Early Intervention Service Provider Newsletter

Issue 7 – November 2017

The Service Provider Newsletter provides updates for Panel members registered for the Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) or the Better Start for Children with Disability (Better Start) programs.

As of November 2017, HCWA and Better Start service providers have delivered almost 3 million services to over 73,000 eligible children to a value of over $596 million. Thank you for your contribution to this impressive achievement.

Please note that underlined headings contain new or updated information

In this issue:

Early Intervention Helpdesk changed contact hours

WA entry into the NDIS

Accessing HCWA or Better Start funding for clients with an NDIA plan in place

Early Childhood Early Intervention Approach

Transition of HCWA and Better Start funding and clients to the NDIS

Becoming an NDIS Provider

Translating and Interpreting Services

Your organisations contact details

Early Intervention Panel Provider Operational Guidelines

Policy reminders and updates

Duty of Care

Contacting DSS

New Helpdesk Hours

The DSS Early Intervention Helpdesk is located in Perth, WA and as of 1 December 2017 its new operating hours are:

· AWST (Perth) time –

Monday Tuesday and Wednesday: 09:30 am to 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Thursday and Friday: 09:30am to 12:00 pm

· Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)–

Monday Tuesday and Wednesday: 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm to 5:30 pmThursday and Friday: 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

· Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time (AEDST first Sunday in October till the first Sunday in April)

Monday Tuesday and Wednesday: 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Thursday and Friday: 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

Western Australia to join the nationally-delivered National Disability Insurance Scheme

The Australian and Western Australian Governments have reached agreement to bring Western Australia into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The agreement replaces the agreement signed in January 2017 by the previous Western Australian Government for a WA administered NDIS.

Western Australians with a disability, as well as their families and carers, now have certainty on the future of the NDIS.

Joining the nationally-delivered NDIS means people with a disability in Western Australia, and right across the country, will have the support they need through a nationally consistent and nationally delivered NDIS.

The announcement reflects the shared commitment by Australian Governments to the NDIS and is the final step towards making the NDIS a truly national scheme.

From 1 July 2018, the National Disability Insurance Agency will assume responsibility for the delivery of the NDIS in WA.

The NDIS will continue to roll out on a geographic basis and will be fully rolled out across Western Australia by 2020.

People already taking part in the WA NDIS will transfer to the nationally delivered scheme in a phased approach from April 2018 and conclude by December 2018.

The Australian and Western Australian governments will work closely with the National Disability Insurance Agency to implement the transition.

Accessing DSS Early Intervention funding for clients with an NDIA plan in place

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) supplies the Department of Social Services (DSS) with data on clients who have an approved NDIA plan in place on a regular basis.DSS ceases the client’s eligibility to DSS Early Intervention programs accordingly. Children with an NDIA plan in place are no longer eligible for support under either the Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) or Better Start for children with a Disability (Better Start) programs.

It is your responsibility to check with the clients’ parent/carer if they have a plan in place before lodging any claims.

Knowingly lodging claims for services delivered where a client has an NDIA plan in place is a breach of your agreement with DSS. It also exposes service providers to the risk of having the claim rejected and or compliance action being taken by DSS. Where applicable notification of the breach will be brought to the attention of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards area.

Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Approach

The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Approach is how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is working with Early Childhood Partners to deliver early childhood intervention for children aged 0-6 years.

The Early Childhood Partners are suitably experienced and qualified organisations with strong local knowledge and understanding of the needs of children and their families to deliver the ECEI services.

The Early Childhood Partner will be the first point of contact for families. The type of supports offered will be different for every child and their family according to their individual needs and circumstances.

The Early Childhood Partner will identify children who require urgent assistance. For children who require more long-term early childhood intervention supports, they will provide assistance to access the NDIS and if eligible, support the development of an NDIS plan. Planning conversations will be managed in line with the agreed phasing schedule in each region. While a family is waiting for a planning conversation, the Early Childhood Partner can provide initial supports, including linkages to mainstream and community services.
Transition of HCWA and Better Start funding and clients to the NDIS

Funding for HCWA and Better Start programs is gradually transitioning to the NDIS. Some areas have already been closed to new registrations for HCWA and Better Start, and others will close as the NDIS is rolled out. Registrations for HCWA and Better Start in NDIS sites close one month after an Early Childhood Partner (ECP) becomes operational in the site. A list of Early Childhood Partners is available on the NDIS website at NDIS ECP locations page.

Families of HCWA and Better Start clients living in an area that has transitioned to the NDIS will be contacted by the Early Childhood Partners or the NDIA, to commence information gathering and to discuss the next steps.

If families are concerned about not being contacted yet by the NDIS or an Early Childhood Partner, they should make contact themselves. Contact details can be found at NDIS Early Childhood Partners.

Please note that Early Childhood Partners have not been established in remote and very remote locations. Families living in these areas will be supported by the NDIS Regional Hub and will need to contact the NDIA through the call centre on 1800 800 110.

Supporting clients with transition to the NDIS

DSS has become aware that some service providers are suggesting to parents they should spend all their funding available under HCWA and Better Start before requesting access to the NDIS. Please ensure you do not encourage families to do this. It can take up to a few months between the family’s initial contact with an Early Childhood Partner and receiving an approved NDIS support plan. If access to the NDIS is delayed until after expending the child’s available HCWA or Better Start funding, there may be a gap in services for the child.

Please encourage families to proceed with the transition as soon as the ECEI approach becomes available in their area.

