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September 2024
Aged Care Bill 2024 – Submission by the Summer Foundation
Description:
The Summer Foundation welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 (the Bill). The intent of the Bill must be for people under the age of 65 to only enter aged care when it is the most appropriate option. The Summer Foundation believe there must be some additional changes to the Bill to ensure aged care is preserved for supporting older people and does not become a substitute for a lack of access to appropriate housing.
We recommend the Bill is changed to ensure determinations of eligibility do not create a pathway for any younger person to enter residential aged care, regardless of First Nations or housing status. In addition, being ‘homeless’ or ‘at risk of homelessness’ must be defined to ensure that appropriate service systems have fulfilled their responsibilities, and provisions that relate to First Nations people must be designed and implemented with these communities. Finally, individuals electing to enter aged care under 65 must have been able to test access to other systems in order to make an informed decision about their housing and support.
August 2024
Consultation on draft lists of NDIS supports
Tags: disability support, NDIS
Description:
The Summer Foundation welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on the draft lists of NDIS supports.
While more clarity and guidance on what supports participants can spend their funding on may be helpful, there is a risk that prescriptive lists of what should or shouldn’t be funded by the NDIS may lead to worse outcomes for participants. This includes potentially driving participants towards more costly disability services. It may also exclude people from mainstream services and force them into segregated settings.
It is critical that the proposed lists have sufficient flexibility for the purchase of cost effective goods and services that will increase independence and community participation, while reducing reliance on paid disability support workers.
May 2024
A participant-centred planning framework to get the NDIS back on track – Summer Foundation submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill
Tags: NDIS
Description:
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 (the Bill) introduces an initial tranche of legislation to deliver on the recommendations made by the NDIS Review. This is an important first step to getting the NDIS working properly for the most vulnerable participants who need access to 24/7 support.
Getting the access and planning process right is critical to an improved participant experience, and to the sustainability of the Scheme. Central to this is adopting a participant-first culture and recognising participants as experts in their own lives. Removing unnecessary bureaucracy and being more respectful of the needs, preferences and choices of people with disability will better serve participants and ensure a sustainable Scheme and broader ecosystem of disability supports.
February 2024
Inclusive disability housing, efficient support and better outcomes for NDIS participants in rural, regional and remote Australia – Summer Foundation submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS
Tags: disability support, NDIS
Description:
The Summer Foundation is pleased to make a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS on NDIS participant experience in rural, regional and remote Australia. The complexity of the NDIS system creates additional disadvantages and barriers for people with disability living in rural, regional and remote locations where there may be a lack of quality housing and supports available. This often means that NDIS participants in these locations are not able to benefit from the NDIA and are not supported to achieve their goals. These inequities make the NDIS less effective for them and often results in reduced support, misused or wasted NDIS resources and poor outcomes for NDIS participants and their families.
Authentic collaboration between government and the sector will support innovation in cost-effective housing and living solutions that improve the outcomes of people with disability no matter where they live. The Summer Foundation has been partnering with people with disability in the co-design, implementation and evaluation of strategies, to ensure the developed solutions systematically improve housing and living outcomes for people with disability.
February 2024
Safeguarding younger people from unnecessarily entering aged care – Summer Foundation submission on the exposure draft of the Bill for the new Aged Care Act
Tags: NDIS, residential aged care (RAC)
Description:
The Summer Foundation is pleased to make a submission on the exposure draft of the Bill for the new Aged Care Act. We welcome the proposed eligibility criteria for entry into the aged care system, which is a necessary measure in closing the door to younger people entering aged care.
However, this is not enough on its own to ensure younger people do not unnecessarily enter residential aged care (RAC). Increased investment into other service sectors is also required to meet the needs of younger people. Younger people in and at risk of RAC must have access to a range of safe housing and living alternatives so they can exercise true choice and control over where they live.
