The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will pilot two new initiatives under the Agency’s new Quality Supports program, to deliver high quality services to vulnerable participants.
As part of the two pilots, the NDIA will select established NDIS providers who have experience delivering services to participants otherwise at risk of not receiving the supports they need.
The pilots will focus on the delivery of Support Coordination and Supported Independent Living (SIL) for participants including those who have complex and high needs.
SIL is designed for participants who need care seven days a week and often overnight, while support coordination ensures people with disability get the right support with effective and positive outcomes for the participant.
Both pilots will run for 12 months and will be evaluated to inform the delivery of Support Coordination and SIL services moving forward.
Selected high quality providers will help participants access quality supports and will be funded to deliver quality supports to those participants involved in the pilot.
Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, the Hon. Bill Shorten MP said the Albanese Government is committed to ensuring vulnerable participants with complex support needs are able to access suitable supports.
“We want all NDIS participants to receive high-quality supports, and we must ensure we retain experienced providers and support coordinators who have significant expertise in high-needs markets,” Minister Shorten said.
“We have listened to feedback from the sector following the Annual Pricing Review (APR) and acknowledge we need to make changes to ensure we can have the right providers to deliver participants a diverse range of high-quality services.”
“It is more important than ever for Government to identify ways to incentivise and pay for high-quality supports from committed high-quality providers. This is an additional step this Government will make to support quality.”
Both pilots will run for 12 months and will be evaluated to inform future market approaches.
Selected high quality providers will help participants access quality supports and will be funded to deliver quality supports to those participants involved in the pilot.
NDIS participants will continue to have the choice and control to engage in services of their choice, with these pilots working hand-in-hand with participants to link in with their chosen services.
Quality Support Coordination
The Agency will select a group of high-quality support coordination providers who are registered for level 2 and 3 support coordination.
To be eligible to apply for the Quality Support Coordination pilot, providers will need to be registered and have a track record of delivering high quality services to a significant number of participants.
This is to address concerns raised by stakeholders that some providers who prioritise quality were experiencing financial difficulty.
Quality Supported Independent Living
The NDIA is also committed to maintaining critical supports for vulnerable participants in need of supported independent living services, otherwise at risk of not receiving the supports they need.
The Agency will select a group of capable providers to deliver SIL supports for vulnerable participants facing complex and challenging circumstances.
The NDIA will seek applications to participate in these pilots in October. Providers will need to meet a set of criteria to be eligible.
Further information on the pilots will be available on the NDIS website in the coming weeks.
The NDIA will continue working closely with the market, participants and the broader disability sector to ensure we have an approach to quality supports that deliver the best outcomes for NDIS participants.