DHS, DSR, Restrictive Practice – Victoria
Those with high support needs require two basic support packages – “Accommodation Support” and “Day Service”
Everyone who lives in a state government funded supported accommodation group home for people with an intellectual or multiple disability, has a level of unit-cost funding depending on the level of support they are considered to need. This is the cost of support. The cost of living (rent, food, utilities, clothes, recreation, etc), is from the person’s DSP, or other sources of income.
Traditional accommodation support, unit-cost, funding for each person in a group home is through “bulk-funding”, for which the person or their family, currently, has no right of access. A ball-park figure for each person is around $120,000pa.
Placement and re-location of those on “bulk-funding” is through the DHS controlled DSR (Disability Support Register). With “bulk-funding”, both the person and the service provider are under the total control of the DSR Committee.
In contrast, where a person has “Accommodation Support ISP-Funding”, they may directly seek a supported accommodation service. Whereas, a person on similar unit-cost “Accommodation Support Bulk-Funding”, the DSR select the service provider – the person has no choice of, or say in the matter. And, they are not permitted to convert their existing bulk-funding to ISP-funding.
With the Accommodation Support unit-cost funding called “bulk”, the person has to go through the DSR, with no choice of service provider. Whereas, if the similar unit-cost funding is called “ISP”, the person is free to directly seek a service provider of their choice.
If all DHS bulk-funded accommodation support unit-cost funding was directly to ISP funding, a mere name change, almost all group home residents in Victoria would have early taste of NDIS intentions - CHOICE of Service provider, rather than a despotic and restrictive practice DSR, and their residential tenancy rights blocked by section 23 of the Residential Tenancies Act - Victoria.
