Summer Foundation researcher, Dr. Megan Topping, recently received her doctoral thesis examiners’ reports for her PhD thesis, “Treat You Like a Person, Ask You What You Want”: A Grounded Theory Study of the Quality of Paid Disability Support for Adults with Acquired Neurological Disability.
Dr. Megan Topping receives Nancy Millis Medal for PhD thesis
The Summer Foundation and our social enterprise, the Housing Hub, host a range of face-to-face and online workshops for a wide range of audiences Australia-wide.
Welcome to the June issue of our bi-monthly newsletter.
Featuring news about recent significant developments in our work to ensure young people stuck in aged care, or at risk of entering aged care, can make an informed decision on where they want to live.
The Down to 10 Day campaign began campaigning in March 2022, advocating for faster, more accurate decisions on housing and support for NDIS participants.
A day after the latest Federal Budget the Summer Foundation’s Dr George Taleporos interviewed the Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten about what it will mean for people with disability.
Ten researchers from the Summer Foundation participated in the Annual Brain Impairment Conference in Darwin.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m almost 36, I have Cerebral Palsy. I enjoy doing diamond artwork, watching series on Netflix and I like to go shopping and meet friends for coffee. I’m a bit of a homebody sometimes.
Short-term and medium-term accommodation (STA and MTA) for people with disability is in undersupply, according to the 4th edition of the Listings Snapshot report released by the Housing Hub.
There are a number of myths associated with accessible housing that create barriers to finding the right home for people with disability.
The Summer Foundation and our social enterprise, the Housing Hub, host a range of face-to-face and online workshops for a wide range of audiences Australia-wide.
Welcome to our new-look bi-monthly newsletter – Summer Foundation Focus.
While we may have a new name for our newsletter, our focus very much remains the same. We exist to get young people with disability out of aged care and into appropriate homes.
More than 10,000 younger people died in residential aged care over the past decade, new data shows.
Photo: Wayne Taylor
Fourteen-year-old Xavier Edwards became a quadriplegic when he was involved in a bike accident in April 2022. Xavier has spent almost a year in hospital, despite being ready to go home since January. The situation is made worse because Xavier and his family live in Echuca/Moama and Xavier is in hospital in Melbourne.
Over the past 6 months the Summer Foundation has been focused on engaging with residential aged care (RAC) providers to assist them to support NDIS participants in their care.
We first met Daniel almost a decade ago, when he lived in a nursing home. Last year, Daniel moved into his own SDA apartment.
Tell us about yourself
I’m 57 years old and have cerebral palsy. I’m a Richmond Tigers fan and in my earlier days was passionate about martial arts. I love spending time with my family, friends and, of course, my cats. I’m passionate about my advocacy work and hope it improves other people’s lives.
In February, the Disability Reform Ministerial Council acknowledged the failure to achieve the first 2 targets in the Federal Government’s Younger People in Residential Aged Care strategy.
The South Australian Government recently announced that they will meet their obligations under the National Construction Code.
Our UpSkill initiative, offering NDIS training and resources for professionals assisting people with complex support needs, continues to expand.
The Summer Foundation secured 2 significant research grants in February.
A La Trobe University/Summer Foundation team received an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant for a 3-year project investigating the lived experience of people with a disability moving into specialist housing.
As we wind down after an especially busy year the time is right to reflect on our work and achievements.
There has been significant change in the disability sector in 2022. A change of government, a greater focus on the NDIS than arguably ever before in the community and now the start of what feels like a new era for the NDIS with new leadership and a scheme review.
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 join us online and close to 150 people at The Arena, NAB Docklands.
The Summer Foundation’s Down to 10 Days campaign is seeing significant progress in reducing the time NDIS participants are waiting for approval for the housing and support they are entitled to.
“We are seeing real change in NDIS participants getting access to the housing and support they need, when they need it,” said campaign director Tim Naughtin.
“We are hearing stories about people who have been waiting – in some cases for years – for approval from the NDIA, that are now receiving appropriate funding; and SDA providers who have had apartments sitting empty while participants await approval are now reporting the process is happening much faster.
“Recent data backs this up, with the latest NDIS quarterly report showing decisions are being made, and in shorter time frames.
“The impact of this is life-changing for NDIS participants and vital for the sustainability of the SDA market.”
In October NDIS Minister Bill Shorten joined the Summer Foundation for a tour around Guardian Living’s SDA apartments in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds. He met a resident in their apartment and saw another that has sat empty for 2 years while the person who is supposed to be living there has waited for the NDIS to approve their application.
Minister Shorten reiterated that clearing the backlog of participants disputing housing decisions and faster decision-making by the NDIA are key priorities for him.
We are also working directly with the NDIA on reducing the number of participants appealing their SDA decisions and on the design of the new NDIS Home and Living policy.
Our work is seeing us build support across the Federal Parliament, with independent MP Monique Ryan in November calling for a 10-day decision-making time frame to be legislated for NDIS participants needing housing.
In partnership with People With Disability Australia, the Summer Foundation conducted research into people’s experience of the NDIS. The research aimed to understand what works well in the NDIS, how it has made a difference to people’s lives and what they would change about the NDIS.
The Summer Foundation has identified the need to connect and build relationships with the residential aged care (RAC) sector as a way of working with providers to achieve the Federal Government’s Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) strategy.
We are pleased to welcome Chief Operating Officer, Jess McKay, to the Summer Foundation. Jess is a CPA qualified accountant and has close to 10 years’ experience as a COO. She comes to us with experience in the technology sector, as well as the aged care and not-for-profit sector.