In late March ’19 the Commonwealth Government released its key priorities and initiatives to grow the NDIS Market and Workforce. The document recognises that “… significant changes from … are still required for the sector to adapt to a market-based model of the NDIS”.
As disability service providers well know, there are significant workforce supply shortages limiting growth, inhibiting participant plan utilisation and impacting on service quality. Coupled with the challenging financial parameters inherent in the NDIS (including the increased costs of doing business) disability service providers are now under significant pressure.
The Government’s has outlined four priorities:
Priority 1: Optimise the NDIS market and provide information to support investment
Priority 2: Invest to build capable NDIS providers
Priority 3: Foster a capable NDIS workforce
Priority 4: Grow the NDIS workforce
The document outlines a plan with a complex level of intragovernmental co-ordination, particularly in relation to the NDIS workforce. It suggests monitoring and evaluation as important components.
Based on Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Social Services) data: