‘No adequate safeguards': NDIS participants under state guardianship for too long, public advocate warns
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) recently surveyed more than 200 young people and their caregivers given the current debate around participants exiting the scheme without long-awaited foundational supports in place.
Foundational supports – which were meant to be rolled out this month but won't be in place until at least December – involve providing children who need it the extra support in settings such as daycare programs instead of needing a full NDIS plan.
CYDA found that almost all respondents believed the NDIS reassessment process was unfair or unreasonable, while more than half said it left them feeling worried and afraid. Some respondents even reported feeling suicidal.
The majority of respondents who had received an eligibility reassessment letter either were or had a child with autism, leading to concerns that certain cohorts were bearing the brunt of the government's bid to drive down costs.
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Perth woman Mandaii Burgess, who has a seven-year-old with level-three autism, said her son's therapy supports were recently cut quite significantly.
'He has had a regression in communication and daily living skills,' Burgess said. 'There are times when I can't get him to talk to me at all. He needs 24/7 supervision. I can't let him out of my sight at all.'
The mother of two is challenging the assessment but says the process has cost her sleep.
'My mental health has been significantly impacted.'
CYDA chief executive Skye Kakoschke-Moore said the reassessment processes needed a complete redesign.
'So often when we talk about the NDIS, we refer to it in terms of numbers, stats and dollar amounts. But underneath all those numbers are real families and real children,' Kakoschke-Moore said.
An NDIA spokesperson said the agency was determined to strengthen the scheme – including for those on guardianship orders and undergoing eligibility reassessments – through feedback and co-design with people with lived experience.
'While guardianship orders are legislated and implemented through the state and territory governments, the NDIA maintains that guardianship orders (or the reappointment of a guardian) should only occur as a last resort, where there is no less restrictive alternative to protect and promote the human rights of an adult with disability.'
A federal government spokesperson said the timeline for providing evidence as part of NDIS eligibility reassessments had already been extended from 29 to 90 days.
'We want the NDIS to be the best it can be,' they said.
'We are focused on ensuring the NDIS delivers better, consistent and fair decisions, operates transparently and protects the safety and upholds the rights of participants.'
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