The Disability Support Services Taskforce was set up to action the recommendations from the Independent Review.
What changed in 2024 with services for disability support?
Measures were put in place in March and April 2024 by the Ministry of Disabled People to limit ongoing acceleration of costs by clarifying purchasing guidelines.
In August 2024 the Minister for Disability Issues announced an Independent Review had found the delivery of Disability Support Services (DSS) could not continue in its current state, with unsustainable spending and a lack of fairness and transparency around what support disabled people can access.
Cabinet agreed to transfer DSS from the Ministry of Disabled People to the Ministry of Social Development (separate to Work and Income). A DSS Taskforce was set up to action the Independent Review recommendations.
Over the previous 10 years DSS expenditure had not remained within the funding allocated at Budget and had required additional funding.
Further measures put in place in August 2024 included:
- reinstating indicative budgets for NASCs, and fixed budgets for EGL sites and Equipment and Modification Service (EMS) providers. Those in highest need were prioritised within those budgets
- reporting and monitoring for NASCs, EGL sites and EMS providers
The challenges in stabilising disability support services was significant given the long-standing nature of some of the problems identified in the Independent Review.
The next phase of the DSS Taskforce work involved policy design to put DSS on a sustainable basis longer-term, better managing cost pressures and improving consistency, fairness and transparency.
Policy design centred on Recommendations 2, 5 and 6 of the Independent Review – reviewing contract and pricing models for residential care; updating the assessment and allocation settings for individuals based on level of need; and establishing criteria for access to flexible funding and reviewing the flexible funding guidelines to improve clarity and consistency.