The Final Report of the review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been released. Here are some of the key facts about the NDIS Review and Final Report.
What is the NDIS Review?
The NDIS Review started in October 2022 and an Interim Report was released in June 2023. The Review was tasked with looking at the design, operations, and sustainability of the NDIS and had three main objectives:
- Putting people with disability back at the centre of the NDIS
- Restoring trust, confidence, and pride in the NDIS
- Ensuring the sustainability of the NDIS for future generations.
The Review heard from 10,000 people and received almost 4,000 submissions. Sylvanvale, along with other disability service providers, contributed to the review via Alliance20 and NDS forums.
What recommendations are in the NDIS Review Final Report?
The NDIS Review Final Report includes 26 recommendations and 139 actions. It will take a while for the recommendations to be implemented, and some involve changes outside of the NDIS.
The recommendations include;
- Foundational supports need to be more widely available to help more people, families, and communities. These would be for participants in the NDIS and people with disability outside the NDIS who are under 65. The goal is to make sure people have the support they need to be fully included in the community.
- A new role (called navigators) will help participants to navigate the NDIS. Navigators would work with participants and their support people to help them understand the system and achieve what is important to them. They could help people with disability apply for the NDIS, find services that meet their needs and get the most out of their budget.
- The process of applying to the NDIS needs to be easier, with a clear and fair way of determining what NDIS budget is required to meet a participant’s needs.
- Disability or developmental concerns in children should be identified earlier through mainstream services such as GPs. Better support options should be available for children and their families through mainstream services, foundational supports and the NDIS.
- A new approach to psychosocial disability and mental health, and a coordinated approach with public mental health systems for people with complex needs.
- Fairer options and decisions for housing and living supports, and the development of more innovative housing designs that provide individualised living solutions while sharing supports.
- All NDIS service providers would need to be officially registered so that workers have the skills and knowledge they need to deliver high-quality support.
What happens next?
The Federal Government is currently considering the recommendations and will provide its response soon. This will include which recommendations it plans to implement.
Some changes will take time to introduce. The Review states that its recommendations must be considered, co-designed with all stakeholders, and implemented over a five-year period.
Where to find more information about the NDIS Review
A Guide to the Final Report for people with disability and their families has been released, along with an Easy read document for the recommendations and actions. The full report is available on the NDIS Review website.
