Today we will look at the upcoming role of “navigators” and what that might look like.
What went wrong?
The NDIS, after a year-long consultation process, identified a need for increased participant control and clearer access to support in relation to the administration of their funding. Many participants found the roles of Local Area Coordinators (LACs), support coordinators, recovery coaches, and the NDIS to be overwhelming and confusing.
In response, the NDIS has proposed a system that aims to better serve participants.
Originally, LACs were intended to connect participants to mainstream, and community supports. However, when the NDIS rolled out in 2019, the higher than anticipated participant numbers forced them into a planner role without the power.
This created confusion among participants who expected their meetings to be with the NDIS, not the LACs. In fact, the NDIS failed to communicate the LAC's role effectively to the public.
Additionally, LACs were tasked with assisting prospective participants in accessing the NDIS, but with caseloads exceeding 120, their capacity was limited, and this intended role remained largely unfufilled.
Furthermore, some participants experienced their first interaction with the NDIS with little information or guidance. They recieved a brief 30-minute implementation meeting, which provided little understanding of their plans and minimal advice on available service providers. Although LACs were mandated to provide a list, they were restricted from offering more comprehensive assistance. As a result, the envisioned role of LACs, beyond aiding the NDIS in planning, was not realised.
Support coordination, governed by the subjective "reasonable and necessary" guidelines of the NDIS, was not universally provided. This led to participants missing out on utilising their funding due to a lack of knowledge on how to spend it and a non-existent assistance from both the NDIS and LACs.
Recovery Coaching (PRC) came later when there was an increase in the number of participants with mental health challenges entering the scheme, again it was a band aid approach with little knowledge or consultation with the mental health sector.
What is the result:
The NDIS is now developing the role that they initially envisioned with LAC's. It can even be compared to the original "LAC" role under the DSC, with some additions.
This shift aims to address the challenges participants face and create a more effective and participant-centric approach within the NDIS framework. This is what the role of "navigators" could look like:
General Navigators:
Objective: Assist all individuals with disabilities in building connections, creating action plans for budget utilisation, coordinating services, and conducting regular check-ins,
Specialist Navigators:
Objective: Provide specialised support coordination for individuals with complex needs or those involved in multiple service systems such as justice, child protection, or hospitals.
Psychosocial Navigators:
Objective: Aid both participants and non-participants living with psychosocial disabilities in navigating outreach programs. They also help in connecting with community resources, housing options, and primary care as needed.
House and Living Navigators:
Objective: Collaborate with participants to identify and test home and living options, aiming to facilitate negotiations with service providers.
Shared Support Navigators:
Objective: Support participants in shared housing arrangements, ensuring they have a voice in shaping their support structure.
Lead Practitioners:
Objective: Specialised support for children with complex and diverse needs.
The intended goal is to establish a network of "navigators" offering support to both NDIS participants and non-participants. This approach aims to enhance the ease of understanding to a wider range of support services, encouraging a more inclusive and supportive environment for individuals with disabilities.
These changes will be challenging for participants. They will be expected to embrace the change and it will be unknown until the “navigators” are in place for some time, whether this model will reduce funding wastage, increase participation with community and supports, find growth in understanding funding, or better assist those with complex needs.
The NDIS has mentioned a tender process, like the approach for originally enlisting LACs into their role in 2019. “Navigators” will sit outside the NDIS funding and there will be no support coordination/PRC funding included in plans.
We are committed to keeping you up to date with the progress and how this will impact your business. There will be a lot of debate in the coming months and how this will play out in the real world beyond the recommendations.
We wish you well as always
The Lama Care Team
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