School of Social Work and Social Policy
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
Australia
Level 2
Health Sciences 2
+61 3 9479 2570
Fax: +61 3 9479 5257
email
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School of
Social Work and Social Policy
Individualised funding: What does that mean?
Reinforce Self Advocacy supported by Patsie Frawley
Reinforce Inc.
Vision Statement
Reinforce is a self advocacy organisation for people with an intellectual disability.
Reinforce is here to assist, support and encourage independence for people with an intellectual disability.
Reinforce promotes the rights of people with an intellectual disability to be upheld in the same way as everyone else in the community.
Who belongs to Reinforce?
People who have an intellectual disability. People who are passionate about sticking up for the right sof other people
People who are interested in talking about:
- People's rights,
- Choice and decision making,
- Diversity and social change
We have not had a say about individualised funding...
- Government has not talked to us – Why?
- We are not in the Victorian Disability Advocacy Network – when we were we did not have a real say – Who is talking for people with an intellectual disability?
- We cannot have a say if we do not know what it is all about – How can new ways of funding support be developed without asking people with an intellectual disability?
- Self advocacy is important – other countries include self advocacy in supporting people who organise their own funding and services – Why doesn’t this happen in Victoria?
How to make individualised funding work for people with an intellectual disability
- Talk to people with an intellectual disability to see what they want – Who is helping people know how to get this support and funding?
- If people cannot say what they want they need someone to advocate for them
- Families are not always the right people to do this, they might have a conflict of interest or be in crisis and feel like they have to say Yes to anything– Other countries use self advocates and circles of support. We would like to be involved
- Some people might still want to use services like CRUs and day services, they need proper funding too – We want to make sure services are better too.
Questions we have..
- Do people with an intellectual disability understand what it is all about?
- Who helps people understand – where is the information and training for people?
- Who protects the rights of people so they don’t get ripped off?
- It is big dollars – it is important it is kept safe, used for the things that the person wants and needs and is enough to meet people’s needs?
- We need to know more about it so we can help people have a say and maybe get involved in the process with people.
What people need to know
- How to get access to this way of funding.
- What will happen when they say they want to go this way – will they lose other supports and services?
- What their choices are and what their rights are and how they can complain if there is a problem
- Who can help manage the money? People with an intellectual disability need the same opportunities as people with other disabilities
- It has to be fair and equal for all people with a disability.
Contacting Reinforce
reinforce@rosshouse.org.au
Ph 9650 785
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