Victoria’s workforce plan for the NDIS

NDIS Workforce Data Strategy

We're using data to build a complete picture of the Victorian disability workforce and how it's changing over time.

Longitudinal Workforce Research Project

We’ve undertaken research with the Victorian disability workforce for 3 years to understand their experience of the transition to the NDIS.

We‘ve asked workers about their experience working in the NDIS so the Victorian Government knows what matters most to them about their work.

The research also provides information about what support the workforce need to work in the NDIS environment. There is a report for each year of the study available on the NDIS workforce longitudinal research study page.

NDIS Regional Readiness Fund

Disability Workforce Connectors worked with rural and regional communities to:

• build local networks
• identify local workforce priorities
• co-design workforce initiatives.

We also provided $1.3 million in grants to support these initiatives. Find out more on the projects we funded under the Victorian Regional Readiness Fund.

NDIS Learning and Development Program

We developed and provided Get NDIS Ready - a learning and development program that specifically supported disability workers as they transitioned to the NDIS.

With the transition to NDIS completed, access information on the Introduction to the NDIS course and other accredited courses funded through Priority 4: Targeting quality training, via the Victorian Skills Gateway.

Support for mainstream service systems

We’ve been building the capacity of mainstream service systems across:

• health
• clinical mental health
• child protection
• child and family
• family violence.

We’ve developed practical information and resources to help the workforce to understand the NDIS and what it means for the services they deliver.

We’ve provided opportunities to develop and apply the new capabilities required to work within the NDIS environment.

Find out more on the Working together with mainstream services page.

Qualifications Review

We worked with stakeholders in 2017 and 2018, to review the:

• CHC Community Services Training Package
• HLT Health Training Package.

To make these courses more relevant to the new demands of the NDIS, we've:

• created an Introduction to the NDIS course for people interested in a career in disability
• provided feedback to the national training package review (Skills IQ).

In consultation with key disability service providers and training providers, we developed six new accredited Victorian courses. These are for the disability workforce, to address gaps in existing training packages that are deemed essential for NDIS practitioners. The courses are:

• Supporting People with Complex Support Needs and Complex Physical Needs (22540VIC)
• Providing Support to People with Psychosocial Disability (22532VIC)
• Performing Allied Health Tasks and Supporting People with Disability (22529VIC)
• Culturally Considerate Disability Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (22531VIC)
• Supporting People with Disability to use Medications (22558VIC)
• Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Abuse and/or Grooming of People with Disabilities (22530VIC).

Find out more about accredited courses on the Victorian Skills Gateway.

Professional development for VET trainers and assessors

To help trainers and assessors understand the NDIS and deliver the 6 new accredited courses effectively, we organised and delivered:

• information sessions
• workshops
• masterclasses
• communities of practice.

Innovative approaches to work placements

We worked with training and disability service providers to improve student work placements.

We listened to the feedback we received. In response, we developed a best practice framework and resources toolkit for training providers.

The framework will ensure consistency across work placements and simplify administration for everyone. Training providers can help students assess if the disability sector is right for them.

The materials ensure inclusion of NDIS clients in the training and assessment process.

The six key elements of the framework

• A culture that values learning
• Best practice in service provision
• A positive learning environment
• An effective workplace/training provider relationship
• Effective communication
• Appropriate facilities and resources.

Who is the toolkit for?

• Work placement coordinators
• Workplace supervisors and mentors
• Students
• People with disability that may wish to be involved in a student work placement.

If you are interested in accessing the toolkit then send an email to VET.SharedLearning@education.vic.gov.au with your request.

Future Social Services Institute (FSSI)

FSSI is a unique collaboration between the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS), RMIT University and the Victorian Government to support the social care and support sector through a time of unique growth.

Our partnership supports career entrants, the existing disability workforce and research candidates.

FSSI’s work is focused on the following important areas:

1. More people in the workforce and improved workforce retention to meet ever growing demand.
2. A diverse workforce that reflects the communities that it serves, in the places where they are needed.
3. Workers that have knowledge, skills and capabilities to deliver high quality, person- centred services.
4. Leadership equipped and enabled to navigate unprecedented growth and transformation.
5. Insights and knowledge to inform, support and strengthen sector growth and transformation to better respond to community needs.

Find out more about their work on the FSSI website.

Promoting collaborative practice across service systems

We’ve delivered projects that support the NDIS and mainstream service systems to work together across:

• children, youth and families
• health
• mental health
• justice.

These projects support people with complex needs who are often most vulnerable.

The Commonwealth funded these projects through its Sector Development Fund (replaced by the Jobs and Market Fund).

Find out more on the Working together with mainstream services page.

Promoting best practice behaviour support

This project aimed to reduce the use of restrictive practices and promote positive behaviour support.

We worked with disability service providers to:

• implement the Roadmap to dignity without restraint
• drive practice and cultural change needed to promote positive behaviour support
• test the impact of these changes to provide an evidence base for the wider adoption of better practice across the state and nationally.

This project was implemented in partnership between RMIT University, National Disability Services (NDS) and the Victorian Government. It was completed October 2019.

Authorised Program Officers project

Completed in 2020, an online course was developed to enable Authorised Program Officers (APO) to undertake their legislative role to authorise restrictive practices and reduce restrictive practices.

In this project, the Victorian Senior Practitioner collaborated with the University of Melbourne to design a course informed by best practice in restrictive practice reduction, the Roadmap towards restraint reduction and Positive behaviour support. The course also covered the legislative requirements of APOs specified in the Disability Act.

In 2021, the course was offered to APOs and will be evaluated by the University of Melbourne in a report due in December 2021.

Promoting greater use of the assistant workforce

We're building the capacity of the allied health system to meet community need by:

• supporting greater use of the allied health assistant (AHA) workforce
• using more disability support workers to provide health supports to participants.

You can access the e-learning resources and the Supervision and delegation framework for allied health assistants and the support workforce in disability on the Health.Vic website.

Allied health capability framework: disability and complex support needs

We're building the capability of allied health professionals to provide high-quality, person-centred supports that promote choice and control for people with disability and complex support needs.

Find out more about the Allied health capability framework: disability and complex support needs on the Health.Vic website.

Free tools and training resources are available to help implement the Framework via My Allied Health Space. These resources will:

• help clinicians understand their professional strengths and areas of growth
• support the development of career goals
• assist employers to develop workforce plans
• demonstrate adherence to the NDIS practice standards.

Find out more on the My Allied Health Space website.

Careers in the disability sector

Working with our partner, National Disability Services (NDS) in Victoria, we’ve funded job fairs, workshops, career expos and webinars to promote careers in disability.

Promotional resources including videos and podcasts about working in the disability sector have also been created.

Access the resources on the NDS CareCareers - Working in the disability sector website.

Find out more about the courses and occupations in demand on the Victorian Skills Gateway

Here's a video featuring Jack, a disability support worker, talking about his rewarding career.

Promoting and engaging the sector

In response to what you told us in the longitudinal study, we are improving the way we communicate via:

• an improved workforce website
• improved access to resources
• social media and advertising campaign
• stories showcasing workforce achievements and roles.

Evaluation

Over 3 years, an independent consultant is evaluating our workforce plan to:

• understand its impact
• check whether it's meeting the intended objectives
• help us make improvements as we go.

Completion of evaluation is expected in 2021.