By clicking the Listen button the text will be read out
in full. To stop this, click the button again. To listen to certain parts of the text,
simply highlight the text to hear the audio. More
information
A+
large
A−
small
invert
colour
reset
Best practice when working with people with complex support needs
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
This workshop is for NDIS allied health professionals and support coordinators who want to build on their capabilities and ensure the services they provide are of the highest standard, are ethical and empowering for the people they support.
You will gain insight into the guiding approaches of service provision including taking a human rights and person-centered approach to practice, working in a trauma informed way, practicing cultural sensitivity and promoting self determination. You will learn strategies to demonstrate leadership in promoting and upholding the rights of those you support who live with complex support needs.
This workshop via Zoom, is facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes and Vivien Williams. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives
Recognise when a person’s rights are at risk and identify ways that you can assist to reassert their rights
Identify key guiding approaches that are essential when working with people with complex support needs and consider ways to incorporate these approaches into how you work
Demonstrate strategies to improve your overall practice and identify ways to work collaboratively with mainstream and NDIS services
Lead, innovate and develop service improvements in line with contemporary best practice
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Build your understanding of the evidence required for an application for specialist disability accommodation (SDA). This workshop is valuable if you’re working for people who may be SDA eligible, as you will need to provide the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) with supporting evidence that addresses the SDA eligibility criteria, set out in the SDA Rules (2020).
This workshop assumes you have good working knowledge of SDA including what it is, how it is separate to support and how it is different to mainstream housing. We will focus on the SDA Rules (2020), SDA eligibility and the evidence required for an SDA application.
This is an interactive workshop via Zoom, facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives – after this workshop you will be able to:
Apply the SDA Rules and eligibility criteria
Identify the types of supporting evidence required to support SDA requests
Work with other professionals to source and collect evidence for SDA
Write a housing report addressing the SDA Rules
Complete a Home and Living supporting evidence form for an SDA application
Use new knowledge of NDIS decision-making to inform your applications
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
On this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Australia’s leading podcast series on the NDIS, Dr George Taleporos is joined by the new CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency Rebecca Falkingham about her key priorities, how she plans to rebuild trust and much more.
The Summer Foundation’s Annual Public Forum was held on November 25, 2022. For the first time since 2019, we were pleased to host an audience in person, as well as online. The hybrid event saw almost 600 people join us online and close to 150 in person at The Arena, NAB Docklands.
Our panel of experts, made up of policy makers, sector experts and people with lived experience of disability were hosted by Beverley O’Connor (ABC News 24), and discussed what a reimagined NDIS might look like.
Bram Heinrich-McPartlan and Tobias O’Hehir brought the voice of lived experience to the discussion, with valuable insights into their own experiences navigating the NDIS. Importantly, they both highlighted the life-changing supports that their NDIS funding provided, while also sharing how complex the NDIS is, and how difficult it was to access and understand.
Tobia’s noted that his work as a lawyer helped him to recognise what was needed to put together an application that ensured he would get the funding package he needed, bringing into sharp focus that most do not come to the NDIS with this level of expertise. “Immediately I knew this was an evidence-based process, straight away… I came to it with a law degree and comms degree, and all of my professional experience, and I was able to get the information that I required, I was able to get the evidence that I required.”
John Dardo, Deputy CEO Partners, Providers and Fraud Taskforce Group, represented the NDIA and he was joined by Alecia Rathbone from the Housing Hub and Paul Simmons from Ability SDA, who added to the discussion from the perspective of sector and housing professionals.
It was widely acknowledged throughout the discussion that the NDIS is a young organisation with an enormous task, and while it is not where it needs to be, the organisation is committed to getting better.
John Dardo explained that the NDIA is working on both system improvements and immediate interface improvements to make the NDIS better now, and into the future. “But we also have to look forward and go, what do we need to keep focussing on at every level, to improve and be better next year, and in 5 years, then in 10 years.”
There were some fantastic suggestions for improvement from all our speakers. A key theme that emerged was improvements to workforce. For example, there needs to be more level 3 support coordinator funding, as well as funding for training for support coordinators so they can become the experts that they need to be. The implementation of NDIS in-reach roles within the hospital system was also needed so there are experts within the hospital system that can work with participants and support coordinators to get the best possible outcomes.
Suggestions for change within the NDIA included NDIS policy being separated from implementation, and a positive demand activation scheme, where the NDIA identifies participants who will likely be eligible for SDA. Paul Simmons explains, “the NDIA knows who is likely eligible for SDA, it wouldn’t be perfect, but they would cover it a lot better than the market would”.
