Author:
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Date:
8 June 2021

Introduction

Understanding the workforce experience of the NDIS: Longitudinal research project is a three-year study that aims to build an understanding of the disability workforce’s experience of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Specifically, the research aims to understand workforce perceptions of the NDIS and the experience of transition, how the NDIS is impacting their work, and the skills and training the workforce needs under the NDIS. This helps the Victorian government to support the workforce through this time of unprecedented change. This research project forms a key component of Keeping our sector strong - Victoria’s Workforce Plan for the NDIS (the Plan) and more specifically its objective to build intelligence on the disability workforce.

The 2020 research was the final year of the study and it expanded on findings gathered in previous years (2018 and 2019). This report is the third in the series and it presents key findings and recommendations from the third year of the longitudinal research. The results highlight both the challenges faced by the workforce in transitioning to the new scheme, and a range of opportunities to further support the workforce. The research was initially commissioned by the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, an independent research consultancy. Research has been guided by an Expert Advisory Panel, including representation from:

  • The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU)
  • Industrial Relations Victoria
  • WorkSafe
  • Office of the Victorian Skills Commissioner
  • National Disability Services
  • Victorian Disability Worker Commission
  • 2 research participants
  • The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (formerly Department of Health and Human Services)

Notes

*The workforce design team transitioned to the Disability and NDIS Branch within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), currently Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, in early 2019. For the remainder the report DFFH will be referenced where relevant.

Why did we conduct the research?

Outlines why we need to understand the experiences of disability workers over time.

In March 2013, legislation was passed in Australia to establish the NDIS, which aims to provide Australians with a permanent disability the “reasonable and necessary supports they need to live an ordinary life.” In Victoria, the NDIS was rolled out to different regions in stages, beginning in 2013 and ending in 2019.

The scheme involves a new way of funding disability services with funding being provided directly to people with a disability (NDIS participants) rather than disability support providers. Participants select who will provide their supports and services and can negotiate how these are delivered. This gives people with a disability more choice and control of their disability supports.

The NDIS has meant a big change for participants and also for people working in the disability sector. There continues to be a need for significant growth of the disability workforce to meet the increased demand for support. The NDIS also demands new skills and ways of working and it may affect the structure of the workforce and employment arrangements.

While some research about the workforce experiences of the NDIS has occurred in pockets of the sector, there was a need for broader research across Victoria on how the workforce in all disability settings and regions experienced the rollout over time. Improving the understanding of these issues means that the Victorian Government, the National Disability Insurance Agency, and disability service providers can support the workforce during this time of unprecedented change. It will also help the Victorian Government build a workforce that is skilled, diverse and delivers high-quality, innovative support to achieve the best possible outcomes for people with disability.

How we conducted the research

Explains how we gathered information for the 2020 study.

The methodology and questions used in this research were designed in collaboration with experts from the sector: disability workers, service providers, the Health and Community Services Union, peak bodies, and government. Together, it was agreed that a survey was needed to measure the impact of the NDIS on the workforce over time, followed by qualitative research to understand the experiences of workers in greater depth.

A wide range of engagement strategies were used to encourage a diverse representation of disability workers. Workers registered for the study and completed an online survey via an email invitation. The survey included a range of closed and open-ended questions and gave workers the opportunity to register their interest to participate in further qualitative research. The question sets for the focus groups and in-depth interviews were more open-ended in nature, allowing workers to describe their experience in their own words.

In 2020, 752 workers participated in the survey, 334 of whom had participated in 2019 and 2018 and therefore were treated as longitudinal participants. The remaining 418 survey respondents had only participated in 2020 and were therefore deemed as new participants.

Throughout this report, findings from the survey are presented as statistics, and findings from focus groups and in-depth interviews are presented as summaries of workers’ words, and in direct quotes from workers. Qualitative research participant quotes have been included throughout the report to provide supporting data to the research findings. These quotes remain in their original form and have not been edited by the researchers, except where indicated using an ellipsis or square parentheses.

In addition to the survey, 74 workers also participated in the qualitative research in either; one of eight focus groups (n=31) or an individual in-depth interview (n=43) held online between 9 November to 4 December 2020.

A qualitative approach allows researchers to focus on the issues of most importance to research participants and probe in detail their views and experiences. Qualitative research provides an insight into the range of attitudes, behaviours and experiences that exist around a topic but does not tell researchers how common these findings are in the population as a whole.

