Most of you
would have received an email from Michael Phelan, Acting Commissioner, NDIS
Quality and Safeguards Commission and Rebecca Falkingham, CEO, NDIA relating to
the action they are taking against Support Coordinators and Plan Managers who
are engaging in fraudulent practices within the NDIS.
We wanted
to touch base as we are sure you are feeling the wide range of emotions we felt
when we first read this correspondence. I think we can all agree that we don’t
want to work in a NDIS where participants are being taken advantage of.
We have
worked with thousands of Support Coordinators since Support Coordination
Academy was established in 2015, and we know that the majority of Support
Coordinators and Plan Managers do the right thing for their participants every
day by helping participants to
understand their plan, connect with support and assist them to achieve great
outcomes. We acknowledge it can be frustrating to continue to remain positive
when media statements and letters like this are published.
It is
important to understand the context of why we are seeing these media reports
and statements from the Government. Looking at the recent correspondence and
media coverage of the NDIS can help to show all of the competing pressures and
how the NDIS is becoming a key issue in politics.
- NDIS has more participants than expected and the NDIS Review has highlighted it’s an oasis in the desert- https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/resources/reports/what-we-have-heard-report
- The cost of the NDIS is higher than expected - https://www.afr.com/politics/ndis-on-track-for-5-7b-budget-blowout-20230322-p5cuaq
- The NDIS is not currently meeting its own Participant Service Guarantees – refer to the most recent Quarterly Reports https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/publications/quarterly-reports
- Increased scrutiny on the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Commission in the recent media and significant changes within the organisation and a new Acting Commissioner- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-10/ndis-commissioner-mistakenly-misled-four-corners-court-documents/103208488
- The current government wanting to
take action on providers doing the wrong thing - https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/10124-protecting-ndis-taking-action-further-tackle-scheme-growth
It is easy
to spend our energy focusing on what is not working within the NDIS, especially
when we feel we are not valued, or our professions respected. This is why Support Coordination Academy has
decided to focus our energy and attention on capturing and celebrating the
positive impacts that Support Coordinators and Plan Managers have on people
with disability each and every day.
We would
love to collate your good news stories, deidentified of course, so these can be
shared with the NDIA and NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Commission to remind
them of the excellent work you do supporting your participants.
You can send us your good news stories to info@scacademy.com.au or contact us through our website. We are passionate about empowering Support Coordinators to provide quality and professional services, so if we can help you in any way, please get in touch!
