Bega Valley Shire Council is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organisations interested in offering Support Coordination and Plan Management services to its existing National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients.
Council’s Director Community, Environment and Planning, Emily Harrison said the EOI process will include a non-mandatory online Q&A session at 1pm on Thursday 9 May.
“We undertake regular reviews of our funded programs to ensure services are being delivered effectively, meet market needs and ensure we are well-positioned to adapt to potential funding changes,” Ms Harrison said.
“A recent review of our Families, Ageing and Disability Services found that while Council provides a high level of service, the provider market has changed significantly since we became an NDIS provider and there are now multiple providers of disability services located in the Bega Valley Shire.”
In February this year, Councillors gave in-principle support for Council to cease providing NDIS services following an EOI process to determine if the private market has capacity to support Council’s existing clients.
“We understand the importance of ensuring there are adequate providers to support the community, which is why we will first determine if there are other options available to our existing clients.”
“Our Families, Ageing and Disability team has delivered a fantastic and valued service for our community over the course of its operation.
“This consideration is about whether Council, as a local government organisation, is best placed to deliver these services to the community. The majority of councils in NSW do not provide ageing or disability services,” said Ms Harrison.
Detailed information on the EOI is available on Council’s Have Your Say webpage.
Interested NDIS service providers are requested to fill out a simple, quick survey by Friday 31 May.
To register for the online information session, go to Council’s website or contact Acting Manager, Community and Cultural Services, Yvette Parker at yparker@begavalley.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 6499 2313. RSVP by Wednesday 8 May.
“We can’t stress enough that change will only occur if there are suitable contingencies in place. Until that time we will continue to work with our NDIS clients as we always have.”
“If Council does decide to stop providing NDIS services, we will work closely with clients to ensure the transition to new providers is as seamless as possible,” Ms Harrison said.