The event concluded with a great sense of optimism for the future of the NDIS. For the full discussion – the range of barriers and possible improvements, watch a recording of the event above or download the transcript.
Speakers:
John Dardo – Acting Deputy CEO of the NDIA’s Partners, Providers and Fraud Taskforce group
John Dardo joined the NDIA on secondment in August 2022 as Deputy CEO of the newly formed Partners, Providers and Fraud Taskforce group. John is responsible for outward facing interactions with providers, partners in the community, the national contact centre and the recently formed cross-government Fraud Taskforce. John has a longstanding senior executive career in the public service, having previously worked at the Australian Taxation Office and Department of Education, Skills and Employment.
Alecia Rathbone – Chief Social Enterprise Officer, Housing Hub
Alecia Rathbone is the General Manager of Summer Foundation’s social enterprise the Housing Hub, that connects people with disability to appropriate housing. She is responsible for the development and growth of products and services of the social enterprise including the Housing Hub website, where people with disability can search for suitable housing by housing type or location, and the Tenancy Matching Service, which supports people with disability to apply for new property developments across Australia.
Bram Heinrich McPartlan – NDIS participant and SDA tenant
Bram lives with multiple disabilities in fully accessible specialist disability accommodation. Bram found accessing the NDIS a trial and it took multiple attempts to obtain the appropriate housing and supports in their plan. Bram now works casually, does disability advocacy and is grateful for the personal freedom and agency the NDIS has given them.
Paul Simmons – CEO, Ability SDA
Paul Simmons is a registered SDA provider that builds specialist disability accommodation. Together with his wife Angie, Paul founded Ability SDA in 2016 in direct response to the need for high quality SDA in NSW. Paul recognised an opportunity to support people with high physical needs by offering independent living solutions and a better quality of life. Today, Ability SDA has 45 accessible apartments with further developments in the pipeline. With a combination of industry experience in economics, finance, property, aged care and SDA, Paul is driven to build cost effective, beautiful, accessible spaces for vulnerable Australians.
UpSkill will continue to offer training and resources to support coordinators, allied health professionals and other sector professionals assisting people with complex support needs. Check out our upcoming courses for 2023.
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Build your understanding of the evidence required for an application for specialist disability accommodation (SDA). This workshop is valuable if you’re working for people who may be SDA eligible, as you will need to provide the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) with supporting evidence that addresses the SDA eligibility criteria, set out in the SDA Rules (2020).
This workshop assumes you have good working knowledge of SDA including what it is, how it is separate to support and how it is different to mainstream housing. We will focus on the SDA Rules (2020), SDA eligibility and the evidence required for an SDA application.
This is an interactive workshop via Zoom, facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives – after this workshop you will be able to:
Apply the SDA Rules and eligibility criteria
Identify the types of supporting evidence required to support SDA requests
Work with other professionals to source and collect evidence for SDA
Write a housing report addressing the SDA Rules
Complete a Home and Living supporting evidence form for an SDA application
Use new knowledge of NDIS decision-making to inform your applications
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
This workshop is for NDIS allied health professionals and support coordinators who want to build on their capabilities and ensure the services they provide are of the highest standard, are ethical and empowering for the people they support.
You will gain insight into the guiding approaches of service provision including taking a human rights and person-centered approach to practice, working in a trauma informed way, practicing cultural sensitivity and promoting self determination. You will learn strategies to demonstrate leadership in promoting and upholding the rights of those you support who live with complex support needs.
This workshop via Zoom, is facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes and Vivien Williams. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives
Recognise when a person’s rights are at risk and identify ways that you can assist to reassert their rights
Identify key guiding approaches that are essential when working with people with complex support needs and consider ways to incorporate these approaches into how you work
Demonstrate strategies to improve your overall practice and identify ways to work collaboratively with mainstream and NDIS services
Lead, innovate and develop service improvements in line with contemporary best practice
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
As the NDIA shifts its focus to living an ordinary life at home, there is much to learn about how to explore and design an ordinary life through individualised support.
Support coordinators and allied health professionals are uniquely placed to support the development of innovative and individualised support for people with complex support needs.
This workshop will:
Take a dive into what person-centred practice looks like
Unpack notions about 24/7 paid support
Go through the person-centred process of exploring and designing individualised supports
Provide examples of innovative solutions to meet support needs of individuals
This workshop via Zoom, is facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes and Vivien Williams. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives
Use a person-centred approach to the design and implementation of home and living supports
Work with participants to identify their home and living preferences and support needs
Identify risks and safeguarding strategies
Understand the importance of circles of support and assist people to expand and strengthen informal, mainstream and community support
Understand NDIS funding packages for home and living support
Work with support providers to implement individualised living supports, including negotiations on cost of support, terms and conditions of service agreements
Important note:
This workshop will not focus on the ‘bricks and mortar’ of housing. To find out more about housing support please see UpSkill training:
NDIS and Mainstream housing
Applying for SDA: eligibility and evidence for positive outcomes
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Hospital clinicians
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
The people you support may have complex support needs or may find themselves caught in complex systems.
