Issue 79 | 8 December 2006
Consultation submissions
All submissions from the consultation process about proposed changes to the National Disability Advocacy Program have now been received and analysis is underway. A summary of the submissions will be available on the department’s web site in early 2007. This summary will include the key findings of the consultation process, but will not include any data that identifies participants.
Initial findings from the submissions suggest that the proposed changes are broadly supported by stakeholders, but a significant proportion of submissions made further suggestions for improvement.
Most submissions acknowledged the need for change and accept that standard policies and procedures, key performance indicators, the introduction of an external quality assurance system etc, would be useful in improving the program.
The proposed single branding was generally accepted but some stakeholders cautioned that it would only be supported if it was limited to a tag line, as they do not want to lose their own branding and identity. Under the new 18 month funding agreement all advocacy services will be required to use a standard tag line in all letterhead, on web sites, etc (see Item D in the Schedule of the funding agreement). The tag line that must be used is 'Part of the Australian Network of Disability Advocacy Services funded by the Australian Government'.
Reaction to the proposed telephone line was mixed, with some submissions only supportive if the funds for the line were found separately. However, it appears there may have been some confusion about the free call service with some submissions noting that it would not be suitable for some people with disability to use. To clarify, the free call telephone number is not intended to replace face-to-face advocacy services, or stop advocacy services from seeking out vulnerable people with disability in the community. The free call telephone number is intended to provide an additional channel for people with disability to access advocacy services. It will be especially important for people in rural areas that currently do not have easy access to services.
Many submissions were supportive of both the ‘citizen advocacy’ model and specialist providers, however the concept of benchmarks for services received a mixed reaction. A small number of submissions rejected the proposals outright.
Funding agreements
The deadline for returning funding agreements to the department is Friday 15 December. If a funding agreement is returned late to the department it may delay the receipt of your January payment.
Important dates to remember
15 December 2006 - funding agreement must be returned
31 January 2007 - advocacy service delivery plan due
30 May 2007 - self assessment due
30 June 2007 - service delivery improvement plan due
July 2007 - exposure draft of tender planned
August 2007 - departmental audit
September 2007 - tender process expected to commence
Reference group
More than 30 nominations have been received for the reference group that will assist the department in developing the proposed changes. The group will meet for the first time in early February 2007 and will assist with the refinement of the Key Performance Indicators and the development of standard policies and procedures. The members of the reference group will be announced in a future edition of disability e-news. The group will represent a diverse spread of interests.
Request for policies and procedures
One of the proposed changes from the review of the National Disability Advocacy Program is the introduction of a standard set of policies and procedures that all services would be asked to follow. The standard set of policies and procedures will be of great assistance to small services that have not had the resources to develop a comprehensive set for themselves.
This standard set of policies and procedures will not be completely prescriptive, but will allow services to tailor the policies and procedures according to local factors. This will help improve consistency in service delivery across Australia and mean that people with disability and their families can have confidence that regardless of which advocacy service they approach, they will receive good quality service.
If you have best practice policies and procedures that you would like considered in the development of the standard set you can send electronic copies to the department. These policies and procedures will be used as a base for the reference group in the development of a standard set for the sector.
Policies and procedures should be emailed to jane.cohen-cramp@facsia.gov.au
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The Cross Sector Initiative Program has completed two assessment rounds, one in June 2006 and one in September 2006, with two projects approved and several more being evaluated and assessed.
Several projects have also been submitted that have not been consistent with the objectives and aims of the Cross Sector Initiative Program. This has led to a review of the guidelines and advice provided, to ensure future project submissions more closely address the program’s intent.
The new Cross Sector Initiative Guidelines and Application Details can be found on the FOFMS literature tab and we invite you to look through the Guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact the Cross Sector Project Officer whose details are provided on the guidelines documentation.
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The first three information and training products developed by Wodonga TAFE in conjunction with Aware Industries have been finalised, and will be mailed to Business Services, Advocacy Services and peak organisations, early in the new year. You should receive two folders:
Further modules are still in the development stage, and will be mailed out to Business Services, Advocacy Services and peak organisations as they are finalised. Two further folders are also under development:
All materials will also be available for download from the FaCSIA website.
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FOFMS will remain open for use by providers who choose not close down over the Christmas period. However, the Case Based Funding and FOFMS Helpdesk will be closed from COB Friday 22 December 2006 until the Tuesday 2 January 2007. It is therefore essential that if you require any support from either Helpdesk, that you contact them before the Christmas shutdown.
Should a service provider encounter an emergency during the Christmas shutdown period, please call the FOFMS Helpdesk on 1800 020 283, leave a message and an officer will return your call.
Please note that payments that fall due between 20 and 30 December will be paid in advance on 18/19 December. All other payments will be made as they fall due.
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2006 has been a busy year for us all. We would like to thank you for all your efforts throughout 2006 and hope that you take the opportunity over the festive season to relax, wind down and refresh yourself for 2007. FaCSIA would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy festive season and a happy New Year when we look forward to working with you all then.
The first issue of disAbility enews for 2007 will be distributed on Monday 29 January 2007.
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Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program or to let us know what you think of this e-newsletter.
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Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
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