We know that many of you rely on Leap in! to bring you the most up-to-date information about the NDIS in an easy to understand format.
Today, we are taking a look at the recently released NDIS Quarterly Report, that reviews the period from April to June 2020.
A focus of the report is the NDIS COVID-19 response but it also reflects on seven years of the NDIS. The NDIS rollout is complete with the scheme now available to all eligible Australians, no matter where you live.
Snapshot:
- 391,999 people with a disability are now supported by the NDIS
- There are 105,984 more participants than in 2018-19
- 34% of new participants this quarter were aged 0-6
- The total amount of payments in 2019-20 was just over $16.1 billion
- The average participant plan is worth $50,800.
Growth in participant numbers from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
© National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency.
COVID-19 response.
- The NDIS made contact with 65,8844 participants to ensure they had the support they required
- The NDIS worked with supermarket retailers to give NDIS participants priority access to home delivery services
- Participants have been allowed to use their funding flexibly to meet critical needs.
Plan utilisation.
Nationally, 70% of NDIS supports were utilised by participants, meaning that 30% of funding went unspent. This amount is significantly higher for participants without Supported Independent Living (SIL) in their plans (38%).
Utilisation of committed supports from 1 October 2019 to 30 June 2020.
© National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency.
Increasing diversity.
Participant diversity continues to grow, with increasing numbers of participants in this quarter across a range of diverse groups.
- 8.1% of participants who received a new plan identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders (up from 6.1% the previous quarter)
- 10.9% are culturally and linguistically diverse
- 2.0% live in remote or very remote areas.
Participant outcomes.
The NDIS continues to track the difference it is making to the lives of people with a disability, by age group. Outcomes generally improve the longer a participant is with the scheme.
From birth to starting school:
- Almost 97% of children are accessing specialist services by their second Plan Review
- 70% of children who are participating in community, cultural or religious activities feel welcomed.
From starting school to age 14:
- 46.5% of parents and carers report their child is becoming more independent
- 50% of parents and carers report their child has friends that they enjoy spending time with.
From 15 to 24:
- 43% report being actively involved in a community, cultural or religious group by their second review
- 22% of participants report they are currently working in a paid job by their second review.
Aged 25 and over:
- Almost 76% of participants spend time doing activities that interest them
- 46% report being actively involved in a community, cultural or religious group by their second review.
Expanding employment opportunities.
Supports in employment, a new approach to expand and diversify employment options for NDIS participants, was launched in June. By changing the way supports in employment are funded, the NDIS hopes to make it easier for more participants to access supports to help them meaningfully participate in work of their choice. It is hoped this will also create demand for new services.
Other highlights.
- The largest age groups of NDIS participants are 0 to 6 years and 7 to 14 years
- The most common disabilities supported are autism and developmental delay
- It now takes 10 days on average for the NDIA to make an access decision
- The number of days taken to receive a first plan is 67 days
- 84% of calls to the NDIS call centre in June 2020 were answered within 60 seconds.
Information for this story was sourced from the NDIS Quarterly Report to Disability Ministers, 30 June 2020. © National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency.
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Further reading
Checking your claims for NDIS services.