Industry Focus

INDUSTRY POLICY NDIS: When and where Currently, young people aged 14–24 in Tasmania, children aged 0–14 in South Australia and people aged up to 65 in Barwon, Victoria and the Hunter, NSW, can access the NDIS scheme. From 1 July 2014, the scheme will commence across the ACT, the Barkly region of the Northern Territory and the Perth Hills area of Western Australia. Implementation of the full scheme in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and Northern Territory will commence progressively from July 2016. of money at the beginning of each month and we go away and spend that money on services that we provide to clients." It can also lead to positive change, however, with a greater variety of services on offer due to increased funding and the potential to expand throughout Australia. Victoria-based Yooralla has been in conversation with the government and Bowers says there's value in bank support while navigating the minefield of change. "It's a great change for this sector as to back office processes and whether they can be done a lot more efficiently," says Bowers. "I think organisations that are going to survive into the future, long term, need to look fairly considerably at the way processes are being engineered currently and how we can re-engineer those processes to do things efficiently and cheaply." Vicki Batten, CEO of Queensland-based NFP organisation Freedom, Social Justice, Growth (FSG) Australia, says funding models have finally caught up with them. Offering community services in areas such as disability, foster care, mental health and aged care, FSG Australia is committed to delivering on the three values in its name. "Our social enterprises—cafés, op shops, green shops, plant nurseries etc—have been set up entirely for people to explore opportunities they have never had access to," she says. "We recognise that when you give people options, they are often capable of remarkable things." Batten says the NDIS is perfect for what FSG does. "It's a new world—we are moving toward an era where people with disabilities are in control of their own destinies. "I am not sure if people realise how the current system keeps people dependant and beholden and just what that does to them," she says. Batten acknowledges that the new system will prove difficult for many organisations, saying the government needs to start being flexible with funding and that it must move away from a rigid output system, allowing providers to begin delivering services based on outcomes. "After all, that's what NDIS will be all about. If we don't deliver the outcomes people want, they will move on," she says. "Not for Profits have often failed to deliver these outcomes because of the unyielding expectations government has placed on them." Bowers advises organisations to make the transition slowly and carefully. "They should keep as up-to-date as they possibly can with the NDIS and how it's travelling in those pilot zones," he says. "Learn from what's occurring in those zones and keep in contact with the NDIA—and make sure that they keep their relationship open and aware of changes as and when they occur." Batten says the prospect of 'losing' government funding and having to move from being a 'provider of services' to a 'seller of products' is a daunting prospect for some. "If they haven't managed in the past to provide services other than those that are government funded, then they may struggle," she says. "If this is the case, I would advise services to start looking for a larger service that holds similar principles and values and that will, while essentially 'taking them over', recognise the great work they do and the great people who do it, and allow that to continue as it was." Social Sector • Issue 1 9

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