People with disabilities will have a greater say in their own care when the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rolls out across the Great Lakes, Manning and Gloucester regions from July next year.
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NSW and Victoria were the first states to sign up to the NDIS agreement last week. Reported to benefit 140,000 people in NSW and 105,000 in Victoria, the agreement is worth $22 billion across NSW and Victoria and will enable eligible participants to develop an individual plan with appropriate local supports for their needs.
People currently accessing services will need to register for the NDIS for specialist accommodation support for group homes, residential centres and in-home living; community access and support for therapy, day programs and intervention services; and respite and community care for short-term breaks and practical help. New applicants not currently accessing services can also check their eligibility.
“It’s a great philosophy and we’re quite excited about it,” Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group’s chief executive officer Anna Burley said.
Aimed at enhancing the lives of people living with a disability by enabling them to make their own choices about their care, the NDIS has been termed a revolution within the Australian disability service sector.
“We’re going through a whole heap of processes to make sure we’re ready for this, including development work to make sure the older carers know what to do when they sit down with the client and the planner,” Ms Burley said.
Ms Burley added there are still some issues of concern, such as transportation and associated costs, which needed to be nutted out for ‘inner regional’ areas such as Gloucester.
“There is trepidation, but we’re getting ready, and we are keen to provide all the quality services that we have been in the past.”
NDIS eligibility is currently for those up to the age of 65, but with both the Ageing and Disabilities portfolio now spearheaded by federal agencies instead mixed between state and federal, it will reportedly be easier to navigate between the two departments to meet an individual’s needs.
Parts of the Hunter New England district have had access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2013 as the local government areas of Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie formed the NDIS trial site in New South Wales.
The Hunter New England district covers the local government areas of Armidale Dumaresq, Cessnock, Dungog, Glen Innes Severn, Gloucester, Greater Taree, Great Lakes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Gwydir, Inverell, Lake Macquarie, Liverpool Plains, Maitland, Moree Plains, Muswellbrook, Narrabri, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton, Tamworth Regional, Tenterfield, Upper Hunter Shire, Uralla, and Walcha.
For advice about eligibility for the NDIS or how to access the scheme, contact the NDIS by visiting ndis.gov.au or calling 1800 800 110.
For questions about current supports, contact the local Family and Community Services district office.
