South Australia first to deliver NDIS through public sector employee-led mutual

Federal Minister for Families and Social Services, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, and South Australia Minister for Human Services, Michelle Lensink, today announced South Australia Government’s Child and Youth Services (CYS) has become the first public sector staff in Australia to form their own employee-led mutual to deliver National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for ECEI services throughout the state.

A new organisation, Kudos Services, has been formed after CYS staff decided to join together to create the mutual. As CYS was the existing NDIS Partner delivering ECEI services in the state, there will be a smooth transition to the new organsiation, ensuring participants continue to receive supports.

Minister Fletcher congratulated everyone involved in the process and praised CYS staff in their commitment to delivering the NDIS in South Australia.

“The creation of Kudos Sevices through an employee mutual is another milestone in the delivery of the world-leading NDIS for people with a disability across Australia,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The NDIS is one of the most important social reforms in Australian history, not only delivering improved outcomes for people with disability, but driving economic benefits by creating new business and employment opportunities.

The Australian Government is providing $47 million for ECEI services in South Australia and the NDIS is expected to boost the local economy by $740 million and create more than 5,000 new jobs in disability services to the state.

Minister Lensink said the new public-sector employee mutual was a significant step for the state government.

“There were a number of options considered to deliver the best outcomes for our staff and for people with disability. However, an employee-led mutual provided an exciting opportunity to our highly qualified, professional workforce including many allied health professionals in disciplines including physiotherapy, speech pathology, social work, developmental education, psychology and occupational therapy, who have been working in partnership with the NDIA since 2013, when the NDIS was introduced in South Australia,” Ms Lensink said.

“Staff decided to join together to create Australia’s first public sector employee-led mutual. They can continue working with their existing clients as well as be involved as voting members in making decisions about how the organisation is run.

“The mutual will also support the growth and development of disability services for children and young people in South Australia.

“More than 70 per cent of the former CYS staff made the decision to join the mutual, demonstrating the strong commitment from existing staff to the new organisation.

“Of the 112 staff, 106 of them are women, making the mutual an outstanding example of women’s leadership and enterprise.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in establishing the mutual, especially those who provided vital support and advice during the transition as well as those who continue to provide valuable leadership and governance as executive and board members of Kudos Services.”

Since launching in 2013 at four trial sites, the NDIS has grown to supporting more than 200,000 Australians, including around 60,000 people who are now receiving support for the very first time.

The NDIS is fully operational in South Australia, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, with ongoing roll-out in remaining states and territories.

To learn more about NDIS Early Childhood Services in South Australia, visit www.ndis.gov.au or www.kudosservices.com.au/