Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) welcomes recent statements from NDIS Review Co-Chair Bruce Bonyhady advocating for additional supports for children and young people with disability.
In an interview with ABC’s 7:30 earlier this month, Mr Bonyhady called on Federal, state and local governments to jointly build ‘Foundational Supports’ for children with disability in settings like family centres and schools.
CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said while the organisation supported this in principle, care had to be taken not to remove children with disability from the scheme until effective and sustainable alternatives were put in place.
“It is crucial that children and young people are not ousted from the NDIS until and unless new support structures are co-designed with, tested by and proven to meet their needs,” she said.
“We acknowledge the feasibility constraints of encompassing all children with disability, including those with autism and global development delay, but urge the NDIS Review panel not to overlook what’s most important: preventing any child from falling through the cracks.
“While the NDIS may not have been originally designed to support the more than 300,000 children and young people with disability currently depending on it, the reality is that they are here now, they deserve support, and they cannot be allowed to be left in the lurch.
“The results would be disastrous.”
In its recent submission to the Independent NDIS Review, CYDA urged government to ensure quality inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care services were well-established before the number of children on the scheme was reduced.
This was one of five key asks CYDA put to the Review. The others include:
- Ensuring the NDIS is fit-for-purpose specifically for children and young people, ranging from 9 to 25 years.
- Strengthening the NDIS workforce to cater to the distinct and varied needs of children and young people with disability.
- Advocating for improved data collection spanning both NDIS and non-NDIS systems, guaranteeing that no child or young person slips through the cracks.
- Shifting the perspective of children from being perceived as a cost burden within the NDIS, by emphasising the long-term societal and economic benefits of early childhood support investment.
Ms Kakokschke-Moore said the not-for-profit was driven by the same goal as Mr Bonyhady and the NDIS Review.
“We want to ensure that every child and young person with disability in Australia is fully supported, at every stage of life, today and into the future,” she said.
CYDA is the peak body representing the rights and interests of young people with disability aged 0 to 25 in Australia and has more than 5000 members.
CYDA’s full submission to the Independent NDIS Review can be viewed here.
For more information or further comment, contact CYDA:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (03) 9417 1025
