Businesses preparing for Canberra’s National Disability Insurance Scheme roll-out will be eligible for government-sponsored investment packages.
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The $50,000 packages will give tailored professional assistance to businesses as the ACT becomes the first jurisdiction to accept all eligible people into the NDIS from July 1.
Disability Minister Joy Burch said the packages follow the recent announcement of financial management assistance to seven organisations offering disability services in the ACT.
The packages include assistance with financial management, governance arrangements and business planning within the NDIS context. A total of $12.5 million in federal government funding will be used to assist the sector prepare for the scheme.
“The NDIS will fundamentally change the way disability services are funded by putting the money in the hands of people with disability to choose their services,'' Ms Burch said.
“The ACT government has been working with the sector and the National Disability Insurance Agency to invest this funding to ensure we can adjust to the new environment from July 1.
Families affected by the government’s withdrawal at the end of the year from early childhood intervention playgroups and assistance met with opposition spokesman Andrew Wall this week and again called for a one-year delay.
Ms Burch said private providers would be ready to take over services in the ACT from term 1, 2015.
“With five weeks to go, I am confident that the sector is on track,” she said. “These packages will help providers to work within the new NDIS funding system, develop new services, respond to areas of high demand, fill gaps in the market and establish partnerships to remain sustainable into the future.”
Families and carers of children using early intervention services are encouraged to attend an information forum on Monday. The forum will take place at the Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning in Fremantle Drive, Stirling, from 12-2pm.
Ms Burch said other NDIS roll-out investments launched include workshops for people with disability and their families, peer-led workshops for community members to discuss their experiences and build relationships, and the NDIS readiness toolkit which has been used by 60 organisations preparing for the scheme.
