The Brain Injury Association of NSW is the peak advocacy organisation for people affected by acquired brain injury in NSW – including people with acquired brain injury, family members, friends, professionals, and the broader community.
For further information contact us at
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Detail is currently being finalised for service provider training in Lismore on Friday, 30th November 2012. More information will be posted here shortly.
BIA NSW Brokerage Program
Please note that the guidelines surrounding the BIA NSW Brokerage Program have been reviewed. See more...
Brain Injury Australia consultation on NDIS/NIIS
Brain Injury Australia in collaboration with the Brain Injury Association of NSW facilitated a number of consultations in NSW during August 2012. These consultations were targeted and focused on the Assessment and Eligibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme/National Injury Insurance Scheme.
The outcomes of these consultations, along with those held in other states and territories, have been consolidated into one report by Derek Brookes, Policy Officer, Brain Injury Australia.
NOTE: Carers NSW are facilitating Information sessions around the Supported Living Fund. See SCHEDULE .
People with disability who are planning or considering moving to a supported living arrangement are encouraged to register with ADHC. The Supported Living Fund is an initiative that aims to provide people with a disability, their families and carers greater opportunity to build person centred and sustainable living arrangements. The focus is on providing a truly flexible and individualised option in the planning of ongoing living supports.
The opportunity to formally register an interest in accessing a Supported Living Fund package is now open. Note that expressions of Interest for the first intake round closed on Friday 27 January, 2012, however, there will be further rounds later in 2012, and also in 2013.
Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) through Stronger Together Two, have committed to a total of 300 Supported Living Fund packages across NSW (100 each in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14).
For more information, see the ADHC websiteor contact us at BIA NSW.
National Disability Insurance Scheme - Show your support today
The NDIS will be a modern, person-centred support system, helping Australians with disability and their families to have the opportunity to participate actively in their communities. The NDIS will provide targeted supports aligned to need. It will be portable, with entitlement to support the same in every state and territory of Australia. The NDIS was recommended by the Productivity Commission in July 2011, following an intensive 18-month investigation of the unmet needs of people with disability and their families and carers across Australia.
It is important for every Australian to show support for this scheme. For more information, see Every Australian Counts.
BIA NSW member, Grayden Moore, has also shared his story to demonstrate what a difference the NDIS would make. See "Disabled to Rally for New Scheme"
NSW Government Living Life My Way – Launch of the final consultation stage
The final stage of the “Living Life My Way” consultation process is here, with sessions being held across NSW between 7th May and 29th June 2012. It is important that all people with disability, their families and their carers are heard.
The schedule of the consultations, the report on the outcomes of the 2011 consultations, and a discussion paper on implementation is available on the ADHC website – go to www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/pcaor phone the Person Centred Approaches Team on 1800 605 489.
If transport is an obstacle to you attending a consultation, contact the Person Centred Approaches Team on 1800 605 489, as transport may be arranged for you.
If you are unable to attend any of the consultations, you can still have your say. Contact the Person Centred Approaches Team to discuss ways to have your say.
Contact us at BIA NSW if you need help accessing any of this information.
BIA NSW CarerLink Peer Mentoring Program
BIA NSW CarerLink Peer Mentoring Program is up and running partnering Carers who have gone through similar experiences. CarerLink facilitates support for people who have become carers of someone who has sustained an ABI, through a peer mentoring model, allowing people to share their experience with someone who is a ‘veteran’ to the caring role having experienced a similar challenge. This program provides a complement to other services and programs available for people with ABI and their families, to be accessed as part of their re-engagement with the community.
Please open this link for further information and for answers to frequently asked questions. More...
Disability Care and Support Announcement
On 10th August 2011, the federal government announced its response to the Productivity Commission’s final report into lifetime Disability Care and Support. It was announced they will start work immediately with states and territories to build the foundations for a:
National Disability Insurance Scheme – to provide all Australians with insurance in the event they or a family member acquire a disability; and a National Injury Insurance Scheme – to provide no fault insurance for anyone who acquires a catastrophic injury.
BIA NSW welcomed this news. It directly addresses the key inequities surrounding who receives lifetime care and who does not. This is particularly pertinent for our membership, as so many people miss out on essential services following an acquired brain injury.
The government has announced it will:
Deliver an immediate $10 million to start the initial policy work;
Establish a Select Council of Ministers from the Commonwealth, States and Territories to lead reform in this area at COAG next month;
Establish an Advisory Group to the Select Council, led by Dr Jeff Harmer, to provide expert advice on delivering the foundations for reform and preparation for launch.
The Prime Minister’s media release is available at:
To coincide with the release of this report, the BIANSW CEO was interviewed for ABC’s 7:30 (see Media). Our members Grayden and Laurelei Moore provided their personal stories, and some perspectives on how the system urgently needs changing.
There is a lot more work for BIA NSW to do to ensure that assessment processes and eligibility criteria adequately capture who needs access to lifetime care, as well as to ensure that people already in need right now are covered by the scheme when it is finally implemented.
We will continue to keep you informed as best we can.
Recognition of Acquired Brain Injury
BIA NSW are very encouraged by the NSW Government's recognition of the unique support requirements of those affected by acquired brain injury. There is now a web page dedicated to ABI on the Family and Community Services Ageing, Disability & Home Care website. View here
Stronger Together: The Second Phase 2011-2016
In December 2010 the NSW government announced a further $2 billion investment in disability services over the next five years. This funding is in addition to the $2.02 billion it will cost to continue to fund the disability services already provided under the first five years of the Stronger Together program. For more information see Stronger Together. The next five years will see the government take a person-centred, lifespan approach to support services and accommodation for those with disability in NSW. BIA NSW is particularly encouraged by the specific mention of acquired brain injury in the policy papers.
SHUT OUT: The experience of people with disabilities and their families in Australia: Report
At the end of 2008, people with disabilities and their families were invited to provide their experiences and input into a national consultation process to develop a National Disability Strategy. Those experiences have now been compiled into a Report. More...
