Working to improve systems and supports for people with disability

Our work delivering the NDIS provides us the insights to advocate for improvements to the systems supporting people with disability.

BSL works to address the barriers faced by people with disability by partnering within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The NDIS is the most significant reform ever introduced for people with disability and we work to ensure it delivers on its intent and purpose of enabling all people with disability and their families and carers to fully participate in their communities.

We also work to influence improvements to the Scheme by amplifying the voices of people with disability, their families and carers. We consult widely with staff and disability and advocacy organisations.

Through our responses to the many NDIA consultation papers, we strive to ensure that the Scheme’s intent is maintained. Primarily, that people with disability are central to any changes or decisions made regarding the Scheme and that the Scheme supports all people with disability – not just the 10% with the highest support needs.

Our  submission regarding proposed independent assessments to Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS  was part of a groundswell of feedback that led to the government acknowledging the need for further input and co-design with people with disability, before implementing independent assessments for access to funded supports and to determine individual plan budgets.

We will continue to work collaboratively with people with disability, state and federal governments and the NDIA to improve consistency, simplicity and service, while maintaining the core principles of the Scheme.

Ensuring high standards through our BSL Local Area Coordination Framework

BSL’s Local Area Coordination (LAC) Framework ensures consistent and quality services for people with disability.

In February 2021, we released our LAC Practice Framework. The Framework outlines our approach, expectations and accountability to delivering a consistently high standard of service and support to people with disability, their family members and carers.

The framework was developed in consultation with people with disability and ensures our team members use a strength-based, person-centred approach in their roles.

The intended outcomes of the Framework are as follows:

• People with disability and their families are connected and included in the community, have increased capacity to self-advocate and influence and are accessing opportunities and supports that enable them to live their best lives
• People have the right information about matters that are important to them
• People are connected to others with similar interests and passions
• People feel safe to exercise their rights, including choice, control and the right to make complaints or provide feedback
• People are actively involved in planning and choosing their own future
• People are confident that the plan reflects their needs and aspirations
• People have increased skills for independent living
• People’s families and natural networks have strengthened resilience
• People understand and are supported to navigate the NDIS and/or other service systems

We will continue to refine the framework to help us and others Australia-wide, better understand and deliver local area coordination.

Increasing understanding of disability in the community

Through film, we’ve engaged the community in a new way to raise understanding of disability.

In May 2021, we celebrated the launch of a short five-film series aimed at increasing understanding of disability among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

My Everyday Life is a five-part short film series that was written and directed by BSL Aboriginal Partnerships Coordinator, John Baxter. It follows the stories of Aboriginal community members with disability who are receiving support from the NDIS. As John explains, ‘these films follow community members in their daily activities, sharing their stories and looking at how the NDIS can help our mob in their everyday life.’

This major project has been undertaken over the past four years, together with Aboriginal disability reference group Balit Narrum .

The film series was launched at Cinema Nova in Carlton, Melbourne and film participants, stakeholders and BSL staff gathered to celebrate the people and stories that made these films possible.