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New podcast episode: Amending the NDIS Bill: What’s Happened, What’s Missing & What’s Next?
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability rights advocate El Gibbs and disability law expert Mitchell Skipsey to discuss the NDIS Bill, the recent amendments and what is needed to ensure that the NDIS Bill meets the needs of NDIS participants.
The guests highlight the importance of constraints on the NDIA’s information gathering powers and the need for strengthening avenues for appeals. They also highlight the importance of considering the whole person in determining support packages. They explain what happens next and express hope that the Senate committee will recommend further amendments to address the concerns of the disability community.
The Federal Government is unlikely to meet its target of getting every younger person out of aged care by next year.
In an article for The Conversation, Summer Foundation CEO Dr Di Winkler welcomed the 31% decrease in the numbers of younger people in aged care but said it was largely due to people dying or ageing out of the YPIRAC cohort. She explores the issues behind the numbers.
Five years ago, the target seemed achievable. The policy change is a hollow victory for the hundreds of younger people in aged care and families who have told their stories to Senate inquiries, the Disability Royal Commission, and the media to advocate for change.
The design flaws in the NDIS urgently need to be fixed to incentivise the delivery of high quality and cost-effective housing and living supports.
Better is possible and affordable by leveraging a range of technology to enhance or replace paid workers and foster greater independence and social and community connection.
Hopefully the amendments to the NDIS legislation which will support the introduction of ‘flexible budgets’ will be a positive first step in building a scheme that drives innovation and delivers better outcomes for YPIRAC and other people who need access to 24/7 support.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John to understand his position on the changes to the NDIS legislation that are currently before Parliament.
The Senator expresses concerns and why he believes these changes will negatively impact participants. He explains his thinking behind this position and why the changes may result in less choice and control for NDIS participants.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 presents a valuable opportunity to realise an improved NDIS that is less adversarial and more fit-for-purpose. Without timely legislative reform which more clearly articulates who the Scheme is for, the funding each person receives and how it can be used, the Scheme is at risk of not delivering on its vision.
The Summer Foundation’s submission on the Bill makes 6 recommendations. These include the Government fulfilling its commitment to meaningful engagement and co-design with the disability community on the development of NDIS Rules and legislative instruments, and the implementation of the legislation.
The 47th annual Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) conference was held in Sydney on May 2 – 4. We had 6 of our researchers presenting at the conference on a range of topics. These included the experience of the built environment for people with complex needs and disability, mental wellbeing in individualised housing, hospital discharge planning and individualised housing and supports for individuals with multiple sclerosis.
Dr Kate D’Cruz (pictured above) presented the findings of a study on co-designing with people with neurological disability and talked about the obstacles and opportunities for authentic, collaborative practice.
Co-design was a prominent theme of the conference embracing the importance of the voice of individuals experiencing and impacted by neurological disability.
The conference was an incredible opportunity to share our research with peers and colleagues. Our research team are always excited to share our research findings please reach out if you have any questions research@summerfoundation.org.au.
Research library
Browse our wide range of research reports and journal articles.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with disability law experts Mitchell Skipsey, and Dr. Darren O’Donovan to understand the changes to the NDIS Act.
They explore the reasons for the changes, and how the various changes may impact on NDIS participants. The conversation highlights the importance of involving people with disabilities in the decision-making process and ensuring that the changes lead to positive outcomes for participants.
The experts emphasise the need for stronger protections to ensure participant choice and control are upheld. The experts suggest some amendments to the Act and encourage listeners to engage in the Senate inquiry and make submissions to express their views and concerns.
Discharge planning can be a lengthy process when a person has acquired disability and complex support needs. As a result, the experience of transitioning from hospital to home is often stressful.
A scoping review by La Trobe University and the Summer Foundation integrated studies on hospital discharge outcomes for people with acquired disability and complex support needs.
The study suggests that improving care continuity and coordination, initiating support and funding applications early, and involving patients and their networks in the discharge planning process could significantly improve outcomes for young adults with acquired disability and complex support needs.
A few months after the Federal Government announced it is pushing back its formal response to the Disability Royal Commission, it has now confirmed that proposed aged care reforms will also be delayed. People with disability and people in the aged care system are among the most vulnerable in our community. They have waited long enough for a more fair and just society.
