The NDIA released the "Development of a Psychosocial Disability Recovery-Oriented Framework" consultation paper that outlines their proposed recovery-oriented framework. This framework is important to me for two reasons:
1. As someone working within the NDIS system, this framework will affect national legislature, policies and operational guidelines; as well as organisational procedures and processes. It has practical implications which could impact the work that my team perform.
2. As someone with a psychosocial disability, this framework (and the resulting changes in NDIS policy) will affect how all people with a psychosocial disability are viewed and treated.
It would have been preferable to have been given more time by the NDIA with this response. Limited time, however, meant that this process was rushed. With that said, I'm proud of our response. We commend the efforts of the NDIA in their acknowledgement of Recovery as a vital concept that should guide those working with people with psychosocial disability. In our response we navigate the six proposed principles:
Supporting Personal Recovery;
Valuing Lived Experience;
Shared Responsibility with Mainstream Service Systems;
Supporting Informed Decision Making;
Being Responsive to Fluctuating Support Needs; and
Building Recovery-Oriented Practice Competencies.
We assessed the strengths and explored the difficulties presented. We finally examined an overlooked principle - Promoting a Culture of Hope. There is still more to be said, but I encourage you to read this document (below) and reflect. We eagerly await the revised NDIS Recovery-Oriented Framework and look forward to the resulting evolution of services.
