An increasing number of children and young people with a disability are entering Out-of-Home Care. As a result, AV staff are seeing more kids without National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) support, with an under-utilised NDIS plan, or in some cases, without a formal disability diagnosis at all.
In January 2022, AV funded a support coordinator and two positive behaviour support practitioners from Yooralla to work with its staff in residential services and home-based care. The goal, with guidance from Yooralla, was to develop an agency-wide framework for working with young people with a disability in Out-of-Home Care arrangements.
“Thirty-eight per cent of the children in Anglicare Victoria’s care have a recognised disability. To ensure this cohort is receiving the best possible care experience, AV has partnered with Yooralla, who are experts in the disability sector.” – Dr Anne Welfare, Principal Practitioner at AV
Additionally, every young person with outstanding or unaddressed disability support needs should have access to the NDIS, have an appropriately funded plan, and access to service providers who could meet their individual needs while in care.
Since coming on board, the Yooralla disability support coordinators have been assisting care teams to navigate the NDIS process and to access appropriate disability supports for young people with a disability. Their specialised skills and knowledge in the disability space allow the coordinators to put a young person on the right path to receiving a formal disability diagnosis, if they are yet to get one.
“We set up a referral system so AV staff could access our assistance in reviewing NDIS Plans, Behaviour Support Plans and strategies, and developing NDIS applications for the young people they were working with. We’ve received an avalanche of requests and currently have more than 30 active referrals. We expect this number to increase going forward.” – Tanya
Matthews, Senior Support Coordinator, Yooralla
“Our goal is to see more kids in care get a formal disability diagnosis and individualised NDIS support earlier. Particularly in a residential care setting, if appropriate assessments have been carried out, a lot of conflict and unrest in homes can be avoided. If we’re able to make placement suggestions based on individual needs, each young person can have the best care experience possible.” – Tanya Matthews, Senior Support Coordinator, Yooralla
The 2022 Annual report can be found on our website.
To request a hard copy of this report, call us on 1800 809 722.
