Quoted in The Australian today in a good piece by Rick Morton - NDIS: Disabled need funds to find jobs, say advocates THE flagship national disability insurance scheme cannot reach its full potential if the “dinosaur-like” employment support system with which it is meant to operate is not reformed, advocates warn. The $28 billion NDIS is expected to allow between 24,000 and 38,000 people with significant disabilities to engage in work, but it does not fund job- support packages, referring clients to the Disability Employment Services and Job Services Australia system which are funded by the government. People with Disability Australia president Craig Wallace said the system “should be the subject of the same funding revolution” as the NDIS. “The DES system is block-funded by the federal government and, in a way, they are dependent on the government for survival; it’s another form of welfare,” Mr Wallace said. “The funding should be unbundled and given to the jobseekers so they can spend it where they need to, on agencies that understand the relationship with employers.” Mr Wallace said many DES providers well understood how workplaces should change to support people with disabilities, but could not relate to the needs of employers, which was crucial. The national average success rate of all providers in placing people in a job was between 27.5 per cent for people with physical disabilities and 41.6 per cent for people with autism. The success rate was even lower at the 26-week outcome mark — for which providers are paid a bonus. Lauren Hislop, 34 of Newcastle, NSW, has three degrees, and while she is happy with the support she receives as a client of the NDIS in the Hunter trial it has done nothing for her search for work, as promised. Ms Hislop, who has cerebral palsy, is eligible for DES support and, therefore, receives no individualised job support through the NDIS. “This would be acceptable if DES were remotely helpful,” she said. “They tell me ‘we don’t know how to help you’ ... I am a university-educated social researcher. I resent being told I can’t find a job. “While this transparency is admirable, I have been left feeling despondent. People with disabilities are not one homogenous group.” Mr Wallace said there was an “incentive to churn people through the system and place the easiest cases in work quickly rather than tackle those with higher needs”. Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday the NDIS was the “jewel in the crown” of social security, framing an impending welfare crackdown as a way to pay for it. Former disability reform minister Jenny Macklin said the NDIS was fully funded for the next 10 years. Beyond that, the costs of the scheme will continue to increase. Mr Wallace stressed that while the NDIS did not replace the Disability Support Pension, there was a real chance for the government to win accolades for actively tackling employment issues with carrots, not just sticks. A spokeswoman for the NDIS agency said governments were continuing to explore opportunities to improve service delivery and co-ordination between the NDIS and job-support services like DES. theaustralian.au/national-affairs/health/ndis-disabled-need-funds-to-find-jobs-say-advocates/story-fn59nokw-1227167397340?login=1
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 13:44:48 +0000
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