Survive & Thrive Series Part 1 – Your NDIS Growth & Sustainability Guide

Planning for NDIS 2.0 – Stop needing to prioritise the bushfires, use the upcoming caretaker period to proactively backburn.

“Failing to plan, is planning to fail”.

If you thought NDIS 2024 was a wild ride, strap yourself in for NDIS 2025. With a caretaker period looming:

• NOW is the calm before the storm.
• NOW is your opportunity to plan how you will survive the NDIS death by 1000 cuts.
• NOW is your chance to secure your own future and ensure the people you support have every possible opportunity to thrive.

We already know the following landscape looks like:

• The Fraud Fusion Taskforce will continue to chase $1.3 billion in alleged outstanding NDIS fraudulent claims.
• There will be continued crack downs designed to limit the cross over of services within the different government departments. So, whilst people with disability are meant to be in the centre of everything we do, they will just be placed in different environments and expected to adapt.
• By April, we will likely have greater clarity on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissions’ new powers to increase financial penalties as well as the ability to initiate criminal charges against NDIS key personnel for breaches of the NDIS Act 2013.
• By May, the Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) will be submitting their proposal to the Australian Government about the current approach to pricing and future reforms.
  • They are looking to have different prices but align the pricing methodologies to Aged Care.
  • If IHACPA take over, providers will have to make significant effort to break down and understand what their costs are. By this I don’t just mean budget but how does each position in the organisation generate or protect the value offered to the NDIS participant.
• By June, there could be a new definition of what a provider is.
• By July, we will likely receive guidance on when and how will Supported Independent Living (SIL) Support Coordinators and Platform providers will need to be registered.
• By October, we will likely have new Practice Standards.

That’s a lot to take in!

So how did we get here and where do we go from here?

My personal view is that we have been in a significant state of flux for at least the last 3 years (or maybe 13 years)...

It is human nature that people tend to adapt by withdrawing into helplessness or lapsing into cynicism (is this resonating?) but the tendency to withdraw is something we leaders need to fight against...

“If you continue to prioritise the bushfires, without proactive backburning, you will eventually be in the middle of a catastrophe”.

Backburning is essential for new growth and sustainability

I know you’re busy, but taking time to plan strategically will give you and the organisation a stronger edge for success as providers.

Risk, liability and adaptability

As capable service providers, you are carrying the financial burden to try to prevent things from going wrong...

Think back to February 2020...

The road ahead…

Knowing that we survived the collective challenge of the pandemic, we can, and should, feel confident that we will make it through the new challenges that we’re facing now.

Which path leads to survival?

So now Supporting Potential is issuing a challenge to the NDIS Service Provider Leaders…

“Focus on the impact you can create, not the chaos you can’t control.”

Again, the government will not save you...

We are going to go on this journey with you every step of the way. We will be issuing a series of fortnightly blogs and webinars...

Our simple approach will give you take away tools to be able to review and revise your strategy for the next 12 months.

The Survive & Thrive: Your NDIS Growth & Sustainability Guide topics we will be covering are:

Part 1. Your NDIS Growth and Sustainability Guide overview

This article, which provides an overview of the current NDIS landscape and upcoming challenges.

Part 2. Planning for NDIS success will be dependent on your approach to change

2025 will be pivotal for providers with:

• shifting participant needs
• regulatory changes
• the expansion of liability, criminal charges and civil penalties for individuals
• the increasing demand for personalised, high-quality supports

The traditional “set-and-forget” planning models... will no longer suffice.

Outcome – understanding your natural tendency to change will directly affect how your organisation needs to approach 2025

Part 3. Who has a seat at your NDIS Strategic table?

Does your organisation have the right expertise and experience to map the next 12 months...

Outcome – identifying and mobilising your core contributors for future transformation and how to best structure your change management approach.

Part 4. The mirror not the microscope

Revisiting what you as the leader and the broader organisation stand for...

Outcome – to build or reaffirm confidence, clarity and consistency...

Part 5. The microscope not mantra

All service providers essentially want to deliver a service that is valued...

Outcome – a gap analysis of what you do well, what you need to improve on and what is not worth your time or energy.

Part 6. Money matters

In human services, cost is mostly driven by our people...

Outcome – the development of organisational strategies to optimise financial results in a price restricted environment.

Part 7. Structuring your approach to risk

This could be your new competitive advantage...

We review the different requirements of risk management from the Federal Court outcomes of Commissioner of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission v Valmar Support Services Ltd and Commissioner v LiveBetter Services Ltd

Outcome – a clearer picture of where your key risks likely lie and the development of core mitigation strategies.

Part 8. Reframing compliance to be your competitive advantage

Mandatory registration will mean being registered is no longer a quality indicator...

Outcome – the development of a mobilisation plan...

Part 9. Communication is King

How will you communicate with your broader team?...

Outcome – a documented communications and outcome plan...

Part 10. Identify, plan, monitor, pivot and know where it is safe to fail

For all the great ideas out there, you are only as good as your implementation...

Outcome – strategic implementation plans and key indicators of success.

And finally…

Take some time to have a look at our recent webinar “From the Courtroom to the Boardroom – What you need to learn from NDIS case law to manage your risk”. You won’t want to miss this!

NDIS Growth and Sustainability is achievable!!

This essential survival guide blog series offers actionable guidance...

If either of these options are of interest to you, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us via email angela@supportingpotential.com.au or schedule a time to have a chat via my bookings calendar.

Get involved…

We’ll be sharing practical tips, real life examples, and expert insights every week.

Follow along, join the conversation, and share these posts with your network. Let’s build a stronger, more adaptable NDIS community together.

I look forward to ‘seeing you’ again next week!

Your partner in achieving compliance, growth and sustainability

Angela Harvey

Managing Director of Supporting Potential

To read all our other blogs visit here.