The new Aged Care Act should fill an existing gap and specify that state and territory governments must take all reasonable steps to secure appropriate community based housing and living supports for younger people who are ineligible for funded aged care services.
February 2024
Inclusive housing & quality support that are cost effective – Summer Foundation position statement on the NDIS Review Final Report
Tags: NDIS
Description:
The NDIS Review recommended a suite of reforms that have the potential to transform disability housing in Australia. Ensuring housing and living supports are fit-for-purpose meets the needs of NDIS participants and is critical to overall scheme sustainability.
While the sustainability of the NDIS depends on innovation in service delivery, there is little detail in the NDIS Review on how innovation will happen. More home and living demand data from the NDIA and increased investment in university-based research alone are not going to result in the scale of transformation needed in the disability sector in Australia. Real housing and living solutions need to be both evidence-based and co-designed.
The Summer Foundation is committed to working with and for Australians with disability and government to deliver innovative solutions that improve housing and living outcomes.
February 2024
Resources to assist NDIS participants to understand their rights, make complaints and raise issues with a supported accommodation provider – Desktop scan report
Description:
To date there has been limited investment in Australia to support people with disability living in supported accommodation to understand their rights, make complaints and raise issues with accommodation and support providers. The desktop scan identified tools and resources that could be modified to provide clear information to meet this gap. These cover a breadth of resources to support residents to be informed about rights, to stay safe, speak out and to raise issues or concerns when living in supported accommodation.
You can read a summary of the report here.
Citation:
Dearn, E., D’Cruz, K., Winkler, D., Douglas, J. (2024) Melbourne, Australia: Summer Foundation
January 2024
Inclusive disability housing, efficient support and better outcomes – Summer Foundation Federal Pre-Budget Submission
Tags: disability support, NDIS
Description:
The Summer Foundation’s Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2024-25 builds on the NDIS Review final report and supporting analysis, reflecting the investments that are needed to address current service gaps, move the NDIS towards an evidence based scheme and improve outcomes for people with disability.
Over the last decade there has been a distinct lack of innovation in disability housing and support in Australia. Investment in innovation and practical research to inform the development of inclusive housing and efficient support that deliver better outcomes for people with disability is critical to the future of the scheme and the broader disability ecosystem.
October 2023
Summer Foundation – La Trobe University Research Program 2022/2023
Tags: accessible housing, disability support, hospital discharge, NDIS, YPIRAC
Description:
The enduring research partnership between the Summer Foundation and La Trobe University’s Living with Disability Research Centre is testament to what is possible when rigorous academic methods are applied to real-world problems. The research program at the Summer Foundation is unashamedly ambitious. It needs to be in order to address the manifold challenges experienced by people with disability in Australia today.
Our Research team consists of more than 20 researchers, including experienced academics, clinical experts, research assistants, and doctoral candidates. They come from diverse backgrounds, including psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and architecture. Together, the team work on more than 20 active projects covering topics as broad as younger people in residential aged care, hospital discharge, the disability housing market, and factors contributing to quality disability support.
This report outlines the research undertaken in 2022/23 as part of the program, our aims and our outputs.
September 2023
Stories of young people in aged care
Tags: aged care resources, NDIS
Description:
The Summer Foundation connected with people with disability to share their personal stories of living in aged care.
June 2023
SDA payments guide
Tags: allied health, housing resources, NDIS, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), support coordinator
Description:
This guide explains what Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) payments are, who they are paid to and how they are accessed. For people who have SDA payments included in their NDIS Plan, it explains how to make the most of this funding.
June 2023
June 2023
Allied health housing assessments guide
Tags: allied health, NDIS, support coordinator
Description:
The aim of this guide is to assist support coordinators and allied health professionals collaborate on Housing Plans for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants. Housing Plans rely on appropriately framed allied health assessments and reports to support the participant pursue their goals and aspirations.
June 2023
Urgent access request cover letter
Tags: NDIS
Description:
In some circumstances a person may be vulnerable to risk and need urgent supports. For example, they may be going back to live in a community setting with few supports of any kind after they are discharged from hospital, or they may not be able to return home and may be at risk of moving into a residential aged care facility.
