Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T11:50:24.321Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Impact of Public Policy on Support Services for Indigenous Families with Children with Special Education Needs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2017

Karen Trimmer  and
Roselyn Dixon
Karen Trimmer*
Affiliation:
School of Linguistics, Adult & Specialist Education, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia
Roselyn Dixon
Affiliation:
School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Karen Trimmer, Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

In Australia and Europe, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations (NFPOs) have had long involvement in the funding and provision of community disability services. Significant change has occurred in Australia over the past two decades in the way government funds are expended, with marketplace mechanisms increasingly being used. As a consequence of economic and governance imperatives, funding of services via NFPOs has changed significantly with a move away from the provision of grants to the contracting of these organisations for the provision of services. In 2013, a new national policy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), was introduced that has impacts for the provision of disability services for children and their families. In particular, Indigenous families are likely to experience barriers in accessing services. This paper reviews the impact of international changes in policy and associated funding models and considers the impacts and research implications of Australia's initial experience of implementation of the NDIS.

Keywords

culturally appropriatedisabilityfundingIndigenousnot-for-profit organisationservice provision
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , December 2018 , pp. 198 - 205
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aging, Disability and Home Care. (2012). Rural and remote project: Video conferencing for case conferences Summary Report. Department of Family and Community Services. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/about_us/research/completed_research.Google Scholar
Aubrey, C., & Dahl, S. (2006). Children's voices: The views of vulnerable children on their service providers and relevance of services they receive. British Journal of Social Work, 36, 21–39.Google Scholar
Casuscelli, L., & Reimer, J. (2016). Using partnerships to raise awareness of disability, and in particular Autism, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The positive partnerships and first person disability network story. Paper presented at Aspect Autism in Education Conference: Engaging Learners for Life, Melbourne, 5–6 May, 2016.Google Scholar
Children Act 2004. (2004). Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/contents.Google Scholar
Constable, S., Dixon, R.M., & Dixon, R.J. (2013). Education resources in remote and indigenous community dog health programs: a comparison of community and extra community produced resources. Health Promotion International, 28 (3), 333–344. doi: 10.1093/heapro/das017.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Skills. (2004). Every child matters. London, UK: DfES.Google Scholar
Department of Education. (2014). Nationally consistent collection of data on school students with Disability. Canberra, Australia: Australian Commonwealth Government. Retrieved December 22, 2014, from https://www.education.gov.au/nationally-consistent-collection-data-school-students-disability.Google Scholar
Department of Social Services. (2014). Better Start for Children with Disability initiative. Retrieved December 19, 2014, from https://www.dss.gov.au/our-respnsibilities/disability-and-carers.Google Scholar
Duff, G. (2014). Challenges and opportunities for service providers. National Policy Research Unit, Centre for Applied Disability Research. Presentation at The NDIS Forum: Investing in people with disability, Financing and Costs of the NDIS, Macquarie University, Sydney.Google Scholar
European Action Plan (2004–2010). Commission communication on establishing equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Retrieved December 22, 2014, from eur-lex.europa/EULawandPublications/EUR-LEX.Google Scholar
European Disability Strategy (2010–2020). A renewed commitment to a barrier-free Europe. Retrieved December 22, 2014, from http://www.eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0636:FIN:EN:PDF.Google Scholar
First Peoples Disability Network. (2013). Making the National Disability Insurance Scheme accessible and responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders: Strategic issues, Newtown.Google Scholar
Goldthorpe, L. (2004). Every child matters: A legal perspective. Child Abuse Review, 13, 115–136.Google Scholar
Gonski, D. (2011). Report on funding for schooling final report. Retrieved August 11, 2014, from https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review-of-funding-for-schooling-final-report-dec-2011.pdf.Google Scholar
