NDIS Early Intervention: What Might Change in Light of the Review
One in five Australian children has a disability or developmental concernsi, but a range of problems with the way services are delivered mean many of these children are not getting the supports they need at the right time, according to the NDIS Review Report released last December.
The report made several recommendations aimed at improving support delivery for children and their families, which may result in a few changes to NDIS early intervention over the next five years.
We’ll cover the important things to know about them, but first, let’s look at some of the problems identified in the report that make these changes necessary.
Problems with the current NDIS early intervention support system
Here are some key issues surrounding the NDIS early childhood approach that were discussed in the report.
- More young children than expected are entering the scheme.
- Children with disability and developmental delays are not consistently being identified at the time when early intervention supports could have the most impact.
- Many families experience problems accessing the NDIS, including delays, inconsistencies, and decisions based on diagnosis rather than the child’s needs.
- Complexities and inconsistencies with the budget-setting process.
- Lack of support for parents, including limited access to capacity building, peer support, information, and disability-affirming services.
- Difficulties with finding high-quality supports that meet a child’s needs.
- NDIS early childhood early intervention supports are mainly being delivered in clinical settings, rather than the everyday settings where children live, play and learn.
The future: A continuum of supports for children and their families
To address these problems, the review panel made a number of recommendations to better support children and their families. These recommendations are based on the panel’s overarching vision for a future approach where supports are delivered on a continuum.
This continuum would incorporate three levels of supports, which would be delivered both inside and outside of the NDIS.
1. Mainstream supports
Improving access to mainstream activities, programs and services is a key idea in the report. The panel note that “More inclusive and accessible mainstream and community services will not only produce better outcomes for people with disability but can also reduce the need for more specialist supports over time.”
Under a new early intervention approach, mainstream supports would be delivered outside the NDIS and include:
- early identification of children with developmental concerns through developmental monitoring and screening
- access to inclusive education.
NDIS specialist supports would be for children under nine who have higher levels of need
2. Foundational supports
Foundational supports are another important concept in the report, which describes them as “the supports that offer people with disability a foundation to live a good life, included in the community, regardless of whether they are in the NDIS or not.”
The review suggests building on the disability-specific supports already available outside of the NDIS to help people “access the right support at the right time and place.”
In terms of early intervention, foundational supports would include:
- expanded supports and programs for children with emerging developmental concerns and disability
- a capacity building program for parents and caregivers of children with a disability or developmental delay.
3. Specialist supports
These would be delivered through the NDIS to children under nine years of age who have higher levels of need. The report stresses that these supports should be based on evidence and meet best practice standards.How will the new early intervention approach work?
The panel note there will need to be some changes to early childhood intervention service delivery for this vision to work.
A new NDIS early intervention pathway
Accessing the NDIS needs to be fairer, clearer and more consistent for children with higher support needs, the report points out.
Under a new scheme, access would be based on a child’s support needs rather than their diagnosis. There would be greater clarity about the evidence needed to make access decisions, which would be based on a child’s development relative to their peers. Where more evidence is needed, the NDIA would organise and pay for reports.
Budget-setting would involve a needs assessment to determine the supports a child needs to do everyday activities and include information from families and any treating professionals.
Once the budget is set, families would get assistance to find and use supports, which would be based on evidence about what will work best for their child.
NDIS early intervention eligibility
Children who are likely to need lifelong support due to a permanent and significant disability will remain eligible for the NDIS past the age of nine. Families should be notified of this well in advance.
Children who do not have a permanent and significant disability may be funnelled out of the NDIS early childhood approach into mainstream and/or foundational supports, but there will be time to adjust to the changes.
The report recommends children under seven years of age who are receiving services under the current NDIS early childhood approach should have an extended transition out, lasting until they turn nine.
Families should be given at least two years before being asked to take part in any access, support needs assessment or budget processes.
More support for families
The review advises offering two types of support for families.
- A ‘Navigator’ for all families – who would help with finding mainstream services and foundational supports best suited to the child’s needs. For some families, the navigator would replace the help they currently get from support coordinators.
- A ‘Lead Practitioner’ for families with children who have a higher level of need – who would help with coordinating services and supports for the family. Also known as a ‘key worker’, the Lead Practitioner would be an allied health professional who is involved in providing early intervention to support children and families in their homes and educational settings.
Families would connect with their Navigator and Lead Practitioner regularly to check whether supports are working and change them if not.
Greater emphasis on quality
The NDIS early childhood approach was “based on best practice principles for children with disability or developmental concerns.” Under the current scheme, however, services and supports have not always been delivered in line with these principles, the report notes.
To help ensure early intervention NDIS funding is used effectively based on the best available evidence for what works, the review made some further recommendations, including:
- requiring providers who deliver capacity building supports to be registered
- ongoing and consistent review and assessment of how effective early intervention services are for children
- a greater emphasis on family-centred supports delivered in natural settings like home or school.
The report stresses that any changes should be introduced gradually, giving families plenty of time to understand and prepare for them. The panel also emphasises that people with disability and their families should be involved closely in planning and testing new processes to make sure they work well for the people who are impacted by them.
A new NDIS early intervention pathway
At Active Ability, we’ve always been committed to providing the highest quality NDIS early childhood intervention services.
Our experienced, NDIS registered allied health professionals design and deliver therapeutic support programs specifically tailored to the needs and goals of each child – all based on the most up-to-date evidence.
As a mobile service, we only provide therapy in natural settings, such as your home or your child’s school, early education facility, or other community setting.
And we don’t charge for travel, so you don’t have to worry about travel fees eating into your therapy budget.
We work with children who have an intellectual disability, mental health condition, neurological disorder or autism.
A family-centred early intervention approach occurs in everyday settings like home
Our early intervention support services include physiotherapy, exercise physiology and dietetics aimed at helping kids to achieve their NDIS goals.
Learn more about our early childhood intervention services, or please feel free to contact our friendly team with any questions on (02) 8678 7874, hello@activeability.com.au or via our contact form.
REFERENCES:
[i] – iDepartment of Education, Skills and Employment. Australian Early Development Census: National Report 2021. Available at https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2021-aedc-national-report. Accessed online 10/4/2024.
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