NDIA Accountability Project

NDIS National Workforce Plan: 2021-2025

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Joint Standing Committee on the National

   Disability Insurance Scheme

NDIS National Workforce Plan

     Australian Government
 Department of Social Services
         Submission

        August 2021

NDIS National Workforce Plan

Release of the NDIS National Workflow Plan

The Australian Government is committed to delivering on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and that includes ensuring there is a strong and sustainable workforce to support it. To achieve this, the Australian Government developed the NDIS National Workflow Plan: 2021-2025 (the Plan).

Following endorsement by all state and territory Disability Ministers, the Plan was released by Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, on 10 June 2021.

Initiatives within the Plan are designed to attract workers with suitable skills, values and attributes, while also improving existing workers’ access to training and development opportunities. The Plan outlines the Australian Government’s commitment to work with NDIS participants, industry and other stakeholders to grow a responsive and capable workforce for the NDIS.

More than 500,000 participants will be supported by the NDIS when it reaches full maturity in the next few years, with an additional 83,000 workers needed to support them.

There are three priority areas and sixteen initiatives to drive better workflow outcomes and growth.

  • The first priority is to strengthen entry pathways for suitable workers to enter the sector.
  • The second priority is to train and support the NDIS workforce.
  • The third priority is to reduce red tape, facilitate new service models and innovation, and provide more market information about business opportunities in the care and support sector.

The initiatives in the Plan will also strengthen the broader care and support sector, which includes aged care, disability support, and support for veterans. Through strengthening a responsive and capable workforce, NDIS participants, older Australians and veterans will be afforded greater choice and control without compromising on quality and safeguarding.

The Plan will generate benefits for participants, workers, providers, and the broader Australian economy.

  • NDIS participants will have access to higher quality supports and improved service continuity.
  • Care and support workers will benefit from improved training and access to professional development opportunities.
  • Providers will benefit from better regulation across the sector and more market demand information to drive innovation and enable a more flexible workforce.

Workforce Data

The Plan was informed by detailed modelling to predict workforce challenges.

During the 2019-20 financial year, there were around 270,000 workers in the NDIS workforce.1 This comprised around 19,900 Allied Health professionals, around 63,900 Community-based Support Workers, around 178,000 Home-based Support Workers and around 8,000 in other occupations.2 The largest numbers of NDIS workers came from New South Wales, followed by Victoria and Queensland. The department’s modelling predicts that the NDIS workforce will need to grow by 31 per cent over the next four years to account for growth in the number of NDIS participants.3 By June 2024, the NDIS workforce is required to grow 353,000 NDIS workers, an addition of 83,000 workers, to meet demand from approximately 500,000 NDIS participants.4 This includes:

  • 60,900 additional home-based support workers
  • 10,000 additional community-based support workers
  • 8,000 additional allied health workers

Analysis suggests that between 17 per cent and 25 per cent of the NDIS workforce is lost each year to churn. If turnover remains at this historical level, it is expected that the NDIS will lose around 213,000 workers to churn by 2024. This is in addition to the 83,000 new workers needed to meet growth in demand. However, it is anticipated that turnover is unlikely to remain as high in forward years as initiatives under this Plan are implemented, supporting sector maturity and given the changed economic and labour market conditions.

The National Skills Commission is undertaking an in-depth study on the factors affecting the supply and demand of care and support workers both in the near-term and to 2050. The study will examine the needs of the care and support workforce, in relation to aged, disability, veteran and mental health care. The report is expected to be completed by September 2021.

Consultation

Development of the Plan was informed by extensive stakeholder consultation to identify initiatives to grow and upskill the workforce. Stakeholders were consulted through workshops, meetings and an open survey. This included:

  • Workshops held in February and March 2020 with state and territory disability and skills officials, providers, provider peaks, and participant peaks.
  • The Department of Social Services’ (the department) Engage survey (open from 28 February 2020 to 27 March 2020) which received 570 responses, of which two-thirds were NDIS providers and 7 per cent were peaks.
  • Follow-up engagement with disability and skills officials, interested peaks, providers and unions (Australian Education Union, Australian Services Union, Health Services Union, United Workers Union).
  • Consultation with the department’s Advisory Group on Market Oversight, a group of provider and participant peaks, health professionals (including allied health), and groups that represent key workforce segments such as the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.

