More funding for people with disability has been announced. The Individual Capacity Building grants will fund activities to the tune of $100 million over the next three years for people with disability, their carers and families.
“The funding is part of the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program, which is unique in that it is for all Australians with disability, not just NDIS participants, so I would encourage all eligible organisations to apply today,” NDIS Minister Stuart Robert said.
The grants are targeted at Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPO) and Families Organisations (FO) and will fund grassroots programs that will build the capacity of individuals such as peer support, mentoring and skills-building, as well as activities to build organisational capacity including professional development, leadership training, coaching, strategic and business planning.
Disability and family organisations can apply for Individual Capacity Building (ICB) and Organisational Capability Building (OCB) funding while organisations led by ILC Priority Cohorts can only apply for ICB funding.
Consultations are now open on NDIS Participant Service Guarantee
Public consultation has also opened on the government’s review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) legislation.
Minister Robert said it was critical that NDIS participants were at the centre of the review and he encouraged people with disability and their families and carers to have their say on how NDIS processes could be improved.
The Participant Service Guarantee will take effect from July 1, 2020 and set new standards and timelines for NDIS processes, including access decisions, having an NDIS plan approved or reviewed.
“The review will consider what changes may need to be made to NDIS legislation to support the Participant Service Guarantee and set new standards into law but, importantly, this will not change the intent of the NDIS,” he said.
People can make a written submission, register for one of the face-to-face workshops that will be held around Australia, or complete the online survey, available from September 9, 2019.
A discussion paper, overview and accessible resources to help people participate in the consultation are available now on the Engage website: www.engage.dss.gov.au. The Terms of Reference that set out the scope of the review are now available on the Department of Social Services website: https://www.dss.gov.au/node/60381.
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