Bega Valley Shire Council has decided to stop providing family, ageing and disability services. Photo: BVSC.
Bega Valley Shire Council has announced it will stop providing family, ageing and disability services by June 2025, but it plans to transition the staff and clients affected by the decision.
Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said last week’s decision was not easy, but councillors had to weigh up whether council, as a local government organisation, was best placed to provide these services into the future.
“We started providing these services many years ago when there were limited other providers out there. We filled a gap, and we filled it well,” Mayor Fitzpatrick said.
“However, the market has changed since then and there are now many other options available to support our community.
“I acknowledge this will be a difficult time for many of our clients, but our staff will support clients through the transition process from a participant-centred approach.”
The impacted services are council’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan management and support coordination service, Commonwealth Home Assistance Program, and the Brighter Futures family preservation service.
Council’s director of community, environment and planning, Emily Harrison, said the team had three permanent positions and five fixed-term contract positions, many of which were part-time.
“One of the permanent positions is currently vacant. Casual staff provide support to the team as required,” she said.
When asked if the decision would result in any employees losing their jobs, she said these positions would be removed from council’s organisational structure after 30 June 2025.
“Impacted staff will be supported through the transition process and will be entitled to a range of options under the local government award including redundancy or redeployment for permanent employees,” she said.
“Council will work closely with all impacted employees to support their transition to other roles or future career opportunities.”
Council has 142 clients in its NDIS service, nine in its home support program and usually around 20 in the Brighter Futures program.
Last week Ms Harrison said a 2023 review found the provider market had changed significantly since council became a family, ageing and disability services provider and there were now multiple providers in the shire.
She said an expression of interest process in May resulted in a number of NDIS providers expressing interest in taking on new clients, which demonstrated there was capacity in the market and options for council’s current clients to transition to other providers.
Ms Harrison said that following council’s decision, its NDIS clients would be supported by staff to transition to a new provider of their choice and establish new service agreements over the coming months, with a final end date of this service of 30 June 2025.
“We will work with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to assist in the transition for clients in the Commonwealth Home Support Program by 30 November 2024,” she said.
“We will also engage with the NSW Government Department of Communities and Justice regarding transitioning out of council’s Brighter Futures family preservation program by 30 June 2025.”
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