Useful information and resources
DHS Disability Services News - 28 April 2023
Update as at 28 April 2023
Thank you to those of you who were able to join us at our recent forums that were held in Adelaide South and Adelaide North. It was great to see so many of you in person, discuss the transition process to receive services under the NDIS and answer your questions about the process. We are hosting another series of forums in a few weeks’ time which will be focused on DHS Disability Services Service Agreements and the services that you can receive from us under the NDIS.
NDIS Plans
Many of you have advised us you have taken part in a planning session with the NDIA and from this received a finalised NDIS plan. The plan will also contain Home and Living information, defining the support ratios, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) levels and intensity of supports necessary for each client. We only receive a copy of the new NDIS Plan and the Home and Living Support letter if it is provided by you. Once you receive the Home and Living Support letter or the new plan, we ask you to please share these documents with us so we can work with you to define what support and services we can deliver to your family member or friend.
The below graphic is an indication of the process that clients and decision makers are currently or will go through, transitioning to receiving services under the NDIS. This graphic is a general guide and these steps may be in a different sequence for some clients.
Services DHS Disability Services is registered to deliver
Over 2023 we have been speaking to you about the different service areas we can now deliver because we are NDIS registered. In an NDIS Plan, funding has been separated into three separate categories – core supports, capacity building supports and capital supports. We want to explain how the services we deliver, can be funded through the NDIS Plan.
Core Supports
Core Supports help you with everyday activities, your current disability related needs and to work towards your goals.
Where you have appropriate funding you can access the following core supports delivered by DHS Disability Services.
- Supported Independent Living
- Community Participation
- Transportation
Capacity Building Supports
Capacity Building Supports help build your independence and skills to help you pursue your goals.
Where you have appropriate funding you can access the following capacity building supports, delivered by DHS Disability Services.
- Specialist Support Coordination and Support Coordination
- Positive Behaviour Supports
- Access to nursing supports and allied health professionals
Capital Supports
Capital Supports include higher-cost pieces of assistive technology and equipment and funding for one-off purchases you may need.
Where you have appropriate funding you can access the following capital supports, delivered by DHS Disability Services.
- Assistive technology and equipment
We have been delivering many of these services to our clients under our current “in-kind” funding arrangements for many years. To continue delivering these services under the NDIS, we have had to undertake an accreditation process through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissions. This process in now complete and we are fully registered to deliver these services.
Service Agreements
For NDIS Participants we support, who have a new NDIS Plan and there is agreement that it includes appropriate supports and funding – you will soon receive a proposed DHS Disability Services, Service Agreement. Your service agreement with DHS Disability Services will explain the services that will be provided by us and how they will be delivered. It includes details such as the start and end dates of the service, the frequency of the services, cost, payment arrangements, and responsibilities of the participant and us, as the service provider. Service Agreements help to ensure that participants receive high-quality, safe, and effective support services and there is a clear understanding about the support that will be delivered, by both parties.
Once we have shared the Service Agreement with you, you will have time to consider it and we will organise a time to meet with you to discuss it in greater detail. During this conversation you can discuss the services you would like DHS Disability Services to deliver. This meeting is an opportunity for you to ask questions, seek clarification and make changes. If you are happy with the proposed Service Agreement, it is also an opportunity to provide consent to the agreement.
We will be speaking about service agreements in more detail at our upcoming May forums, you can RSVP your attendance to your preferred location further down in this newsletter.
Joe Young
Executive Director, DHS Disability Services
Sarah White
Director, DHS Disability Services
Julie Rogers
Director, Quality and Clinical Services, DHS Disability Services
The next in-person DHS Disability Services Forums
Please RSVP for our upcoming in-person Forums to be held in Mount Gambier, Adelaide North and Adelaide South.
Date and time | Location | |
---|---|---|
May | ||
Thursday 4/05/23 | 5:00pm – 6:30pm | Mount Gambier DHS Disability Services 9 Elizabeth Street, Mount Gambier |
Thursday 11/05/23 | 12:30pm - 2:00pm | Adelaide South Marion Hotel 849 Marion Road, Mitchell Park |
Thursday 25/05/23 | 12:30pm – 2:00pm | Adelaide North Gepps Cross Hotel 560 Main North Road, Blair Athol |
Save the Date for June webinar
Monday 19 June - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Link to forum will be shared soon
New Behaviour Support Plans and changes to management of restrictive practices
In our March newsletter, we outlined some changes to the reporting of Restrictive Practices, aligned with the new South Australian Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme and our requirements under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
A restrictive practice is any practice that limits the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. People we support sometimes need restrictive practices to keep them or the community safe.
Clients in our service with a history of behaviours of concern or restrictive practices will have a new Positive Behaviour Support Plan developed by a registered behaviour support practitioner.
We have a number of practitioners within DHS Disability Services and we are also engaging with external providers to make sure that all clients in need of a plan receive one in a timely manner.
A behaviour support practitioner will consult with the client, their family and guardians, and their support staff to create a Behaviour Support Plan and discuss relevant restrictive practices.
