Self directed disability support (SDDS): building community capacity through action research

Disability support has historically been organised and financially managed through government and service provider agencies (agency funding). Increasingly it is offered through individualised, person - centred packages of support (individual or self directed funding), which allow people to manage how their own funds are spent. Opportunities for self directed disability support (SDDS) – in both agency and individual funding approaches – are expanding across Australian states and territories, in line with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) reforms. This project explores how people with disability manage the transition towards self directed disability support. Australian evidence on this critical topic is thin. We know little about the impact of self directed options on people requiring support, informal carers and support providers (Prideaux et al 2009). Likewise, there is little systematic information about the effectiveness of existing disability support systems (Baxter et al 2010). Such information is gathered in this project, and it is important for assessing the impact of new approaches on equity of access, quality and availability of support, and community outcomes (Ungerson & Yeandle 2007) . The Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), University of New South Wales (UNSW), in collaboration with People With Disability Australia (PWDA) and the Centre for Children and Young People (CCYP), Southern Cross University (SCU), is conducting the project. This plan explains the project methodology and management. Authors: Karen R. Fisher, Sam Cooper, Christiane Purcal, Ngila Bevan and Ariella Meltzer

Making it work: a workforce guide for disability service providers

This guide provides strategies for disability service providers to draw upon when creating and sustaining a workforce of support workers to meet the aims of DisabilityCare Australia and implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. In particular, the Guide is designed to assist providers develop a workforce strategy that will enable support workers to: i)    support the independence and social and economic participation of people with disability ii)    provide reasonable and necessary supports, and iii)    enable people with disability to exercise choice and control in the pursuit of their goals and the planning and delivery of their supports. The essence of DisabilityCare Australia is to be supportive, responsive, flexible and creative. This Guide offers a wealth of ideas and practical suggestions without being prescriptive. It includes ideas relating directly to support workers as well as to their interactions with service users and their employing service provider, and there are varying cost implications. The Guide does not attempt to provide one integrated workforce management strategy. Instead, it is intended that providers will take away ideas to develop their own unique workforce strategy relevant to their environment and provider type. The aim of this guide is to contribute to the development of enthusiastic, competent and satisfied workers who will embrace the aims of DisabilityCare Australia and provide excellent support to people with disability. The Guide is organised around the following themes: Communication Organisational culture, values and expectations Recruitment Flexible, responsive and creative work Training, mentoring and support Recognition and incentives Career Pathways Authors: Dr Carmel Laragy, RMIT University Associate Professor Paul Ramcharan, RMIT University Associate Professor Karen Fisher, Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW Karen McCraw, CEO, Karden Disability Support Foundation Robbi Williams, CEO, Purple Orange (Julia Farr Foundation

Closure of Grosvenor, Peat Island and Lachlan Large Residential Centres – post implementation review

This review was undertaken to ensure that lessons are identified to improve the process closing of Large Residential Centres and the development of new accommodation services for people with disability.Brief summaryAgeing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), Department of Family and Community Services NSW, undertook a Post Implementation Review (PIR) in accordance with the Gateway Review System of the closure of three ADHC Large Residential Centres (LRC): Grosvenor, Peat Island and Lachlan Centres; and the development of new accommodation models at Summer Hill, Hamlyn Terrace (Casuarina Grove), Wadalba (Fig Close) and North Ryde (Norton Road). The aim of the PIR is to ensure that lessons are identified to improve the process of the closure of LRCs and the development of new accommodation services for people with disability. The Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) conducted the review from April to June 2012. The review included: service delivery; sustainability; governance; change management; risk management; affordability and value for money; stakeholder satisfaction; and quality of life.The redevelopment of all three LRCs aimed to achieve and sustain a better quality of life for people with disability. The Quality of Life Study found that people living at all sites, except for Casuarina Grove, experienced increased quality of life. Change in outcomes for participation, growing and learning, health and wellbeing, social relationships and autonomy were however not consistent between sites. For the future, this implies a greater focus on community inclusion.The significant lessons from the LRC redevelopment process are to apply a framework that includes:taking a person centred approach to accommodation supportapproaching redevelopment as a transformative opportunity for community livingidentifying choices through informed supported decision making and communicationapplying a sophisticated change management approach with families, staff and unions using the resources, expertise and successful redevelopment experiences of the disability community to inform the process and frame opportunities of disability accommodation support. This framework could take lessons from and apply the large body of evidence and experience from the other states and countries in devolution, especially England and Canada.The framework requires a capacity development approach to change with all stakeholders (ADHC central and regional managers, staff, families, people with disability and community members), including allowing adequate time and resources for developing understanding of and comfort with large and small scale decision making.Authored by Karen R. Fisher, Sandra Gendera, Friederike Gadow, Deborah Lutz, Rosemary Kayess, Ariella Meltzer and Sally Robinson

