Category Archives for "NDIS Case Studies"

Nov 26

Art and Music Therapy in the firing line (FREE TO READ)

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While we have no official word in public from the NDIS, we know that the NDIS have told the peak professional bodies for Art and Music Therapy that from Monday Dec 2nd, 1:1 art and music therapy will no longer be allowed to be claimed by any NDIS participant.

I have been told this is an “evidence based decision”.

I call on the NDIS to share both

a) the evidence considered, as well as

b) the process used to make this determination,

It is my understanding that the NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee (which was recommended by the NDIS Review) DOES NOT YET EXIST and will not be in operation until July 2025. https://www.dss.gov.au/…/ndis-evidence-advisory-committee

Both professional bodies have made public statements regarding their shock and dismay at both the decision, and the timeframe, with less than a week for thousands of NDIS participants to be without the service of their members’, many of whose businesses and livelihoods will effectively cease to exist after Friday.

A EasySnap read of this post, as well as Communications from the peak bodies are below our image underneath.

Please take action and contact your local MP, Minister Bill Shorten’s office and feedback at NDIA.

pic desc: a sad looking person in a wheelchair looking at a drumkit, and his drumsticks out of reach on the ground.

🎨 Art and 🎵 Music Therapy changes

🛑 The NDIS may stop payments for art and music therapy soon.

📅 This will start on Monday 2 December.

🚫 Participants cannot claim 1:1 art or music therapy after this.

📊 The NDIS says this change is based on evidence.

❓ Questions for the NDIS

📋 People want the NDIS and DSS to explain:

🧾 The evidence used for this decision

⚙️ The process to make this decision

🏛️ Evidence advisory group

⏳ DSS does not have an evidence advisory group yet.

📅 This group will not start until July 2025.

😟 Response from professional groups

😡 Art and music therapy groups are upset about this decision.

⚠️ They say the change was sudden and unfair.

💼 Therapists may lose their jobs because of this change.

👥 Thousands of participants may lose therapy support next week.

📖 Hard words glossary

🎨 Art therapy: A way to improve wellbeing by making art.

🎵 Music therapy: A way to improve wellbeing by making or listening to music.

🧾 Evidence: Proof or information used to make decisions.

⚙️ Process: The steps taken to do something.


Communications from the peak bodies:

Dear ANZACATA Member,

ANZACATA has been hearing rumours about the future of Art Therapy on the NDIS. We have tried to get confirmation in writing from the NDIA. But at this stage we have only verbal advice that new operational guidelines for therapy supports will be in place by Monday December 2nd 2024.

Art Therapy will NOT be continued as a Therapy Support in future.

We feel it is vital that members who work with NDIS participants know about the upcoming changes now as this seriously affects your professional work. This is what the NDIA has told us:

1. If Art Therapy is a stated support in a current plan, it will remain funded until the plan is reviewed. Art Therapy will NOT be funded after the plan ends.

2. If you provide Art Therapy to participants but not as a stated support, funding for this will cease effective in one week’s time.

3. Invoices for work carried out to Dec 2nd will be honoured, but no invoices processed after that date will be honoured.

4. Members must invoice immediately for any therapy supports completed by this week in order to be paid.

5. This will be true for Art Therapy (0128) and also for those who invoice under Other Therapy.

“Stated support” means funding has been allocated for a specific support or service, and you can’t use this funding for something else. You cannot swap ‘stated supports’ for any other supports.

ANZACATA is shocked and dismayed at the lack of transparency, poor process and lack of fairness in this change and the lack of communication in a timely manner. We were not consulted; we do not know the reasons for the decision; we found out by requesting (again and again) clarification about what we have been hearing; we have nothing in writing to explain why after more than a decade, Art Therapy is to be excluded from the NDIS.

We plan to put into effect a campaign regarding this decision of the NDIA.

But for now the advice is that in one week’s time, Art Therapy will not be funded (unless it is a stated support in a current plan). We have been told that we may be able to offer support under “social and community participation” in future where hourly rates are lower and providers do not have your skills and qualifications.

We know this will be devastating news for affected members and we urge you to reach out for support as you absorb the enormity of the decision taken by the NDIA. You can find support at mhaustralia.org.

We will contact all members working with NDIS participants in the next few days to seek examples of participants and families who will suffer as a result of this appalling decision and who are prepared to speak to the media.

You may want to express your deep concern for the impact on your clients to your local member of Parliament, the CEO of the NDIS or the Chair of the Board of the NDIA.

Kind regards,

Helen Killmier

ANZACATA Board Chairperson

Jul 07

𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘿𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 (30 minute podcast)

Join Roland and Evie Naufal as they have the kind of conversations that come about when passionate people aren’t afraid to speak their mind and would rather start a fire than put it out.

EPISODE 9: 𝙎𝘼𝙈 𝙋𝘼𝙄𝙊𝙍 𝙊𝙉… 𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔𝘿𝘼𝙔 𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙑𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉
In this episode we speak to Sam Paior, founder of the Growing Space about supporting people to live good lives and setting the bar higher for what we call innovation.

https://www.disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au/podcast (transcript available too)

This was recorded in Melbourne a month or so ago, and we really had fun. I’m not one to hold back, and I can be pretty blunt, but Roland and Evie corralled me well. I hope you’ll find it useful.

