“FOUNDATIONAL SUPPORTS”

“It's critical that we get the design of the foundational support system right, so Australians with disability can access the supports they need when they choose. “Any changes to the NDIS also need to be carefully planned to make sure people with disability have ongoing access to the supports they need.”

There are two types of foundational supports being proposed by the NDIS Review. . General foundational supports will be for all people with disability and targeted foundational supports available to people with disability under the age of 65 with support needs but who aren’t eligible for the NDIS. The report recommends that foundational supports for people over the age of 65 are delivered through the aged care system.

General foundational supports would include programs and activities like information and advice, individual and family capacity building, peer support, self-advocacy, and disability employment supports.

Targeted supports can be things like peer support, help with cooking and cleaning and early development supports like speech therapists embedded in schools.

These supports, if delivered consistently and funded long-term, have the potential to provide people with disability with more access to the support they need to live free and equal lives and participate fully in the community.

For example, providing services through schools and early education could mean more children can access early intervention supports like speech therapy and physical therapy.

The proposed timeframe for developing these foundational supports is five years. People with disability and their representative organisations must have a seat at the table as these supports are planned and developed to ensure the best outcomes in every state and territory, including rural and remote areas where people with disability have struggled to access services delivered in a range of ways, such as through health and education settings.

Mainstream services are those available to all people with or without disability, such as health services, public transport and education. Ensuring people with disability can use the same services and participate in the same activities as everyone else is a fundamental human right.

The report also recognised the need for a stronger connection between the NDIS and mainstream services, to ensure participants have access to the most comprehensive range of supports as possible.

All governments must work together to make sure mainstream services are more accessible and inclusive. We also recommend that all governments invest more in foundational supports.

Foundational supports should be available to all NDIS participants and people with disability aged under age 65 who are not eligible for the NDIS and their families.

Foundational supports are foundational to a good life. They should improve and expand current programs and activities funded through the Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grants program.

Foundational supports should improve inclusion, increase social and economic participation and ensure all people with disability get support that meets their needs.

Foundational supports are essential supports for all people with disability.Governments should therefore measure and evaluate outcomes, and make changes so that activities and programs to respond to changing needs and circumstances.