‘Stronger Together’ through partnershipsSpecialist Disability Services and the Office of the Senior Practitioner

Ageing, Disability and Home Care

David CoyneExecutive DirectorOffice of the Senior PractitionerAgeing, Disability and Home CareDepartment of Family and Community Services NSW

Stronger Together – an overview

Partnerships initiated by the Office of the Senior

Practitioner

Therapeutic Memorandum of Understanding

ADHC forging partnerships

ADHC forging partnerships

Ageing, Disability and Home Care works in partnership

across the sector. This includes:

Individuals with a disability and their family/carers

Funded organisations

Advocacy bodies

Other Government agencies

Stronger Together A New Direction for Disability Services in NSW 2006 – 2016

Key areas identified for reform included:

making access to services fairer and more transparent

helping people to remain in their own home

linking services to need

expanding options for people who were living in specialist

support services, and

creating a sustainable support system.

Achievements of the First Five Years

Strengthening families through 8000 new therapy, early childhood

intervention and family support services

6000 families are able to access the Family Assistance Fund to

purchase equipment and services

4000 new respite services to provide relief for carers

Expanded and improved post school options

Assisting 1500 disabled school leavers into employment with

intensive skills based training

Providing a further 300 people with intensive in-home support

packages to enable them to remain with their families

Expanding accommodation and support to a further 1000 people

through the Innovative Accommodation Plan

Creating 4000 new case management places to support families

Doubling the service capacity of funded services (NGO’s)

Improving the system’s capacity and accountability through the

development of a five year industry strategy

This will ensure capacity, structure and regulation needs would be

met into the future

The establishment of the workforce recruitment strategy has led to

6000 job applications being registered since in January 2010.

2006 - 2011

International 2007 - United Nations Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities

NationalCouncil of Australian Governments (COAG) 2009 - National Disability Agreement 2011 - National Disability Strategy

- National Disability and Long Term Care Support Scheme

- National Health and Hospital Reform Agreement

“Until the concept of disability disappears and is replaced by a society that is structured to support everyone’s life relatedness and contribution - until that day, my life and opportunities and the lives of every other person who carries the label ‘disabled’ depends on the goodwill of people in the human service system. Goodwill is no substitute for freedom.”

National People with Disabilities and Carer Council - National Disability Strategy Consultation Report (2009)

Stronger Together Phase Two

Person centred approaches

A lifespan approach

Closure of Large Residential Centres

A service system with the capacity to deliver

Office of the Senior Practitioner

Policy and Practice Team

Statewide Behaviour Intervention Service

Integrated Services Program

Community Justice Program

Office of the Senior Practitioner with ADHC

Department of Family and Community Services NSW

Ageing, Disability and Home Care

Six RegionsOffice of the

Senior Practitioner

Northern

Southern

Western

Hunter

Metro North

Metro South

Statewide Behaviour Intervention

Service

Integrated Services Project

Community Justice Program

Policy and Practice Team

Practice Leader Psychology

Practice Leader Speech Pathology

Practice Leader Physiotherapy

Practice Leader Occupational Therapy

Practice Leader Nursing and Health Care

Statewide Behaviour Intervention Service

Provides comprehensive tertiary support, training and capacity

building to both ADHC and NGO service providers who work

with people who have challenging behaviour

Focus on research and practice development in the area of

behaviour support

Specialised Training Programs

Developmental Psychiatry Clinic

Framework for Professional Practice - partnership with

Children’s Hospital at Westmead

Integrated Services Program

Partnership project led by ADHC with Health and Housing commenced in

2005 now with recurrent funding

High-risk adults with multiple and complex needs

Significant barriers to accessing coordinated cross-agency responses

Clients nominated from Sydney based human services agencies

Aims to promote coordinated cross-agency responses and direct provision of

time-limited services, including comprehensive assessment, clinical

intervention, case management and accommodation support

Overseen by a program management committee consisting of officers from

ADHC, Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Office, Housing NSW and advised by

a broader interagency reference group

Integrated Service Program Target Group

Adults with high risk challenging behaviour One or more of the following diagnoses:

mental disorder intellectual disability acquired brain injury/impairment substance abuse

Blocking an acute mental health unit or respite service, homeless, or in gaol Significant barriers to accessing services and securing

coordinated multi- agency support Local support options exhausted

Community Justice Program Specialised post custodial accommodation and service support

models Candidates for the program are accepted through an eligibility and

prioritisation process Entry recommendations made by panel of representatives from

Juvenile Justice, Corrective Services, ADHC Regional Behaviour Support Specialist and a community sector delegate

Direct support provided by ADHC Regional and funded NGO service providers

Provides specialised training as well as ongoing capacity building and service monitoring for service providers

Working relationships with Mental Health Review Tribunal, Trustee and Guardian, Justice Health, Corrective Services and Juvenile Justice

Community Justice Program Target Group

Clients must be eligible for

ADHC services

Ages 10 - 65

Ongoing contact with the

criminal justice system,

resulting in time spent in

custody

Continuing risk of re-offending

Outside ADHC Regional

response

Court mandate is not required

Policy and Practice Team

Policy and project focus on: Behaviour Support Mental Health Justice Services Chair, Intellectual Disability Mental Health UNSW

Secretariat for: Senior Officers Group on Intellectual Disability in the

Criminal Justice System - Attorney General and Justice, Corrective Services, Juvenile Justice, Housing, Justice Health, Department of Education and Communities and the NSW Police Force

Joint Committee Intellectual Disability Mental Health – partnership between ADHC and NSW Ministry of Health

Practice Leadership

The Office of the Senior Practitioner leads ADHC practice in: Psychology

Physiotherapy

Speech Pathology

Occupational Therapy

Nursing

Practice Leaders provide expert high level support and advice to ADHC in order to facilitate agency-wide, consistent, best practice services to people with an intellectual disability.

