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MC16-000124
GPO Box 700
Canberra ACT 2601
1800 800 110
ndis.gov.au
Mr Simon Viereck
Executive Officer
Mental Health Community Coalition ACT
20 Genge Street
Griffin Centre
CANBERRA CITY ACT 2601
Dear Mr Viereck
Thank you for your email of 28 June 2016, to the Minister for Social Services,
the Hon Christian Porter MP, and the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, the Hon Jane Prentice MP, regarding psychosocial disability support under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Ministers have asked me to reply to you on their behalf.
Your letter makes a number of recommendations related to the NDIS and psychosocial disability across six key areas.
Supporting people with disability, including psychosocial disability, to live better lives is core business for the National Disability Insurance Agency (the Agency). Access to, and the provision of, evidence based, recovery focussed psychosocial supports is key to this. To facilitate this, the Agency has established a robust NDIA Mental Health Work Plan 2015-16 (the Plan) to further develop operational! policy and implementation solutions for people with mental health difficulties, their families and carers.
The Agency is deeply committed to co-design with people with disability, and has worked with people with psychosocial disability, their families and carers to develop the Plan. The Plan addresses a number of issues, including:
e access to the NDIS;
e understanding the role of Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC);
e design of supports for people with psychosocial disability;
e engagement with the mental health sector to inform, educate and support the transition of individuals to the NDIS; monitoring the transition of mental health programs to the NDIS; and the interface between the NDIS and mainstream services.
Fundamentally, all aspects of the Plan work to enhance the capacity of the Agency, the mental health sector and the broader community to support people living with mental health difficulties,
their families and carers. | am pleased to report that progress of the Plan has been substantial with
many projects now complete.
The establishment of the National Mental Health Sector Reference Group (NMHSRG) has provided an essential platform for provision of expert advice to support the delivery of the NDIS. More information about the work of the NMHSRG can be found on the NDIS website at:
myplace.ndis.gov.au/ndisstorefront/about-us/information-publications-and-reports/mental-health
sector-reference-group.1.html.
Delivered by the
National Disability
Insurance Agency
As you may be aware, the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Disability Care and Support estimated that 411,250 people would meet the access requirements for funded supports in 2011-12. The Productivity Commission also estimated that approximately 56,880 NDIS participants (13.8 per cent) would have a significant and enduring primary psychosocial disability. In 2019-20, the number of expected participants is approximately 460,000, of which approximately
64,000 participants (13.9 per cent) are estimated to be people with a significant and enduring primary psychosocial disability.
People with psychosocial disability are accessing the NDIS and leading better lives.
As at 31 March 2016, there were 1,602 participants with psychosocial disability in the NDIS with an approved plan. Note that 75 per cent of participants with a psychosocial disability submitting an access request meet the access requirements for the NDIS (with a further 5 per cent in the process of having their access request assessed). As at 31 March 2016, across all trial sites, $107.0 million (5.5 per cent) of approved committed supports had been allocated to participants with a primary psychosocial disability. This represents a significant increase of funding to enable supports for participants with a primary psychosocial disability. This increase in funding leads to increased levels of supports for participants to enable their recovery.
The NDIS represents enormous change for Australians living with disability. Under the NDIS, people with disability have choice and control over the supports they receive. To enable this, the Agency provides individually funded packages to people who meet the access requirements to the NDIS. The Agency understands that this represents a need for a significant shift in the way service providers operate. Please note that NDIS First Plans are a.way to ensure large numbers of NDIS participants receive their First Plans and get the support they need straight away. First Plans are the beginning of a lifelong involvement with the NDIS. Participants are in control of the planning process and there are no limits to the number of short or long term goals a participant can include in their plans.
As part of this shift, providers are adapting to the NDIS price guide. To ensure ongoing sustainability for future generations of Australians, the Agency must deliver the NDIS efficiently. For this reason, the Agency has developed an efficient price guide built on award rates, with reasonable allowances for overheads and on-costs. The Agency is committed to continuous refinement of pricing arrangements, to deliver positive outcomes for NDIS participants. Supports and services need to be defined in a way that allows participants to achieve the outcomes they seek and allow for innovation in service delivery.
Providers of supports form an essential component of the NDIS. Provider registration has increased over the trial period, and as of 31 March 2016, there were 2,377 registered providers, 85 per cent of which are new to the NDIS. There are a range of providers with specialist psychosocial skills and others with a variety of staff skills and program initiatives that can further enable recovery for participants.
As you noted in your letter, the mental health sector is undergoing significant parallel reforms at both national and jurisdictional levels. In particular, the National Mental Health Commission’s Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services and the subsequent response from the Australian Government, entails substantial change across nine strategic directions over a three year period. The Government is working with states and territories to develop the
Fifth National Mental Health Plan, and the Agency has been identified as a key stakeholder for consultation in the development of this plan. The Agency is proactive in ensuring the smooth integration of reforms through the work of the NMHSRG and has recently established a national Mental Health Team.
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A number of issues raised in your letter are beyond the remit of the Agency and are the responsibility of governments. For example, negotiations between the Commonwealth and the Australian Capital Territory Government in relation to the NDIS are captured in the
bilateral agreement. The Agency is charged with the implementation of these and works in partnership with the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and the Department of Health to do so.
Your letter raised the important issue of what will happen to people who currently receive services but are not likely to meet the access requirements of the NDIS. Continuity of support means that people who do not meet the NDIS access requirements, and are accessing a service prior to being assessed by the Agency, will continue to receive support consistent with their current arrangements. Additionally, governments have committed to ensuring people with disability who are currently receiving services are not disadvantaged in the transition to the NDIS.
Further, the NDIS is one part of the broader National Disability Strategy and afl Australian governments, non-government organisations, mainstream and universal services businesses and the wider community have a role to play. Investment by the NDIS outside of individually funded packages will complement, but-not replace, this shared responsibility. Choice and control, social and economic participation and community inclusion for people with psychosocial disability requires continued efforts beyond the NDIS.
You may be interested in the work of the National Institute.of Labour Studies at Flinders University to evaluate the trial of the NDIS. This independent evaluation will produce robust.evidence for the 2013-2016 window of the NDIS roll out, and lay. the foundations for a lasting and comprehensive body of evidence around how the NDIS meets the needs of people with disability. For more information visit: ndisevaluation.net.au/.
The Agency is founded on a culture of listen, learn, build and deliver and we look forward to continuing to work alongside you as we support Australians living with mental health difficulties and/or psychosocial disability and their families and carers, to live better lives.
Yours sincerely
’ Anne Skordis
General Manager
Scheme Transition Division
17 August 2016
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