Graham, L., Proctor, H., & Dixon, R. (2016). How schools avoid enrolling children with disabilities. In Watson, J. (Ed.), The conversation yearbook: 50 Standout articles from Australia's top thinkers. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne University Press.Google Scholar
Kelley, N. (2006). Children's involvement in policy formation. Childrens’ Geographies, 4 (1), 37–44.Google Scholar
Kramann, M., & Biewer, G. (2014). Parent's capabilities and institutional conditions for children with intellectual disabilities in Australian schools. In Craven, R.G., Morin, A., Tracy, D., Parker, P., & Zhong, H. (Eds.), International advances in education: Global initiatives for equity and social justice. Vol. 9, Inclusive education for students with intellectual disabilities. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.Google Scholar
Leece, D., & Leece, J. (2006). Direct payments: Creating a two-tiered system in social care? British Journal of Social Work, 36 (8), 1379–1393.Google Scholar
Leonard, H., Petterson, B., Bower, C., & Sanders, R. (2003). Prevalence of intellectual disability in Western Australia. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 17 (1), 58–67.Google Scholar
Mahoney, M. (2006). St. Ives Pathfinder Children's Trust: From idea to reality and further. Pastoral Care, 24 (2), 50–52. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0122.2006.00364.Google Scholar
McDonald, D., & O'Callaghan, K. (2015). Developing synergies between the national disability insurance scheme and the Victorian school system. Report to Department of Education and Training. Victoria. Retrieved December 23, 2014, from http//www.education.vic.gov.au.Google Scholar
National Disability Insurance Agency. (2014a). Reasonable and necessary supports. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.ndis.gov.au.Google Scholar
National Disability Insurance Agency. (2014b). Mainstream interface: School education. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.ndis.gov.au/sites/documents/fact_sheet_supports_ndis_fund_education.pdf.Google Scholar
Percy-Smith, J. (2006). What works in strategic partnerships for children: A research review. Children & Society, 20 (4), 313–323.Google Scholar
PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2013). 2012 Trial of the nationally consistent collection of data on school students with disability. Retrieved January 14, 2017, from https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/attachment_13-_2012_trial_of_the_nationally_consistent_collection_of_data_on_school_students_with_disability.pdf.Google Scholar
Priestley, M. (2014). Linking European and national strategies. Retrieved December 23, 2014, from http://www/.disability-europeGoogle Scholar
Productivity Commission. (2014). Report on government services. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved January 14, 2017, from http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/rogs.Google Scholar
Purcal, C., Newton, B.J., Fisher, K., Eastman, C., Mears, T., Smith, M. et al. (2013). School readiness program for Aboriginal children with additional needs: Working with children, families, communities and service providers. Interim Evaluation Report. SPRC Report 4/13, for Northcott Disability Services NSW, Social Policy Research Centre, Sydney.Google Scholar
Reid, K. (2005). The implications of ‘Every Child Matters’ and the ‘Children's Act’ for schools. Pastoral Care, 23 (1), 12–18. doi: 10.1111/j.0264-3944.2005.00317.Google Scholar
Smyth, F., Shevlin, M., Buchner, T., Biewer, G., Flynn, P., Latimier, C. et al. (2014). Inclusive education in progress: policy evolution in four European countries. European Journal of Special Needs Education. doi: 10.1080/08856257.2014.922797.Google Scholar
Sutherland, A., & Billimoria, J. (2011). Continence training in rural and remote Australia. Paper presented at the 11th National Rural Health Conference, 3–16th March, Perth.Google Scholar
Taylor, D. (2014). Reaching for the brass ring: The NDIA merry go round. Paper presented at Early Childhood Intervention Australia NDIS Seminar, November, Sydney.Google Scholar
Trimmer, K., Dixon, , R., & Stubbs, K. (2014). Impacts on awareness, access and utilisation of early intervention support services for Indigenous families living in rural and remote areas? The National Disability Insurance Scheme. In Trimmer, K., Riddle, S., & Black, A. (Eds.), Mainstreams, margins and the spaces in-between: New possibilities for education research, Routledge Research in Education Series (pp. 195–208). Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Retrieved December 19, 2014, from http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2014). Treaty collection. Retrieved December 19, 2014, from http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml.Google Scholar
van Zanten, A. (2014). Educational research or educational research-based policy knowledge? The blurring of distinctions. Keynote address European Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Porto, Portugal.Google Scholar
Weinbach, H. (2004). Comparing structure, design and organisation of support for people with learning disabilities in Europe: The work of the Intellectual Disability Research Network (IDRESNET). Tizard Learning Disability Review, 9 (1), 2–6.Google Scholar