DSS Consultation Feedback

Disability Support Services Consultation

Disability Connect is preparing a submission to the Disability Support Services Taskforce for the current consultation about Needs Assessments and Flexible Funding.

We have prepared some feedback below.

We also welcome your comments and feedback for additions or changes to our submission.

Email us at admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz with DSS Submission in the heading by 5pm Wednesday 19^th March 2025. Your comments will be anonymously shared within our submission.

Note: Please identify the question number(s) you are commenting on.

Responses to DSS Discussion Document Questions

Q1. What changes can you suggest that would ensure the assessment tool and process is fair, consistent, and transparent? You might for instance wish to suggest it is: done in a different place; in person, or not; that it be supported differently; or that you receive different information about it before or after the assessment occurs.

Disabled people and their families need to be better informed prior to assessments e.g. questions to pre-read and prepare.
More space for disabled people and parents to ask questions before and during assessments.
Capacity for disabled people and their families to change assessors
Assessments at a time and place that works for the person being assessed.
Where possible have the same person who gets to know the family, not a different person each time.
If there is a new person, they need to allow sufficient time to get to know the family, not just charge straight into the tool.
The Enabling Good Lives connector model is a more supportive and affirming method of assessing and should be implemented across all NASC sites. 
Reduce the variance in assessors through better, consistent training of all assessors.
Consistent tools for all NASC’s across all disabilities.
Language – simplified for both People First and people who have English as an additional language.
Funded interpreters needs to be built in for equity. Specialist disability interpreters are preferred.
We have concerns that interpreters without specialist training in EGL and Social Models of Disability may have deficit frameworks of disability that disadvantages disabled people and their families who have English as an additional language. Families report some interpreters bring a bias to their understanding of disability based on a cultural point of view.
Assessments and assessors need to be aspirational. Support disabled people to have the best life possible.

Q2. What information does the assessment tool need to gather about you and your circumstances to ensure it can identify the support you need?

Space for siblings to be included.
Our ordinary life outcomes.
Capacity of family to support.
Family dynamics- especially interrelationships and future expected changes e.g declining health of loved ones.
Support for relationships and connection.
Support for both long term health and disability.

Q3. Do you support the needs of carers being specifically assessed alongside those of the disabled person? Why/Why not?

Yes. Because family capacity to have a good life is just as important. Capacity of carer to be an employer varies and needs to be considered.
Considering the whole family and community is important BUT this should not mean families and communities are penalised and left with insufficient support.
Carers have 3X the stress and anxiety of other parents. (Disability Survey 2023). If DSS does do an assessment of carers it will need to connect carers to supports outside DSS.
Would be good for family members with undiagnosed conditions/disabilities to be included in the assessments so they can be referred as needed.
We are in favour of carers being included in the assessments to give assurance that the family and their disabled person can be supported for the best life possible.

Q4. What does DSS need to understand about a carer’s situation in order to link them to, or provide, the support needed?

Carers need to have hope, pastoral support, wellbeing, sleep and housing.
Consider carer health, community participation, remaining in employment and risk prevention for acquired accidents.
Other family needs e.g. care for other dependents, mental health, dependencies, undiagnosed conditions/disabilities as mentioned previously

Q5. How often have your needs and services / supports been reviewed or reassessed?

Families report this varies between 1 to 5 years. 3-5 years on average for children in adulthood.

Q6. What changes to your circumstances do you think should mean a review or reassessment of your services / supports would be needed?

Transitioning, especially through puberty
Needs have changed through behaviour changes, financial changes, moving housing, change of job, reduced independence, declining communication.

Q7. How often do you think your services / supports need to be reviewed or reassessed? (for instance, every year, every two years, every three years, or every five years).

2 years is fine- but could be moved to 5 years if stable and there is no change

Q8. What information or support might NASCs provide that will help you access the services, beyond DSS, that you might be eligible for?

Refer to DIAS
Choices
Partner Needs Assessors with DIAS to raise awareness of available services
DIAS helps families and disabled people to identify natural supports. Government, Hosts and NASC’s are not able to do this but play a role.

