NDIS Workforce Strategy Development Underway

The Abbott Government recognises that a strong, responsive and NDIS-ready workforce is key to making a better deal for people with disability a reality.

The Government has kick-started the process for developing a National Disability Insurance Scheme Workforce Strategy with a report into workforce issues.

National Disability Services (NDS) has been contracted to deliver the report. NDS met with the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield last week to identify priority areas.

The NDIS Workforce Strategy will be critical to the Government’s agenda to work with the disability sector to optimise workforce and service provision beyond the trial sites and into full launch.

The rollout of the NDIS will create significant employment demand and opportunities in the disability sector, and the Government is committed to working with the sector to prepare for this change.

The size of the disability workforce will more than double by 2019-20, and importantly, the workforce will need the capacity to respond to the NDIS funding model, which places the consumer at the centre and in control of their funding package.

The Report will have three priority areas:

• supporting and retaining the existing workforce;
• ensuring workforce supply to support people with disability into the future; and
• building the capacity of the workforce to adapt to the new funding model of person-centred choice under the NDIS.

The Report will address workforce needs in the current trial sites, as well as any issues that will develop when full national rollout occurs.

The Final Report will be delivered to Government in August 2014.