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NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME (NDIS)

The NDIS is being rolled out across the country, with many states already providing NDIS services. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a new way of providing people with a disability care and services that help them to achieve their goals and participate in the community. Each participant in the scheme develops a plan with a Local Area Coordinator that is derived from goals they would like to achieve. The plan is then developed in to an individual budget which is set out in the following areas:

• Core – (every day) support
• Capital – (improving access and independence) support
• Capacity Building – (improve skills and independence) support

The three support categories are then divided in to more specific supports:

• Core – Daily activities, social, community & civic participation, consumables, transport. The Core supports budget is not prescriptive and can be used flexibly based on the participants wants and needs.
• Capital – Assistive technology, home modifications. This funding is not flexible and must be used as agreed in a participants planning meeting.
• Capacity Building – Daily activity, choice and control, employment, social community and civic participation, health and well being, home living, lifelong learning, relationships and support coordination. This funding can be used flexibly as aligned to a participants goals.

To provide services under the NDIS, you must be registered as an approved provider and undergo “Third Party Verification” successfully. As part of the Home Caring Group, we will provide assistance to obtain such licensing. Circumstances where you may provide services when not registered include if the participant has another organisation managing their plan, or they are managing their own plan.

If the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) is managing the participants plan, the provider must be registered to start services. The NDIA sets out the price guide that registered providers must follow if providing services to an NDIA managed participant. The price guide is updated annually.

To access the NDIS, participants must be living in an area that has already rolled out NDIS services, must be 65 years or younger at time of application, live in Australia and be a citizen or hold a permanent Visa, have a disability that meets criteria as set out by NDIA and in some cases must meet early intervention requirements.

The NDIS is relatively new and has not yet been rolled out Australia-wide. As of December 2017, 140,000 Australians were benefitting from the scheme. The expected number of people accessing the scheme at full roll out will grow to more than 475,000 – huge potential for service providers to continue to grow their business!

HOME CARE PACKAGES – CONSUMER DIRECTED CARE

Home Care Packages are designed to assist people over 65 to continue to live independently in their own homes. Home Care Packages are now implemented with individual budgets, depending on the needs of the client. The government provides a daily subsidy for consumers to spend on their care needs. Their expenses are delivered and managed by a service provider and must be based on goals.

The service provider may set fees such as initial assessment fee, administration fee and case management fee.

This information must be transparent and provided to the client before they agree to sign up with the provider. The provider must also provide monthly statements which give clear information on where the funds are being directed, including money in (government subsidy and client fees) and money out (expenses including direct care services, consumables and administration fees).

The client must be assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) and made eligible before they are able to access a Home Care Package. To receive assessment from ACAT, the client must register with My Aged Care.

A client can register through My Aged Care by calling the contact centre on 1800 717 445.

The ACAT assessor will assess and approve eligible people as requiring different levels of care:

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3
• Level 4

Clients may also be eligible for extra funds if they require specialised care including Dementia Care and Oxygen or Enteral feeding.

All Home Care Packages must be delivered on a Consumer Directed Care basis which means that the care and services provided must meet the needs and wishes of the client receiving the package. There are things that a Home Care Package cannot provide which include services that a person without a disability or frailty would be expected to pay (rent, fees, food, medication and more).

In 2016, there were around 3.7 million Australians aged over 65. By 2056, it is expected that this number will grow to 8.7 million (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare). The government responds to this projected increase in over 65’s population by emphasizing the importance of staying at home and increasing funding to in-home services. The growing market and demand for in home services presents a perfect opportunity to join an already successful group, dedicated to providing quality care and innovative services to their clients.

PRIVATE SERVICES

As part of the Home Caring group, you can also offer private services. People who are not eligible for NDIS or Home Care Package funding may opt for these services. These services can be provided on a short term or ongoing basis and include similar activities, but with no government funding attached.

Home Caring Group believes that all of its clients, whether through NDIS, Home Care Package or private services are at the centre of our work and aim to provide them with exceptional service throughout their experience with us.

Browse through the other pages on this web site and if you are interested in getting more information, please complete the enquiry form on the Contact Us page.