Every region faces different challenges in implementing the NDIS.
Victoria’s rural and regional communities face particular workforce challenges when transitioning to the new scheme.
These include challenges in recruiting appropriately qualified staff (particularly therapists and specialists), managing the workforce and services across smaller populations and wider geographic areas, and providing staff supervision and access to professional development opportunities.
Recognising the diversity of communities across Victoria, this plan delivers resources for local communities to drive their own responses to the workforce challenges and opportunities they may see on the ground.
Regional NDIS workforce coordinators will bring stakeholders together (including local and state government, service providers, education and training providers, the NDIA and community members) to strengthen local networks, identify local priorities, and develop and implement projects that respond to these priorities.
This could include undertaking detailed local workforce planning, trialling new workforce models and innovative models of staff supervision and support, fostering partnerships between disability service providers and local TAFEs and other training organisations, or developing local attraction and retention strategies.
Consistent with the Victorian Government’s commitment to Victoria’s regions including a new regional partnerships model, this plan gives local communities the flexibility and autonomy they need to develop local solutions to local needs.
This project is supported by funding from the Commonwealth Government’s Sector Development Fund.
Objective:
Strengthen local networks, identify local priorities, challenges and opportunities, and enable place-based responses to local NDIS workforce and service system challenges.
Actions:
- Establish local coordinators in regional rollout areas to bring together service providers, local and state government, the education and training sector, the NDIA and other stakeholders in order to strengthen local networks and identify local priorities.
- Support local communities to design and implement responses to their identified challenges and opportunities.
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