The National Disability Insurance Scheme - Capacity building, sector development and other information resources
Capacity building, sector development and other information resources
Capacity building, sector development and other information resources1. State and territory mental health peak bodies
2. Other capacity building/sector development work
3. The Practical Design Fund
4. Community sector resources for consumers and carers
5. Links to other disability sector peaks bodies
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1. State and territory mental health peak bodies
Mental Health Coordinating Council (NSW)
The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) is the peak body for community mental health organisations in New South Wales.
The MHCC is working in partnership with the NSW Mental Health Commission to ensure that the NDIS is implemented as effectively as possible to support people with psychosocial disability who are eligible for the scheme to get the most out of it.
The MHCC has been hosting a series of events on the NDIS in the Hunter launch site and elsewhere in NSW. More information about MHCC NDIS actvitity is available here.
Psychiatric Disability Services Victoria – Vicserv – (Victoria)
Vicserv is the peak body representing community managed mental health services in Victoria.
More information about the work of Vicserv can be found here.
With the NDIS launch site already in operation, Vicserv have a created a webpage to assist the mental health sector in Victoria to keep up to date with relevant issues in relation to the NDIS.
The page contains relevant information and useful links to mental health peaks and the NDIA.
The Queensland Alliance for Mental Health
The Queensland Alliance for Mental Health is the peak-body for community based/managed mental health providers in Queensland.
The QLD Alliance NDIS resources can be accessed here.
The Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH)
The Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) is the peak body of the community-managed mental health sector in Western Australia, with more than 100 organisational and individual members.
For more information, please visit: http://waamh.org.au/
To view the submissions in relation to the NDIS prepared by the WAAMH please visit http://waamh.org.au/systemic-advocacy/national-disability-insurance-scheme-bill.aspx
The WAAMH has developed a website for NDIS info here.
The WAAMH has an events calendar which can be accessed here.
Mental Health Coalition of South Australia
The Mental Health Coalition of South Australia is the peak body representing non-government mental health services in SA.
The MHCSA has an events calendar which can be accessed here.
Mental Health Council of Tasmania
The Mental Health Council of Tasmania (MHCT) is the peak body representing the interests of the community mental health sector in Tasmania including consumer, carer and service provider organisations.
Tasmania is one of four NDIS launch sites currently in operation. For more information about the MHCT, visit: http://www.mhct.org/index.html
The MHCT also has a calendar of events on its site: http://www.mhct.org/events_and_training.html
Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT
The Mental Health Community Coalition ACT (MHCC ACT) is the peak body representing the not for profit Community Mental Health sector in the Australian Capital Territory.
For more information about the Mental Health Community Coalition, visit http://www.mhccact.org.au/index.php?page=introduction.
The Mental Health Community Coalition is currently engaging in sector development and is working in partnership with the ACT NDIS taskforce to ensure prepare the mental health sector and consumers and carers to participate in the NDIS when the ACT launches the NDIS across the territory in July 2014. For more information on the outcomes of the MHCC capacity-building workshops, visit http://www.mhccact.org.au/index.php?page=SD
Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition
The Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition (NTMHC) is the peak body for community managed (NGO) mental health sector in the Northern Territory. The NTMHC has a network of around 200 individuals, organisations and stakeholders including a membership of about 35 organisations across the Northern Territory.
For more information about the NTMHC, please visit http://www.ntmhc.org.au/
2. Other capacity building/sector development work
Four alliances/organisations, including the Mental Health Council of Australia have received funding through the Sector Development Fund to undertake capacity building work at a national level:
The National Disability and Carer Alliance (NDIS engagement project) - In mid-2012, the National Disability and Carer Alliance received funding from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to consult with people with a disability, their families and carers and service providers about the design and implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDCA brings together four national disability and carer peak bodies: the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Carers Australia, National Disability Services and People With Disability Australia .
The Alliance NDIS Community Engagement Project has divided into two stages.
For more information about the NDCA NDIS Community Engagement Project please visit: http://disabilitycareralliance.org.au/faq/
The National Disability and Carer Alliance (Social inclusion project) - The National Disability and Carer Alliance have also been funded to undertake a project on social inclusion.