The amended eligibility criteria in the new Aged Care Act is a necessary measure to close the door to younger people with disability entering residential aged care. It is disappointing that the legislation will not be implemented by 1 July 2024 as originally planned.
People using the aged care system, including younger people with disability, will continue to experience poor outcomes the longer these reforms are delayed.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George meets with the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce to understand the role of the taskforce and learn if changes to registration requirements will impact on our rights to choice and control in the NDIS. Download transcript
Witnessing how her young patients with acute brain injury were put into aged care, Dr Di Winkler AM used the power of research to fundamentally re-shape how we think about housing for people with a disability.
Establishing the Summer Foundation as a not-for-profit in 2006, Di initially wanted the organisation to provide high-quality information – for people at risk of moving into the aged care system, and for their families, who may not be aware of alternative support options.
“I wanted to help people make informed choices but also to connect people. I was really struck that many families felt like they were the only ones in that situation, that they were facing the choice to move their adult child into aged care.”
Since that time, the organisation has grown to become much more.
In Part 2 of our deep dive into the NDIS Review we explore assessments, navigators and psychosocial supports and talk about what happens next. What happens when you bring together Australia’s leading disability advocates and academics to dive deep into the recommendations by the NDIS Review? To find out check out this episode of Reasonable & Necessary for an in-depth, no holds barred examination of the most controversial NDIS Review recommendations.
What happens when you bring together Australia’s leading disability advocates and academics to dive deep into the recommendations by the NDIS Review? To find out check out this episode of Reasonable & Necessary for an in depth, no holds barred examination of the most controversial NDIS Review recommendations. In this 1st part, the panel examines mandatory provider registration and the recommendation that participants who need 24/7 support should be funded to share with 2 other NDIS participants. What does this all mean for participant choice and control?
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George brings together Australia’s leading disability advocates to unpack the NDIS Review. Dr George, along with El Gibbs, Nick Avery, Jarrod Sandell-Hay and Sam Paior will guide you through all the big changes that are proposed, and what they might mean for you.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks with disability rights lawyer Natalie Wade, about NDIS appeals, the NDIS Review and her nationally televised speech on the ABC.
Transforming supports at home: Making it work for NDIS participants
The Summer Foundation’s Annual Public Forum was hosted on November 2, 2023, where we enjoyed record-breaking attendance for this years’ event. We hosted closed to 160 people in person at The Arena, NAB Docklands, and nearly 700 people online. It was wonderful to see such an appetite for having these important conversations. Our focus for the 2023 Annual Public Forum was how home and living supports can be transformed so they truly meet the needs of people with disability.
Our panel of experts was made up of sector professionals, people with lived experience and policy makers, and were hosted by Elizabeth Wright, disability affairs reporter at the ABC and Paralympian. Together, they provided a robust and thoughtful conversation around what good supports look like.
Samar Bain brought the voice of lived experience to the discussion with her unique position of NDIS participant and user of home and living supports, and as trainer of support providers. Samar emphasised that appropriate training of support workers was essential to the provision of good support.
Penelope McKay shared the work that the NDIA are doing to improve home and living supports. Kate De Cruz brought valuable insight around the evidence around what good supports look like, and David Clark, CEO at InLife, shared how they are trying to make changes that improve the support provided to participants.
Find out more about our panel below:
Penelope McKay – Deputy CEO, Market Stewardship and Home and Living – NDIA
Penelope McKay is the Deputy CEO at the National Disability Insurance Agency responsible for Home and Living and Market Stewardship. Penelope will join us to discuss the Agency’s perspective on how we can transform supports at home and what the NDIA is doing to improve outcomes for NDIS participants.
With the NDIS seeking to foster innovation in the sector, there’s no better time for the Head of Home and Living to discuss the new home and living policy. The discussion with Penelope will provide insight into the challenges and opportunities the new policy may present.
David Clarke – CEO, InLife Independent Living
David Clark is CEO at InLife, a passionate not-for-profit organisation determined to break down everyday barriers and positively transform the experience of disability support. They recognise the challenges of living with disability support and want to reshape the experience for the better. David will talk about the issues and risks associated with poor quality supports and what, as a provider, can be done to make sure supports meet the needs of participants.
