ECEI reset recommendations update

Completed

These recommendations were largely supported and are being put in place.

We have simplified the name of our approach, changing it from the early childhood early intervention approach to the early childhood approach and published a new guideline.

The early childhood approach guideline was published in June 2021.

It’s the first time we’ve had a guideline specific to children. The guideline is written in simple language to explain what we do and why, and how best practice support helps get the best results for children younger than 7 and their families.

We have updated our Access to the NDIS operational guideline to include new guidance on how to interpret the term developmental delay.

Now our early childhood partners and NDIS delegates have the same clear practical guidance to make decisions and recommendations, and families can understand what we mean when we talk about developmental delay and developmental concerns.

We’re developing the early connections guideline which explains how early childhood partner support can include any combination of:

family education
early supports
connection to community
other services, including help applying to be an NDIS participant, if eligible.

Delivering in the next 12 months

These recommendations were largely supported and your feedback gave us confidence to start it.

We’re working on improving the current early childhood training, so delegates have access to consistent and up to date knowledge.

This recommendation is part of our ongoing priorities.

We want to understand the gaps families and carers find when they’re looking for support for their child. So we’re doing more work with state and territory governments and organisations in the early childhood education and care sector.

We’re improving how we work with remote health organisations to find and help children with developmental delay or disability in remote and very remote areas.

A new strategy is being developed that will explain how we can support families and children in remote areas.

We’re consulting with peak bodies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations, local community, and government services to feed into the strategy. Consultation will be continuing throughout the remainder of 2021.

Based on your feedback we will not progress with indicative funding bands for children with autism at this time.

We recognise the need to continue our work with the sector to understand emerging evidence and best practice interventions.

We will continue to develop our understanding of what long term outcomes can be achieved for children through different models of support, initially focusing on requests for high levels of capacity building supports.

We are working on new processes to give families more support when preparing to leave the NDIS.

Families will work with their early childhood partner and service providers to ensure their child’s development is supported through early childhood education, health and community services.

With some changes to our current operational guidelines and focussing on early investment and outcomes for children, we will strengthen the pathway for access decisions for children younger than 7, under section 25 in the NDIS Act.

We have feedback from providers and our early childhood partners to help us make sure this report informs outcomes for children and their families.

Your feedback told us you were uncertain about the report being mandatory in its current form. We are working to update the form so that it is easier to use and understand.

Reports are an important source of information and show how capacity building supports can help a child’s development.

Started and on track for the next 12 – 24 months

These recommendations were largely supported and are progressing in collaboration with community, sector, government, our partners and providers.

Together with the early childhood sector, we’re promoting what is best practice in early childhood intervention.

We’re working with providers who offer best practice to make sure families and carers can find them.

We’re giving partners information and resources so they can tell families about how to locate providers who deliver best practice supports and help families make informed choices.

We’re improving the materials and tools we use to educate families and carers, and making sure, they’re culturally inclusive.

We’re re-shaping all our support materials so they are more culturally appropriate and simple to understand, including the tools used to screen and measure child development.

Our early childhood partners are taking the lead on this work and using their strong community connections and partnerships to take the NDIS to families and children experiencing hardship and disadvantage, rather than expecting them to come to us.

Using our early childhood partners’ local knowledge and strong connections, we’re helping families share their experience with others in their community.

We want to help communities support each other, trust in local knowledge and grow from this connectivity.

We have commenced work with our early childhood partners to evaluate and improve our practices. They will invite a small sample of families and children receiving short-term support to try a variety of outcome measurement approaches as part of the support they receive.

We expect evaluation to happen toward the end of 2021.The evidence behind early intervention is clear, but we need to strengthen the way we measure progress and outcomes.

Progress over the next 24 months

These recommendations were largely supported and are progressing, though will take more time and coordination to get right.

We’re always working to reduce unnecessary administrative processes and the time and complexity of how we currently plan.

We’re improving processes so early childhood partners have more time to support children and their families through short term early intervention and help them make decisions about the best supports.

We’re improving processes so early childhood partners have more time to support children and their families to connect with the supports they need so they can achieve the best outcomes.

We believe that children up until the age of 9 should be supported through the early childhood approach.

The change to age criteria will take some time and a smooth transition that will develop over the next two years.

Some of the modelling and design work is done for this recommendation, but we need to wait for other improvements before we can move forward.

May not be required

We’re reviewing if we need a transition plan after we improve the current eligibility reassessment processes and transition out support for families.

Discontinued

As a result of the announcement from the Minister for the NDIS on 9 July 2021, we will not be proceeding with independent assessments.

We will be developing a new co-designed and family-centred model to deliver greater consistency and equity in access and planning outcomes.

ECEI reset recommendations update

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