THE National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is “on track, on time and on budget” according to NSW Disability Services Minister John Ajaka – but as it’s officially rolled out across the region today, it seems some local families are still struggling to understand just what it will mean for them.
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The NDIS has been described as a “revolution” in the way people with a disability, their families and carers are supported in Australia, with more than 40,000 NSW residents with disabilities to transition to the scheme over the next year.
Tamworth couple Jenny and Bob Scherf have been trying to prepare for the arrival of the NDIS for months, talking to providers and attending information sessions, but yesterday were still “totally confused” about what was ahead for them and daughter Suzie.
Suzie suffered brain damage at just four months of age.
She lives at home with her parents, but is on a waiting list for accommodation in a group home.
Mrs Scherf said she felt they’d received a lot of mixed messages about what they needed to do to prepare for the NDIS, going through an extensive pre-planning process with a consultant before being told that was no longer necessary.
Now, she said, they were waiting to be contacted by another planner who would hopefully provide some more insights.
“It’s all still quite confusing,” Mrs Scherf said.
“They’re saying it will be better for the client, but we’re not sure how yet – we’re not sure what we’ll be entitled to. It’s very frustrating.”
For providers, the preparation for the NDIS has been a steep learning curve as well.
Lorraine Legge is the business development, relationship and lifestyle support manager for Kirinari Community Services, which looks after about 50 clients across the region and offers a full suite of disability support services from group home to flexible respite.
She said there had been a lot to work through, but at the end of the day the NDIS would mean people with a disability would have more control over services, how those services were provided and from where.
“They also have the control to change that service provider,” Ms Legge said.
She said the pressure was then on providers to ensure they were catering to clients’ needs, and she believed ultimately the changes would lead to a closer working relationship between support services.
Ms Legge acknowledged there were still families trying to understand where they fit in the new scheme, but she firmly believed the NDIS was a positive for the disability sector.
“It’s going to be a great thing – just the fact people have more choice and it’s individualised,” she said.
“There’s going to be a whole lot of opportunities under the NDIS.”