In this edition
- Upcoming Training
- Renewing your NDIS Registration
- Dual NDIS and Aged Care Registration Requirements for Residential Aged Care (RAC) Providers
- Federal Budget 2023-24
- NDIS Provider Spotlight
Upcoming Training
We are very excited to announce that we are running a brand new online training session this month.
Introduction to Psychosocial coaching in the NDIS
This workshop will provide you with all the essential information you need to know about the role of psychosocial recovery coaching in the NDIS.
It is being presented by one of our associates with extensive clinical and NDIS experience.
25 May 2023 – 10am – 1pm AEST
Register here
Renewing Your Registration
Do you know what the process is for renewing your NDIS registration?
As a registered NDIS Provider, you are required to renew your registration every 3 years. When your NDIS registration is due to expire, the NDIS Commission will send you a reminder email roughly 6 months before expiry with instructions on how to complete your renewal application in the portal.
To ensure that you remain a registered NDIS Provider you must apply to renew your registration and undertake another audit before the expiry date.
You will be required to complete a renewal application in the NDIS portal which is very similar to your initial registration application and includes providing organisation and registration group information. You will also need to provide a self-assessment against the NDIS Practice Standards relevant to the supports and services your organisation delivers and upload any documents required as evidence.
You can find further information on the renewal steps and preparing for your audit with great tips in our blog here.
Dual NDIS and Aged Care Registration Requirements for Residential Aged Care (RAC) Providers
NDIS participants living in Residential Aged Care are dual participants of the NDIS and aged care systems.
On 1 December 2020, Residential Aged Care providers delivering services to NDIS participants in their facilities automatically became registered NDIS providers. This ensured that all RAC providers were required to meet the requirements under the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIS Practice Standards.
As such, RAC providers have dual compliance requirements with the Aged Care Quality Commission and NDIS Commission. You can find further information about dual compliance requirements in our blog here.
What is in the 2023-24 Budget for the NDIS?
The Federal Budget for 2023-24 was handed down on 9 May 2023 with funding focused on getting the NDIS back on track to ensure it is sustainable in the future.
The measures outlined in the budget are targeted at improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the NDIS by improving the capability, capacity and systems to better support participants.
Key announcements include:
- Capability: $429.5 million investment in the NDIA’s workforce capability and systems to ensure improved consistency and equity in decision-making for NDIS participants
- Better planning: $73.4 million to better support participants to manage their plan within budget and holding plan managers, support coordinators and providers to account
- Flexibility: $63.8 million to take a lifetime approach to ensure plans are more transparent and flexible
- Supported independent living: $56.4 million to strengthen supported independent living decisions, by introducing a home and living panel to improve consistency across decisions and updating guidelines for planners to improve participants’ ability to live independently
- Evidence-based supports: $29.3 million to improve oversight of services and increase take up of evidence-based supports
- Blended payment trial: $24.6 million to trial blended payment models, to increase incentives for providers to innovate service delivery and improve outcomes
- First Nations and remote communities: $7.6 million to pilot approaches to partner with communities to improve access to supports in remote and First Nations communities
- Fraud: $48.3 million to crack down on fraud and non-compliant payments in the Scheme and to develop a business case for new IT platforms and systems to detect and prevent fraud and non-compliant payments.
Additional budget information can be found in The Hon Bill Shorten MP budget media release and the budget website here.
One of the key messages from the government is that there will be an increasing focus on ensuring providers are doing the right thing in regard to providing quality supports to their NDIS participants. Measures around: improving outcomes for supported independent living, eliminating unethical practices and introducing system reform to ensure the viability of the scheme will have a huge impact on the NDIS sector in the near future.
We would urge all providers to look at their quality management systems to ensure they are effective in supporting and safeguarding your participants.
If you require any assistance understanding your NDIS obligations or require documentation please contact us on 0478 616 207 or info@engelsfloyd.com for a complimentary consultation.
NDIS Provider Spotlight
The NDIS Commission is promoting on their website NDIS providers who exhibit good and innovative practices in their operations when delivering quality and safe supports and services to their participants. The initiative is called the Provider Spotlight.
The Provider Spotlight is not intended to be an endorsement of a provider’s overall activities, but instead focuses on a particular incident or activity which the Commission believes may be beneficial to share with other providers.
All NDIS providers are encouraged to share their approaches and innovations to support delivery and participant engagement by emailing communications@ndiscommission.gov.au.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, we encourage NDIS providers to have a look at what other providers are doing and reach out to the Commission if you feel like you are doing something well that other providers may benefit from.
