funding Dramatic increase needed in numbers of staff

to the sector will Challenge of retaining appropriate talented and lead to stronger skilled staff, especially with the expected increase career paths in use of casual staff within the workforce

  need for workforce   Challenges and costs of skilling up staff in a fluid

accreditation / employment market. This is especially registration challenging and costly in regional, rural and

  Greater choice by      remote communities.

individual and families

Accreditation,           ability to promote    need to protect vulnerable individuals from staff

regulation of                skills development       that should not be working in this area.

workers              and professional     system for regulation / accreditation should be

standards simple, decisive, yet allow flexibility (for example in urgent situations, or in remote areas.

4. ISSUES FOR ORGANISATIONS Issue Opportunities Challenges

   Need to re-orient  Opportunity for Change management challenges including

   some organisations positive, flexible and supporting staff to embrace change

to focus on inclusive culture individuals

Individual funding       Flexibility          Massive increase in funding complexity and

administrative costs Grave concerns over the inefficient FOFMS being selected as the NDIS finance system. Need for interface for electronic data input, not manually entered transactions

Marketing              Promote the         All staff and managers need to become

orientation              strengths of the        ambassadors/marketers for the organisation

organisation Existing financial supporters and sponsors may drift away as funding increases under NDIS

Market forces and      Consolidation of      Increased competition from interstate/overseas

structural changes       smaller agencies        organisations, including private businesses

could yield lack of certainty over the potential impact of not efficiencies for-profit reforms already underway (including

Australia Charities and Nonprofits Commission)

major governance challenges are expected to arise as Boards and Directors prepare for, and respond to dramatic changes in the operating environments of their organisations