NDIS Mental Health Network Update – February 2017
In the first edition of Mental Health Australia’s NDIS Mental Health Network Update for 2017 you’ll find information about:
- the recently released NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework
- the NDIS in Western Australia
- open grants for NDIS Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC)
- the current Parliamentary Inquiry into the provision of services under the NDIS for people with mental illness
- a Productivity Commission review into NDIS costs
- a free NDIS webinar on developing your first plan
- peer-led NDIS workshop resources
- new publications by the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) of New South Wales
- revisions to the NDIS Provider Toolkit
- the MHCC ‘Share Your NDIS Story’ initiative.
NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Disability Reform Council recently released the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework.
The aim of the Framework is to ensure nationally consistent mechanisms are in place to protect NDIS participants from harm. They are designed to assist participants to exercise choice and control, and establish expectations for service providers to deliver safe and high-quality support.
The Framework can be found here.
Western Australian NDIS Intergovernmental Agreement
On 1 February, the Commonwealth and Western Australian (WA) governments finalised a bilateral agreement for a state-run NDIS. While other states will run under a centralised system, WA will be locally run and administered.
Commonwealth Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, has assured that conditions of the agreement will provide for national consistency and integrity against the national scheme.
However, the Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, Jenny Macklin, and Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers, Carol Brown, have warned the administration costs of the WA model could leave residents with disability worse off.
To date, Commonwealth NDIS trials and state-run ‘My Way’ trials have been running concurrently in WA. The transition to WA NDIS is now anticipated to commence in July 2017.
For more information see the joint media release of Commonwealth Social Services Minister Christian Porter, WA Premier Colin Barnett and WA Minister for Planning, Disability Services, Donna Faragher.
See the NDIS website for more information on the NDIS in Western Australia and the Western Australian Disability Services Commission website to access the bilateral agreement.
Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Grants Now Open
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has announced the first grant round for implementation of the NDIS Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Framework.
Applications are now being accepted for both ILC National Readiness grants and ILC Jurisdictional Based Grants for the ACT. The NDIA outlines that:
- National Readiness Grants will support projects that “build the capacity and readiness of organisations and the community to operate within a nationally consistent approach to ILC, and/or build the foundations required to deliver ILC activities on a national scale”.
- ACT Jurisdictional Based Grants will fund organisations to implement activities that “increase the independence, social and community participation of people with a disability” in the ACT. Funded activities may include information, linkages and referrals, capacity building for mainstream services, and community awareness.
Visit the Commonwealth Community Grants Hub website for more information on the program guidelines, application process, and grant conditions.
The NDIA has also released a webcast to help organisations understand the ILC grant funding rounds and application process.
Applications for both grant types will close on 8 March 2017 at 2pm.
Parliamentary Inquiry into the provision of services under the NDIS for people with mental illness
On 1 September 2016, the House of Representatives established the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS. The Committee is tasked with inquiring into the implementation, performance, governance, administration and expenditure of the NDIS.
The committee is currently inquiring into the provision of services under the NDIS for people with psychosocial disabilities related to a mental health condition.
It is accepting submissions until 27 February 2017 and is due to report on the findings on 22 June 2017. Mental Health Australia will be making a submission addressing all inquiry terms of reference.
In December 2016, Mental Health Australia circulated a draft position paper on community support during NDIS transition and beyond. The paper can be found here. Comments are still welcome via info@mhaustralia.org.
To inform the Joint Standing Committee, Mental Health Australia provided two documents. Both are published on the Committee website:
- Key actions to ensure continued access to community support for people affected by severe mental illness during NDIS transition and beyond
- The implementation and operation of the psychiatric disability elements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme: A recommended set of approaches.
New Productivity Commission review of NDIS Costs
The Productivity Commission (PC) has commenced a study to review the costs of the NDIS. It will examine a number of issues, including; the sustainability of scheme costs, jurisdictional capacity, cost pressures, and impact on mainstream services.
The PC is currently developing an issues paper, due for release this month, to assist organisations to make a submission. Mental Health Australia is engaging with the PC to provide information and feedback throughout the review process.
The position paper is due to be released in May 2017 and the final report is to be delivered in September 2017.
More information on the review can be found here.
Free NDIS Webinar - Developing your First Plan
The NDIA is hosting a webinar on developing and starting your first NDIS plan. This is an opportunity to ask questions about preparing for your planning meeting and implementing your first plan.
The Webinar will be held on 28 February 2017 at 2:00pm AEST.
Peer-led NDIS Information Session Resources Available Online
In 2016, Mental Health Australia engaged Richmond Wellbeing to design and deliver peer-education modules and train-the-trainer workshops in each state and territory. The workshops were locally tailored to improve understanding of the NDIS among people with psychosocial disability and their carers, build their capacity to exercise choice and control, and encourage them to move towards self-management and independence. The resources used to guide the workshops are available on the Mental Health Australia website.
New NDIS and Mental Health Publications from the NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council
The NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) has released its final two publications of the NDIS and Mental Health Analysis Partnership Project. These resources are to assist individuals and organisations during the scale up of the NDIS in NSW.
- Navigating the NDIS: Lessons Learned through the Hunter Trial is to support local communities in NSW to prepare for entry into the NDIS, including supporting people with high levels of psychosocial disability to access the scheme.
- Guideline for Establishing a Local NDIS Community of Practice to Enhance Learning and Sector Reform is to encourage local community organisations in NSW to establish an NDIS Mental Health Community of Practice to enhance learning from NDIS implementation and mental health sector reforms.
NDIS Provider Toolkit - Revised Guide to Suitability
The NDIS Provider Toolkit is a resource for providers to complete and manage their registration for the scheme within myPlace. The NDIA has recently revised Module 4 of the NDIS Provider Toolkit, the NDIS Guide to Suitability, following consultation and feedback from the disability sector and jurisdictions.
The Guide to Suitability provides guidance to providers on the professional qualifications, experience and expertise required to be registered as a service provider and deliver supports to NDIS participants.
The revised Guide to Suitability can be found on the NDIS website.
Coming Soon: MHCC Online Resource – Psychosocial Disability and the NDIS
The MHCC in partnership with the NDIS are developing a national online platform to help people with psychosocial disabilities and their carers to better understand and navigate the NDIS, and what supports are available to them.
The online resource is designed as a one-stop-shop to help people with lived experience reimagine their lives and recovery journey. The interactive platform will include tools to help consumers prepare, plan and discuss their NDIS access request. It will outline the steps and processes required to apply for NDIS funding, explain NDIS language and present alternatives if an application is unsuccessful.
The resource is co-designed by people with lived experience of psychosocial disability and engagement with the NDIS.
The platform is currently under-development and will be launched in March this year. If you would like to be notified about project developments and the launch of this platform please email: info@mhcc.org.au.
Latest NDIS Newsletter Released
Click here for the February edition of the NDIS newsletter for the latest updates on the scheme and disability sector reform.
Keep in touch
- To make sure you stay up-to-date between NDIS Mental Health Network Updates, ‘like’ the Mental Health Australia Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AUMentalHealth/
- If this email has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive this newsletter regularly, you can subscribe at: https://mhaustralia.org/form/sign-our-newsletters
If you have any questions about the above information, please email Emma Coughlan at info@mhaustralia.org
- If you have any questions about the above please email Emma Coughlan at info@mhaustralia.org
