Overview
The Australian Government has invested $63.8 million in the NDIA to implement a new lifetime planning approach.
This initiative focuses on finding ways to make plans more flexible so they can meet the changing needs of participants and families over their lifetime.
This may include:
- outcomes and transition planning in the early childhood pathway (for children under 9 years old)
- planning for changing life circumstances
- building independence through better connections between the NDIS and other government and community services.
What we know so far:
- Participants and their families do not have clear information about plans, including what funding should be used for and how to use it flexibility to achieve goals.
- Conversations between the NDIS and participants and their families are not focused on how to reduce their need for funded supports by building capacity and accessing other supports and services in their communities.
- It is difficult to measure and understand if early intervention, particularly for children, is working well.
- Participants and their families are concerned that if their NDIS funding reduces, or they stop accessing the NDIS, they will find it hard to access supports again in the future.
As part of our commitment to co-design reform a Plan Flexibility Working Group has been established to explore problems and discuss possible solutions.
Working Group Members include NDIS participants, Disability Representative and Carer Organisations (DRCO), Independent Advisory Council (IAC) and NDIA staff.
The Plan Flexibility Working Group has held 7 working group sessions between July 2023 and March 2024.
So far the working group has:
- Made recommendations on improvements to the tone and language used in Agency resources including the NDIS Glossary and Operational Guidelines.
- Collated feedback on letters, fact sheets and a transition plan concept for participants who access the NDIS under early intervention.
- Improved communications resources at access and eligibility reassessments to emphasise the insurance approach and early intervention pathway and focus on outcomes-based supports.
- Provided feedback on new resources to support families when choosing NDIS providers for their child.
The working group has also discussed new NDIS early intervention principles.
These will form the foundation of a NDIS early intervention policy and pathway design.
To learn more about the Reform for Outcomes program and other program initiatives visit have your say.
Latest news
Media release: Getting the NDIS budget back on track – 9 May 2022
Participate
If you are interested in getting involved in co-designing improvements to the NDIS, you can sign up to Participant First.
Participants, family members and carers will be paid for participating in accordance with our Participant Engagement Payment Policy.
Contact
For more information, please contact [email protected]