David has spent the last 15 years using business ideas to improve public sector and non-profit organisations.
Samar Bain – NDIS participant and Disability support worker trainer
“It might feel like you haven’t got choice and control but there are avenues you can take if you have the right supports in place.” – Samar Bain
Samar is a disability support worker trainer and shares her lived experience to support people with disability. She lives with cerebral palsy but is able to live independently since moving into her SDA apartment.
Samar’s SDA apartment provides her with the freedom she has long desired, and to live her life on her own terms. Although the NDIS has improved Samar’s life, she believes there are barriers to living with true choice and control.
Dr Kate D’Cruz – Senior Research Fellow, Summer Foundation
Dr Kate D’Cruz is a Senior Research Fellow at the Summer Foundation. She leads research projects that evaluate the experiences and outcomes of young people with disability.
The Summer Foundation’s research into the personal impact of moving into purpose-built specialist disability accommodation (SDA) provides compelling insights into the importance of support for people with disability to live well.
The NDIS has come a long way in the 10 years since its inception, but to transform home and living supports in a way that truly meets the needs of participants, the NDIA needs to embrace flexibility, innovation and person-centred choice and control in every decision that it makes.
This paper summarises findings from relevant research on the topic to help inform the discussion about supports at home in the lead-up to, at, and after that forum.
On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Professor Bruce Bonyhady and Lisa Paul give their final interview and reveal major changes that will be recommended in the NDIS Review final report. This is a must see episode for anyone interested in the NDIS.
This episode is part of the Reasonable & Necessary podcast series.
On the latest episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks to Alastair McEwin, former Commissioner, Disability Royal Commission about what the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability will mean for the disability community.
“I have had my head in the report ever since it was released and was more than keen to speak to the man who had spent the past 4.5 years devoted to this important piece of work,” Dr George said.
“We discuss a new disability rights act, changes to the disability discrimination act, segregation in education, the phasing out of group homes and much more.“
This episode is part of the Reasonable & Necessary podcast series.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks with international expert on self-directed disability supports and citizenship, Dr Simon Duffy and NDIS participant and researcher Dr Mark Brown about their new report “Redesigning the NDIS”. The report highlights the need for a sustainable NDIS, built through co-design with reliable personal budgets and peer support at the centre. It was written to stimulate discussion and debate in the disability community about NDIS 2.0, 3.0 and beyond.
On this episode of Reasonable & Necessary, Dr George speaks with Mitchell Skipsey from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and NDIS participant and activist, Felice Vaiani, about NDIS appeals and what to do when your NDIS plan doesn’t meet your needs. This episode is full of lots of great advice, and important things to consider when appealing NDIS decisions.
You can also check out a new resource series created by the Housing Hub and PIAC teams on Challenging NDIS Decisions. These resources cover a range of interesting topics including how to request a review of an NDIS decision that you don’t agree with, how to apply to the AAT for an external review, how to find out the reasons behind an NDIS decision, how to request access to documents from the NDIS and how to ask for more time to apply to the AAT. You can access the resources here: www.housinghub.org.au/resources/article/challenging-ndis-decisions
Our UpSkill team have created 2 new workshops on the hospital and NDIS interface. These online workshops are partially subsidised and are suitable for people that have basic NDIS and health interface knowledge.
Source: The Australian – Sarah Ison | Photo: Martin Ollman
The NDIS review is being urged by disability providers to reconsider eligibility criteria for the scheme and prioritise early intervention for autistic children to prevent “increased reliance” on the NDIS throughout their lives, as part of more than 700 submissions made to the review of the $40 billion scheme.
On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM in this exclusive first interview about the NDIS Review and what the NDIS might look like in the future.
Three disability advocacy groups — Synapse, Youngcare and the Summer Foundation — have penned a letter to National Disability Insurance Minister Bill Shorten, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, to address growing concerns of young Australians living with disability being placed into aged care.
On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Minister Bill Shorten about the 2023 NDIS budget to understand what the budget will mean for people with disabilities and our families. Is there a cap on the NDIS, will our funding packages be cut and will it be harder to get onto the NDIS? You will get the answers to these questions and more.
