Health and NDIS Minister Mark Butler says children with mild developmental issues don’t belong in the NDIS. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Health Minister Mark Butler has flagged a new program to cater for children with autism and moderate developmental delays to get them off the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday (20 August), Mr Butler said the NDIS was never meant for these children, who could be far better cared for with a new program tailored just for them.
Called Thriving Kids, the program is yet to be rolled out, but will be funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the states and territories.
“Families with a young child who is missing some milestones are not best helped by receiving a budget of $10,000 or $20,000 or $30,000 and then being expected to work out themselves how to spend it,” the Minister said.
“And, frankly, many of those children are being over-serviced.”
Mr Butler said almost half of the NDIS’s participants are now children under 15, a share that is rising.
“Tens and tens of thousands of young children with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism are on a scheme set up for permanent disability,” he said.
“I doubt very much that that is what most of their parents really wanted or expected.
“But it’s all they’ve had available. The only port in the storm, if you like.
“And it’s not their fault. They love their children. They want the best for them.”
However, the Minister noted that the NDIS doesn’t meet their needs, whereas the new Thriving Kids scheme will by directly targeting services for those children.
Diverting this group of kids from the NDIS will also be an important element in making the scheme sustainable and “returning it to its original intent”.
The Federal Government has committed $2 billion in the budget for the Commonwealth’s initial share of the new program’s costs.
There were scant details about how the scheme will work, with the Minister saying final details of its development were still being negotiated with other jurisdictions.
“Over the coming months, we’ll work with the community to design a system to support Thriving Kids and how best to invest the Commonwealth’s $2 billion provision,” he said.
“States will obviously be key partners, having committed to share funding equally. But so will service providers and, importantly, parents themselves. I intend to work with those groups directly over the coming months to design Thriving Kids in more detail.”
The new program will roll out from July next year and be fully operational within 12 months, with the potential for a new Medicare bulk-billed item giving three-year-olds health checks for signs of developmental issues.
“On average – just average – a young NDIS participant with moderate needs is receiving more than 70 therapy sessions per year,” Mr Butler said.
“There is no evidence I’m aware of that supports children being taken away from learning and other activities for that much therapy.
“And the scheme doesn’t require any such evidence, unlike Medicare, for example, which would subject such a regimen to rigorous assessment before funding it.
“Parents need to be supported much better, because we know that children have the best chance to thrive when their families feel well supported.
“Parents and families need guidance to access well-curated, evidence-based support and therapy – most of which existed long before the NDIS.”
The Minister said only around one in 50 people have significant and permanent disability, which requires a “bespoke scheme” like the NDIS.
“But 10 in 50 young children experience developmental delay or autism, mostly at mild to moderate levels.
“That’s a broad-based, mainstream issue that should be supported by broad-based, mainstream services.
“I know this will be hard for some parents to hear, and I don’t say it lightly.
“We need, as a matter of some urgency, to create a better system that will enable our children to thrive.”
Mr Butler also used his press club address to say he wants to see the NDIS growth rate reduced even further than the current 8 per cent target for next year, to 5 or 6 per cent over the next decade.
Cabinet hasn’t agreed to that yet.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
