Foundational Support - Supporting the role of OTs in an evolving disability system

All Australian governments are currently working on a range of reforms to support a sustainable service and support system for people with disability. As part of these reforms, governments are seeking to better balance the responsibilities of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), mainstream supports such as those provided by the education system in schools or by the health system, and new services that will be provided in the form of foundational supports.

Foundational supports will encompass general supports such as information and advice, self-advocacy, peer supports, and capacity building. These will be available to all Australians. They will also include targeted supports that are more individualised and available to those that are not eligible for the NDIS. A key focus for foundational supports will be supports for children (early childhood supports) and for those with ongoing mental illness (psychosocial disability supports).

To support these reforms, the Commonwealth government and individual state and territory governments will consult with people with disability, the broader community, and peak bodies like Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) as well as with expert stakeholders from across the sector. The Commonwealth has already commenced consultation on general supports and will shortly commence consultation on targeted supports.

What is OTA doing to support the profession

OTA is working to ensure that we develop and articulate a clear vision for the role of occupational therapists within a future system of foundational supports and that we are able to present that vision to all governments. We are actively engaging with ministers and other politicians as well as the departmental teams responsible for policy design to advocate for the profession in a reformed disability system. We are also working to develop clear proposals for how foundational supports can be designed to achieve the best outcomes for consumers, practitioners, and the sector.

OTA has recently commenced a project that will seek to identify best practice approaches and models for the delivery of foundational supports across early childhood, psychosocial disability and assistive technology. We’ll develop position statements outlining the role of occupational therapists within foundational supports and also how these align with the roles of occupational therapists and other providers within the NDIS and mainstream systems. These will support further engagement with all governments and participation in consultation opportunities.

For that, we’re seeking to identify members with an interest in, and relevant expertise, associated with foundational supports. Those expert members will help us develop our vision for foundational supports.

Current consultation opportunities

The Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS) is currently consulting on the design of general foundational supports as well as on targeted foundational supports for children with developmental delay or disability, families, carers and kin. The role of occupational therapists in foundational supports will primarily sit within targeted supports so we encourage members to review the consultation paper and consider providing input. This round of consultation closes on December 5, 2024.

Online and in-person consultations are being held to allow families, carers and kin of children with developmental delay and disability to provide input. A small number of sessions for sector workforce and representatives have also been scheduled. Additional sessions may be added at a later date. To check on current opportunities to attend an event, please visit the DSS page.

For members seeking to keep up with consultation on foundational supports, please refer to the DSS Engage webpage. You can also sign up for email updates from DSS here.