NDIS support for families and carers
This report gives advice to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Board about the best ways to support families and carers in the NDIS. The Independent Advisory Council (IAC) wrote this advice.
When we say ‘we’, we mean the IAC.
Our recommendations
We recommend the NDIA:
Develop and apply practice advice that supports families to make their own decisions and goals.
Increase support where there is risk of out of home care for children or young people with disability.
Use the term ‘short breaks’ instead of respite.
Help participants and families and carers plan for time apart.
Look at better ways for children and their families to have planning meetings together.
Work with the Department of Social Services to ensure future funding supports a family's vision of an ordinary life and build a family’s skills.
What we found in our research
Most families and carers are happy to have a range of support options for their family members.
Some families feel tired and unseen by the NDIS.
Families and carers of children with disability have higher rates of physical and mental health issues.
Families and carers of children with disability also have barriers to being at work.
There are improved health and wellbeing outcomes and less need for paid support when a family has more informal support.
Families and carers need time and energy to remove barriers and explore options.
Carer feedback is that the way NDIA does not always respond satisfactorily to unplanned events.
Child-centred, family-focused support reduces the risk of out-of-home care.
Families experience less stress when they trust their supports and plan reviews happen quickly.
Families find it hard to find respite options.
Families and carers face major barriers to getting the supports they need.