NDIA Accountability Project

Western Australia's Whole-of Government Response to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS - NDIS workforce

‹ PrevPage 1 of 6 · Source p. 1Next ›

Government of Western Australia

Department of Communities

  • ATTACHMENT 1

The Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

Inquiry on NDIS Workforce

Terms of Reference.

As part of the committee’s role to inquire into the implementation, performance and governance of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the committee will inquire and report on the workforce providing NDIS services (the NDIS workforce), with reference to:

a) the current size and composition of the NDIS workforce and projections at full scheme;

b) challenges in attracting and retaining the NDIS workforce, particularly in regional and remote communities, c) the role of Commonwealth Government policy in influencing the remuneration, conditions, working environment (including Workplace Health and Safety), career mobility and training needs of the NDIS workforce; d) the role of State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments n providing and implementing a coordinated strategic workforce development plan for the NDIS workforce;e) the interaction of NDIS workforce needs with employment in adjacent sectors including health and aged care, f) the opportunities available to, and challenges experienced by, people with disability currently employed, or wanting to be employed, within the NDIS workforce; andg) any other matters

Page 1 of 6

ATTACHMENT 2

Western Australia’s Whole-of Government Response to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS - NDIS workforce

Note: The Western Australian Department of Communities has established a Disability Services Taskforce to separately coordmate workforce capacity and contingency planning for a potential surge m workforce reqwrement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As such, this Submission does not discuss the impftcations of the impact of the COV/O-19 pandemic on the NOIS Workforce.

The Department of Communities (Communities) has coordinated advice from the following agencies to inform the development of this Subm1ss1on.

  • Department of the Premier and Cabinet
  • Department of Education
  • Department of Justice (Office of the Public Advocate)
  • Department of Health
  • Department of Training and Workforce Development
  • Mental Health Commission

Analysis of the National Workforce Plan or Workforce Capability Framework has not been included in this Subm1ss1on on the basis they are Commonwealth Government-led initiatives

The whole-of-government Submission prepared by Communities focuses on the workforce providing NDIS services as at March 2020; it does not consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

                        SUBMISSION

A. The current size and composition of the NDIS workforce and projections at full Scheme

Type of Worker At 2019 At2023 Growth by FTE
Support Workers 91,000 122,000 31,000
Allied Health 14,000 21,000 7,000
Other (Occupations which make up ‘Other’ mclude all 33,000 46,000 13,000
occupations w1thm the Case or Social Worker category,
Managenal roles category as well as Counsellors, Social
Profess,onals, Fitness Instructors, Sports Coaches,
Instructors and Offlc1als, Insulation and Home Improvement
Installers, Manufacturers, and Importers, Exports and
Wholesalers)
FTE Total 138,000 189,000 51,000 
                                                                         Page 2 of 6

The estimated increase of 51,000 FTE does not consider a 17% exit rate, the worker head count based on average hours worked per week, and workforce productivity and retention rates.

When these are included, the additional FTE required is significantly more than the projected 51,000

The NOS WA Industry plan (2017) estimates an additional 10,000 workers are required at full scheme In WA alone

NOS WA predict that the number of jobs generated by the NDIS in WA will double over the next three years, rising from direct and indirect full-time Jobs Delivering quality supports via a dynamic and adequately skilled workforce Is ImperatIve These proJected outcomes strongly align with the WA Government’s commitment to Jobs growth and to grow and diversify the State’s economy

Allied health/therapy assistants will become the primary source of therapy provision in regional areas due to cost effectiveness, cultural security and service consistency. The diversity and prevalence of types of d1sab1hty In the community, mapped against a desired support worker profile will more accurately inform the demographic composition of the future workforce.

B. Challenges in attracting and retaining the NDIS workforce, particularly in regional and remote communities

The disability sector Is competing with Aged Care and general health sectors that offer more attractive remuneration and employment packages

Given its geographical size and the d1stribut1on of population, WA presents unique challenges for a well-developed NDIS workforce, including

  1. Attracting Workers'v
     a Lack of incentives, such as
           1 subs1d1sed housing In regional and remote areas,
                                        ii access and elig1b1l1ty for remote area tax concessions,
                                     i11 perceived job prestige and
                   iv awareness of opportunities to enter the sector.
         b Higher cost of living in regional and remote areas relative to income and conditions offered by the sector lacks appeal. v vi v11 v118
      c Overall labour shortages in remote areas results in the diverse needs of people accessing disability services, such as cultural, gender preference and/or complex needs such as co-morb1d1ty, psychosocial etc, is not met. 1x
     d Lower literacy and numeracy levels in regional and remote areas act as a barrier to entry to employment and training opportunities
         e Workers in the sector are generally low-paid and are predominantly women - there Is a gender equity issue

 2 Retaining Workersx
     a Lack of career pathway and fewer opportunities to progress in the disability sector in regional and remotes areas are contributing to low retention rates.
         b Insufficient leadership and connection with organisations and peers, leaving workers feeling isolated.
  • c.

Access to VET and higher education opportunities are limited and costs are prohibitive due to associated travel and accommodation expenses required to attend centralised training facilities in major towns and cities

d. Client load issues

  • e.

