26th March 2011
 
Disability Care and Support Inquiry Productivity Commission,
GPO Box 1428,
Canberra City
ACT     2601
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
I find there are inadequate levels of social and financial support for people with an intellectual disability.  I am the only dependable person my daughter and her son (my grandson) have in their lives and I’m concerned about what will happen to them when I can no longer manage. My grandson has high level needs and I’m very anxious about what will happen and where he will live when we can no longer care for him.  We need to have a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) so our disabled people would have a properly planned financial and consistent system to support them.  Currently we do not have any certainty that they will get reasonable care and support over the long-run. 
 
My daughter lives an isolated life, she can’t get her driving licence and is unable to take her son on outings because of his social and communication difficulties. Her mental health is suffering and she cannot manage without my help.  She is on a DSP and works two days in supported employment 11 hours per week. Without my assistance of getting her son ready for school she would be unable to do this. Her preference is to be in open employment with support and morning and after school care for her son. With an NDIS my daughter would have funding to obtain respite for her son out of school hours and she would have the opportunity to gain work in a field more to her liking, giving her the same chance as  any-one else without a disability. She would also be able to have respite to go on outings and make friends which she does not have the opportunity to do now. 
 
My grandson needs support with his personal care eg. Showering, washing, oral hygiene, toileting, grooming, medication and all food prepared.  Currently he receives 3 hours per week support from a carer, this is completely inadequate. With an NDIS he could have more assistance and guidance from therapists to help him reach his full potential. 
 
My grandson does not have the opportunity to join or be part of any sporting or social club as his single Mum does not have the ability, self esteem, finances or opportunity to take him out. With an NDIS he would have funding for a carer to take him on outings to sport/gym classes etc and give him the same chance as other teenage boys.
 
My grandson was not diagnosed until he was 5 years, he did not have the Early Intervention Support younger children get to-day. When we had the diagnosis we found it was such a maze to know where to go to for support and what was the best we could do for him. My daughter’s only income is the DSP and we could not afford private specialist services that may have developed his skills and given him language and independence. With an NDIS the funding would allow him visits to speech, occupational and therapists which he desperately needs.
 
Within a short time my grandson is going to require supported accommodation.  I’m very concerned 1292 people with a disability are registered as needing urgent supported accommodation on the Department of Human Services Disability Support Register.  I believe there are only around 220 places in supported accommodation being developed over the next 3 years, this is far too low for our current need. With an NDIS my grandson would have the opportunity for specialist accommodation support which is greatly needed for our disabled people, currently it is an unknown what will happen to him.
 
We desperately need services to support ageing parents and their families. I find I’m not in a position to be in the work force as I need to be available for my daughter and grandson at all times. This leads to us being a low income family and not able to participate in outings as we would like or have anything extra for ourselves. The general community do not understand how it is for us carers. With an NDIS we would be able to pay for carers to take over a lot of my time spent with my family. This would allow me to give them quality time and if in the workforce I could contribute more to their well being.
 
·        I do believe the NDIS should be designed to have the money attached to the person and not a service provider. In my case both my daughter and grandson both would need responsible and caring people to search for best outcomes of the package provided for them.
·        I would like to see disability support staff have higher wages to attract new people. Also to skill the staff to be able to give more assistance to the clients and allow chosen friends, neighbours, relations to do some personal care and support.
 
 In the present system we have no confidence about the future and I’m pleading with the Government to introduce the NDIS and provide people with a disability and their families and carers with the regular care, support, therapy and equipment they need.