Month: January 2024

News

Have a voice at the table in the NDIS Annual Pricing Review

Post author By Amanda Robinson
Post date January 30, 2024
No Comments on Have a voice at the table in the NDIS Annual Pricing Review

Have a Voice at the Table in the NDIS Annual Pricing Review

Are you passionate about NDIS pricing arrangements and the impact they have on you as a provider, your participants and the broader disability support community? If so, the NDIA are inviting you to actively participate in the Annual Pricing Review (APR) for 2023-2024, a crucial initiative that shapes the landscape of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Why Does the APR Matter?

The APR plays a key role in assessing and potentially adjusting the current NDIS pricing arrangements to ensure they align with key principles, including providing value for money, delivering fair and consistent participant outcomes, supporting sustainable market growth, and promoting the delivery of high-quality, innovative supports.

Get Involved: APR Terms of Reference and Consultation Papers

The APR Terms of Reference and Consultation Papers have now been released. These documents serve as a guide for stakeholders, outlining the focus areas and key questions for consideration. Your insights and experiences are vital in helping the NDIA understand the nuances of the disability support landscape.

Key Focus Areas for Submissions:

Supports delivered by disability support workers
Therapy supports
Support coordination
NDIS cancellation policy
Enhancing Participant Engagement: Participant-Focused Consultation Paper

This year, the NDIA are dedicated to enhancing participant engagement. To make the process more accessible, they have also introduced a Participant-Focused Consultation Paper. This includes a plain English paper, an accessible easy-read paper, and an online survey submission. Including the perspectives of participants, means that their unique needs and preferences are being addressed.

Submission Deadline: Act Now!

The deadline for provider submissions is Sunday, March 3, 2024, and for participants the deadline is Sunday, March 17, 2024. Your input is instrumental in shaping the future of NDIS pricing arrangements.

Have Questions or Want to Submit? Reach Out!

If you have any questions regarding the consultation paper or wish to submit your insights, please don’t hesitate to contact the NDIA at apr@ndis.gov.au Your active involvement ensures that your voice is heard and contributes to a more inclusive and effective NDIS.

Let’s work together to create a pricing framework that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of the NDIS community. Your input matters!

Terms of Reference can be found here: Terms of Reference and Consultation Papers.

A link to the survey for participants can be found here: Link to survey

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

Amanda is a professional with over a decade of dedicated experience in the fields of Mental Health and Disability. Her extensive expertise lies in navigating the intricate landscape of the Disability Sector. She brings a unique perspective to her work, being both a person with lived experience of disability and a compassionate carer. She has a passion for advocacy, making her a staunch champion for the rights and well-being of individuals facing similar challenges.

News

Navigating SCHADS Award Classifications

Post author By Amanda Robinson
Post date January 19, 2024
No Comments on Navigating SCHADS Award Classifications

Navigating SCHADS Award Classifications

At NGO Training Centre, we have been getting questions about the SCHADS Award and compliance, and we understand how complex it can be to try and navigate through these changing conditions.

There was an update to the SCHADS award in July 2023 which meant some big changes for some organisations. Each year, rates of pay can change so keep a close eye out for those updates. Here’s some information to get you started in understanding Awards and what you need to know as an organisation about changes to the SCHADs. We’ll also point you in the direction of further information and resources to help.

So why do we need to know about awards?

It’s simple really, an “Award” is a legal document that sets down the minimum pay rates and conditions for people employed under that award. The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADs) industry award applies to people working in the disability sector including Disability Support Professionals. Organisations must adhere to the pay and conditions outlined in the SCHADs award to ensure employees are receiving the right pay and conditions. You can access the most recent SCHADs Award here: https://shorturl.at/EGQT1

Many of us have heard or been involved in the horror stories of employers not getting it right when it comes to Award Classifications, and being liable for hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars in back pay liabilities and penalties. It’s sadly not uncommon.

The SCHADS award is complex, and there are approximately 3,000 pay points under it, along with various allowances. It is crucial that as an employer, you have an understanding of the SCHADs award categories, pay points and additional allowances your employees are entitled to such as ‘broken shift allowance’. Know what the categories for different pay points are for each role.

To get you started let’s walk through some important information about Award Classifications and how they can be applied.

The SCHADS Award Classifications include:

An Award Level:

An Award level refers to the classification or grade assigned to a particular job or position within the industry. These levels are often based on factors such as the complexity of the work, the level of responsibility, and the qualifications and skills required for the role.

A Pay Point:

The pay point under the SCHADS Award refers to the specific level or step within a pay scale that corresponds to an employee’s experience, qualifications, and/or length of service.