The department provided a briefing to the sector on 29 June 2021 on the Plan and how the sector can be involved throughout its implementation. The department will continue to engage officials from all jurisdictions to discuss the approach and timing for implementation, to ensure linkages are made between the Plan and related state and territory initiatives.

The department will also continue to work with officials from other Australian Government departments and agencies throughout implementation of the Plan to incorporate a whole-of-government, coordinated approach that supports longer-term government reforms. This includes collaboration and continued engagement with other workforce plans such as the Primary Health Care 10-Year Plan and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan: 2021–2031.

Implementation

Each of the Plan’s initiatives will have detailed implementation strategies and timeframes, noteing there is a different pace of delivery of initiatives, particularly for those that involve complex regulatory reform and/or extensive consultation/co-design (summary of implementation at Attachment A).

Time limited working groups will be stood-up with Commonwealth and state and territory officials and sector representatives to work through issues for particular initiatives.

A number of initiatives will be implemented across the second half of 2021, and/or have key delivery activities as part of the first phase of delivery. These include the expansion of the Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program’s remit; rollout of the Care and Support Workforce communication activities; coordinated activities with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment to enhance the impact of the communication activities; and consultation with the sector on the development of micro-credentials, skills passport, regulatory alignment and worker screening.

Progress reporting

Regular reporting on the progress of implementation will be provided to stakeholders, including:

- Biannual updates to Disability Reform Ministers (and out-of-session as required).
- Quarterly updates to the sector throughout 2021-22.

Evaluation

The department will conduct an evaluation of the Plan in two stages:

  1. Mid-implementation: to identify if any changes are required during implementation to achieve the goals of the Plan. While it is noted that several of the initiatives will still be in early stages of implementation at mid-point; given the current impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and policy context it is prudent to undertake a mid-point evaluation to ensure that the initiatives within the Plan are achieving their intended outcomes.
  2. Post-implementation: to evaluate the longer-term outcomes of the Plan.

NDIS National Workforce Plan – summary of implementation

Attachment A

Initiative Implementation Phase Details

1 Promote opportunities in the care and support sector. Implementation
 Across the second half of 2021, communication activities will commence to promote the Care and Support workforce.  These activities were informed by extensive stakeholder consultation and will emphasise the benefits of working in the sector through real stories of the positive connections between workers and the people they support.  The department will be working closely with key stakeholders, particularly those in the care and support sector, ahead of commencement of these communication activities to ensure awareness is raised around complementary activities that are being conducted by industry.

2 Develop a simple and accessible online tool for job seekers to self-assess their suitability for new roles based on values, attributes, skills and experience. Design
 In 2021-22, the department will work with relevant stakeholders to utilise their insight to support Australian Government with the development and deployment of the online tool.  The online tool will involve extensive user testing to ensure it is fit for purpose.

3 Improve effectiveness of jobs boards to match job seekers to vacancies in the sector. Design
 In 2021-22, the department will work with relevant stakeholders including provider peaks, participant peaks and providers to explore options to improve jobs boards which help match new workers to vacancies in the care and support sector.

4 Leverage employment programs to ensure suitable job seekers can find work in the sector. Design
 In 2021-22, the department will work with relevant stakeholders to explore options for better leveraging existing initiatives and establish new initiatives to better link employment programs, new workers and the care and support sector.

Initiative Details

Implementation Phase

Initiative: Better connect NDIS and care and support providers to employment and training

  • The 2020-21 Budget announced $16.9 million to expand the Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program and an extension to the program from 1 July 2021 through to 30 June 2023.
  • The Program’s remit was expanded to include the broader care and support sector (aged and veterans’ care) in addition to its current NDIS focus. The expansion focuses on workforce, ensuring providers can access jobseekers, through strengthening its focus on connecting training and employment services providers to care and support providers.