Who took part in the research in 2020?

Information about the disability workers who took part in the 2020 study.

An effort was made to recruit people from all disability settings across Victoria. As in previous years, survey participants were most commonly aged 45-64. In 2020 there was a larger representation of workers located in regional Victoria than in previous years of the study. Overall, participants were more likely to be employed part-time in the non-for-profit or charitable sector. The majority worked in a residential setting and were members of the Health and Community Services Union. Key characteristics of survey participants are represented in figures below.

Key characteristics of survey participants

Form of employment

  • 38% of respondents had a permanent full-time job with paid leave entitlements;
  • 41% had a permanent part-time job with paid leave entitlements;
  • 3% had a fixed-term contract with paid leave entitlements; and
  • 18% had a casual job without paid leave entitlements.

Sector

  • 60% of respondents worked for a not for profit or charitable organisation;
  • 19% worked in a privately owned, for profit organisation;
  • and 21% worked for a public, government, or government owned organisation.

Disability Setting

  • 63% of respondents worked in residential settings;
  • 13% in a day activity program;
  • 18% in community access;
  • 8% in support coordination/case management;
  • 15% in-home support;
  • 7% in respite;
  • 6% in allied health;
  • 6% in other settings;
  • 4% in management/HR;
  • 3% in administration;
  • 3% in outreach;
  • 2% in employment services
  • 1% in early intervention; and
  • 1% were volunteers.

Union Membership

  • 70% of respondents were members of the Health and Community Health Services Union;
  • 9% were members of another Unions
  • 20% were not members of a union; and
  • 2% preferred not to disclose this information.

What did we find?

Detailed findings from the 2020 study.

Overall

The research identified positive change to the experiences of the workforce compared to 2018 and 2019. Workers continue to be passionate about their clients and their work, and there is general support for the NDIS’s mission. Workers also consider that the NDIS has the potential to increase innovation and create new opportunities for workers. Self-reported levels of understanding and knowledge of the NDIS have also increased compared to previous study years. The proportion of the workforce who feel positive about the NDIS’s ability to improve disability services in the future, and to enhance workers ability to support their clients has steadily increased over the life of the study.

While there have been improvements, there was some frustration expressed by workers in 2020. For instance, qualitative findings suggest that some workers believed that the NDIS model is not well-suited to certain client groups, particularly those with high support needs.

Key findings about how the workforce felt about their work in relation to the NDIS, their understanding and general perceptions of the NDIS, and workforce retention are also detailed in this report. These findings are also followed by a spotlight section on health, safety, and wellbeing.

How disability workers are feeling about their work

Discontent about the NDIS was still evident amongst the workforce however anxiety and uncertainty were reducing.

Spotlight: Health, safety and wellbeing under the NDIS

A deeper look into health, safety and wellbeing of the disability workforce.

In 2020, focus groups and in-depth interviews explored the workforce’s experience of health, safety, and wellbeing under the NDIS, as well as the workforce’s understanding of current health and safety protections both at a workplace and legislative level.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which was reaching its peak in Victoria when the research was conducted, also meant that health, safety, and wellbeing were front of mind for workers in 2020. Considering the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the disability workforce, it is noteworthy that there was an increase in the proportion of survey participants who said that their job “never” put their health and safety at risk between 2018 and 2020 (24% in 2020 vs 21% in 2019 and 19% in 2018).

Recommendations

How we can work to overcome challenges identified by the disability workers in this study.

As broadly similar themes have presented throughout the three years of the study, it is advised that the 2018 and 2019 recommendations are retained with some additions (please see Understanding the workforce experience of the NDIS – Longitudinal Research Project: Year one and Year two reports).

The following recommendations are based on the research findings presented here, and input from the project’s Expert Advisory Panel.


Research project delivered by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (formerly Department of Health and Human Services) and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs


Future research

The Victorian Disability Worker Commission may have future opportunities to pursue disability worker- related consultation and research. Notification of opportunities to participate in consultation or research will be noted in the Commission’s newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter from the Disability Worker Commission website contact page by selecting 'Subscribe to periodic updates'.

For more information, events and resources to support Victoria’s disability workforce visit Victoria’s workforce plan for the NDIS.

Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne. © State of Victoria, Australia, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, August 2021.

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The images in this document depict actual services and recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation.

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