NDIS Update - Spring 2017

Written on the 9 November 2017

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is here!

Nicole, a client, and Gabby, a Team Leader, at an NDIS Expo in the Southern Metro

Some of our clients are already receiving services from us under the new scheme and many are being supported to get ready for their NDIS Planning Meetings.

The NDIS is the new way of providing disability support in Australia and has been described as the biggest social shiftsince the introduction of Medicare.

When fully rolled out the NDIS will support 460,000 Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary support they need to live an ordinary life.

Community Living Australia sees the NDIS as an opportunity for our clients/carers to exercise greater choice and control over how they choose to receive their supports.

Currently clients in the Murraylands, South East and Riverland are starting to transition to the NDIS, with the Fleurieu, Southern Metro and Kangaroo Island transitioning from Jan 2018, and the Adelaide Hills from April 2018.

Community Living Australia is committed to supporting you to transition to the NDIS and continuing in partnership to design the supports that will best achieve your goals.

We know that the better prepared people are for their NDIS Planning Meeting the greater chance they have to get the funding they need to achieve their goals.

We know you know your needs and goals better than anyone! We are here to support you to ensure you can tell the NDIA planner the information they need to know to give you the funding that is reasonable and necessary for you.

How we can support you to move to the NDIS:

• NDIS Pre-Planning Information Sessions
• Weekly NDIS Drop-In Sessions
• NDIS Pre-Planning tools (workbook and checklist)
• Resources on our website
• Summary of Support Letter
• One-on-one support to discuss your individual needs

We also acknowledge that the introduction to the NDIS is a big change for the sector, our staff and our organisation so we have been very pro-active in ensuring that we:

• Share our knowledge of the NDIS to inform our staff, clients, carers, families and the community
• Continue to develop tools, information and support to ensure we all transition to the NDIS smoothly
• Clearly define what services will be funded under the NDIS and how they fit into the NDIS support categories that will be listed in your plan
• Learn from other states that have transitioned to the NDIS so that we can continue to offer services you value
• Continue to attract more great staff to meet the predicted increase in support hours under the NDIS
• Seek partnerships or opportunities to obtain grants to run projects that support the organisation, clients, staff and community to be NDIS ready

Update - Assistance in Shared Living Arrangements (Supported Independent Living)

For our clients in shared living arrangements (accommodation services) we have been advised that they will be supported through the NDIS planning process as a household.

This enables the support needs and goals to be identified for the household but also for each individual to determine each persons NDIS funding.

Community Living Australia will support all our clients living in our accommodation services to transition to the NDIS and this will include completing the NDIS Supported Independent Living (SIL) quoting process.

NDIS defines SIL as assistance with and/ or supervising tasks of daily life in a shared living environment, with a focus on developing the skills of each individual to live as autonomously as possible. The support is provided to each person living in the shared arrangement in accordance with their needs.

We have been told that clients in shared living arrangements will likely transition to the NDIS towards the end of the NDIS rollout dates for the clients' region.

We will work through this new process with our clients, carers, families and the NDIA to ensure a smooth transition to the NDIS.

We look forward to continuing to work with our valued clients, carers and families to take hold of the opportunities that the NDIS can bring to enable people with a disability to achieve their goals.

Want more information?

Come to one of our NDIS Sessions!

Call us on 08 8536 5888