Download a Word document template of the letter
May 2023
Getting the language right
Tags: complex support, NDIS, NDIS resources
Description:
How to write effective support documentation for people with disabilities and complex health and support needs seeking access to the NDIS.
May 2023
Building a strong and effective NDIS for participants with complex housing and support needs – Summer Foundation submission to the NDIS Review
Tags: NDIS
Description:
The NDIS assists participants to live independently by funding home and living supports that provide choice and control over where, how and with whom to live. However, many participants experience difficulties in accessing suitable housing and supports and have lost trust in the delivery of these services. The NDIA, state and territory governments and the disability sector need to work together to streamline processes and ensure good outcomes for people with disability. Shorter wait times and increased access to appropriate housing and supports will enable a greater quality of life, independence and connection to community.
May 2023
Improving the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework – Summer Foundation submission to the NDIS Review
Tags: NDIS
Description:
The NDIS Review opened a public inquiry into improving the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework. The Summer Foundation’s submission focuses on the quality of support provided within shared models of SDA. An improved Framework facilitates genuine choice for participants and the ability to exercise their rights in a shared living environment.
May 2023
Collaborative discharge approach – An overview
Tags: community, complex support, hospital resources, NDIS
Description:
A Collaborative Discharge Approach (CDA) is a process to ensure that people under 65 with disability or complex support needs in hospital can achieve an effective and timely discharge back into the community with National Disability Insurance System (NDIS) supports. This overview provides a snapshot of how health can work with support coordinators to achieve this and includes links to resources that align with specific actions.
May 2023
Key NDIS roles and how they can support you
Tags: disability support, NDIS, NDIS resources
Description:
Key NDIS support roles each have a different responsibility for making sure that you have the assistance you need to connect with the NDIS and make the most of the support and funding that the NDIS can offer you.
May 2023
What are advocates and how can they help me?
Tags: NDIS, NDIS resources, Support resources
Description:
A disability advocate is someone who acts to promote, defend and protect the rights of a person with disability. This resource looks at what kinds of things advocates can help with as well as where to go to get more information relevant to the state you live in.
May 2023
Moving into residential aged care – here’s how the NDIS can support you
Tags: aged care, aged care resources, NDIS
Description:
If you are under 65 and moving in to residential aged care, you may be able to access additional supports through the NDIS that are not available through aged care funding.
November 2022
Summary of NDIS Participant Survey Results
Tags: disability support, NDIS
Description:
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.
November 2022
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
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.
October 2022
Culture and Capability of the National Disability Insurance Agency – Summer Foundation submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Tags: NDIS
Description:
Summer Foundation developed a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS on the capability and culture of the NDIA and the impacts on the experiences of NDIS participants.
The current culture and capability of the NDIA does not meet the needs of participants, but it can be improved. Through the Summer Foundation’s NDIS survey, participants reported that they live in fear of funding being cut, experience a lack of communication, collaboration and relationship building with the NDIA, as well as poor timeliness and efficiency.
Trust and confidence in the NDIS and the NDIA can only be restored if participants are seen as experts in their own lives. People with disability should be at the centre of all policies and solutions and included in any reform process through meaningful co-design. It is crucial that the NDIA works to strengthen choice and control for participants and builds their capacity to live well in the community.
October 2022
Home and Living decision-making – Policy Position Statement by the Summer Foundation
Description:
Improving the experience and outcomes of NDIS participants, particularly around Home and Living supports, is a key focus of the NDIS. There have been a number of improvements and positive changes in the Home and Living space, including improved application processes and reports by the NDIA. While there is still more to do to ensure straightforward and transparent processes to enable NDIS participants to access appropriate housing and supports, it is great to see the focus and positive traction from the NDIA. This position statement identifies a number of wins for the NDIA and participants.