Conference to Deliver NDIS Report Card

A two-day National Conference on the National Disability Insurance Scheme in August is expected to act as a “report card” on the scheme’s first year of state-based trials.

The NDIS: One Year On – Lessons learned, emerging trends and expectations moving forward, will be hosted by disability and aged care Not for Profit St Laurence Community Services and will be held at Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus in Geelong on August 11 and 12.

According to aged care and disability Not for Profit, St Laurence Community Services, the conference will allow consumers, government, the disability sector and service providers to reflect on program delivery and look ahead to a national roll-out of the Scheme.

St Laurence CEO Toby oConnor said the transition to consumer directed choices for people with a disability was bringing significant and complex challenges to participants, their families, providers and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

“The NDIS is a major revolution for the disability sector and introduced a radical change to the way people with a disability receive support services,” oConnor said.

“At the same time, it has also enforced significant change upon those who deliver a range of support services.

“This two-day National Conference will look at how people and organisations are adapting to such fundamental changes – the evidence, the impacts, the challenges and the opportunities.

“As CEO of a NDIS-provider organisation in the Barwon trial-site, I know these challenges require great change management and capacity building approaches. It is also clear there is much work to be done to help people with a disability make the transition from passive recipients to acting as truly proactive consumers who understand real choice and outcome focused participation.

“I am excited about the potential of this national event to bring together key stakeholders to assist us to collectively evaluate, learn, inform, understand the challenges and the opportunities the NDIS is presenting.”

Key speakers at the conference include:

• NDIA CEO – David Bowen;
• National Disability Services CEO – Dr Ken Baker;
• Victorian Minister for Disability Services and Reform – The Hon Mary Wooldridge;
• Service providers from four of the key trial sites – the Barwon region in Vic, the Hunter Valley in NSW, SA and TAS;
• and, consumers of the new scheme.

oConnor said the introduction of the NDIS had been challenging on many fronts and the conference was the perfect opportunity to reflect on those challenges and provide real and tangible feedback to the Federal Government about the issues before the full national delivery of the Scheme.

“It’s a long overdue and bold initiative for the disability sector and the tens of thousands of Australian families living with a disability,” oConnor said.

“I hope the outcomes of this conference will go part way to ensuring that, as we move from the trial phase into the full roll-out of the NDIS across Australia, we all get it right.”

For more information on the conference, click here.