Tasmanian Government
Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the
National Disability Insurance
Scheme
Provision of services under the NDIS
Early Childhood Early Intervention
Approach
September 2017
June 2017
17/65776
1 Background The Tasmanian Government welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) inquiry into the provision of services under the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach.
The implementation of the NDIS is a key priority for the Tasmanian Government. Over a four-year period Tasmania is contributing $572 million to the scheme. The Tasmanian Government is committed to implementing the full scheme by July 2019. It also remains committed to the current funding and governance arrangements as set out in the Heads of Agreement between the Australian and Tasmanian Government on the NDIS.
The Tasmanian Government supports the right of people with a disability to access early intervention services and the insurance principles on which the NDIS is based as set out in Part Two of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. These approaches not only underpin the sustainability of the NDIS, but more importantly maximise the lifetime social and economic opportunities for Australians with disability.
Tasmania’s transition to the full scheme is being undertaken on a statewide basis by age cohorts, unlike the regional approach being undertaken in other jurisdictions. Tasmania extended NDIS eligibility to the 4-11 year old cohort from 1 July 2017 and is yet to extend eligibility to the 0-3 year old cohort. Because of this, Tasmania’s experience with the NDIS ECEI approach is limited to the setup phase and the first few weeks of operation and to children aged 4-6.
While the Tasmanian Government strongly supports the provision of a high quality early childhood early intervention approach, the early phases of the establishment and transition to the NDIS ECEI have raised some concerns for the Government.
Tasmania has operated a successful and respected Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) through the Tasmanian Department of Education (DoE) for many years. The service provides support to children with disability across two or more developmental domains. The service caters for children from birth to school and provides a strong focus on transition to school in the upper years of eligibility.
Tasmania provides the year of non-compulsory pre-schooling (known within the State as kindergarten) predominantly within a school setting and with most kindergartens collocated or within schools. This is the case in both the government and non-government school systems. Eligibility for universal access to kindergarten commences at four years of age and attendance rates are near-universal. Consequently, ECIS focusses on the 0-4 age group.
ECIS’s operating model involves experienced early childhood educators (with a minimum bachelor-level qualification in education) working with allied health professionals to identify the individual support needs of children and families and to develop bespoke Family Service Plans for each child. Supports under plans are provided by either ECIS in some circumstances, or the private or non-government organisation (NGO) sectors.
The involvement of specialist early childhood educators in identifying the specific supports of children and families is a critical element of the ECIS model, particularly in facilitating the transition to school. For this reason Tasmania has decided to retain the ECIS to operate alongside the NDIS ECEI.
Tasmanian Government Submission – JSC NDIS ECEI Approach 2
Other early childhood early intervention services in Tasmania are provided by the NGO sector and, in particular, the St Giles Society. 2 Comments on specific Terms of Reference The NDIS ECEI approach has only been operating in Tasmania since 1 July 2017, and it is therefore too early to provide a view on the effectiveness of the approach in Tasmania, although the Tasmanian Government notes that the model is based on best practice and other jurisdictions, most notably New South Wales, have reported positive results.
While it is premature to comment on some of the Terms of Reference in the Tasmanian context, the Tasmanian Government would like to provide the following comments.
The eligibility for determining access to the ECEI pathway The ECEI eligibility criteria of disability in one developmental domain is similar but broader than that currently used by the DoE ECIS services and is appropriate in determining children and families who require support to access services. The broader eligibility criteria are consistent with the broader scope of the NDIS compared to the primary focus of ECIS on school readiness.
The service needs of NDIS participants receiving support under the ECEI pathway Given Tasmania’s transition profile it is unclear at this stage whether the service needs of families and children will be met successfully under the ECEI. It is noted that the ECEI Partners have undertaken staff recruitment processes, however there are still some vacancies.
The current ECIS approach within DoE includes highly experienced and skilled early intervention teachers, working alongside allied health professionals to support children and families through Family Support Plans.
The Tasmanian Government notes that staff currently being recruited by the ECEI Partners generally have a child-care background rather than teaching qualifications. This approach is consistent with the National Guidelines on Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention and is consistent with the funding and pricing model of the NDIA. However, the Tasmanian Government is concerned that this may result in lower quality service provision and expertise for families and children compared to the ECIS model.
The Tasmanian Government has decided to retain the ECIS to ensure that children and families do not experience a diminution of service quality in the early childhood early intervention space as a result of the introduction of the NDIS ECEI.
Overall the compressed timeframe in which the ECEI approach has been established in Tasmania has revealed the potential for service delivery risks and gaps. This is particularly the case for allied health services such as physical therapy. This timeframe has created a backlog in assessments and early access to necessary supports.
As with other services under the NDIS, the Tasmanian Government remains concerned at the thinness of markets for supports in regional areas. While the ECEI Partners have established state-wide gateway services, there is limited access to certain supports, such as allied health services, in regional areas.
3
The timeframe in receiving services under the ECEI pathway The ECEI in Tasmania is in its early stages, however there have been issues that have affected the timely provision of services during transition.
The Tasmanian Government notes that essential communication pathways to enable application for ECEI services (including a toll free 1800 number and email contacts) were not established by 1 July 2017. While these issues have now been rectified, the delay in establishing these pathways might affect the timeliness of eligibility assessment and delivery of services under the ECEI approach during transition.
The adequacy of funding for services under the ECEI pathway, and The costs associated with ECEI services, including costs in relation to initial diagnosis and testing for potential ECEI participants The Tasmanian Government has not yet been able to assess the adequacy of funding for services under the ECEI pathway. Given the recent introduction of the service there is insufficient empirical evidence at this stage to support the collection of meaningful data.
However, as noted above, the Tasmanian Government is concerned that the quality of the ECEI service may not match the quality of the ECIS service. It is important to note that early childhood educators were involved in the planning stages for the ECIS model and this is not intended to occur with the ECEI service, noting that the salary costs of early childhood educators exceed those of childcare workers. The Government is concerned that the quality of the ECEI service may suffer if early childhood educators are not involved. The Tasmanian Government encourages the JSC to consider whether the funding arrangements for the ECEI will preclude early childhood educators from being involved in the service and the likely impact of this on quality outcomes.
In terms of the insurance principles of the NDIS and the lifelong benefits to people with disability that accrue from a high quality early childhood early intervention approach, the Tasmanian Government encourages the JSC to consider whether a pricing structure that facilitates the highest quality ECEI would produce a net financial benefit and assist in maintaining the NDIS’s sustainability.
The robustness of the data required to identify and deliver services to participants under the ECEI approach The DoE has provided data in relation to all current ECIS participants. The other major early intervention provider in Tasmania, the St Giles Society, has also been able to provide data on the children it services.
The ECEI Partners will need to establish community partnerships and communication processes with Tasmanian stakeholders and this will be critical to the continued collection of quality data. The DoE Launching into Learning (LIL) and the Tasmanian Government’s Child and Family Centres will be key areas of contact for the ECEI Partners in the future.
4
The application of current research and innovation in the identification of conditions covered by the ECEI approach and in the delivery of ECEI services The work undertaken on the National Guidelines on Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention provide solid, evidence–based research on which to base quality early intervention provisions. The Tasmanian Government expects that this work will inform ECEI practices and approaches and supports ongoing professional learning for staff working in this area.
5