Individualised Funding in Disability Services: Choice and Decision Making

1. Individualised Funding in Disability Services:Choice and Decision Making Department of Communities (Disability Services) 30 July 2009

2. Policy and Service Context • United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability • National Disability Agreement (2009) • Disability Services Act 2006 • Growing Stronger:Investing in a better disability service system • Introducing tailored service responses for individual needs

3. Individualised Funding as a Continuum of Responses • A tailored person-centred approach aimed at empowering people with a disability with greater choice, flexibility and independence. • Is delivered through a range of funding mechanisms.

4. Individualised Funding in Disability Services • Primarily, individual funding packages are held by a service provider to provide an agreed service to an individual. • The Disability Services Act 2006 specifies that the government can only provide funds to incorporated non-government service providers. • In Queensland, a small number of individuals have met the legal requirements for incorporation, in order to receive direct payments to manage their, or their family member’s, disability support. • Local Area Coordination, particularly to support people in rural and remote communities.

5. Hybrid Funding Model • Combination of: • base block funding for the service provider to deliver shared accommodation support • Individual funding for the person for community access and additional individual care needs. • Seeks to provide more control and portability for the person, as accommodation options are independently viable and not dependent on pooling of individual funding packages.

6. Self-Directed BrokerageFunding Model • A brokerage model of prevention and early intervention for: • children with a disability aged 0-6 years and their families and carers. • young people aged 20-35 years with an acquired physical disability. • The pilot of this model will aim to provide and assess the opportunity for greater choice, flexibility and independence for people with a disability.

7. Research and Evaluation Base • Findings from the evaluation of the Direct Payments Project in Victoria include: • People with a disability, their families and carers are in control of choosing supports. • Resource allocation promotes choice and self determination of the person with a disability. • Planning and co-ordination of supports happens at the local level. • The need to identify quality outcomes for people with a disability, their families and carers who independently purchase services and supports. • The need for education, policies, tools and support to help the person with a disability, their families and carers to manage the purchase and payment of their chosen services and support including accountability requirements.

8. Building on the evidence base • Development of individualised funding models to be considered in the context of firstly, meeting individual needs – using a continuum of funding packages. • Building evidence around benefits and issues of different funding approaches, including supports needed for individuals and service providers. • Continued focus on strengthening the system – equity, quality, viability, standards, transparency, and accountability. • Consideration of legislative context for individualised funding, including self-directed funding.