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Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Disabilities

National Disability Advocacy Program

The National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) assists people with disability to overcome barriers (i.e. physical access, discriminatory attitudes, abuse, neglect etcetera) that impact on their daily life and their ability to participate in the community.

In 2008-09 approximately $12.6 million in program funding will be offered under the National Disability Advocacy Program to 63 organisations operating across Australia.


Changes to the National Disability Advocacy Program and the 2007-08 Federal Budget measure

A process of change commenced in 2006 following an evaluation in late 2005 which identified that the program was 'in need of reform'.

As part of the 2007-08 Federal Budget, an additional $12.2 million will be provided over four years to fund improvements to the program and deliver additional individual advocacy to people with disability. These initiatives include:More information about each of these initiatives is available below.

Extra funding in 15 regional and metropolitan areas to expand the delivery of individual advocacy support

As part of the $12.2 million made available in the 2007-08 Federal Budget, up to $1.5 million per year is available recurrently to expand the delivery of individual advocacy support and improve service coverage in 10 regional areas and five metropolitan areas. This funding will further improve access for people with disability to individual advocacy support, assisting them to overcome barriers such as abuse, neglect and discrimination so that they can fully participate in the community.

The areas identified to receive this additional funding are:
All 15 areas to be funded have been selected based on disability population and level of disability advocacy support funded by Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

NDAP funded agencies have been invited to apply for the funding for five metropolitan and the previously announced 10 regional areas. They are encouraged to enter into collaborative arrangements with another agency (or agencies) either funded under NDAP, or by a state or territory government. Applications close at 2.00pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) on Thursday 11 December 2008.

For further information please contact disabilityadvocacy@fahcsia.gov.au.

National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) Quality Improvement Strategy

The 2007/08 Budget measure also included the introduction of a quality improvement strategy for the NDAP. Since then, the NDAP sector has worked closely with the department on development of the quality assurance component of that strategy.

On 30 May 2008, Community and Disability Services Ministers made a commitment to bring about improvements to disability advocacy through reform. Since then, Disability Ministers have agreed to a national reform of the disability service system. This includes development of the National Disability Services' Quality Strategy which will provide national consistency in quality assurance processes and the continuous improvement of disability services, including disability advocacy agencies.

To better support this broader reform agenda, and to ensure that disability advocacy is truly represented in the progress towards this national quality improvement strategy, the decision has been made to delay the NDAP quality assurance trial scheduled to commence in October 2008.

The department has greatly appreciated the feedback from the NDAP sector in developing the NDAP quality assurance system to date. Feedback arising from the February/March 2008 consultations is available in the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) Quality Assurance Consultations Report. This report summarises feedback from stakeholders and makes recommendations around a draft set of revised Disability Advocacy Standards, Key Performance Indicators and Evidence Guidelines; plus characteristics of the disability advocacy models. The report also provides draft policies and procedures against the set of Standards.

While the NDAP quality assurance trial is on hold, we will continue to progress other key components of the NDAP quality improvement strategy, with a priority on continuous improvement and sector development activities. The work which has taken place to date will be valuable in shaping this work.

Further information about these activities will be forthcoming and we welcome your feedback about how best to implement these activities.

New quarterly performance and data report

The Quarterly Performance and Data Report (QPDR) replaces the previous NDAP Quarterly Report.

The 1 July to 30 September 2008 reporting period will be the first time all agencies will complete the revised report. NDAP-funded agencies will be able to provide feedback on each section of the report during this first reporting period.

The QPDR will provide valuable information to the Department and will be used to improve the program and assist the disability advocacy sector in delivering quality services to people with disability. The new report aims to increase the reliability of data collected and gain a more rounded insight into advocacy support provided by NDAP-funded agencies.

To assist with the new report a Data dictionary has been developed which defines the parameters and descriptors of terms used. This will assist in ensuring there is consistent data collection across all NDAP-funded agencies.

Advocacy Reforms and Management Section

The Department's Disability Participation and Reform Branch includes an 'Advocacy Reforms and Management' Section that oversees the changes to the NDAP and works with the Department's state and territory offices in the ongoing management of this program.

The Advocacy Reforms and Management Section Manager can be contacted via:

Further information about who in FaHCSIA is working in the advocacy area can be found at the Who's Who in FaHCSIA webpage.