This facilitated workshop will help you understand the responsibilities of the NDIS and other services systems so you can better support people to access the full range of support available.
This is a 2 day workshop via Zoom, facilitated by UpSkill Lead Linda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
We will look at health, mental health, aged care, justice, housing, child protection and education interfaces. After the workshop you will be able to:
Learning objectives
Understand the broader systems of support, including other government and community services
Navigate the complex interface between the NDIS and other service systems and connect participants with services outside the NDIS
Support and lead a collaborative approach across service systems
Undertake person centered planning and stakeholder mapping
Design mechanisms for communication, collaboration and cooperation
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Learn about mainstream and non-SDA housing, home modifications, assistive technology and capacity building supports to help a person with disability explore suitable mainstream housing.
This UpSkill workshop, brought to you by the Summer Foundation, focuses on the ‘bricks and mortar’. It is designed to build the capacity of support coordinators and allied health professionals to assist people with disability to explore suitable mainstream housing that reflects their goals, preferred living arrangements and support needs.
This workshop via Zoom, is facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Finding accessible and affordable housing is a challenge and we cannot promise a silver bullet. But we will provide innovative ideas and useful tips to help make a person’s housing goals a reality. We will share successful stories where ‘out of the box’ thinking has made housing dreams come true.
Important note: This workshop does not include information about SDA. If you need introductory information about SDA, you can access free video resources on the Housing Hub here and here.
Learning objectives
Understand the role of the NDIS in Home and Living supports and be able to navigate the NIDS and mainstream housing interface
Explore housing options and opportunities including innovative and contemporary approaches
Develop strategies to address some of the common housing barriers experienced by people with disability
Determine the necessary components of good housing that promote safety and independence
Recognise the importance of separation of housing and supports
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
The government set ambitious targets of no one under the age of 65 being admitted to residential aged care (RAC) by 2022. While there has been modest progress on these targets there are still 3,435 people under 65 living in aged care, and each month another 44 enter.
This UpSkill workshop, brought to you by the Summer Foundation, will enable you to assist younger people living in aged care to access appropriate home and living supports through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
This is an interactive workshop via Zoom, facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives – after this workshop you will be able to:
Leverage the implementation of the government’s younger people in residential aged care (YPIRAC) Strategy and NDIS policy
Provide YPIRAC with information and examples of NDIS supports
Identify and understand responsibilities in the interface between the NDIS and aged care systems
Work together with RAC and NDIS professionals to lead a collaborative approach across service systems
Assist a person choosing to leave RAC to access appropriate supports to live well in the community
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs including RAC providers, Nursing Unit Managers and lifestyle coordinators
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Online Workshop – Zoom DATE: There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
Build your understanding of the evidence required for an application for specialist disability accommodation (SDA). This workshop is valuable if you’re working for people who may be SDA eligible, as you will need to provide the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) with supporting evidence that addresses the SDA eligibility criteria, set out in the SDA Rules (2020).
This workshop assumes you have good working knowledge of SDA including what it is, how it is separate to support and how it is different to mainstream housing. We will focus on the SDA Rules (2020), SDA eligibility and the evidence required for an SDA application.
This is an interactive workshop via Zoom, facilitated by UpSkill LeadLinda Hughes. There will be practical exercises, opportunity for group discussion and questions and answers.
Learning objectives – after this workshop you will be able to:
Apply the SDA Rules and eligibility criteria
Identify the types of supporting evidence required to support SDA requests
Work with other professionals to source and collect evidence for SDA
Write a housing report addressing the SDA Rules
Complete a Home and Living supporting evidence form for an SDA application
Use new knowledge of NDIS decision-making to inform your applications
Who is this for:
Support coordinators
NDIS allied health professionals
Professionals assisting people with complex support needs
There are currently no upcoming sessions for this workshop. Please check back again soon!
This webinar brings together a panel of experts to discuss how we can better assist people who have behaviours that concern us. In this webinar we will look at behaviour as a means of communication of unmet needs and how we can better support a person to live a meaningful life.
People with disability who display behaviours of concern challenge us greatly. Often the response is restrictive practices to ensure the safety of the person and others around them. While often necessary, restrictive practices are a restriction on the person’s autonomy. So how do we support choice and control and improve a person’s quality of life when they have behaviours of concern? What can support coordinators and allied health professionals do to assist with safety and safeguarding AND choice and control?