For more information, please visit: http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/people-disability/supporting-sector/sector-development-fund/people-disability-families-carers-and
First People’s Disability Network (support for first Australians to participate in the NDIS) - The First People’s Disability Network represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities.
The First People’s Disability Network will be working with urban, regional and remote communities to raise awareness of DisabilityCare Australia and assist Indigenous people with disability, and their families and carers, to understand and use individual packages effectively.
For more information about the work undertaken by the First People’s Disability Network, please visit: http://www.fpdn.org.au/
3. The Practical Design Fund
The following page contains links to the 73 Practical Design Fund projects funded in the lead-up to the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Four of those projects are mental health focussed (there is more detail on these below). The projects were focussed on increasing awareness of and building an evidence base around how people with disabilities can exercise choice and control in an environment characterised by individualised funding and an empowerment or strengths-based as opposed to a deficits-based model: http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/document/204
A shorter document providing a brief summary of each of the 73 projects with links to the relevant organisations and projects funded can be accessed via the link below: http://www.ndis.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Practical_Design_Fund_project_descriptions_0.pdf
Mental Health Specific Practical Design Fund Projects
ARAFMI (WA) (The NDIS and Aboriginal mental health carers in N/W WA) - The general aim of this project and report is to identify and communicate the needs, aspirations, and challenges for Indigenous mental health disability carers and families in north-west WA. The project sought to develop best practice guidelines for engaging with Aboriginal carers and assisting them to participate in the NDIS.
The report is available here: http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/report_and_guidelines.pdf
Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria - The Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria received funding under the Practical Design Fund to adapt resources for peer workers, carers and consumers to help them to fully participate in DisabilityCare Australia through peer education. The resources were developed following a series of consultations and workshops with peer workers, carers and consumers. More information about the project and the resources developed are available at http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/document/521
Queensland Alliance for Mental Health - The Queensland Alliance for Mental Health received funding through the Practical Design Fund to develop resources to enable consumers and carers to better understand the implications of self-directed funding and the benefits and risks that having personal control/purchasing power over services and supports can bring with it. The report documenting the concerns, anticipated benefits and additional information and requirements about the NDIS and self-directed funding for people with psychosocial disability as well as the resources developed to help people understand what the sift to individualised self-directed funding will mean, are available at: http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/document/530
Richmond PRA- Richmond PRA received funding via the Practical Design Fund to develop ‘good practice guidelines’ to assist people with ‘goal-setting’ and ‘person-centred planning’, the management of coordinated self-directed supports and to identify the benefits of ongoing individualised support coordination and funding. The report produced includes a literature review outlining publications and reports that document ‘good practice’ in this field overseas, a summary of the outcomes of consultations, a set of guidelines to assist people with goal setting and goal planning and an outline of an evaluation framework that can be used to test the usefulness of the guidelines. The report is available here - http://www.disabilitycareaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Project_Report_Final.pdf
Additional relevant practical design fund projects
Disability Advocacy Network of Australia (Advocacy Kit – The Advokit) - This website has been developed by Disability Advocacy Network Australia Limited (DANA) to support advocacy for people with disabilities in connection with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Whether you are a person with a disability, a family member or an independent disability advocacy agency, the Advokit aims to inform people about the rights and entitlements of people with disabilities under the NDIS and about how to engage with DisabilityCare Australia to achieve supports that suit the wishes and circumstances of a person with disability. The Advokit is available here.
National Disability Services (organisational and workforce readiness tool)
The NDIS heralds a welcome shift of consumer power to people with disabilities, their families and carers, which in turn means a more competitive environment for disability service providers. At the same time, the increased funding in the sector will attract new providers, including for-profit organisations. Existing providers will need to prepare energetically for this new world if they are to successfully ride the wave of change. http://www.nds.org.au/projects/article/137
- How should we position ourselves in this new market?
- Can our systems cope?
- How can we attract and keep good staff?