Reports of bullying, harassment, violence, abuse - by client/at work.

As a proportion of all workers in Australia, of which there are around 12 8 million, casual workers make up 20 per cent, or one in five workersx’. NOS WA state 70% of providers report casualisation is negatively impacting the quality of supports being provided. and the retention of employees Secure jobs should be at the centre of service delivery

C. The role of Commonwealth Government policy in influencing the remuneration, conditions, working environment (including Workplace Health and Safety), career mobility and training needs of the NDIS workforce

NOS WA reports that 75 per cent of providers in WA want investment in quality training prioritised to develop workforce skills and expertise

Partnerships between the sector, schools and universities, vocational training institutes and professional colleges to design and shape the health and social care workforce of the future should improve the sectors ability to attract and retain new workers.

Training packages should ground the core skills on which to build specialisation and pathways into university qualifications where possible.

An opportunity exists to source and support experienced disability support workers to become qualified VET trainers providing both career development opportunities and assurances of quality

A values-driven, person focused recruitment process will allow the sector to develop a workforce that is willing and committed to meeting the unique, complex and changing needs of all NDS participants.

WA has developed a pilot training program that enables allied health professionals to gain the skillset or supervisory hours required to comply with Proficient Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) practitioner requirements as stipulated under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the Commission). This pilot is an opportunity to further develop sector partnerships to deliver a coordinated targeted training program to support the needs of the NDIS workforce.

D. The role of State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments in providing and implementing a coordinated strategic workforce development plan for the NDIS workforce;

There is a need for a national workforce plan which Jurisdictions can adapt to their context and requirements that would provide consistency and facilitate worker portability across Australia Alignment with State training and employment strategies including the State Training Board, State Training Plan and Department of Training and Workforce Development, should be highlighted.

Particular considerations regarding workload alignment

Particularly given workload and supports being provided by the workforce not necessarily aligning to a task defined NDIS pricing, this national workforce plan could also provide indicators to reflect the true cost of service delivery, professional development/training & supervision.

Incorporating the overarching strategic intent with sound governance structures and importantly, an accountability framework will focus workforce development activities on pragmatic, action-orientated outcomes

E. Interaction between NDIS workforce needs and adjacent sectors including health and aged care;

The largest social assistance and allied health occupational group, support workers, needs to double over the next five years. The roll out of the NDS In WA presents an immediate challenge in ensuring an adequately skilled workforcex 11

Adjacent established sectors, such as Aged Care and general health, offer better employment conditions, career paths and opportunities. The disability sector has to develop a unique value proposition to attract and retain workers

Specialist skills and expertise are required to support NDIS participants with psychosocial disability and it is vital that relevant mental health agencies are included in strategic workforce planning

A collaborative place-based approach to workforce development is required, which focuses on a holistic human services context rather than a focus on spec1f1c sectors. The health sector Is well pos1t1oned to support the broader sector workforce and portability

Communities has invested in the development of a Skills Passport as a mechanism for:

  • reducing the duplication of training costs between disability service providers,
  • increasing the recognition of the skills of, and the standardisation of training requirements for,
  • disability support workers There is scope once the tool is further developed and tested, to broaden its functionality and interface with adJacent sectors.

F. Opportunities available to, and challenges experienced by, people with disability currently employed or wanting to be employed within the NDIS workforce;

The Social Assistance and Allied Health Workforce Strategy recommends a coordinated response to maximise the development and growth of a contemporary, skilled and flexible workforce to meet the growing needs of the sector

People with disability who want to be part of the NDSI workforce require support that is not currently available to gain employment In d1sab11ity services The education and training sector and potential employers need to be flexible and adopt practices and processes that ensure an increase in employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disability.

G. Any other matters.

As at August 2018, the health and social assistance sector In WA accounted for nearly 171,000 jobs and is worth $14 4bn, more than any other sector of the State’s economy xm

The WA Disability Services Industry Plan (Industry Plan) highlighted that the NDIS will provide a s1gnif1cant opportunity for WA, with the potential to trigger large-scale economic growth and job creation with the total economic contribution of the disability sector in WA increasing from $1.4 billion to $2.7 billion by full Scheme.

The health and social assistance sector will play an increasingly prominent role in creating future work opportunities

The Community Connector program Is a successful and critical role in regional and remote areas, prov1d1ng links between partIc1pants and providers

Labour shortages w1th1n the NDIS Workforce will continue to have a negative impact on the mainstream workforce and workload, as people with disability default to mainstream services in the absence of d1sab11ity workers These sectors are already at capacity and further demands will see failure to provide quality care more broadly

The disability sector must develop a unique value proposition to attract and retain workers including targeted recruitment strategies, pathways for entry to the sector, career progression opportunities, attractive renumeration and employment packages that are comparable with adjacent sectors.

The WA Government is committed to: - Understanding the challenges of market-oriented and consumer-driven approaches to the delivery of services, - Ensuring the sector has the capability to deliver high quality services through an appropriately skilled workforce, with career opportun1tIes and specialisations; - Facilitating knowledge-sharing between other sectors in the economy; and - Advocating for the adoption of innovative investment approaches to improve social and economic outcomes and ensure sector financial susta1nab1llty.