Reasonable and Necessary podcast series

Tags: NDIS, NDIS participant, training

Description:

Reasonably and Necessary: Making Sense of the NDIS is a podcast series by the Summer Foundation, hosted by our very own Dr George Taleporos.

Each podcast episode aims to simplify the NDIS for participants, their families and anyone supporting NDIS participants to work their way through the system.

Getting the NDIS back on track – A survey of people with disability

Tags: NDIS, NDIS participant

Description:

The Summer Foundation, with the support of People with Disabilities Australia, conducted research into people with disability’s experience of the NDIS. The research was seeking 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 research amplifies the voice of NDIS participants (and close others) and provides invaluable insight into the lived experience of dealing with the NDIS.
 
Key findings include:

• The NDIS has transformed lives for the better and helped people achieve important life goals
• There is a deep distrust and lack of confidence in the administration of the scheme
• Many participants live in fear of their funding being cut due to policy change, miscommunication, or errors
• Dealing with the NDIS is stressful and time consuming, and difficult to access

View the Research Summary

Citation:

Winkler, D., Brown, M., D’Cruz, K., Oliver, S., Mulherin, P. (2022). Getting the NDIS back on track: A survey of people with disability. Summer Foundation.

Providing an evidence base for Home and Living decisions – A survey of occupational therapists

Tags: disability support, NDIS participant, occupational therapist, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)

Description:

The Summer Foundation and Occupational Therapy Australia conducted a survey in July 2022 to explore the role of OTs in helping NDIS participants request SDA funding. The aim was to understand the functional assessment and report-writing process from the OT perspective and provide actionable insights to the NDIA.
 
Key Findings include:

1. Clear, concise and rigorous OT reports have the potential to help NDIS participants with the highest levels of needs secure adequate funding for housing and support, including funding for specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
2. However, there is currently very limited information about what evidence the NDIA needs from OT reports to make informed, timely and accurate decisions.
   Occupational therapists need to know what the NDIA thinks a ‘good’ functional assessment report looks like to help NDIS participants provide evidence for Home and Living decisions.

Citation:

Winkler, D., D’Cruz, K., Minter, E., Mulherin, P. (2022). Providing an evidence base for Home and Living decisions: A survey of occupational therapists writing functional assessment reports for NDIS participants. Summer Foundation.

Meet Kirsty – an NDIS participant from South Australia

Tags: housing, NDIS participant, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)

Description:

Kirsty lives in an SDA apartment in Adelaide with her cat schmooka, she is an artist. Kirsty shares her experience with the NDIS.

Meet Trevor – an NDIS participant from South Australia

Tags: housing, NDIS participant, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)

Description:

Trevor has just moved into his SDA apartment after a long wait for approval, he shares his NDIS experience.

Development and preliminary evaluation of a novel participant-led video intervention to train disability support workers

Tags: community participation, complex support, disability support, NDIS participant, participant led videos, support worker

Description:

This paper describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a novel participant-led video (PLV) intervention to support people with disability (PWD) and cognitive and communication impairments to communicate their needs and preferences to their disability support workers. The PLV intervention was piloted with five primary participants with acquired brain injury and cognitive and communication impairments, five close other supporters and five facilitators. Analysis of interview data revealed the PLV to be a person-centred experience for primary participants that was structured around sense of self and included having a voice and taking control in directing their lives, personal growth through participation and feeling validated through the experience. The production and use of PLV training resources has much potential to improve the delivery of support and maximise support outcomes by enabling people with cognitive and communication impairments to have choice and control, set their own goals and direct their supports.

Citation:

Douglas, J., D’Cruz, K., Winkler, D., Topping, M., Bucolo, C., & Finis, C. (2022). Development and preliminary evaluation of a novel participant-led video intervention to train disability support workers. Health & Social Care in the Community, 00, 1–12.

New NDIS Legislation – Resources for NDIS participants and the disability sector

Tags: NDIS participant

Description:

On 30 March 2022, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) Bill 2022 passed through Parliament. The amendments have been designed to provide participants with greater confidence and clarity around what they can expect from the NDIS.
 
The explainer for the disability sector, and supplementary guide on changing timelines can be downloaded below:

• New NDIS Legislation: A guide for the disability sector
• New NDIS Legislation: A resource for understanding changing timelines

Download the guide for NDIS participants below:

Improving Outcomes for Participants who Require Supported Independent Living (SIL): Provider and Sector Consultation Paper

Tags: for policy makers, NDIS participant, Supported Independent Living (SIL)

Description:

The Summer Foundation has extensive experience working alongside people with high and complex support needs to understand how to ensure that housing and support solutions can be developed according to their needs and preferences. We have undertaken demonstration projects and extensive research. Based on the outcomes of the research our understanding of what it takes to effectively support people with complex needs to live in the community has evolved.

Drawing on this, the Summer Foundation has outlined key problems with the current dominant SIL practice and set out a vision for a reformed SIL market.

Capacity building framework training manual

Tags: health professional, health system, hospital discharge, NDIS participant, training

Description:

In striving for best practice outcomes for NDIS participants, a health service may use this resource to provide a framework in the provision of information, training and mentoring to staff for practice change.

Guide to pre-planning

Tags: NDIS participant, NDIS plan

Description:

Pre-planning is the process of developing a detailed plan that is individualised to the NDIS participant, prior to the planning meeting with an NDIS planner. This resource describes how to use NDIS language and descriptions for disability related supports. It includes an example of a pre-plan template that incorporates NDIS legislative requirements.

Download the pre-plan template.

Support Coordinators – who are they and how can they support me

Tags: NDIS participant, NDIS plan, support coordinator

Description:

A support coordinator is someone paid by the NDIS to help you understand and implement your plan. They can help you with a range of of different things as outlined in this resource.

What is a support coordinator?

Tags: complex support, disability support, NDIS participant, support coordinator

Description:

Linda Rossow, Independent Support Coordinator, explains her role as a support coordinator and what this means for the participants she works with.

Support coordination: Exploring housing options

Tags: accessible housing, disability support, NDIS participant, support coordinator

Description:

Linda Rossow, Independent Support Coordinator, talks about the process she works through with participants who want to find somewhere different to live.

Support Coordination – A changing landscape

Tags: NDIS participant, support coordinator

Description:

Support Coordination plays a critical role in ensuring that NDIS participants are able to live a good life, especially those participants who are vulnerable and socially isolated. The result of an extensive review of literature and practice, this report provides practitioners with an overview of how the support coordination function is designed within the NDIS