Practice Leader Psychology

Development of workforce capacity and linking with universities

Practice Supervision Framework for ADHC Psychologists Development of minimum core standards/competencies Professional Development Motivational Interviewing Project Practice improvement and evidence base practice

Practice Leader Speech Pathology

Development of workforce capacity

Professional development for ADHC staff in the areas of:

Inclusive Communication and Behavioural Support

Training in Dysphagia assessment and screening tool

Accessible Information

Key Word Signing Development of minimum core standards/competencies

Research project with University of Sydney – ‘Barriers and enablers to the

use evidence based practice by Speech Pathologists in ADHC’

Innovative uses of various communication technologies

Collaboration with Westmead Hospital to develop referral guidelines for

people with dysphagia.

Practice Leader Physiotherapy

Develops workforce capacity in Physiotherapy

Development of specific core standards/competencies

Is developing a training and supervision framework for ADHC

Physiotherapists

Coordinates the University and Disability Sector Therapy

Project Reference Group

Leads a research project on the therapeutic use of Nintendo

Wii for people with Intellectual Disability

Establishes best practice guidelines for ADHC

Physiotherapists

Practice Leader Occupational Therapy

Development of minimum core standards/competencies

Developing work force capacity framework to establish

student placement program, professional and clinical

development

Researching use of sound clinical outcome measures

when providing services to people with disabilities

Training Project - Playfulness in Care: Enhancing the

Quality of Life for Children in Out of Home Care

Practice Leader Nursing and Health Care

Provides expert advice in the development of workforce

capacity in specialised disability nursing and health care

Representative on Nursing Workforce Planning Group

Facilitating consistent supervision and professional

development framework for nurses across all ADHC settings

Palliative Care joint initiative with NSW Health

Development of the Nursing and Healthcare Procedures

Manual

Memorandum of UnderstandingAccess to Therapy Services for People with Disability and their families in NSW

A set of agreed principles, roles and areas of focus that NSW Government human service agencies have identified to improve access to therapy services for people with a disability and their families and carers in NSW.

NSW Ministry of Health

Department of Education and Communities

Ageing, Disability and Home Care

Community Services

Department of Family and Community Services

Background

Therapy service system in NSW is complex and was provided by a range of government and non-government organisations

These organisations had different purposes, operating contexts and areas of focus

They provided different services, eligibility criteria and assessment requirements and processes

These complexities make navigating the therapy system to obtain a service difficult for people with a disability, their families and supporters

From initial screening to receiving a therapy service some people are required to undergo multiple assessments or move between agencies to get the therapy service they need.

Roles of participating agencies

NSW Health provides therapy services on the basis of prioritised clinical need. Services are provided in inpatient, non-inpatient and community settings.

Department of Education provides a range of services to support students with a disability in public schools across NSW, including specialist support classes, special schools and targeted support programs for students with a disability in regular classes

Ageing, Disability and Home Care is a major provider of therapy services for people with a disability in NSW. Like NSW Health, ADHC employs a full range of therapists, though their roles are solely to work with those with a disability.

Community Services is responsible for children and young people in out-of-home care, as well as children and young people living with their families and carers who have been assessed as being at risk of harm or neglect

Non-government organisations and the private sector services meet their therapy needs of many people with a disability.

Desired Outcomes of the MOU

Establish a more consistent and equitable process for people with a disability to access to therapy services across NSW

Make the journey easier and quicker for people with a disability and their families/carers to access the right services

Enable more people with a disability to have access to the therapy services that they need

Make more effective and efficient use of existing resources and therapy workforce across agencies.

Focus

Increase collaboration at all levels - centrally, regionally and locally

Increase coordination in the delivery of services Clarify and promote understanding of the respective roles

and responsibilities Streamline referral pathways, information sharing and

communication Work towards an agreed approach to eligibility,

assessment and prioritisation Establish evidence-based flexible service delivery models Make optimal use of resources, services and initiatives.

Principles

Access to services will be based on the individual’s needs

Service delivery will be individual and family focussed

Service delivery will respect and acknowledge diversity

Service delivery will be based on collaborative practice and good communication.

Service delivery will meet quality standards and be cost effective

Continuous improvement in service coordination between agencies

Office of the Senior Practitioner

Ageing, Disability and Home Care

Department of Family and Community Services

PO Box 3004

PARRAMATTA NSW 2124

Phone: 02 9841 9218

Fax: 02 9841 9211