HCWA and Better Start client and contact person details are being provided to the NDIA every 3 months. This ensures that the NDIA receives data on newly registered HCWA or Better Start clients in a timely manner. It is very important that all current clients contact details, especially street address and phone number in FOFMS are up to date. This ensures that an Early Childhood Partner can make contact with families. Please remind your clients to contact their HCWA Autism Advisor or Better Start Registration and Information Service to update their contact details if needed.

How will the transition to the NDIS work?

As clients transition to the NDIS their Eligibility End Date will be changed in FOFMS to the date their NDIS plan was approved.

Please check if your client remains eligible or has transitioned to the NDIS by reviewing the client’s Eligibility End Date. This date can be found under the ‘EI More Info’ tab. HCWA and
Better Start will not pay for services provided after the child’s eligibility end date. However, you will be able to submit claims for services provided prior to this date.

It is your responsibility to check the client’s eligibility and financial balance from their Client Record in FOFMS before delivering a service.

Becoming an NDIS Provider

Service providers wishing to deliver services to NDIS participants will need to become registered NDIS providers under the NDIS Early Intervention Support for Early Childhood Registration Group. This registration group require specific qualifications and experiences as a prerequisite and must also comply with Quality and Safeguards requirements of the relevant state/territories.

The professions eligible to apply for this registration group are:

· Occupational Therapist

· Psychologist

· Physiotherapist

· Social Worker

· Speech Pathologist

· Teacher

· Developmental Educator

· Audiologist

· Music Therapist

· Counsellor

· Art Therapist

· Orthotists

· Podiatrist

DSS encourages members of the Early Intervention Service Provider Panel (EI Panel) to apply to the NDIS registration group. This will ensure that you are able to continue to provide services to HCWA and Better Start clients after they transition to the NDIS.

Providers not registering with the NDIS will not be able to deliver services to HCWA and Better Start clients who have transitioned to the NDIS and have their individual support plans managed by the NDIA. You can, however, continue to deliver services to HCWA and Better Start clients and to NDIS clients who self-manage their support plan, as these clients can choose to use unregistered providers.

The HCWA and Better Start EI Panel will continue to operate outside of, and in parallel to the NDIS, until the NDIS is fully rolled out. If you wish to deliver services to HCWA and/or Better Start clients, you will still need to be registered on the Panel.

Streamlined registration process

Existing Panel members applying for the NDIS Early Intervention Support for Early Childhood Registration Group will be treated as existing Commonwealth providers and can undertake a streamlined registration process under transition working arrangements with each state and territory. By uploading a copy of a current Panel grant agreement during the registration process, Panel members will not have to undertake any additional quality and safeguarding requirements. However, they will need to continue to adhere to the quality and safeguarding requirements of their grant agreement as a condition of registration, as well as meeting the NDIA Terms of Business for Registered providers.

Panel members wanting to expand their services beyond the NDIS Early Childhood Supports Registration Group will be considered new providers under transition working arrangements for the additional Groups and will need to meet the quality and safeguarding requirements of the relevant state or territory arrangements in relation to these Groups during transition. These requirements may vary between states. See the NDIS Provider Toolkit page for the different state requirements and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Framework and Framework fact sheet for further information..

NOTE: EI Service Provider Panel members who deliver services in Victoria are only considered an existing Commonwealth provider if they were a member of the Panel at 30 June 2016
(the date the working arrangements came into effect). Providers joining the Early Intervention Service Provider Panel from 1 July 2016 will be considered new providers for registration purposes.
This means they will need to meet both the NDIA Terms of Business for Registered providers and Victoria’s quality and safeguarding requirements including third party verification for delivering services under the NDIS Early Intervention Support for Early Childhood Registration Group.

2018 NDIS Provider Forums

In 2018 the NDIS will be hosting NDIS Provider Forums across Australia. The forums are an opportunity for providers to hear the latest from the NDIA and key stakeholders in the sector and include opportunities for questions and answers

Forums will provide an update on theindependent pricing review, the Provider Pathway Review and the establishment of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Location and dates for the forums are here.

More NDIS information

For more information about the NDIS please visit the NDIS website. To receive regular updates about the NDIS, sign up on the news page.

More information about transitioning from HCWA/Better Start is available from the DSS website. Please visit the Transition to NDIS page for more information about transitioning to the NDIS. More information on transitioning to WA NDIS is available by visiting the Transition to WA NDIS page.

Translating and Interpreting (TIS) services

A reminder that Early Intervention TIS codes can only be used for current HCWA and Better Start clients or when registering new clients. This code should not be used to provide translating services for NDIS participants or HCWA or Better Start clients whose eligibility has ceased.
Cancellations must be made through TIS Online or in writing, in accordance with the Cancellation Policy available on the TIS National website. Please note that DSS is required to pay for cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice. We ask that wherever possible cancellations be made in a timely manner to avoid this cost.

If translating support is required for an NDIS participant, please contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 to discuss the matter.

Your organisation contact details

Please ensure that you keep all contact details up to date so DSS can contact you when required. Only persons listed on FOFMS as the organisations contact person is able to request changes and/or information.

Early Intervention Panel provider Operational Guidelines

Please ensure all staff are familiar with the guidelines, which can be downloaded at Early Intervention Service Provider Panel Operational Guidelines. The guidelines are regularly updated so please ensure that you are using the most up to date version(dated September 2015).

Policy reminders and updates

Prepayment

A reminder that DSS will only make payments to service providers (on behalf of eligible children) for services delivered. Families have access to up to $12,000 funding, a maximum of $6,000 each financial year until children turn seven years of age. Service providers are not permitted to arrange for pre-payment of resources or services, for example, to enable a family to utilise funding beyond a child’s 7th birthday or for any other reasons.