The NDIS Review’s final report detailed 26 recommendations and 139 actions to enact over the next five years. At the top of the recommendation list is to introduce “foundational supports” - a new category of disability services for people who are unable to access the NDIS.
But what are they exactly? Why are they needed? And, what would they look like?
To answer these questions, let’s unpack foundational supports and what role they play in shaping our future.
What are foundational supports
The Review tells us something important: the NDIS is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to supporting people with disabilities. And while the NDIS is a significant piece, it's not the whole picture.
Many of the Review’s recommendations are designed to ensure more mainstream support is available to the estimated millions of people with disability not eligible for the NDIS.
Introducing foundational supports.
Foundational supports are a key part of the Review’s vision for a disability support ecosystem in Australia. They’re designed to cater to individuals with disabilities who might not meet the criteria for NDIS funding, but still need support - however, some foundational supports will also be available to those on the NDIS. Foundational supports would intertwine with existing mainstream services like childcare and schools. The final report acknowledges that to make this vision a reality, we have some serious work to do before mainstream services are up to scratch.
The two types of proposed foundational supports are:
- General: These services will be available to all people with disability, including advice, capacity building, advocacy, information, peer support, and employment services.
- Targeted: These services will only be available to people who are not eligible for the NDIS. These supports can include: home and community care, aids and equipment, psychosocial supports, early intervention, support for young people in key life transitions, and help with navigating all of these supports.
Why are foundational supports recommended
Foundational supports are designed to help return the NDIS to its core purpose: providing support to those with complex needs. The problem is, however, there are limited supports available outside of the NDIS. During its consultation process, the Review found there was a lack of community and mainstream services options, leading to people with disability being either unsupported or trying to access the NDIS.
This recommendation acknowledges these two problems: not everyone on the NDIS needs to be, but at the moment there is no alternative.
Foundational supports are an essential part of the solution to ensuring the NDIS is no longer “the only lifeboat in the ocean” for people with disability. In practice, the new category of supports will become a necessary piece of Australia’s disability support ecosystem.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has made commitments that everyone who needs support will receive it. The only change would be whether they receive these supports on the NDIS, or via the new Foundational Supports scheme.
So what’s next?
The National Cabinet has reached an agreement that foundational supports will be funded by the state, territory and Commonwealth governments; and delivered by state run services, for example - the health sector, childcare and schools.
But, like all recommendations in the Review, nothing is set in stone. We will know next year if the government will go ahead with the proposed changes, and if they do, they will have five years to get it right.
In the meantime, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has said that conversations with the disability community would continue in the coming months.
Want to learn more about the NDIS Review? Check out our Reforms page for everything you need to know.