Evaluation of Services Our Way

An evaluation of Services Our Way, a NSW Government service model designed to build the capacity of Aboriginal people to have greater access to mainstream and disability services and encourage self-directed support. Overview Services Our Way is a NSW Government service model designed to build the capacity of Aboriginal people to have greater access to mainstream and disability services and encourage self-directed support. The Social Policy Research Centre was commissioned to evaluate the Services Our Way pilot in Nowra, New South Wales, and did so through interviews with families and service providers. Services Our Way had positive impacts on Aboriginal people with disability and their families. The program helped Aboriginal people access a range of services, meeting immediate priorities of the families. The program was successful in engaging with the Aboriginal community using a culturally appropriate approach – an approach which could be shared with other staff and services to improve the appropriateness of service delivery more broadly. Through the program, families were able to access support and services to participate in social, economic and cultural activities, that helped strengthen and support community and social relationships. The evaluation could not determine the degree to which families transitioned to mainstream services – the research found that families had urgent needs to be met prior to transitioning to other services. The Services Our Way program in Nowra was a pilot, which developed from the initial concept in response to local needs. The evaluation identifies a range of issues in providing person centred approaches to Aboriginal people with disability and their families and communities which should influence the future directions under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).&nbsp

Attendant care program direct funding pilot evaluation

The Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) is piloting a direct funding project in conjunction with the Attendant Care Program (ACP). The direct funding pilot aims to complement the objectives of the ACP, which provides support to individuals with physical disabilities with a range of tasks and activities to allow them to live and participate in their communities. The evaluation compares three ACP funding options, which differ in who employs the attendant carers, who receives the funding from DADHC and who is responsible for management and reporting: • Employer model – the service provider is the attendant carers’ employer; in some organisations, clients can chose to participate in some attendant carer management decisions, such as recruitment. DADHC pays the funds to the service provider and the service provider is accountable to DADHC for the management of funds and reporting. Thirty two service providers are registered with DADHC to provide this model. • Cooperative model – the client is the attendant carers’ employer; the service provider supplies administrative and management support. DADHC pays the funds to the service provider and the service provider is accountable to DADHC for the management of funds and reporting. One provider offers this model. • Direct funding – the client is responsible for all attendant carer employment and management. DADHC pays the funds directly to the client, who is accountable to DADHC for the management of funds and reporting. The pilot project is providing funds directly to ten current ACP clients for the direct purchase of personal care services. This is intended to provide clients with greater control over the choice and management of the support they receive as well as to promote more flexible and responsive services for clients

Self-directed disability support: building people’s capacity through peer support and action research

How are people with disability experiencing and managing the transition towards self directed support and preparing for the NDIS? In this project, small groups of people with disability around Australia met over 6 months to talk about their disability support. The peer support groups enabled action research about how they are deciding the practical details about support, such as how, when and by whom it is provided

Supported accommodation evaluation framework (SAEF) guide

High hopes for the NDIS are that people with disability will be able to live as independently as they choose, with the housing of their choice, and with the paid support that suits their preferences and life goals. Research conducted by the Social Policy Research Centre for the NSW government about disability housing support that is like the NDIS found that most people did achieve some positive outcomes. Least change was evident in people’s interpersonal relationships and employment, and some people did not live in housing that met their needs.&nbsp

Family resilience where families have a child (0-8 years) with disability: final report

Using the findings from the primary data collection with families and stakeholders, this report develops the understanding of resilience in these families. It also analyses service practices and models and looks at how services can assist families to build and maintain resilience. Using the findings from the primary data collection with families and stakeholders, this report develops the understanding of resilience in these families. It also analyses service practices and models in order to identify and define elements of practice that build family resilience, detract from family resilience, and are crucial to the maintenance of resilience during times of transition. The report concludes with a section on how services can assist families to build and maintain resilience