Northern Rivers Social Development Council Ltd has been confirmed as the Central Coast’s new Local Area Coordination (LAC) Program partner to deliver NDIS services.
Taking over the role from the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, the Council trades under the name Social Futures and has been awarded a three year, $69M contract to deliver NDIS services to Central Coast based participants with delivery to commence from July 1.
Social Futures were also awarded similar contracts for Northern NSW and the Far West regions and have previously been the LAC for Murrumbidgee, the Mid North Coast and Western NSW.
The organisation works alongside communities, service providers and all levels of government to promote genuine opportunities for people living with disability with a focus on homelessness and housing, youth and family, and community inclusivity programs, and has been doing so for the past 40 years.
In the financial year of 2018/19 Social Futures delivered services to over 20,000 members of the disabled community, assisting them as they worked towards their goals and to achieve inclusion and independence, and its CEO, Tony Davies, is welcoming the chance to emulate that success on the Central Coast.
“One of the values of our organisation is inclusion and we are honoured to be providing support to members of our communities with disability as an NDIS LAC partner,” Davies said.
“We will be using a local employment strategy in our new service delivery on the Central Coast, as we know the importance of local knowledge and tailoring support to meet the unique needs of participants and the communities that they live in.
“The experience of our participants is the driving factor in everything we do.
“We are passionate about supporting people to live life the way they want to and creating positive social change, not only for individuals, but also as a society,” he added.
As the Central Coast’s new LAC, Social Futures will be responsible for: Helping local NDIS participants understand and access NDIS services; Work with participants to create an NDIS Support Plan that covers their individual support needs, situation and goals; Assist participants with submitting plans to the NDIA for approval; Help participants find and start receiving services under their NDIA approved plans; and, review plans with participants and assist them with making changes when and where appropriate.
More generally, LAC partners are also tasked with making communities more welcoming and inclusive for disabled residents, and to help the community at large better understand the NDIS and how it works in relation to other government services.
Fairhaven has facilities at Tuggerah and Point Clare and is a community founded not-for-profit organisation that provides accommodation and care support for the disabled community, as well as employment opportunities through its Supported Employment Enterprise business divisions, and respite assistance for fulltime carers.
The organisation is one of the largest and most well respected of its kind on the Coast, and its Chief Executive, Scott Holz, has welcomed the appointment of Social Futures as the region’s new LAC partner.
“Excellence in local area coordination is critical for people with disability in being able to live life their way.
“Social Futures has a strong history of creating social change, and Fairhaven looks forward to working with them to create opportunities for Central Coast residents with disability to achieve what they want from life,” said Holz.
APM, Unisson, New Horizons and Options Disability Support Services were all approached for comment.
Source:
Press releases, Apr 23-May 1
Stuart Robert MP, Minister for the National Disability
Insurance Scheme
Amanda Shoebridge,
Social Futures
Email, May 27
Kieran Bird, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW
Document, May 27
Social Futures Annual
Report 2018/19
Websites, May 27
National Disability Insurance Scheme: Local Area Coordination Partner Program
Media statement, May 28
Carol Oakley, Fairhaven
Reporter: Dilon Luke