National Disability Insurance Agency Mental Health Sector Reference Group

Sector Communiqué – March 2015

The NDIA Mental Health Sector Reference Group (NMHSRG) has been established to develop a strong working partnership between the Mental Health sector and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The purpose of this Communiqué is to provide the key outcomes of the second meeting held on Wednesday 4 March 2015 in Melbourne.

The meeting wascharacterised by strong engagement and keen interest from all attendees.The Chairperson noted that the consistency of attendance and ongoing engagement of Members and Project Management out of session reflects the deep commitment of the group to achieving its objectives.

Members Present

  • Ms Marita Walker, NDIA Operations (Chairperson)
  • Ms Arahni Sont, National Register of Mental Health Consumers and Carers
  • Ms Julie Anderson, National Register of Mental Health Consumers and Carers
  • Mr Evan Bichara, National Register of Mental Health Consumers and Carers
  • Ms Janet Meagher AM, NDIS Independent Advisory Council (left 2:30PM)
  • Dr Nick Hartland, Department of Social Services
  • Ms Fiona Nicholls, Department of Health
  • Mr Frank Quinlan, Mental Health Australia
  • Mr Rod Astbury, Community Mental Health Australia
  • Ms Fiona Wynn , Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Principal Committee of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council
  • Mr Martin Turnbull, Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Principal Committee of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council(for Mr Paul Smith, MHDAPC)
  • Mr John Feneley, Mental Health Commission of NSW (left 3:30PM)
  • Peter De Natris, NDIA Scheme Design (for Ms Anne Skordis, NDIA Scheme Design)

Project Managers

  • Ms Liz Ruck, Mental Health Australia
  • Ms Karen Pickering, Department of Social Services
  • Ms Laura Green, NDIA
  • Ms Kerry Hawkins, NDIA
  • Ms Petra Hill, NDIA

Apologies

  • Mr Eddie Bartnik, NDIA Strategic Adviser
  • Ms Anne Skordis, NDIA Scheme Design
  • Mr Paul Smith, Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Principal Committee
  • Mr Josh Fear, Mental Health Australia
  • Dr Gerry Naughtin, NDIS Independent Advisory Council

The minutes of the first meeting on 9 December 2014 were noted and accepted.

Summary of the second meeting

a)An update on NDIA’s current Mental Health Work Plan was provided. It was noted that the NDIA Mental Health Work Plan supports the integration of mental health into the Scheme.

b)Data relating to the number of people with a psychosocial disability engaging with the Scheme was presented. For the purposes of this Communiqué more up to date data is provided here. As at 28 February 2015, there were 996 NDIS participants with a primary psychosocial disability (815 with an approved and active plan), and 495 participants with a secondary condition of a psychiatric nature (392 with an approved and active plan).

c)It was noted that ongoing communication across the sector and information sharing will assist the successful integration of psychosocial disability into the NDIS.

d)An update on current NDIA project work was provided. In particular, this included progress on the:

  1. Design of Individual Supports for People with Psychosocial Disability (joint project with MHA)

The project is being carried out jointly by the NDIA and Mental Health Australia (MHA).The project update was presented by Laura Green, Assistant Director Community Linkage Supports NDIA and Liz Ruck from Mental Health Australia (MHA).

Progress of the work was discussed, in particular that the:

  • timeframe for deliverables has been extended till end May 2015
  • project scope is now available on the Mental Health Australia website
  • Expert consultants have been engaged to assist with the project
  • The project plans to include consultations with consumers, their families and carers and providers

A finalised version of the Design of Individual Supports for People with Psychosocial Disability project scope can be found at Attachment A.

For further information relating to this project contact:
Ms. Laura Green
E:
P: 03 5273 4163

e)Members raised a potential challenge of consulting with people with psychosocial disability, their families and carers and providers when there is currently limited access to individualised psychosocial disability supports and they may be unaware of the opportunities the Scheme presents. As such, the consultation may need to provide both education as well as consultation in a two way process. In particular, a consumer representative in the group proposed that information include how individual supports can facilitate acontributinglife.

  1. Operational Access Review for Psychosocial Disability

NDIA Project Manager, Kerry Hawkins provided an update on the Operational Access Review for People with a Psychosocial Disability project.It was noted that an Operational Access Review for People with a Psychosocial Disability workshop took place on Wednesday 28 January 2015.

The outcome of the workshop was the establishment of five working groupson:

  1. Eligibility
  2. Early Intervention
  3. Language, Processes, Products
  4. Engagement and Outreach
  5. Projected Population Estimates

The working groups will consider current NDIA operational tools and processes and make recommendations for improvements.

A finalised version of the NDIA Operational Access Review for Psychosocial Disability can be found at Attachment B.

For further information relating to this project contact:
Ms. Kerry Hawkins:
E:
P:08 9278 9038

f)Members of the NMHSRG then provided an overview of their current NDIS work plans and any emerging issues from trial sites. Thisprovided shared visibility of work and allowed priority areas for work to be identified.

g)The NMHSRG discussed the issue of employment of people with psychosocial disability. It was noted that economic participation for people with a disability is a key pillar of the Scheme and aligns well with the recovery principle that employment can be a powerful way to achieve inclusion. The NMHSRG noted that the NDIA is addressing employment issues in the context of other current national social policy initiatives. It was agreed that employment will be the subject of a future agenda session of the NMHSRG.

h)Ms Julie Anderson presented an item regarding consumer and carer consultations about the NDIS. The NMHSRG noted the benefits of NDIAconsidering qualitative information from NDIS trial sites and the need for NDIA to communicate where these have influencedNDIA implementation and design.

i)The Chair provided an overview of an upcoming NDIA project on Psychosocial Disability: Mental Health Outcome Measures and Development of Reference Packages.The purpose of the project is to recommend appropriate mental health severity indicators and/or functional assessments which could be used by the NDIA and assist consistency in NDIA decision-making regarding psychosocial disability.

j)The NMHSRG considered Self-Direction and Self-Management in the NDIS in the context of psychosocial disability and some current NDIA work to encourage and support self-management of NDIS funds. It was agreed that draft NDIA Self-Management tools would be circulated to consumers and carers out of session to comment on their ‘usability’ and ‘helpfulness’ prior to making these available to Scheme participants.

k)Lastly, the NDIA leda consultationon the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building policy framework (formally known as ‘Tier 2’). The Chairperson provided an overview of the ILC policy framework and introduced the agreed consultation questions. Group feedback on the ILC Policy Framework included:

  • from a sector perspective, more transparency around the transition process could assist the sector in maintaining infrastructure during the transition
  • a continuum of support is especially important for people with a psychosocial disability
  • the particular needs of CALD people have been addressed within the document but could be further highlighted, and
  • recognising the of the role of volunteers is welcomed.

l)It was noted that NDIA consultation activities were supplementary to the targetedconsultation process led primarily by jurisdictional governments. Any NDIA response will be provided tothe Department of Social Services to be collated into a report for use by Disability Ministers, Commonwealth, state and territory government officials and the NDIA. Governments have noted that the findings will be considered in the context of transitioning to full scheme delivery of the NDIS, including the rollout of ILC supports. In particular, the report will provide valuable insights from the disability sector during transition to full scheme and the development of implementation strategies.

For further information relating to the Information Linkages and Capacity Building framework, please visit the following page:

m)The NMHSRGwill meet again in late May or early June 2015.

For further information regarding the NDIA Mental Health Sector Reference Group contact:
Ms. Petra Hill
E:
P: 03 5273 4155

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