Initiative: Develop micro-credentials and update nationally recognised training to improve the quality of supports and enhance career pathways.

  • Stakeholder consultation will be undertaken across 2021-22, including with carers and participants and their families to map skill requirements and inform development of guidance on curriculum topics, content and assessment.
  • The Human Services Skills Organisation have agreed to lead the consultation and co-design process and the department will approach the market shortly to procure a consultant to support this activity.
  • It is anticipated that guidance on topics and content for micro-credentials will be made available to Registered Training Organisations in the second half of 2022.

Initiative: Support the sector to develop a Care and Support Worker Professional Network.

  • Over the second half of 2021, stakeholder consultation will be undertaken, to inform a pilot of professional networks to support more workers in the sector to connect with peers and with peer support to share and promote good practice.
  • A pilot of professional networks will be undertaken in 2022, in close collaboration with the sector.

Initiative: Work with the sector to establish a skills passport.

  • Over the second half of 2021, stakeholder consultation will be undertaken, including with carers, as well as participants and their families, to ensure the care and support national skills passport meets the needs of employees, employers and participants.

Initiative Details

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Initiative Implementation Phase Details
9 Support the sector to grow the number of traineeships and student placements, working closely with education institutions and professional bodies.
Design
- Consultation is underway with disability support providers, universities and other disability stakeholders to define barriers to student placements and options to inform strategy development.
- The department will work across Commonwealth and state and territory governments to leverage existing initiatives such as JobTrainer to further support traineeships and student placements.
- An extensive consultation process will guide option development and refinement. Timeframes for delivery of this initiative will be dependent on the options identified to grow student placements and traineeships.
10 Improve alignment of provider regulation and worker screening across the care and support sector.
Development
- The 2021-22 Budget announced funding of $12.3 million over two years for the first stage of regulatory alignment activities across the aged care, disability and veterans’ care sectors.
- The Department of Health is establishing the cross-agency taskforce with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for implementation of regulatory alignment and worker screening.
11 Continue to improve NDIS pricing approaches to ensure effective operation of the market, including in thin markets.
Implementation
- The Government is conducting a project on pricing for the effective operation of the NDIS market by identifying potential options for price and payment arrangements to improve outcomes for participants while supporting longer-term sustainability.
- This work will continue throughout 2021-22.
12 Provide market demand information across the care and support sector to help identify new business opportunities.
Design - The Government announced in the 2020-21 Budget that it would expand the NDIS Demand map to provide market demand and supply gap information across the care and support sector, including aged care and veterans’ care.
- The new care and support sector demand visualisation tool will encompass broad care and support services, including allied health.

Initiative Details

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Initiative Implementation Phase Details
Support participants to find more of the services and supports they need online. Development - The NDIA is providing access to Application Programming Interfaces
- The Department of Social Services and the NDIA will work with provider peaks, participant peaks, participants and providers to explore options that better assist participants and their families and carers to have greater visibility online of products and services available in the market.
Explore options to support allied health professionals to work alongside allied health assistants and support workers to increase capacity to respond to participants’ needs. Development - Over the second half of 2021, the department will consult with key stakeholders, in particular the allied health services workforce and professional bodies, and participants, to guide the development of options to educate workers on roles, responsibilities and effective multi-disciplinary support models.
- Options to inform the safe and efficient delivery of allied health services to NDIS participants, including through development of tailored micro-credentials, are intended to be delivered in the first half of 2022.
Enable allied health professionals in rural and remote areas to access professional support via telehealth. Implementation - The department and NDIA are working with key stakeholders, particularly those in rural and remote areas, to highlight the availability of NDIA service options.
Help build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled sector to enhance culturally safe NDIS services. Implementation - The NDIS Ready Project is funded until June 2022 as agreed between Australian Government and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
- Opportunities for future projects to build the community controlled sector are being explored through the Sector Strengthening Plan on Disability and through the Closing the Gap National Agreement.

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