There is a dynamic conversation taking place across Australia right now about a new model for improving access to vital support services for people with disabilities. The concept is called “foundational supports”, and it is going to be a game changer for families and for local community-based organisations, like toy libraries.
Read more on the NDIS review and foundational supports.
Four ways you can meaningfully contribute:
Respond to the online questionnaire
Like and comment on our post on the community capacity building ideas wall Look for the post titled 'Toy Libraries as Foundational Supports'.
Write your own contribution to the community capacity building ideas wall
Attend a consultation event
[Image description: Heading that says 'Toy Libraries as Foundational Supports' on a light blue banner. Under this sits a dark blue circle with three items of text that read 'Questionnaire', 'Consultation events', and 'Ideas wall'. The background is of tall shelves full of toys from a local toy library.]
So, what are foundational supports and how will this new idea impact toy libraries?
The truth is, no one is really sure…yet. The actual details and plan for implementation are still on the drawing boards of federal, state and territory governments. In the meantime, there are consultation sessions scheduled across the country and Toy Libraries Australia is joining in the discussion.
The Government’s intention is clear – they want to establish foundational supports alongside the NDIS and mainstream services to create a disability support system that is all inclusive.
Foundational supports are being defined as the kinds of supports that a person needs in order to live a good life and be able to participate in a meaningful way in their local community. They will be available to all NDIS participants as well as individuals under the age of 65 who don’t qualify for the NDIS, along with their families. We also know that they will be “essential services” and will fall into one of two categories:
General foundational supports, which would include programs and activities like information and advice, individual and family capacity building, peer support, self-advocacy, and disability employment supports.
Targeted foundational supports are supports available for people with lower level support needs who are not eligible for the NDIS. These should include home and community supports, aids and equipment, transition supports and early supports for families and children.
Toy Libraries Australia sees a clear pathway for the organisation to join the collective of service providers delivering these services.
Toy libraries operate in local communities, for local communities. They are a focus point for new families to connect with each other and build relationships across the community that will support them in their evolving journeys through parenting, early childhood and onwards. For families who have the added challenges of navigating their way through the support services to address disability or concerns around developmental delay, toy libraries can be a “soft entry point” to discovering what services are available in their local area. Establishing toy libraries as a provider of foundational supports would be a strong investment in building inclusive communities for Australian families.
The Disability Access, Inclusion and Support team at Toy Libraries Australia is leading the conversation for the organisation. A fully-funded, two-year project is underway to identify how and where toy libraries can make changes and expand their services to be fully inclusive community programs. When the changes driven by Foundational Supports roll out, we will be ready to engage.
Toy Libraries Australia has submitted a position paper to the foundational support consultation. We have also posted our submission on the community capacity building ideas wall (link below) and invites all toy library member families to participate in the conversation in any way they can. The consultation process in open now for diverse voices to be heard.
Here are four ways you can get involved:
Respond to the online questionnaire
Like and comment on our post on the community capacity building ideas wall
Write your own contribution to the community capacity building ideas wall
Attend a consultation event
Encourage your friends and other toy library families to join the conversation.
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