After attending this workshop you will have a better understanding of working with people who have behaviours of concern and how you can demonstrate leadership in supporting rights, choice and control and supported decision-making.
The webinar is the 4th in our Supported Decision-making series and takes a rights-based approach to positive behaviour support and support for decision-making, with a focus on home and living situations.
Join UpSkill and our panel of experts as we discuss:
Common reasons people may display behaviours of concern
The link between positive behaviour support, human rights and improving quality of life
Function and alternatives to restrictive practices
Strategies to support positive behaviour
Supporting self determination of people who have complex support needs
Role of support coordinators in supporting people who have behaviours that concern us
How we can demonstrate leadership in upholding the rights of people with disability
Meet your panel:
Donna White – National Director Behaviour Support, NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission
Donna has been working at the NDIS Commission for over four years in a range of behaviour support positions and commenced in the National Director Behaviour Support role in June 2021. Donna has worked in the disability sector for over 30 years and prior to commencing with the NDIS Commission worked in a Statewide Behaviour Intervention Service in NSW.
Donna is a certified practicing speech pathologist and has extensive experience supporting people with disability who have complex communication, behavioural, forensic, trauma and health-related support needs. Donna has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology), Master of Arts (Communication Disorders) and a Graduate Certificate in Developmental Trauma. Donna is a published editor and author, and has presented at national and international conferences on issues related to clinical practice, intellectual disability, positive behaviour support and mental health.
Paul Jay – Self advocate and micro-entrepreneur
My name is Paul Jay, I am an independent person living in Fremantle. I am a music buff that enjoys live music, and a cafe connoisseur. I am also currently working on my own microenterprise that hopes to assist people like me to build the support network that is right for them.
Debbie Lobb – Director of Professional Supports and Behaviour Support Consultant, Microboards Australia
Debbie is a specialist behaviour practitioner and is known across the disability sector for her leadership roles in supporting organisations and families to understand the underlying needs and experiences of people with disability, particularly in relation to complex behaviour or communication needs. Debbie is regularly sought for her knowledge and experience in developing behaviour support models of practice and for her gentle supportive approach to partnering with people to go on a journey of discovery and support development.
Sally Robinson – Professor of Disability and Community Inclusion, Flinders University
Sally does research with children, young people and adults with disability about what helps them feel safe, well and happy at difficult times in their lives. Most of her work is done in teams that include people with disability as researchers as well as asking them for their views. She also works with governments and organisations about how to listen to the things that matter to people with disability.
“At first I said No!” – NDIS Chair Kurt Fearnley reveals all in this exclusive interview
VIDEO PODCAST: 25 October 2022
In this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Australia’s leading podcast on the NDIS, Dr. George speaks with newly appointed NDIS Chair Kurt Fearnley. In this in-depth interview Fearnley reveals all about how he came to the role, his vision for the future of the NDIS and, with a bit of persuasion, he takes on some of your tricky questions.
When NDIS services turn bad – Interview with NDIS Commissioner Tracy Mackey
VIDEO PODCAST: 11 October 2022
In this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr. George speaks with NDIS Commissioner Tracy Mackey about what you can do if you are unhappy with your NDIS services, including how to deal with unregistered providers, and how you can make a complaint to the commissioner.
The Summer Foundation would like to thank Selina Short for her service as a Director on the Summer Foundation board. Selina joined the Board on 17 November 2020.
We wish Selina the very best and thank her warmly for her service to Summer Foundation.
Latest episode
What does good NDIS support look like?
VIDEO PODCAST: 19 September 2022
In this episode of Reasonable and Necessary, Dr George speaks with Megan Topping (La Trobe University PhD research student) and Carl Thompson (NDIS participant and director of support coordination provider ‘Sort Your Support’) about what NDIS participants really want from support workers.
It’s Brain Injury Awareness Week! Meet James – he has been living with a brain injury for 18 years. He writes about his experience and explains why Brain Injury Awareness Week is important to him.
Hi, my name’s James. I’m 38 years old and I have an acquired brain injury. Before my brain injury I was a rugby league and cricket representative player. I was socially included, I had a heap of friends.
After acquiring my brain injury, I found that people fell away. They heard that I had a brain injury and they were not willing to hang around to see how bad the injury is.
Many people hear the word brain injury and they look at you and think, ‘Oh they have a brain injury, they’re a lot worse than I am, they are not worthy of my time, they aren’t able to make clear decisions’.
What would you like people to know about living with an acquired brain injury?
