The NDIS Is Under Attack and What You Can Do About It

The NDIS Review is the most important disability policy review ever assembled to dissect and reset the NDIS. It's no surprise that people that want to change the NDIS are working hard to influence the outcome of the Review. But the sad truth is that not all of them have the needs and interests of NDIS participants in mind.

There are loud organisations with financial interests and deep pockets who are urging the NDIS Review to take away our rights to decide who supports us. They are calling on the government to force us to use registered providers or bring in mandatory qualifications to force us to have support workers with certificates. They don’t like it that we can choose who supports us. They want to take the NDIS back to the bad old days when large businesses and the government decided what was good for us. ?They want to take control over our supports and in doing so, destroy the NDIS that we worked so hard for. They are already in Minister Bill Shorten 's ear, so this is serious and getting scary.

So what needs to happen?

Now is the time to speak up for the NDIS that we fought for – an NDIS where we are in charge of our lives. Because we are the experts in our own lives, we know what's good for us.

These are the top 6 things that I want to see from the NDIS Review to protect the principles of choice and control in the NDIS. It’s not all of the things that they need to do. It’s the non-negotiables that must be part of?the quality and safeguarding framework that is currently under review.?

1. Do NOT force us to use registered providers. Many of us rely on unregistered providers and taking away our rights to access them will put our lives in danger and force us to go without services. Nick Avery from rural WA and Jarrod Sandell-Hay from regional NSW talked about the serious consequences this would have in regional and rural areas in my Reasonable and Necessary podcast series earlier this year. We were joined by Professor Helen Dickinson who undertook indepth interviews with NDIS participants to understand what participants really think about unregistered providers. You can check it out below:

2. Uphold the principle of dignity of risk. This means that people with disability have the right to live the life we choose, even if our choices involve some risk. We should be supported to understand risks and manage them. NDIS participants are diverse and we have the different needs and preferences when it comes to services and risk-taking. Regulations need to recognise this and consider the individual’s age (whether they are an adult or minor), capacity and whether the risk impacts on themselves or others. Regulations should accommodate risk-taking preferences and the person’s capacity to understand and manage risk.

3. Protect self management. It's an important tool to maximise choice and control, find value and improve outcomes. The right to self manage should be protected for people who have the desire and capacity to do so. The flexibility and choice available through self-management can achieve great outcomes and in many cases deliver great value for money. Many of us have developed innovative and individualised support arrangements that have been made possible through self-management and access to unregistered providers. Access to self-management enables innovative solutions to be built with the individual’s unique needs and preferences at the centre. Check out my in-depth discussion below with Sam Paior JP, MAICD from the Growing Space and Sam Bennett from the National Disability Insurance Agency on how to get great outcomes from your NDIS plan.

4. Do NOT make disability qualifications mandatory. When we choose to have workers without formal disability qualifications supporting us, our choice must be respected.?For many of us, attitudes and values are more important than formal qualifications in disability support work. Mandatory qualifications would make it harder for us to find support and could put us in danger. Training is important and necessary but we do not want a one size fits all mandatory qualification that would make it harder for us to find support and that delivers poor outcomes. The answer to upskilling the disability workforce requires people with disability at the centre, recognises and builds our capacity to train our support workers and makes available targeted microcredentials. People with disability are the experts in what good support looks like in our lives. Support coordinator and NDIS participant Carl Thompson and 澳大利亚拉筹伯大学 researcher Megan Topping were really clear about this. if you haven't watched this episode on what good NDIS support looks like, please check it out below:

5. Invest in participant capacity building to increase our capability to manage risk and feel safe.?Participants should be empowered with information and support?to make decisions and choices about our lives. Family, friendships and being part of community is often the greatest safeguard. Participants should be supported to develop and maintain friendships and unpaid relationships. These developmental safeguards have not had the priority they deserve in the quality and safeguarding framework but they are fundamental to addressing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability.

6. Invest in advocacy supports and a national community visitor scheme. We may need support to speak up for our rights, but it's really hard to find that support from a trusted person when you need it. Being supported to speak up when things aren't going right and raising issues early before things turn bad is critical. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission er Tracy Mackey stressed this in our interview about what to do when NDIS services turn bad. Go to the 13 minute mark of the video below to hear it for yourself.

Have your say and soon!

Do you want an NDIS that puts people with disability in charge of our lives? If so, you must have your say and make sure that the NDIS Review moves the NDIS forward to a better future and not to the bad old days of the past. The review team is formulating solutions now, so get moving or it might be too late.

And don't miss my exclusive interview with NDIS Review co-chairs Professor Bruce Bonyhady and Lisa Paul AO PSM about their early findings out on Tuesday, 30 May.

Thanks for reading my article, I always appreciate your reactions, comments and shares. You can check out my podcast series and follow me on Twitter @drgeorgethecrip