So, as much as it pains me to listen to my own voice, I’m happy for you to hear it 🙂 And I’ll be even happier if you share this with other disabled people, families and your providers.

I hope it helps give Support Coordinators around the country both the courage to step outside of the box, the tools to do it, and a desire to come along to our first ever National Support Coordination Summit in Melbourne on Monday June 24th. Evie and I (Sam) are co-hosting the #SCSummit as volunteers to raise funds for our peak pody, which aims to lift the standards of Support Coordination and Plan Management across the NDIS, and do a great job for the participants and nominees we work for.
https://www.scsummit.com.au/ get in fast – we’re a bit shocked at how quickly this is filling.

Pic desc: A line drawing image with a dark background and the logos for Disability Services Consulting, with their logo, the title “Disability Done Different – A Candid Conversation with Sam Paior” with three cartoon images across the bottom L-R Roland Naufal, a dude with black hair, a green shirt and dark jacket, then Sam Paior, with a blonde Bob, wearing glasses, a round pendant necklace and a boring blouse, and Evie Naufal, with longer brown hair, wearing a red pinafore and stripey shirt underneath. All are smiling.

Image may contain: 2 people, text that says "dsc Disability Done Different A Candid Conversation with Sam Paior"
Nov 16

Making the most of the NDIS – BRAINSTORM!

Reagan is 16, and autistic. He uses his behaviour to communicate and is just starting to use an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC). He’s into watching the same bits of videos many times and has probably watched the Stuart Little movie many thousand times.

The NDIS has been a pretty good thing for Reagan and his younger brother Declan, who also has autism. It’s funded some pretty intensive work with his AAC device, and they have a fabulous support worker, Indianna, who’s been with the family for years (she’s even written a picture book based on the boys, called Quirky Quentin).

The motorbike

Over the past year, Reagan has shown more and more interest in Garry’s motorbike, and had started going on the back for short rides with his Dad. It’s been a pretty awesome bonding experience for the pair, as Garry’s interest in watching Stuart Little with his son waned many years ago.

In May, Garry and I sat down to nut out some ideas on how to make the most of Reagan’s NDIS plan. Traditional therapies weren’t helping with hygiene, nor his chewing. We started talking about what were Reagan’s genuine interests. When did they know he was feeling really good? And how could we make the most of that to help him reach his goals?

The motorbike. It was when he was on the back of the motorbike, away from his house and his little brother, with his Dad, on the back of bike on the road, that yanked Reagan’s chain.

We can work with that, I said.

The big idea

The idea ballooned and grew into a month long trip across four states and a sea.

Garry grabbed the idea, built a plan, bought a trailer and some more safety gear and last week they launched ASD and a Kawasaki with Reagan and a bunch of their friends at a local pub. They’ve raised more than enough money to cover the costs of the trip (the rest is being donated to CountMeIn, a not-for-profit aimed at encouraging Universal Design in public spaces).

Meeting with his NDIS Plan Manager as well as his me, his Support Coordinator, we brainstormed further ideas about how Reagan’s NDIS plan could be used to support the trip and Reagan’s goals.

The NDIS

So, how does the NDIS fit in to all this?

  1. Without NDIS, Reagan’s goals would never have been so clearly defined.
  2. NDIS paid for a Support Coordinator, who Garry used to help him think of creative ways to meet Reagan’s goals.
  3. NDIS funds were used to purchase most of an Apple Watch with falls detection and GPS, so if the unthinkable happens and they come a cropper, emergency services will be notified within a few minutes, or if Reagan and Garry get separated at a petrol station, or accommodation, Garry will be able to track Reagan and find him (and Chrissa can track them both from home! Many thanks to Apple for a generous discount)
  4. Funds from the NDIS are paying some family friends, who are coming to meet them half way through the trip, to watch Reagan for a weekend to give Garry and Reagan a short break from each other.
  5. NDIS funds were used for Reagan’s speechie to add a whole bunch of trip related PECS (Picture Exchange Communication Systems) to his AAC device, and to help build some social stories about using new toilets and sleeping in a different place almost every night.
  6. Funds from his little brother’s NDIS plan will be used to support Declan and his Mum, so he is well supported and she can keep working while Garry is away.
  7. NDIS funds from Declan’s plan will be used for him to have a weekend at short term accommodation so Chrissa can come and meet Reagan and Garry along the trip (Chrissa is already missing her big boys so much!) 

Kicking goals

They’re only at day five, and Garry and I have been on the phone tonight. They’re tired – they crash early each night, and Garry forgot his pillow, which sounded like the worst thing that had happened so far!

Reagan is ALREADY KICKING GOALS. Just a few days in, and his hygiene goals are getting smashed. Garry, despite his sore butt and aching bones, was just beaming on the end of the phone.

“It’s working Sam”, he said.

As Garry broadcast at the pub last week, just a few nights before their adventure began – “This just wouldn’t have been possible without the NDIS”.

Indeed. Well done Reagan, and his family, and the NDIS.

Sam Paior

Director, Support Coordinator and NDIS Specialist, The Growing Space 

Board Member, CountMeIn Foundation 

Disability Advocate

Solo Mum of two sons with NDIS Plans

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