I am not defined by my brain injury. Each and every day that passes my brain heals. In my mind, everyone has an injury of some sort to their brain. Everybody is different in their personality, in their way of thinking, in every brain function there is. I had a traumatic brain injury on the right side of my brain. Other people have challenges in other parts of their brain, brain injuries from years of neglect or brain injuries from psychological or physical abuse.
Why is Brain Injury Awareness Week important?
It is important to show people that brain injuries don’t define people.
The extent of a brain injury doesn’t determine or define the person’s life. People are so much more than this, this is what we need to look at, people as people.
The theme of Brain injury Awareness Week this year is ‘Life is bigger than a brain injury’. What does this mean to you?
The brain injury is a small part of my life, I have so much more going on than a brain injury. I have hobbies and am involved in community groups. I have completed a couple of TAFE courses. This would have been unbelievable to the support looking after me at the beginning of my recovery.
I have also found new, more valuable friends.
The brain injury doesn’t define me, I make sure it doesn’t define me. I make sure I excel to prove to myself and others that the brain injury category is not the only category I am placed in.
In research by the Summer Foundation and La Trobe University, participants revealed that their relationship with the NDIA needs repairing – most had lost confidence and trust in the NDIA. Many recognised that they can’t opt out of this relationship, so with the appointment of a new government, many participants are optimistic that the time may be right for an honest dialogue between all parties about the future of the NDIS.
Outcomes and Experiences of People with Disability Moving into New Housing
What is the study about?
The aim of this research is to help us better understand the individual experiences and outcomes of people with disability who move into Supported Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing in the community. This project involves collecting information from interviews and questionnaires with tenants and those close to them pre-move and at regular intervals up to 3 years post-move.
Why are we doing this study?
We are doing this research to find out more about the experiences and outcomes of people with disability who move into appropriately designed housing in the community. We are interested in finding out what works well for people and what could be improved so we can inform the development of future housing and services. Our research will document the lived experience and impact of new housing developments for young people with disability and help to shape innovative housing models in the future.
Who do we want to take part?
Taking part in this research study is optional. We are looking for people who:
Are aged 18-65
Have disability. Primary disabilities include (but are not limited to): Acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s, other neurological conditions
Have an offer of an SDA house or apartment and/or have been living in SDA for up to 6 months
Speak/understand English
Have adequate communication skills to independently agree to participate. Adequate communication skills include using a variety of ways to communicate including verbal or written communication, verbal prompts, repetition and rephrasing of information or augmentative communication devices
You will be offered a $30 gift card for each time point you complete, as a reimbursement for your time. This will be provided after you complete the interview(s) for a time point. If you choose to withdraw from the study, you can keep the gift cards you have been given.
How can I get involved in this research?
If you are interested in participating in this study, please email Dr Peter Mulherin at peter.mulherin@summerfoundation.org.au or complete the form below.
A member of the Summer Foundation Research Team will then contact you to explain the project in more detail and, if you are interested in participating, arrange a time for an initial interview.
To be eligible to participate in the study, you will be required to be able to independently agree to participate. After written consent is obtained, you will be considered part of the research project. All the information you provide during interviews will be de-identified and assigned a unique code.
Research Team
Role
Name
Role
Chief Investigator
Prof Jacinta Douglas
La Trobe University
Co-Investigator
Dr Di Winkler
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Dr Kate D’Cruz
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Dr Stacey Oliver
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Dr Peter Mulherin
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Dr Elroy Dearn
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Jacqui Naismith
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Katherine Ganzon
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Fiona Carey
Summer Foundation
Co-Investigator
Nancee Biviano
Summer Foundation
This research is being funded by the Summer Foundation and conducted with La Trobe University.
The Housing Hub wants to help people with disability find the right home. To do this, we want to make sure people have access to all the information they need. We host free events and online learning packages to help give people information about NDIS Housing Options.
In 2021 the Summer Foundation held a series of workshops and interviews with on-site support providers, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) providers, and tenants living in SDA apartments. Preliminary findings from the workshops were published in May 2022, and the main findings were that there is scope for service redesign and innovation to improve the quality and efficiency of support.
This discussion paper draws on the evidence provided by a series of workshops and interviews with on-site support providers, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) providers, and tenants living in SDA apartments.
It documents the perspectives of tenants, SDA providers and OSS providers on co-located single occupancy SDA. It looks at the key challenges and benefits, and identifies potential solutions to improve the consistency, quality and cost effectiveness of the disability supports delivered to tenants living in these dwellings.
We are seeking input from support providers for improving the preliminary report and recommendations. Please contact research@summerfoundation.org.au by 30 June 2022.
