ACT mental health services and clients wait for an end to NDIS impasse

Canberra's mental health services and their many clients are stuck in a holding pattern as the ACT community waits for an end to the political impasse over the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

An estimated target of 5075 NDIS participants was reached at the end of September and new entrants will not be able to access the scheme unless an existing participant dies or their eligibility status changes.

dear stakeholder letter

Subject:	dear stakeholder letter
Date:	Thu, 20 Oct 2016 12:40:50 +1100
From:	Bob Buckley (SOfASD Chair) <chair@sofasd.org.au>
Organization:	Speaking Out for Autism Spectrum Disorder (SOfASD) in the ACT
To:	alice.tibbits@ndis.gov.au

the future of ACT Education Learning Support Units

The following is a response from the ACT Education Directorate about the future of Learning Support Units (LSU), including LSU-As, in ACT schools ...

Dear Mr Buckley

People with a disability in Canberra left in NDIS limbo as ACT waits for a new deal

Daniel Burdon

More than 1000 Canberrans with a disability are at risk of missing out on National Disability Insurance Scheme support as the Territory and federal governments argue over which government should fund more places after a target of 5075 people was reached last month.

While the scheme was originally promised to be delivered to all Australians with a permanent and severe disability, it seems funding for places was capped at the 5075 "target" built into the original deal between the ACT and federal governments; a figure reached at the end of last month.

statement from ACT CSD on NDIS freeze

Please attribute the following to Community Services Directorate Director-General Michael De’Ath

It was recently brought to the attention of the Community Services Directorate (CSD) that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) was advising clients that no new planning meetings will be undertaken in the ACT.

CSD took immediate action to clarify the issue with the Commonwealth.

The primary concern for CSD is to ensure all eligible people in the ACT have access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

2000 sufferers shut out of NDIS in the ACT

RICK MORTON, Social Affairs reporter

The future of the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme has been thrown into crisis after as many as 2000 people with serious mental health conditions and disabilities were shut out of the program in the ACT, the first jurisdiction to fully adopt the new model.

The territory scheme reached its “target” of 5075 clients within hours of full rollout on September 30. Newly eligible people have been turned away and told to wait for a vacancy, which is typically only available when someone in the NDIS dies.

The ACT is a test case for what experts say is likely to happen when the scheme in other states reaches maturity in 2019-20.

NDIA stopped accepting new NDIS participants in the Australian Capital Territory

The National Disability Insurance Agency has reportedly stopped accepting new NDIS participants on to the Scheme in the Australian Capital Territory. The halt was shared on Facebook by ACT advocacy service ADACAS, which noted it had a number of people impacted by the stop work.

Mr Barr MLA: NDIA freeze on new participants in the ACT

The following is an brief exchange of emails between Bob Buckley and Andrew Barr MLA ... very soon before the 2016 ACT election.

Thank you for your very quick response. I hope you are right.

In South Australia, the NDIA stopped accepting new clients during their trial ... while we were told the scheme was meant to be uncapped, that turned out to be false.

regards
Bob Buckley

On 13/10/2016 9:16 PM, BARR wrote:

Mr Buckley

How Shakespeare may help children with autism improve their social skills

Could Shakespeare help children with autism improve their social skills? A new study of a drama-based intervention suggests that this may well be the case.

Researchers from Ohio State University found that a novel method using Shakespeare's The Tempest – which combines recitation of The Bard's language with physical gestures – lead to improvements in communication skills and recognition of facial expressions, in young people with autism.

endorsed letter: NDIA and challenging behaviour

From: Karna

Dear Mr Bowen

With the NDIS rolling out nationwide it is time for the NDIA and its parent policy agency, Dept. of Social Services to start making policy on a number of disability issues such as that of people with autism spectrum disorder and challenging behaviours such as aggression. These people are a large portion of your clients mainly in tier 3 and fall often into the too hard basket due to high support needs and very difficult behaviour. They are the clients most NGOs and other providers do not want as they are expensive and a hazard at times to staff and other clients. I have a son myself who at times falls into this group and am well aware of other “informal supports “doing it very tough with such adult or adolescent children usually males. ...

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