Page 956 - Week 03 - Thursday, 23 March 2017
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To progress this we have just announced the successful tender in a project that is funded in the amount of $1.27 million, through the commonwealth NDIS sector development fund, to build the workforce in the ACT over the next two years. National Disability Services is currently getting ready to work with the Community Services Directorate to deliver an increase to the workforce in the ACT so that participants are able to have the workforce they need to live the lives they choose.
Since the Assembly was last formally updated in August 2016, Therapy ACT has closed down and all previous clients have either transitioned to the NDIS or are accessing support through the new child development service. All staff have either taken voluntary redundancies or transferred into other roles across the ACT government, and a good number into the child development service. It is great that the bulk of that professional knowledge and experience has been retained in the ACT, and many staff who have left the public service have registered as NDIS providers or are now employed by NDIS providers. Once again, I would like to thank the staff who have made this transition so smooth and who continue to provide ongoing support for our community.
As I mentioned recently in response to a question in this place, all Disability ACT supported accommodation residents have now transitioned out of government group homes. I would like to take a moment to reflect on the huge amount of work undertaken by the team at Disability ACT, the services that people have transitioned to, the families who have undertaken this mammoth change, and, most importantly, all the people who lived in Disability ACT group homes.
The directorate has had a wide range of feedback from people with disability, their families and service providers, praising and thanking Disability ACT staff. I have also heard firsthand from providers about the professional way in which Disability ACT handled the transition. One of Canberra’s longest standing services, Koomarri, has been chosen by a number of households to be their provider of choice, and Koomarri commented on the transition as follows:
What was really valuable about the process was the way that the ACT government engaged and supported the people with disability and their families to make decisions; this made it so much easier for us to be able to provide the right support.
The process felt almost seamless as we worked in collaboration to ensure that the best outcomes occurred. There was a real commitment to a shared partnership to make the transition happen well for people.
The timely and proactive release and exchange of information was critical in ensuring continuity of support. The transition of staff was also smooth as families and the people who counted were choosing who they wanted to support them. We were pleasantly surprised as to how few hiccups occurred along the way.
In the Community Services Directorate a case management approach to all staff has been implemented, with 523 staff supported across both Therapy ACT and Disability
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