Feds finally dance to Piccolo’s tune
11/12/2015
Friday, 11th December 2015
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent – Media statement
Feds finally dance to Piccolo’s tune
Dignity for Disability MLC, Kelly Vincent says although it’s a relief that the bi-lateral funding agreement to enable more South Australian children with disabilities to access services under the NDIS has now been signed, it’s been too long coming.
“This is a welcome announcement, of course. Yet Dignity for Disability had hoped that, for the sake of the children and families concerned, this squabble could have been sorted out in a more timely manner,” said Ms Vincent.
“There have been errors in the estimation of the number of South Australian children eligible under the scheme, and this has led to the funding shortfall and the delay. The human face of this is children stuck in limbo between the old Disability SA state funding system and the new NDIS and this has left families baffled, confused and in some cases out of pocket – for those families who have been able to pay for services themselves.
“Today’s signing will come as a huge relief to so many families, and they will be very keen to get back on track with planning meetings as soon as possible.
“The next challenge is working through the issues around service delivery, because Dignity for Disability know it is not a straightforward matter of a child being able to receive therapy services under the NDIS at school because in some cases there is physically no space for therapists to work with students. In other cases schools will not permit private therapists to work on their sites. The importance of early investment in children’s therapy and the advantage this gives to the rest of their school career must not be undervalued. We have to solve this roadblock.
“Challenges are always going to come up with the implementation of such a gigantic scheme as the NDIS. The ongoing commitment of both the South Australian Government and the Federal Government to support the right to services for people with disabilities remains strong, and I welcome the opportunity to continue to work with government to ensure the best outcomes for all people with disabilities,” said Ms Vincent.