Each staff member must be assigned an award level and a pay point, e.g. level 3 — pay point 4 or level 7 — pay point 2.

After a year of employment, staff members can qualify for an increased pay point by showcasing satisfactory performance and using new or improved skills. Consequently, the incorporation of a performance appraisal scheme is essential for adhering to award compliance.

It is important to get these Award classifications as accurate as possible, and this can be done by determining an employee’s:

tasks or duties and job titles
skills and competence
qualifications and training
amount of experience (this can include the number of years at a particular classification level)
the amount of supervision required or performed

To find the right classification, make sure you read the definitions in full and consider all the factors together. These are important for so many reasons, and an accurate and updated position description considering the staff member’s actual duties in each role will help to determine the correct Award classification.

If you do not have a dedicated Human Resources Manager or Department, or in-house expertise, it is best to outsource this to professionals in this area.

The Fair Work Commission has some great tools and information which is broken down into helpful steps to get you started:

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/awards/award-classifications

Here, you can find out how to read and apply classification descriptions in awards.

Minimum Pay Rates

Employers must pay their employees under the SCHADS Award at least the pay rates and entitlements contained in the award weekly or fortnightly, depending on their pay cycle.

The Fair Work website has various tools and resources to help you calculate your wage obligations. Alternatively, you can access the pay guide summaries, which contain information about pay rates, penalties and allowances.

Summary

NGO Training Centre wish you all the best in navigating the SCHADS Award, and we remind you to please stay vigilant on SCHADS Award compliance, keep track of any updates to the award and ensure minimum entitlements for your staff.

Make sure that you update payroll systems to align with Modern Award changes to mitigate any risks. You can always reach out to Fairwork if you have any questions, they are very helpful!

Here are some key takeaways

Keep up to date with any changes to the SCHADS Award
Maintain clear and transparent systems for determining award levels and pay points
Engage systems to track pay increases and additional entitlements
Ensure that you have reliable HR support to interpret award information
Ask questions along the way

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

News

How Language Can Transform the Narrative of Disability

Post author By NGO Website
Post date January 17, 2024
No Comments on How Language Can Transform the Narrative of Disability

How Language Can Transform the Narrative of Disability

Language can be very powerful.

Marcus Garvey once said, “The pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue is mightier than them both put together.”

This reigns true when talking about people with disability, and language can have a profound impact on the way people with disability feel and are perceived in society.

Over the years I have worked alongside professionals who are often fearful to describe or talk about disability; or even have open conversations with people with disability in fear of using the ‘wrong words’, being offensive, stigmatising further or being misunderstood. So, they often avoid a conversation or a narrative altogether.

In Australia, we tend to talk about disability in two ways- Person-first language ‘people with disability’ or identity-first language ‘disabled people.’ Most people with disability prefer one of these terms. It’s always best to ask them which one they like. If you can’t ask, use ‘people with disability’ or just say their name when talking about them. You’d be surprised how effective this can be!

I have always believed that for society to become more inclusive of people with disability, we need to speak openly, be respectful and break down those barriers that lead to people with disability being segregated and discriminated against.

Education about appropriate and respectful language is another way for society to continue to move in the right direction to ensure that people with disability are acknowledged, respected and supported.

PWD have created a great Language guide that people with disability have written. It offers best practice advice to assist all people when talking about and reporting on disability. Please share this open-source resource far and wide!

Remember, language evolves, and new expressions or terms are constantly added to our glossaries. PWD regularly update its resources, and it was last updated in 2021.

You can grab a copy of the resource here:

https://pwd.org.au/resources/language-guide/

Content note: This guide contains examples of offensive language

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

News

Innovative Courses Emerge in Response to the Spike in COVID Cases

Post author By NGO Website
Post date January 12, 2024
No Comments on Innovative Courses Emerge in Response to the Spike in COVID Cases

With the current increase in COVID cases, all NDIS providers play an important role in providing information and support to NDIS participants about access to booster vaccinations and following good practices to protect against transmission.

In light of this, many of our customers who are dedicated to the best possible training for their staff have asked NGO for more quality training, and we have listened!

NGO Training Centre are excited to be releasing two new modules to help support participants and staff to decrease the risk of infection and transmission of disease.

These are:

· Hand Hygiene

· Infection Control

You may be aware that NDIS registered providers no longer need to report all COVID infection cases (workers and participants). However, providers must inform the NDIS Commission when the consequences of COVID – or another change or event – have a significant and adverse effect.

To complete a report, you can click here: Notification of event form – COVID-19 (registered providers).

