Started 23/07/2010
14
days to go
Disability Care and Support
The Productivity Commission is examining how the current system of disability services might be replaced with a new national disability care and support scheme.
Previous reviews of services for people with disability have identified issues relating to levels of support, and that the system doesn’t take account of the needs of young people with disability, particularly when those needs are often changing quickly.
The Commission wants to know how to build a better system. They would like to hear your ideas about the features of a new long-term disability care and support scheme, based on your own experiences as a person with a disability or family member, friend, work or schoolmate of a person with a disability.
- What are your general experiences with disability and what would they mean for the design of a new scheme?
- What are the priority areas for reform? What requires most attention and action in order to improve the lives of young people with disability?
- What is the best approach for determining who gets what and when?
- Have you had timely access to necessary aids and appliances, and if not, how did this affect you? How could the delivery of aids and appliances be improved?
- How could the new services and arrangements be funded? Do you think that the community should pay a higher Medicare Levy to have a better system? Are there other alternatives?
- Can young people access age appropriate residential care when it’s required? What changes could be made to make residential care settings for young people more age-appropriate?
- How can young people with disability be better supported to make transitions, such as the transition into school, through different levels of schooling, into employment and independent living? What do you plan and how can the system support your hopes?
- In some places, both here and overseas, individuals with a disability are being given a greater say in determining the mix of services that’s best for them. In most cases, individuals are allocated a specific amount of funding based on their assessed needs. They can then choose between a range of options for managing these funds. These include electing to have:
- funds paid directly into their account so they can be used to pay for a range of services which they select,
- their family or guardian manage the funds on their behalf,
- funds sent directly to their nominated service provider, who would then address their requirements.
- Do you think people should have all three options available to them? Are there other ways to give people with disability more power to make their own decisions? Which option would you personally opt for and why? Do you think your choice would change over time and why?
- Are there ways of intervening early to get improved outcomes over people’s lifetimes? How could this be done? Are you aware of examples of early interventions that have improved outcomes, and possibly saved money over the long run?
- Does the administration of disability services and supports need streamlining? For example, have you been subject to multiple assessments, been given the run around, found it hard to find out who can help you or experienced any other problems with the system? How could the system be practically improved?
Share your views and thoughts on these key issues. The outcomes of this AYF online discussion will feed directly into the Commission’s inquiry.
What is this?
The ideas board is your chance to give your opinion about a certain topic that we're interested in. If you have a suggestion for a topic you would like covered you can suggest one here.
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Vote on ideas
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Anonymous -
submitted 5/09/2010
I'm not too sure what the current system is...but if we are going to 'replace it with a new national scheme' it could decrease the standards of 'the system'...And by the way, i don't really like the word 'scheme', i think that perhaps it can rather suggest that the government is going to think about doing it for a while before actually taking some action. Having the 'national' thing also may prove to be a problem, we all know that the government does not have ample money to give away to provide the BEST. Having the federal gov. as the primary source may not prove too good and only give satisfactory service/benefits. I think that each STATE government should tailor a system to it's individual conditions and needs (healthcare standards etc may be different in each one) under the umbrella of the federal. Also, I think that this thinking about the transitory issues is a good idea, perhaps a voluntary buddy system can be organised at schools/etc? + fun/good youth groups for teenagers?
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Anonymous -
submitted 18/08/2010
make centrelink easier to deal with.
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Annie -
submitted 10/08/2010
I think one of the most important things to provide to young people, be it if they need disability support or not- is to provide them with the opportunity to be independent, autonomous and respected.
We need to let people that have disabilities have a chance to decide some of the most empowering choices most young people have to face- money, education, housing etc. If we don't, a generation of disatisfied, disempowered and dependent people will rise, and the effects will be supremely detrimental.