National Disability Insurance Scheme Workforce Strategy on Track

By Petrina Smith
Thursday, 20 February, 2014

The Government has kick-started the process for developing a National Disability Insurance Scheme Workforce Strategy with a report into workforce issues being undertaken by National Disability Services (NDS).

NDS met with the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield (pictured right) last week to identify priority areas which will be critical to the Government’s agenda to optimise workforce and service provision beyond the trial sites and into full launch.
The rollout of the NDIS will create significant employment demand and opportunities in the disability sector, with the workforce expected to more than double by 2019-20,.
The Report will have three priority areas:

supporting and retaining the existing workforce;

ensuring workforce supply to support people with disability into the future; and

building the capacity of the workforce to adapt to the new funding model of person-centred choice under the NDIS.

The Report will address workforce needs in the current trial sites, as well as any issues that will develop when full national rollout occurs. It will be delivered in August 2014.