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March 08 Newsletterb.Pmd Having a Say VALiD Conference Edition March 2008 News HaS 2008 Huge Success!! Auditor General's Conference report inside Damning Report The Auditor General has released a report on the state of SSA (Shared Support Accommodation) in Victoria. It paints a harsh picture and exposes the lack of capacity and competency across the sector. The report states: "...Due to the significant issues identified in this audit, there remains a disconnect between the new support model and the actual delivery of the model by service providers. ... Of particular concern to audit is that the three issues of capacity and expertise of service New Federal Parliamentary Secretary providers, block funding for SSA, and individual for Disabilities and Children's support plans were raised by us in 2000. ... Services, Mr Bill Shorten, MP, went DHS is poorly placed to plan for and manage the out of his way to speak at the opening full extent of its future resourcing requirements. of the 2008 Having a Say conference. This may perpetuate a service system that is reactive and crisis driven. ... Significant issues remain which, unless addressed, will continue to impede the transition from a medical to a social model of support. Capacity and expertise of service providers DHS has not yet conclusively assessed whether the disability sector has the capacity and expertise to adopt the changes (though DHS has identified the need for such an assessment). Nor has it established a strategy to address gaps in capacity or expertise. ... continued page 3 Correspondence to VALID,1 235 Napier St. Fitzroy 3065 Phone: (03) 9416 4003 Facsimile: (03) 9416 0850 Freecall: 1800 655 570 Questions concerning the powers, roles, responsibilities and limitations of these new bodies were thoroughly PRESIDENT'S REPORT explored. VALID was also pleased to host the launch at the The ninth annual Having a Say conference of two new resources: Explore the conference was an outstanding Possibilities, a guide for young people with disabilities success not just in terms of numbers and their families making plans for life beyond school; but in terms of content and interest. and When is a House a Home, a study prepared by self The attendance of Simon Duffy from advocate, Alan Robertson, with the support of Patsi the United Kingdom added an extra Frawley and the LaTrobe University research team, which dimension, providing a push for the highlights the differences between "facilities" and "real individualised funding agenda homes". backed up by strong and practical suggestions. Planning is already underway for next years conference, scheduled for 4th to 6th February 2009. This will be the 10th Sessions conducted by representatives of the Office of the Anniversary of the Having a Say conference so we will be Senior Practitioner and the Disability Services planning a few surprises for the occasion. Commissioner were also very well attended and received. On a more concerning note this newsletter draws attention to the sorry state of supported accommodation services in Victoria with the release of the Auditor General's report. 2008 VALID This comes at an opportune time given State Parliament Committee of Management has recently announced an inquiry into the state of accommodation services for people with disability and people with mental health issues. VALID applauds this initiative and the strong interest and concern that many Members of Parliament have shown in trying to improve the situation. We are hoping that it will be a full and thorough examination of the issues and also look at the plight of people within Supported Residential Services (SRS’s). A recent Community Visitor’s report highlighted that the mix of people with intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and mental illness living in SRS's has contributed to a number of serious incidents. When we talk about From left to right .. issues of unmet need we need to remember it is not just the people on the disability support register waiting to get a Tony McDonald service. It is also about people who do not show up in the Paul van Leuween, Vice President figures who are getting inadequate services or substandard Bob Usas (front) treatment that we also need to be concerned about. Michael Porter (back) Lesley O’Loughlin-Schultz Dot Leigh Graham McBride Dot Leigh, President Contents Kevin Stone (Executive Officer) Matt Dunlop, Vice-President Peter Dibbs, Treasurer President's Report ....................................... 2 Alison Place (not in photo) Auditor Generals report ............................... 3 Margaret Quinn (not in photo) CSTDA ........................................................ 4 Michael Porter (left) and VALID 2008 Committee of Management .... 2 Graham McBride (right) are the two members elected by 2008 Having a Say conference ................... 5 the Self Advocacy forum to Parents as Partners .................................... 9 be on the VALID Committee of Management. Supported Accommodation......................... 11 2 The Auditor’s-General’s Report on Shared Supported Accommodation ...continued from page 1 VALID Says ... Service providers are struggling to meet their existing obligations for supporting residents, The Auditor-General’s Report on Shared Supported particularly in regard to the time required to provide Accommodation (SSA) and related services has once again individualised support. Their capacity to provide highlighted the failure of Government to deliver on the additional individualised support is limited... promises of the State Plan and disability legislation. Like the Performance Audit of 2000, this report exposes the system’s There is considerable variation in staff skills and chronic lack of capacity - and lack of competence. qualifications, which results in variability in It also confirms what everyone has known for many years: service provision... the disability sector is suffering from severe under- investment, cannot address its backlog of unmet needs or its Unmet demand for support future demand, and is having great difficulty maintaining a DHS is unable to provide support for all those requesting stable and appropriately skilled workforce. The report is it (unmet demand is around 1370 people or 30 per cent), timely, given that: State Parliament is about to embark on an yet demand is increasing by around 4 to 5 per cent inquiry into the state of disability accommodation services; annually and DHS has not accurately quantified future the CSTDA is about to be re-negotiated, and; the Federal support needs or the associated need for resources. Government is apparently conceding the need for a fairer The reactive nature of DHS’s response to share of GST revenue for Victoria. accommodation needs, combined with the stringent prioritisation criteria, is likely to continue, and therefore VALID was pleased its Executive Officer, Kevin Stone, was perpetuate a crisis-driven system... invited to provide input and advice to the A-G in preparing this report, and endorses the report’s major findings. Everyone Block funding for SSA in the disability sector is acutely aware of the problems it Funding for SSA is delivered to each service provider identifies, and we’d advise Government not to pretend (per house) in a block, based on the level of support a otherwise. It must own up to the legacy of historical neglect particular house provides. As funding is tied to the and continued under-investment, and get serious about service provider rather than the individual, it reinforces adddressing it. We would also advise people working in a ‘group approach’ to service provision rather than a DHS and the community sector not to become defensive. system that services the needs of the individual... The system’s lack of expertise - e.g. the lack of skill and expertise in implementing policies of person-centred planning Some houses operate from an ‘institution’ mindset, and support - must be tackled head-on. catering for residents’ physical needs rather than operating like a home where residents are At VALID, we believe the problems of the sector will only encouraged to develop an independence limited only be solved by all of us working together collaboratively and by their own capacity. DHS has not assessed the constructively, and we are first to acknowledge the enormous suitability of its houses in regard to the goals of the amount of work and effort that is already taking place to State Disability Plan and the Disability Act 2006. implement the new policy framework of the Disability Act Likewise, operators of CSO houses have not 2006. At the same time, we would be kidding ourselves to assessed the suitability of their houses... believe there is not a long, long way to go, and that unless the issues of capacity and competence are addressed, we are Over the past four years, DHS has created 77 new unlikely ever to get there. facilities to replace unsuitable facilities but has not increased SSA bed capacity. VALID calls on Minister for Community Services, Lisa Neville MP, along with her new Federal colleagues and Individual support plans fellow Victorians, Minister Jenny Macklin, and Parliamentary ... approaches to planning by DHS and CSOs lack Secretary, Bill Shorten, to develop a funding plan that faces consistency and coordination. up to the challenges identified by the Auditor General's The full report is available at the Victorian Auditor damning report. General's Office http://www.audit.vic.gov.au 3 CSTDA Update Communique issued by the meeting of Federal and State Disability Ministers February 1st, 2008 A
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