The graphic below shows the new steps for reporting Restrictice Practices.
If a client’s Behaviour Support Plan includes restrictive practices, DHS will seek authorisation to use that practice through the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme. Under the new scheme, families and decision-makers cannot authorise the use of a restrictive practice. However, your views will be taken into consideration during this process, and you will be provided with an authorisations statement of the restrictive practices that have been authorised
A DHS Disability Services team member will be in contact with you directly, to inform you about the process and invite you to participate.
Once a new plan is in place, decision-makers will receive a written notice report every three months, outlining the restrictive practices that have been used in that time.
It is important to note that the use of restrictive practices in our homes is not new. The change is in the way that DHS Disability Services is required to seek authorisation, record and report restrictive practices. These new requirements are about supporting the rights of our clients, adding in accountability, and reducing the need for restrictive practices all together.
If you have any questions before you are contacted by a DHS Disability Services team member, please call 1800 952 962 (and then press 3). You can also read more about the South Australian Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme on the sa.gov.au website.
NDIS Mid-term Registration Audit – Opt-out process
We are currently undertaking an assessment under the NDIS Practice Standards & Quality Indicators to meet our NDIS registration requirements.
The audit is undertaken in two stages. The first is a desktop process, the second part are interviews with clients, their supporters, like families and decision-makers, and staff.
If you have any question, or you would like to opt-out of this interview process, please contact us by emailing DHSDisabilityServices@sa.gov.au or calling 1800 952 962 by 1 August 2023.
Updating your contact details with us
With many changes happening this year – we have lots of reasons to be in regular contact with you.
We regularly update the DHS Disability Services Family Update page on the DHS website and we are also sending newsletters by email. If it has been a while since you updated your contact details with the service, you can do this by speaking with your Service Coordinator or calling 1800 952 962 (and then press 3).
How to contact us
If you have any queries you can:
- Contact your Service Coordinator or Team Leader
- Email us at AccomFeedback@sa.gov.au
- Phone us on 1800 952 962 (and then press 3)
If you know another family member or friend who would like to receive this e-newsletter, please encourage them to sign up via the DHS website or phone 1800 952 962.
DHS Disability Services - Family Forum - 30 March 2023
Update as at 30 March 2023
Thank you to everyone who joined our online Family Forum last week. It was great to have so many of you join in and hear about the next steps to support your loved one or friend to receive services delivered under the NDIS. We acknowledge this is a very busy time and thank you for taking the time to attend these forums.
We understand that a number of you have now had a planning meeting with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), as many of you informed us of this and we have now received some new NDIS Plans from you. We are not provided with the new NDIS Plan unless it is provided by you. These are important for us to continue to provide services to your friend or family member in line with their goals. So if you have not yet shared these NDIA documents with us, please email a copy to DHSDisabilityServices@sa.gov.au. If you have any questions, please call 1800 952 962 (and press 3).
Importantly, if you feel your friend or family member‘s NDIS Plan or Home and Living Support letter does not represent their support needs, please speak with your DHS Disability Services Service Coordinator, so that we can support further discussions with the NDIA.
Developing a Service Agreement
After an NDIS Plan is prepared by the NDIA, DHS Disability Services will develop a new Service Agreement for your consideration. This will define the supports funded by your new NDIS Plan, and who will deliver these services.
As an NDIS provider, we now have a number of services that NDIS Participants can access through DHS Disability Services: These include:
- Home and living supports – referred to as Supported Independent Living or SIL – provided by qualified disability support workers
- Community participation – personalised regular outings and activities in the community
- Positive behaviour supports – addressing behaviours of concern
- Access to nursing supports and allied health professionals – including nurses, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists and dieticians
- Specialist Support Coordination and Support Coordination – ensuring access and coordination of supports
- Transportation – access to vehicles for client appointments and activities
- Assistive technology and equipment - we have previously provided in the past and will offer maintenance and new assistive technology and equipment.
In our upcoming forums we will be speaking in more detail about client’s Service Agreements and the services DHS Disability Services are registered to deliver to clients under the NDIS. You can register your attendance to a suitable forum location further down in this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you at one of these events.
Joe Young
Executive Director, DHS Disability Services
Sarah White
Director, DHS Disability Services
Julie Rogers
Director, Quality and Clinical Services, DHS Disability Services
The next in-person DHS Disability Services Forums
Please RSVP for our upcoming in-person Forums to be held in Adelaide North and Adelaide South. Please note the location change from the pervious, save the date information.
Date and time | Location | |
---|---|---|
April | ||
Thursday 13/04/23 | 11:00am – 12:30pm | Adelaide North Coopers Alehouse Gepps Cross 560 Main North Road, Blair Athol |
Monday 17/04/23 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm | Adelaide South Marion Hotel 849 Marion Road, Mitchell Park |
Save the Date for May Forums
Mount Gambier - Thursday 4 May
Adelaide South - Thursday 11 May
Adelaide North - Thursday, 25 May
How to contact us
If you have any queries you can:
- Contact your Service Coordinator or Team Leader
- Email us at AccomFeedback@sa.gov.au
- Phone us on 1800 952 962 (and then press 3)
If you know another family member or friend who would like to receive this e-newsletter, please encourage them to sign up via the DHS website or phone 1800 952 962.
