An initiative announced today will help Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers understand their obligations in delivering high quality services to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.
The Specialist Disability Accommodation Quality and Safeguards Education Initiative will see the Summer Foundation develop education resources and deliver training to registered SDA providers.
The initiative will also develop resources to support SDA-funded participants to understand their responsibilities as their own SDA provider, which is an option under the National Disability Insurance Agency’s SDA Framework.
The NDIS is transforming the lives of people with disability, including their housing choices. SDA funding under the NDIS is a radical new approach to ensure that people with disability have housing options that suit their needs. SDA payments to participants help the housing market deliver high quality SDA housing.
But there are important ongoing obligations to being an SDA provider. These are set out by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, which will provide safeguards against poor practices by SDA providers, ensuring NDIS participants can enjoy their right to well managed housing and choice and control in their lives.
The initiative will help SDA providers to build their knowledge of the commission’s requirements and obligations and educate SDA provider organisations about the importance of consumer choice in the provision of SDA. The initiative will feature the voices of NDIS participants to illustrate quality and best practice.
The Summer Foundation has developed strong expertise in the developing SDA market, and looks forward to working with NDIS participants and key industry stakeholders to deliver this important education initiative.
The funding for this initiative is part of the national Support for NDIS Providers Program, and is one of 10 grants announced today by the Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, as part of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s new four-year $17.6 million investment in building capacity among NDIS providers.