Page 1018 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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mental health projects in supported decision making, connecting communities and developing a peer workforce.
Other initiatives included community conversations, family leadership and capacity building, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In December 2013, the commonwealth agreed to $4 million for new readiness activities and tools tailored to both government and community service providers. This work included the NDIS organisational readiness toolkit, which is helping services consider their preparedness for the NDIS.
Governance and financial management packages of up to $20,000 each were provided, 25 of which have been allocated so far at a total cost of $500,000. There were business investment packages of up to $50,000 each, 20 of which have been allocated so far at a cost of $1 million. Funding for Gugan Gulwan to employ an Aboriginal outreach worker to support members of the community to prepare for the NDIS and to link in to the National Disability Insurance Agency was also provided.
In 2015 there will be new investments worth $6.3 million going into our disability sector. This investment will involve more capacity building initiatives for people with a disability and their families and grants to support the disability organisations’ transition to the NDIS. The government has just announced new NDIS community conference and seminar grants to help people with a disability to be ready for the NDIS.
These grants offer people with disability and their families grants of up to $1,000 so that they are able to participate in conferences, workshops, or learning or training events related to the NDIS or to engage a facilitator to help them develop or work towards their life goals and plans for the future.
The grants also offer organisations sponsorship opportunity of up to $10,000 to deliver NDIS-related conferences and events. As part of this first tranche of funding, a tender process was advertised on 28 February 2015 for a provider to facilitate workshops to build the capacity of people with a disability to engage with the NDIS and to plan a good life. The tender was valued at $800,000. It will have targeted strategies to work with people with all needs, including those with psychosocial disabilities.
The work is expected to be underway in May of this year. This funding will also support another round of business investment packages to support organisations as they transition to the NDIS. The new round of grants will be more flexible with different levels of funding available to suit all organisations, no matter what they want to achieve.
The ACT government continues to work with the National Disability Insurance Agency throughout the transition as we move through to the NDIS. The government, on behalf of the commonwealth, facilitated targeted consultations earlier this month on the policy framework for NDIS information, linkage and capacity building. The NDIS information, linkage and capacity building services are about ensuring that people with a disability are empowered, informed, and live the life they want and have the capacity to lead and control the supports they need, when they need them.
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