Department of Human Services

Victorian Disability Services

Self-directed Funding for People with a Disability – ‘Benefits & Challenges’

Field Seminar

27 November 2009

It’s about transforming livesIt’s about transforming lives

• Achieve economic participation and social inclusion

• Enjoy choice, wellbeing and the opportunity to live as independently as possible

• Well supported and resilient families/carers

Implementation: The evolution of self-directed funding in Victoria

Mid and late 1990’s - IHAS - FFYA

2000 - HomeFirst introduced

2001 - IHAS merged with HomeFirst

2003 - Support and Choice

2007 - my future my choice

2008 – Consolidated Individual Support Packages

2009 – Reorientation of Day Services

Disability Services Budget 2009-10

Output2009-10Target

$m

Information, Planning and Capacity Building

94.2

Targeted Services

76.9

Individual Support

532.9

Residential Accommodation Support

584.0

Total 1,287.9

Individually tailored

packages and supports

increasingly important and now represent 41% of budget

(up from 24% in 2002-03)

Self-directed approachesSelf-directed approaches

• Increased choice and control of the service user

• Planning that is directed by the person (or family centred in the case of children)

• Clear, upfront allocation of resources

• Individually attached and portable funding

Self-directed approachesSelf-directed approaches

• More choice over how the money is managed, including Direct Payments

• Greater flexibility about how the money can be spent

“Personal budgets and self-directed services mobilise the intelligence of thousands of people to get better outcomes for

themselves and more value for public money”

- Charles Leadbeater, Jamie Bartlett,Niamh Gallagher (DEMOS)

Setting the pace …. Setting the pace ….

Questions?