Planning for a workforce of the future ... or are we?

The NDS State of the Disability Sector Report released in early December 2021 reported that 70% of providers have had problems recruiting disability support workers.

The post, from NDS on LinkedIn (thanks Melinda Everett in the QLD Office!) prompted me to review the status of implementation of the NDIS Workforce Action Plan 2021-25 at the following link:

https://www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-carers-publications-articles/ndis-national-workforce-plan-2021-2025.

What follows is my brief take on what's in the Plan and what should be. I'm sure others will have their own views on this important topic and I'd welcome your feedback as part of a wider conversation.

Amongst other things, the Plan's implementation to date has included the following:

• A Disability Workforce Industry Working Group which is described as being industry-led, and is co-chaired by National Disability Services. The Group had its first meeting on 15 December 2021
• Initial workshops with provider peaks in regard to developing a whole of care and support online demand map tool
• Consultation is underway for:

1. Micro-credentials and training
2. A Care and Support Worker Professional Network
3. A National Skills passport

In order to keep momentum going on these and other important initiatives, the Government and stakeholders should agree to the public release of updates after each of these working groups and workshops (perhaps in the form of #communiques).

In regard to micro-#credentialling, which will be essential for quickly building a well-trained, high quality care and support #workforce, the success of this initiative may be improved upon by opening up the conversation more widely to workforce training organisations and agencies, whether they be NFPs, social enterprises, TAFEs, government agencies or for profit organisations.

The Skills Passport, a concept developed and delivered by NDS in WA, will no doubt have points of difference in its implementation nationally. One of these should be that workers are not required to pay an annual fee to retain the Passport once they have one. Imposing such a charge would be a disincentive to many potential workers wishing to enter the sector. A mechanism is required so that the fee can be waived for workers.

The sector will no doubt welcome the fact that a social media campaign was rolled out in August 2021 entitled 'Life Changing Life'. But I have to be honest and say that, as someone who views social media every day (LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook) I've seen no evidence of it so far. Is this because it's on other platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram where younger potential workers are viewing it? And would this make sense anyway, given the DSS website makes clear that the workers it is seeking to attract to the sector include young people but also older people/professionals looking for their next job? If a campaign is rolled-out and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?

Based on what I've read so far, there also appears to be 3 other issues notably absent from the DSS presentation:

Consideration should be given to making it easier for skilled and semi-skilled workers from other countries to work in Australia. This should be done as part of a wider suite of initiatives focused on providing local people with local jobs, in particular for Indigenous Australians working in community, CALD Australians, and people with disability wishing to work in the sector (hence my support for micro-credentialling).

Secondly, the NDIS Capability Framework (https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/workers/ndis-workforce-capability-framework)

is not mentioned in this presentation, despite the fact that, in the words of the NDIS Commission's website, the Framework's purpose is, '...to support consistency in practice and delivery of quality disability services across Australia.' OK, so this piece of work is not being led by DSS, but we need to see more, not less evidence of inter-agency coordination on initiatives to grow this workforce of the future, one which will provide tens of thousands of jobs for Australians over the next few years.

The third issue that dare not speak its name is, of course, NDIS pricing, and how we ensure this new workforce is appropriately remunerated and recognised for its work, in the context of ongoing discussions (and arguments!) over the Disability Support Worker Costs Model, the assumptions it relies upon and the NDIS Pricing Guide it underpins.

This issue is likely to become more rather than less complex, with the impending consolidation and co-regulation of the disability, aged care and veterans affairs workforces. It needs a circuit breaker to get Governments, the Agency, the Commission and other key stakeholders on the same page regarding the expectations of people with disability of the services they need, and how these services can be provided sustainably and safely into the future by workers wanting and able to remain working in the caring and support sector.

It's a statement of the obvious to end this article by saying that the above is all work that really should have commenced in 2013 if not beforehand. But here we are, with (another) opportunity to influence the future colour and shape of the Australian disability sector. But what colour, and what shape? And what needs to happen to make sure that stakeholders other than just Governments and their agencies are holding the paintbrush?