BackOn 23 June 2022, the Acting Commonwealth Ombudsman, Penny McKay, published a report on the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) preparation to meet the Participant Service Guarantee (PSG). The report is the result of an investigation into the NDIA’s preparation to meet the PSG, which was introduced into legislation in Australia on 1 April 2022.
The NDIA is an independent statutory agency responsible for administering the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). A person with a disability who meets the access requirements of the NDIS is called a ‘participant’. A participant’s NDIS plan sets out their goals and the supports that will help them pursue those goals.
The PSG was designed to respond to the most common complaints by NDIS participants, including delays in decision making affecting participants, and lack of information about the NDIS, participant plans and supports. It commits the NDIA to target timeframes and service standards to make it easier for participants and their families to navigate the NDIS. Delivering on the PSG is expected to improve transparency and accountability of NDIA decision-making processes, including the time it takes for the NDIA to make decisions.
The investigation found the NDIA is creating a solid foundation for delivering on the PSG to improve the timeliness and quality of services for participants. The Ombudsman found the NDIA needs to take further action to enable it to report meaningfully on its performance against PSG service standards.
The recommendations made in the report are based on key principles of good public administration applicable to all Australian Government agencies. Agencies should:
- ensure all activities required to deliver a program are consolidated in an implementation plan to provide assurance about what activities will take place, including expected timing and ownership of deliverables, and how progress and program performance will be monitored;
- establish clear performance frameworks and reporting requirements to enable meaningful performance reporting and support the agency to assess how well it is achieving its stated goals and objectives;
- establish clear policies setting out requirements for the communication or publication of performance information to ensure publicly available information is as accurate and timely as possible;
- ensure quality measurement and reporting is incorporated into program management and delivery, including to support continuous improvement.
For more information, please see the full report in the download section below.
Source: Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Australia
