First step on long road to reform
09/03/2012
The State Government has today made an excellent first step on the long road to disability reform, says Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent.
Minister for Disabilities Ian Hunter MLC today announced that more than 2000 South Australians with disabilities will be invited to manage their own disability services funding.
“I am really excited about the opportunity for a better life these 2000 people will have,” said Ms Vincent.
“Being allowed to decide how their services money is spent will give them the control to make decisions which fit in around their life and their needs. Gaining this control for the disability community is a fundamental aim of Dignity for Disability, and self-managed funding is something I have been pushing for since first elected to Parliament.
“I am also pleased that this announcement shows the Government finally beginning to understand that the best person to make decisions about disability services is the person receiving them.”
The transition to self-managed funding will require an intensive change in the way services are administered, both within Government Departments and in private service agencies.
The current method of contracting and payment between the Government department and private service agencies will be made redundant by self-managed funding, so a new system will need to be developed and rolled out.
“For the clients with disabilities to truly benefit from the self-managed funding being offered, the Government will need to adequately prepare their own departments and support the private sector.
“I have already heard concerns from within the disability sector that support has not been forthcoming, so I am calling on the Government to commit to properly resourcing this whole-of-system change.”
