The Reference Group connected with the community to find out about issues that affect them.

The Reference Group members shared these issues with the NDIA.

An advocate is someone who can:

• support you
• help you have your say
• give you information and advice.

Advocates shared that some participants still don’t know how the NDIA decides what supports they need.

Participants are people with disability who take part in the NDIS.

Participants don’t know because:

• the NDIA doesn’t always make decisions in the same way

• information about funding is not clear.

Funding is the money from your plan that pays for the supports and services you need.

The NDIA says participants don’t take part in deciding how much funding they receive to reach their goals.

This is a decision the NDIA makes.

But Reference Group members shared that this goes against one of the NDIS’s key ideas.

Participants should be part of planning what supports they need to reach their goals

Members explained that some providers always charge the highest amount for their services.

Providers support people with disability by delivering a service.

They charge this amount no matter what support a participant needs.

And this causes funding problems for:

• participants

• the NDIS.

Members shared that some people with psychosocial disability find it harder to become NDIS participants.

A psychosocial disability affects your mental health.

It can affect how you:

• think
• feel
• deal with other people.

This happens because there isn’t enough information about how to support people with psychosocial disability.

And it makes it harder for them to get the support they need.

Members shared that plans should be easier for participants to read.

For example, by using plain language.

Members explained that the NDIA should be clearer when they talk to participants about their plan review.

This would help stop more issues in the future.

When the NDIA reviews a plan, they check to see what:

• works well
• can be better.

For example, explaining that they get new funding every 12 months.

And how this might affect the supports they use.

Members also shared that sometimes the NDIA will cancel review meetings without a reason.

Reference Group members explained that the NDIA should think about which providers can support participants with restrictive practices.

Restrictive practices are actions that stop people from:

• moving
• doing what they want.

Providers might use these to stop participants hurting themselves or others.

Some people say it’s better for a participant to get this support from providers that aren’t registered with the NDIS.

When a service provider is registered, it means they:

• can provide services for people who take part in the NDIS

• must follow certain rules the NDIS set.

Members shared there is not enough clear information about how much supports can cost.

For example, how much supports cost when they’re not in-person.

Members explained there are issues for children with disability who can’t live at home with their family.

This includes issues with the way workers from different services:

• support children during these times

• work together.

When these issues happen, it can make it harder for workers to get the right information.

And this can make it harder to support them quickly.

Members shared that some participants feel like they can’t ask to change who makes their NDIS plan.

They feel like they don’t get to choose supports that make them feel safe.

Members shared that the NDIA have been finding good ways to support more people with disability to use assistive technology.

Assistive technology might be an aid or piece of equipment.

It can:

• make it easier to do things, including in your home

• keep you safe.

Reference Group members explained that there is not enough good housing for people with disability.

Members shared that people want more information about home and living supports for when people leave hospital.

This includes when young people with disability leave hospital.

They also shared that there needs to be better communication between the:

• health care services

• NDIS services.

Members explained that people want better supports from specialist disability accommodation (SDA).

SDA is housing for people with disability who need extra support most of the time.

And they also want better supports from supported independent living (SIL).

SIL is help with day-to-day tasks around your home so you can:

• do things for yourself
• learn new skills.

This includes decisions the NDIA makes about these supports.

These decisions often affect First Nations peoples the most.

Members explained that people also want the NDIA to work with other services to support people with disability at risk of becoming homeless.

People who are homeless do not have a home.

They must find a place to sleep each night.

Members explained that some participants don’t speak up about decisions for home and living supports in their plan.

Participants worry they will lose supports from their plan if they do.

Members shared there are issues when participants leave SDA.

Sometimes when people leave it affects other participants in the SDA.

This includes people with complex needs who get more care.

And some people who get SDA on their own are being moved to group homes.

This means they live with other people who also need SDA support.

The NDIA has rules about how much NDIS supports can cost.

And they review this each year.

Members explained people worry that the rules about cost will be too low for SDA.

This will affect how SDA providers support participants.

Individualised Living Options (ILO) is a way of setting up the support you want at home.

Members shared that participants should get more funding for ILO supports since the cost of living is higher.

The rules about cost went up 9% for SIL last year.

But ILO didn’t go up at all.