DHS Disability Services - Family Forum - 30 March 2023
Update as at 30 March 2023
On Thursday, 30 March, a DHS Disability Services Family Forum was held, about the process that clients and decision-makers will experience when tranisitioning to recieving services under the NDIS (see . Information will be shared mainly on the first 3 steps of this process - Functional Capacity Assessment, NDIA making a decision for a Home and Living Outcome and NDIA planning meeting.
Future forums held in April and May will look at the final steps of this process, Service Agreement and Funding based on NDIS Plan.
DHS Disability Services Family Forum video (22 minutes)
Steps to be ready for services under the NDIS
The below graphic is an indication of the process that clients and decision makers are currently or will go through, transitioning to receiving services under the NDIS.
*This graphic is a general guide and these steps may be in a different sequence for some clients.
Functional Capacity Assessment
A Functional Capacity Assessment (or FCA) have or will be soon undertaken for those NDIS Participants we work with, who needed one – ready for their planning sessions with the NDIA.
When all relevant client information is shared with the NDIA, they will then request a planning session meeting with clients and decision-makers.
NDIA Planning meeting
During this meeting, client’s goals will be discussed, along with any recent assessment or plans, and any clients’ history that is relevant to their NDIS plan. All this information will be used to finalise their NDIS plan where client’s goals, supports and funding will be identified.
DHS Disability Services are happy to support clients and decision-makers and attend these planning session meetings with you and the NDIA. Please contact us to organise this via DHSDisabilityServices@sa.gov.au or call 1800 952 962 (and then press 3).
If you receive a Home and Living Outcome and/or a new NDIS Plan from the NDIA, that you do not feel represents the support needs of your loved one or friend, please speak with your DHS Disability Services Service Coordinator, so that we can support further discussions with the NDIA.
Please note that participant’s NDIS Plan and their Home and Living Outcome is not shared with DHS Disability Services. We do need this information and welcome you sharing it with us.
DHS Disability Services, Service Agreements – more to come included in future forums
After all relevant information for an NDIS Participant is received and a plan is prepared by the NDIA, a participant’s Service Agreement will be created by DHS Disability Services. The Service Agreement allows DHS Disability Services (and other providers) to deliver services in line with participant’s plans - community participation is an example of this.
Clients and decision-makers can choose to use DHS Disability Services for services that we are registered to deliver - please see the full list below.
Services DHS Disability Services is registered to deliver
- Home and living supports – referred to as Supported Independent Living or SIL – provided by qualified disability support workers
- Community participation – personalised regular outings and activities in the community
- Positive behaviour supports – addressing behaviours of concern
- Access to nursing supports and allied health professionals – including nurses, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists and dieticians
- Specialist Support Coordination and Support Coordination – ensuring access and coordination of supports
- Transportation – access to vehicles for client appointments and activities
- Assistive technology and equipment – this is a new area of NDIS registration that we are currently being audited for.
Restrictive practices
As a disability services provider, DHS Disability Services is responsible for being open and transparent about any time we use a Restrictive Practice with our clients. In 2022 new legislation came into effect in South Australia which established the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme and outlines:
- how Restrictive Practices are used, if required
- how they are authorised or approved to be used, and
- how they are recorded.
This new legislation means for clients with a Positive Behaviour Support Plan which includes a recommendation of Restrictive Practice(s), we will be providing regular updates about the use of those practices.
If you have any questions about the Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme you can visit www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/disability/restrictive-practices.
If you have a specific question about a Positive Behaviour Support Plan, please email dhs.sbssadmin@sa.gov.au or call 1800 952 962 (and then press 3).
Upcoming DHS Disability Services in-person Forums – we will be inviting NIDA representative to come along to.
Please note change of venue from previous save-the-date information:
- Thursday, 13 April – Adelaide North, Coopers Alehouse Gepps Cross
- Monday, 17 April – Adelaide South, Marion Hotel
- Thursday, 4 May – Mt Gambier
- Thursday, 11 May – Adelaide South
- Thursday, 25 May – Adelaide North
How to contact us
If you have any queries you can:
- Contact your Service Coordinator or Team Leader
- Email us at AccomFeedback@sa.gov.au
- Phone us on 1800 952 962 (and then press 3)
If you know another family member or friend who would like to receive this e-newsletter, please encourage them to sign up via the DHS website or phone 1800 952 962.
COVID-19 information
Australian Government Social Distancing Guidance during COVID-19 (PDF 180.6 KB)
Australian Government Department of Social Services COVID-19 Disability Information and Referrals
SA Health Coronavirus information and updates
NDIS COVID-19 information and easy read resources
COVID-19 phone numbers
Australian Government Coronavirus Health Information Line: Phone 1800 020 080
Disability Information Helpline: Phone 1800 643 787
South Australia COVID-19 Information Line: Phone 1800 253 787 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily)