WA NDIS My Way Reference Group Progress Report

Transcription

1 Report to end of April Governance Joint Steering Committee LSW Local Advisory Panel Legislation 2. Operations Evaluation Mental Health ICT Quality 3. Communications and Engagement Advertising Campaign Sector Network Web 4. Implementation Disability Reform Directorate Lower South West Perth Hills 5. Abbreviations, acronyms and terminology Contact Claire Harding NDIS Strategic Support Officer Disability Services Commission P a g e

2 1. Governance Joint Steering Committee First meeting held 28 April 2014 Protocols established and standard agenda items agreed Following the signing of the Bilateral and National Partnership Agreements, the inaugural Joint Steering Committee meeting was convened on 28 April At this meeting the Committee established protocols going forward, including agreement on standard agenda items and member responsibilities. The next meeting is scheduled for the end of July LSW Local Advisory Group Membership established First meeting to be held 12 May 2014 The first meeting of the LSW Local Advisory Group will take place in Busselton on 12 May WA NDIS My Way Regional Director John Thomson will Chair the group, which will be responsible for providing feedback and advice to the WA NDIS My Way Reference Group on the implementation of the WA NDIS My Way trial in the local area. Membership includes local DSC staff, Disability and Mental Health consumers, as well as carers and family members, representatives from disability, mental health and mainstream service providers and local government / community representatives. Related documents - LSW Local Advisory Group Terms of Reference Legislation Disability Services Amendment Bill 2014 passed in Legislative Assembly Bill currently being reviewed before returning to Legislative Council The Disability Services Amendment Bill 2014 was passed in the Legislative Assembly on 8 April P a g e

3 The Bill is now being reviewed by the Standing Committee on Uniform Legislation and Statutes Review. It is expected to return to the Legislative Council in the week beginning 10 June 2104 and be assented shortly after. 2. Operations Evaluation Tender briefing held 7 April 2014 Tender for WA Independent Comparative Evaluators closed 28 April 2014 Strong market interest received A tender briefing for the procurement of the WA Independent Comparative Evaluator/s was held 7 April There was strong market interest, with 17 respondents attending. The tender closed on 28 April The Commission is currently exploring options to reduce the timeframe between selection of the successful contractor and contract award in order for the contractor to commence as soon as possible. Mental Health Two workshops held in Busselton Future partnership protocols in development DSC grant process for mental health sector funding close to completion Two key workshops were held in Busselton mid-april and May Attendees included My Way Coordinators in the LSW, senior representatives from the Disability Services Commission, Mental Health Commission, Community Mental Health Services and South West Mental Health Clinical Services. The workshops provided an opportunity for attendees to discuss protocols for effective partnerships into the future. The grant process to enable mental health service providers to receive DSC funding during the WA NDIS My Way trial is close to completion. ICT Construction contract procurement process complete ICT work stream underway 3 P a g e

4 Commission access checker being developed for WA NDIS My Way The Construction contract procurement process is complete with Birchman Group securing the contract. The ICT work stream to determine system requirements for data capture and reporting is in progress and progressing well. There is a separate process underway to develop a WA NDIS My Way access checker on the Commission s website called Am I Eligible? It allows users to progress through a questionnaire to assess possible eligibility for the WA NDIS trials. This is planned to go live in late May/early June Quality Policy approved, safeguarding paper circulated Stakeholder/sector engagement continuing Training schedules being developed WA quality assurance work continues to progress with policy approved and a safeguarding paper circulated to key stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement, sector participation and the documenting of updates to procedures and processes is underway. A training developer has been contracted to develop training resources. Negotiations have commenced with a sector provider to undertake awareness raising, education and training across the sector next financial year. 3. Communications and Engagement Information and Media Campaign Procurement process for media agency is complete New WA NDIS My Way branding agreed The procurement process for a media agency is complete and the first meeting with the successful agency was held on 9 May The campaign will run across TV, radio, print and digital platforms in targeted regions across regional Western Australia. 4 P a g e

5 A new logo for WA NDIS My Way has been approved by the Commission s Executive team and will feature in the media and information campaign, the website and any other material relating to WA NDIS My Way. Sector Network April enewsletter distribution increases Second sector network meeting held The April edition of the enewsletter has been distributed to the sector and made available on the Commission s website. Distribution improved by 20% due to sector network cross-communication and increased enewsletter sign-up rates from the website. The second sector network was held on 8 May The group discussed further the effectiveness of various communication tools and channels between the Commission and the sector. Web New evaluation page added Visited pages on the rise New information continues to be added to the Commission s WA NDIS My Way website as work progresses in the lead up to trial commencement; the latest of which is a new page on the WA Independent Evaluation. Web statistics from 25 March to 7 May 2014 Most visited pages: 1. WA NDIS My Way 898 visits 2. WA NDIS My Way model 462 visits 3. Lower South West 200 visits 4. Implementation Disability Reform Directorate Recruitment of engagement officers on hold govt recruitment freeze Finance and reporting person appointed 5 P a g e

6 Additional capacity is required to facilitate the roll out of WA NDIS My Way in the LSW and ensure a smooth transition to NDIA in the Perth Hills. Two Engagement Officers positions have been identified, but due to the public sector recruitment freeze, this process is on hold. A full time finance and reporting person has been appointed to the Reform team. From 19 May 2014, Gary Meyers will formally join the Disability Reform directorate as Director, Funding and Reporting. Gary s high level skills and experience in finance will support the development and implementation of the funding systems required to implement the WA NDIS My Way model and to ensure the smooth transition to the NDIA in the Perth Hills. Lower South West Recruitment process complete, affected by public sector recruitment freeze An Allied Health Consultant and a second Area Manager were recruited and due to start in late April/early May However, the public sector recruitment freeze has delayed this process. It is hoped that appointments will be able to progress very soon. Perth Hills Public meeting planned for 12 May 2014 Planning with NDIA is ongoing with regular meetings Participant flow arrangements finalised The Executive Director of the Disability Reform Directorate will attend a public meeting on 12 May 2014 in the Perth Hills regarding the transition from My Way to NDIS NDIA. The Commission and NDIA have agreed on the approach to transitioning people in the Perth Hills for the NDIS trial. This is awaiting endorsement by the Commonwealth Government. The NDIA State Manager and key staff from the Commission continue to meet regularly to plan for operations in the Perth Hills after 1 July P a g e

7 1. Abbreviations, acronyms and terminology Bilat Bilateral Agreement C-K Cockburn Kwinana Commission Disability Services Commission DRD Disability Reform Directorate GCU Government Communications Unit LSW Lower South West MHC Mental Health Commission MOU Memorandum of Understanding MWC My Way Coordinator NDIA National Disability Insurance Agency NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme NPA National Partnership Agreement ToR Terms of Reference VSA Variation to service agreements WA NDIS My Way the two trial sites being implemented by the State Government in the LSW and C-K 7 P a g e