4. Community sector resources for consumers and carers
ARAFMI NSW has produced a summary of what the NDIS could mean for people with psychosocial disability and their carers
Following the release of the Productivity Commission Report, the NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council produced a Discussion Paper outlining the opportunities and challenges that the shift towards individualised funding packages presented for people with psychosocial disability: http://mhcc.org.au/media/3203/sdfcmmhs-opportunities-challenges-discussion-paper-2011.pdf
National Disability Services have produced a policy paper on choice and risk in the NDIS. The paper outlines the potential benefits and risks that individualised funding models may present, for people with disabilities, service providers and the overall financial viability of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
5. Links to other disability sector peaks bodies
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations - http://www.afdo.org.au/
The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) has been established as the primary national voice to Government that fully represents the interests of all people with disability across Australia.
The mission of AFDO is to champion the rights of people with disability in Australia and help them participate fully in Australian life. The AFDO website contains a number of resources about the NDIS, though these are not mental health specific:
Carers Australia - http://www.carersaustralia.com.au/home/
Carers Australia is the national peak body representing Australia’s carers. We take a leadership role and respond to carers’ needs and those of the people they care for, being mindful of their financial challenges and in many cases a lack of social inclusion.
Carers Australia advocates on behalf of Australia’s carers to influence policies and services at a national level. We work collaboratively with partners and our member organisations, the Network of state and territory Carers Associations, to deliver a range of essential national carer services.
Carers Australia is part of the National Disability and Carer Alliance which has received funding through the NDIS sector development fund:
Disability Advocacy Network of Australia - http://www.dana.org.au/
Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) Ltd supports and strengthens independent disability advocacy agencies in their work of advocating for and with people with disabilities so that they are valued and included members of the community, their fundamental needs are met and their human rights are respected.
DANA is a network of almost 70 agencies from across Australia that undertake or provide support for, individual advocacy, systemic advocacy, self-advocacy, citizen advocacy, legal advocacy or family advocacy.
The DANA website contains links to a number of advocacy bodies in each State and Territory as well as resources that may assist people to self-advocate for access to the NDIS.
Every Australian Counts - http://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/
Every Australian Counts is a people’s campaign sweeping across the country, demanding the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The website contains a number of useful links and resources about the NDIS:
First People’s Disability Network - First Peoples Disability Network (Australia) – FPDN – is a national peak organisation. We represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability and their families and aim to be a strong voice of and for them. http://fpdn.org.au
We do this using a range of strategies including:
- Providing advice to government; and
- Educating the government and non-government sectors about how to meet the unmet needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.
We also seek to address the stigma that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability may experience by having our members, who are themselves Aboriginal people with disability, speak about their experiences.
Multicultural Mental Health Australia - http://www.mhima.org.au/
Mental Health in Multicultural Australia’s focus is on building networks and collaborative partnerships, developing effective mental health reform strategies, encouraging evaluation, research and innovation, assisting to build the capacity of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities and making strategic-level policy contributions to national, state and territory governments.
The Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) project aims to build capacity across multicultural mental health and suicide prevention sectors by strategic alignment with national initiatives and engaging with each state and territory.
National Disability Services - http://www.nds.org.au/
National Disability Services (NDS) is Australia’s peak body for non-government disability service organisations. Collectively, our 830 NDS members operate several thousand services for Australians with all types of disability. Members range in size from small support groups to large multi-service organisations.
NDS’s purpose is to promote quality service provision and life opportunities for Australians with disability. This is achieved by influencing governments at all levels and providing members with information and advice, networking opportunities and business support.
NDS is one of the organisations that have been provided funding for capacity building via the NDIS sector development fund. NDS is hosting a number of NDIS events across Australia.
National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) - http://www.neda.org.au/
NEDA is the national peak organisation representing the rights and interests of people from non-English speaking background (NESB) with disability, their families and carers throughout Australia.
A community based, non-government organisation funded by the Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. NEDA has a small secretariat and is governed by a Council of state and territory representatives. The majority of Councillors are people from NESB with disability, their families and carers.
