Assisting Change is an advisory service to support DSS contracted disability service providers to improve the quality of their supports for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
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What is Assisting Change?
DSS contracts Te Pou Waiora to deliver the Assisting Change service Te Pou Waiora – Better Connected external.
Te Pou Waiora works alongside DSS contracted providers that would like to improve the quality of their services to disabled people. Te Pou Waiora provides a brokerage service that engages specialist advisors with a diverse range of skills and extensive experience. Advisors are matched to a provider and assist them to work on specific quality issues. The advisor partners with the provider to support quality improvement actions and ensure the change aligns with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Enabling Good Lives (EGL) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. external Culturally appropriate matches are available for kaupapa Māori and Pacific providers.
The Assisting Change service is an opportunity for disability support providers to build knowledge and capability. Resources and tools developed will be freely available on the Te Pou Waiora website.
Assisting Change aims to achieve these outcomes:
- Disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau and families will experience safer lives and increased wellbeing in DSS funded services.
- Disability support providers are supported to deliver safer services that are aligned with the EGL vision and principles.
- DSS has more evidence that the services it commissions are safe and are of high quality.
How can I access Assisting Change?
A DSS provider can access the Assisting Change service in two ways:
- Via referral from the DSS Quality Assurance Team
DSS can refer a provider to Assisting Change in response to quality issues identified through audits, complaints, or critical incidents, with appropriate provider engagement of the actions being proposed. In this situation, DSS can contribute funding towards the cost of the Assisting Change service. Some contribution may be required from the provider, determined on a case-by-case basis. This will be discussed with providers, and Assisting Change proposals go through an approval process within DSS.
- Direct request from the provider to Te Pou Waiora
Providers can self-refer to Assisting Change service through the Te Pou Waiora website external. The provider will agree costs directly with Te Pou Waiora.
Background
The Assisting Change service grew out of the Growing Voice and Safety project. This project ran from 2023 to 2024 and included significant community and sector engagement to develop new services in DSS that aim to:
- increase the focus on the voice, good lives and human rights of disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori
- reduce the risk of neglect and abuse in disability support services.