To read more about notice of changes and events, visit https://shorturl.at/rsFJ7

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

News

The NEW Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023

Post author By NGO Website
Post date January 5, 2024
No Comments on The NEW Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023

The NEW Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023

Overview

From January 1st 2024, the 38-year-old Disability Services Act has been replaced with the new Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023. In essence, the outdated Act no longer meets the needs of People with Disability outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and has failed to be inclusive and flexible, which are key improvements of the new Act.

The new Act brings with it a mandatory code of conduct for all Commonwealth disability services, which will ensure these providers are accountable. This will instil greater confidence in people with disability as they will have a safer and more responsive system. The new Act is timely and supports the protection of people with disability following the release of the Final Report into the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability and the NDIS Review Report.

Unlike the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act), the new Act does not provide supports or services directly to people with disability. This Act will not change or affect the NDIS or disability support pension paid under social security law. Rather, the Act creates a contemporary, modern and streamlined framework to facilitate funding for supports and services that will assist all people with disability regardless of whether or not they are participants in the NDIS.

Minister Rishworth, Minister for Social Services, highlighted that the legislation establishes a modern legal framework, empowering the Government to implement initiatives that align with the vision of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 and its five Targeted Action Plans.

What’s changed?

The differences between the Disability Services Act 1986 (DSA) and the new Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023 (DSI Act) are as follows:

The definition of Disability has changed. The previous Act defined a target group. The new Act does not define disability so it does not provide limitations on who can access supports and services.
The old Act only provided for Advocacy, Employment, Print services and other activities approved by the minister.

It now provides for the following services and supports:

Accessibility
Accommodation
Advocacy
Capacity
Carers
Community Inclusion
Counselling
Education
Employment
Independent living
Information
Recreation
Respite support and services
Research and evaluation
Other activities approved by the Minister

The old Act allowed for grant funding only. Funding can now be arranged via grants, procurement or other types of funding arrangements- allowing for greater flexibility.
No international obligations were referenced in the previous act. In the new Act, the objects of the Act include alongside other laws, the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and other international obligations that Australia is involved in.
Previously all Advocacy and Employment services were required to obtain a certificate of compliance, regardless of the services provided. Some service providers were subject to compliance under the grant agreement terms and conditions and in operational guidelines which was inconsistent and not transparent. Under the new Act, a consistent requirement for compliance has been established. Providers are only required to have a certificate of compliance if they deliver a regulated activity (which involves the delivery of higher-risk or complex supports through substantial 1:1 contact and over a long period).
Under the old Act, all providers were required to comply with the National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS) regardless of what other standards were met by them. Under the new Act, all programs are assessed to determine if they require certification. Only regulated activities are required to comply with the NSDS. Alternative standards are recognised which will reduce the regulatory burden for providers who are already subject to other compliance standards. NOTE: This is an important consideration for those providers who are also registered NDIS Providers, approved Aged Care Providers, accredited Health Care Services, registered health practitioners, speech pathologists, translators or interpreters and legal aid commissions.
A Code of Conduct, which mirrors the NDIS code of conduct has been established. These were previously recognised on an individual basis and were part of individual grant agreements and guidelines. Breach of this Code of Conduct can cause an agreement to be terminated, varied or have further conditions imposed.

Source: Disability Services and Inclusion Code of Conduct Guidance for Providers December 2023 https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/12_2023/code_of_conduct_guidance_-_providers_-_pdf.pdf

8. In the previous Act, there were no legislative requirements for either a Complaints Management System or an Incident Management System, and these were different for each program.

Now, all providers are required to have an appropriate Complaints and Incident Management System in place. Need help? Read here How to manage complaints- service providers.

Any alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct must be reported to the Department of Social Services, even if they have dealt with the complaints themselves. Read here about how to determine if a complaint alleges a breach of the Code of Conduct.

What should I do?

Review and update policies and procedures
Review and update your organisation’s Code of Conduct
Update your Compliance Register to include this new Act

Note: The Department has advised that these conditions will not take effect for existing arrangements until current grant agreements end and new arrangements are entered into. However, there will be more information on this released soon.

Want to know more?

For more information about the Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023, go to the Department of Social Services website at www.dss.gov.au/dsi-act

More information about Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 and the Targeted Action Plans is available on the Disability Gateway at www.disabilitygateway.gov.au/ads.

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

News

Bridging the Gap: Tackling the Skills Shortage in the Disability Sector through Quality Training

Post author By NGO Website
Post date January 2, 2024
No Comments on Bridging the Gap: Tackling the Skills Shortage in the Disability Sector through Quality Training

Bridging the Gap: Tackling the Skills Shortage in the Disability Sector through Quality Training
Throughout my journey as a disability advocate working in the field, I would often find myself supporting a participant or their family members to voice their unequivocal dissatisfaction with service providers over the constant revolving door of support workers, lack of skilled staff, and the overwhelming exhaustion from ‘re-training’ their new support workers…over and over again.

