Reform for Outcomes quarterly meeting summary Friday 23 August 2024

Disability Representative and Carers Organisation (DRCO) Attendees: A4 Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia, Australian Autism Alliance, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Blind Citizens Australia, Carers Australia, Children and Young People with Disability Australia, Community Mental Health Australia, Deaf Australia, Deafness Forum Australia, Disability Advocacy Network Australia, Down Syndrome Australia, Every Australian Counts, Inclusion Australia, JFA Purple Orange, Mental Health Australia, National Ethnic Disability Alliance, National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum, People with Disability Australia, Physical Disability Australia, ReImagine Australia, Self Advocacy Resource Unit, Women with Disabilities Australia, Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance

Independent Advisory Council (IAC) Attendees: Leah van Poppel, Dr Sharon Boyce, Dr Leighton Jay, Samantha Jenkinson, Sylvana Mahmic, James Manders, Sam Paior, Dr George Taleporos, Mark Tonga 

Apologies: Deafblind Australia, Jennifer Cullen

Key outcomes

  1. The Agency is transitioning from the previously known Reform for Outcomes (RFO) to a reform program across 10 key initiatives.
  2. The NDIA is mapping the reform program to the experience of Scheme participants.
  3. The Agency is evaluating its past co-design activities to improve its co-design approach for the reform program.

What you can share

This summary can be shared with your organisation, members, and networks

Actions from this meeting

Action Details Responsibility Status
1 Circulate participant plan template     NDIA Secretariat     Completed.

Examples of the new NDIS Plan and Plan Approval letter are available on the NDIS website: Your next plan | NDIS Improvements

Please note Easy Read plans are not yet available but have been identified as a priority through co-design..
2 NDIA to circulate updated Delivery Roadmap.     NDIA Secretariat    Completed
3

Develop closing the loop function to ensure DRCOs and IAC members are provided feedback on how their feedback has been actioned. Consult with DRCO Secretariat to develop.  
 

Co-design Branch

Completed

A ‘what we heard, what we did’ template is being used across Working Groups.

4 Provide status update on the Individualised Living Options initiative and any evaluations undertaken of the initiative.     
 
NDIA Secretariat

Open

Email sent 14.11.24 to Jo Collins requesting update.


Home and Living have requested further information.


Alex Rosenthal coordinating with Home and Living on a response.
 

5 Re-send invitations to participants in co-design evaluation process, led by Clear Horizons. Co-design Branch / NDIA Secretariat Completed
6. Share co-design evaluation presentation. NDIA Secretariat Completed
7. Follow up with individual DRCOs (Deafness Forum Australia, Physical Disability Australia, ReImagine) about membership of co-design groups, including the Co-design Advisory Group. Co-design Branch  Completed
8. Follow up with Deafness Forum Australia on Section 10 question about continuity of supports.  NDIA Secretariat Completed
9. Circulate meeting teams chat with attendees. NDIA Secretariat

Completed

Due to changes in MS Teams, we are unable to copy and paste meeting chats into word documents in an accessible format. Because of this, we are unable to provide an accessible version of the Teams chat externally.
 

10. Share Fraud Fusion Taskforce Ethics and Human Oversight Framework principles. NDIA Secretariat / Fraud Fusion Taskforce Completed

Key insights

1.    Agenda item 1: Scheme reform delivery roadmap update 

Insights:

Participant journey map:

  • We are developing a participant journey map to describe the Scheme reform program and how it comes together based on the experience of NDIS participants.
  • The 10 key reform initiatives are mapped to each step of the participant journey that they will support.
  • The participant journey map reflects the broader ecosystem and foundational supports.
  • The participant journey map is iterative and will continue to be developed as reforms are designed, built and delivered.

Co-design working groups

  • Each reform initiative is led by one Agency representative who is responsible for the initiative from its beginning to delivery.
  • Co-design working groups will work with the initiative lead to deliver the initiative.
  • Co-design working groups will seek expertise and experience from NDIA advisory and reference groups to support initiative reform. 

Delivery change roadmap

  • The Agency has developed a delivery change roadmap for all change it is managing, including:
    • Scheme reform
    • national expansion
    • Agency reform, and 
    • continuous improvement. 
  • The Agency’s delivery change roadmap aligns with the Department of Social Services Disability Reform Roadmap. 

2.    Agenda item 2: RFO group showcase: Better Planning, Workforce Capability and Integrity

Insights:

Better Planning 

  • The Agency needs to improve communication, resources, and ways of working to better support participants to manage their plans.
  • The Agency needs to improve the check-in process so that the participant experience aligns with the intended purpose of the check-in.
  • Communication guides and resources need to be person centred, in plain English, and conversational.

Workforce Capability

  • The Agency is aiming to increase its employment of people with disability to support an improved participant experience.
  • The Agency is trialling a new candidate pack that is clearer and more accessible to replace current position descriptions.

Integrity

  • Agency has delivered a provider education campaign on fraud and non-compliance.
  • The Agency has developed an internal framework to support the wellbeing of people reporting Scheme fraud or noncompliance.
  • The Agency is the co-chair of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce which is 21 Commonwealth government agencies working together to prevent, detect and respond to fraud in government payment programs. 
  • The Agency led the development of a government Ethics and Human Oversight Framework that is: 
    • trauma informed, 
    • person centred, and 
    • has participant safety as its top priority. 

Key learnings for future co-design

  • Need a clear authorising environment to ensure co-design efforts are focused and deliver meaningful impact. 
  • Need to be clear about the scope of negotiables and non negotiables and whether activity is co-design, consultation or information.
  • Need to close the loop on co-design impacts and monitor implementation of changes by business areas.
  • Language and methodology is important to the co-design process and should be a focus of initial meetings to ensure common understanding.
  • It is helpful for co-design working groups to compare Agency internal documents with externally published documents to identify why participant experiences do not match Agency intentions.

3.    Agenda item 3: RFO Group Wrap Up: Home and Living, Plan Flexibility and Evidence Based Supports

Insights:

Plan flexibility

  • The Agency needs to improve its communication approach to be conversational, relatable and culturally safe.
  • The Agency needs to improve how it supports participants at different life stages to connect people with the most appropriate supports.

Home and living

  • The Agency needs to ensure assessment processes are person-centred and consider the whole of participant's life and circumstances.
  • The Agency needs to include people with intellectual disability and cognitive disability in the co-design of home and living processes.
  • The Agency needs to make its home and living processes to be clear, accessible, and improve access to community and mainstream housing supports.
  • The Agency needs to review unregistered home and living providers.

Evidence-based supports

  • The Agency needs to better support participant purchasing decisions by:
    • publishing information to help participants identify quality providers
    • developing a peer support program to help participants share their experiences with providers
    • developing resources to uplift participant capability to negotiate with providers and plan intermediaries. 
  • The Agency needs to clarify the roles and expectations of plan intermediaries, plan managers and support coordinators. This includes developing and updating resources and guidance.

4.    Agenda item 4: Co-design evaluation and continuous improvement

Insights

  • The Agency is conducting evaluations of its previous co-design projects.
  • The Agency has worked with the NDIA Co-design Design Advisory Group to develop evaluation questions.
  • DRCOs and IAC members are contributing feedback and insights as part of the evaluations.
  • The evaluations will inform the Agency’s future co-design approach with Australia’s disability community.