Q9. Do you prefer Option 1 (link flexible funding to the person’s plan, with oversight of how it is used) or Option 2 (adjust current lists of what can and can’t be funded using flexible funding)? Why? Neither option is suitable.

Flexible funding by definition should not be prescribed.
Neither options support wellbeing and respite for carers and families of disabled people. Would like to see this included.
Assessments need to include the needs of the carer as well as the needs of the disabled person.
Our preference is a focus on choices and outcomes rather than rules and prescription.
Option 1 is preferred because it is at lease fixed to a plan the disabled person determines.
Capability and capacity building is desperately required so family and whanau can use flexible funding. This will save the system money long term.

Q10. Do you have any suggestions on how flexible funding can be used to allow disabled people and carers as much choice, control and flexibility as possible, while still providing transparency and assurance the funding is being used effectively, and is supporting outcomes?

Spend less time scrutinising choices. Receipts can be used for accountability and monitoring. Foster trust.
Hosts being consistent, using the same documents.
Worry less on what funds are spent on. Focus on outcomes and the plan.
The level of scrutiny and monitoring should be tied to the size of the budget and capability of the disabled person and family to manage it.
Legislation works for ACC to a point and could be beneficial. Clarity over community participation funding is murky in the legislation. Having consistent well written individual plans is key. This is challenging in the first five years of life- the best assessors should be accessed then.
Giving disabled people and their families choice and control over options within a 2 to 5 year budget tied to a plan would work best. Annual check.ins to see if needs have changed are beneficial during teenage years/puberty.
Capability and capacity training for migrant families to support them in challenging assessments and allocations. Specialist DIAS navigators could assist.

Q11. Do you support the introduction of criteria for receiving flexible funding? Please let us know why, or why not?

Care needs to be taken with this. Shouldn’t be based on age bands.
Nature and amount of care is preferred as criteria, not hours of care due to neurological differences.
Respite care for wellbeing for full time carers should be 4 hours per full day.
Carers need to have flexibility regarding what works for them to take a break from caring responsibilities.

Q12. Which of the following criteria for receiving flexible funding do you agree or disagree should be included and why? (choose all that you think should apply).

12a: Use of flexible funding is part of an agreed plan and linked to a specific need.

Agree.

12b: Disabled people and/or their family / whānau / carers are able to manage the responsibilities of flexible funding.

Disagree- Depends on capacity and training of family / whānau / carers and availability and capability of navigators/advisors. Families should have choice in how they are funded and what they are funded for.

12c: Flexible funding will be used to purchase a service or support that DSS provides through its contracted services/supports, that will address a person’s disability-related support, and there is an advantage to using flexible funding to purchase it (such as greater flexibility for scheduling, it is closer to where the person lives etc).

This is confusing to us. Do both DSS or Hosts approve? What about non mainstream services outside of DSS? Where is well-being and respite for carers? Power to determine appropriate choices should be with disabled people and their families. Where there are no suitable or affordable choices disabled people and their families should receive funds that they can use flexibly to fund the best possible life for their circumstances.

12d: Flexible funding will address a service gap, where the service is not otherwise available, or suitable for the individual.

Agree. Trust family and whanau to fund what is needed for the best life of their disabled loved one.

12e: The cost of the support or service that will be funded is not more expensive than other ways to get that support.

Disagree. Can’t whanau/family determine this through budgeting?

12f: The flexible funding will enable the person to purchase or access a service that is expected to reduce a person’s future support needs.

Disagree. Family and whanau too, not just the disabled person.

Q13. Can you suggest other criteria for accessing flexible funding in addition to, or instead of, those above? If you have suggestions, please explain why you think they will be helpful for those who are accessing flexible funding.

Respite and wellbeing of family and whanau
Quality of care.
Quality of life generated by parents/carers.
Quality of life for parents/carers.

We also welcome your comments and feedback for additions or changes to our submission. Email us at admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz with DSS Submission in the heading.

Thank you