Long-term staffing in the disability sector is an ongoing issue and the report by the federal parliament’s joint standing committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) estimated that 83,000 extra workers would be needed to fill the gaps in the system by 2024 as the rollout of the NDIS continued. That’s a lot of workers… and potentially a lot of training that will be needed.

People with disability are going without their essential daily supports, increasing the burden on the health system and informal supports- for those who are fortunate enough to have them.

Not just a nightmare for people with disability and their families; service providers are struggling more and more each day to attract and retain much needed staff, and find quality training solutions to suit their participant’s needs.

The strain on existing providers is profound, with professionals stretching their working hours to the limit, grappling with high levels of stress as they attempt to bridge the widening gaps in service provision.

It is just not working.

In the face of a growing skills shortage in the disability sector, the time has come for a concerted effort to invest in affordable, quality training solutions. The NDIS review report highlighted that the governments will finally invest in the skills shortage in the sector, giving service providers greater opportunities to invest in their staff.

The NGO Training Centre stands as a reliable partner in this endeavour, offering a range of competency-based courses that not only address the immediate staffing crisis but also contribute to the overall professional development of individuals in the sector.

By embracing innovative, online training methods, NGO Training Centre can pave the way for a more resilient, skilled, and compassionate workforce that truly meets the needs of those relying on disability services. It is through collaborative initiatives and a commitment to ongoing education that we can ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for the disability sector.

With over 80 high-quality competency-based courses, delivered online in bite-sized quality chunks straight into the hands of those that need it, NGO has you covered. Studies have shown that microlearning can boost retention rates anywhere from 70%-90%, ensuring that your staff retain crucial information for the long term. This translates into a workforce that not only stays current with new skills but also actively applies them to their roles.

What are you waiting for?

Get ahead of the rest and start your learning journey today.

Want to know more?

Call us on 1300 990 995 or email info@ngotrainingcentre.com today!

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

News

Key Changes for Providers of Group or Centre-based Social and Community Participation Supports from Jan 1st 2024

Post author By Amanda Robinson
Post date January 1, 2024
No Comments on Key Changes for Providers of Group or Centre-based Social and Community Participation Supports from Jan 1st 2024

The NDIA has changed how providers claim for supports delivered in a group. You may already be aware, but in case you missed it… From 1 January 2024, all providers will need to change how they claim these supports from a participant’s plan. The new pricing for group and centre-based activities allows providers to claim for the actual cost of the supports provided to a participant, as well as the time spent preparing for activities. If the support is delivered at a centre, providers can also claim costs to run this facility.

What does this mean for providers?

In the new pricing arrangement, the costs are agreed and claimed individually. This means that the cost of support will reflect a participant’s individual support needs.

The different costs are:

Direct support costs are for the time that a participant attends the group or centre-based support. This will be worked out based on how many people are in the group.
Non-face-to-face costs are for the things a provider does in the absence of a participant to make sure the participant can join in. They should be specific to each participant and reflect the support they need. Non-face-to-face costs are not for general business tasks like preparing service agreements or invoices, or rostering staff. Supports and their cost must be agreed with the Participant in advance.
Centre capital costs contribute to the cost of running and maintaining a centre.

There might be other costs related to a participant’s support, like activity-based transport or provider travel. The way those costs are worked out isn’t changing. However, where they are based on direct support costs, a provider may need to adjust them to use the line items in the new pricing arrangement.

Programs of Support

Programs of support are an option, to organise and agree to a participant’s group or centre-based supports. They map out the costs of participant support for the length of a program, up to a maximum of 6 months. Once agreed to, the costs for the participant’s program will not change. Programs of support may not be appropriate for every participant, and they are not mandatory.

What happens next?

Any changes that are suggested, must follow the new pricing arrangement which is available at this link: NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.

There are some great resources to help answer some questions that you may have.

The Group-Based Supports Transition Guide will provide some detailed guidance for providers.

You can also visit the NDIS website for more information: https://shorturl.at/gADFY

Written by Amanda Robinson, B.A., MMentalHealth Prac.

Amanda is a professional with over a decade of dedicated experience in the fields of Mental Health and Disability. Her extensive expertise lies in navigating the intricate landscape of the Disability Sector. She briangs a unique perspective to her work, being both a person with lived experience of disability and a compassionate carer. She has a passion for advocacy, making her a staunch champion for the rights and well-being of individuals facing similar challenges.

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories