NATIONAL DISABILITY ADVOCACY CONFERENCE

PRESENTATIONJuly 2007

DISABILITY ADVOCACY IN TASMANIARebecca Thompson, Advocacy Tasmania Inc

Julie Fraser, Speak Out

STATE OF TASMANIA

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE• Disability Advocacy in each region:

Advocacy Tasmania and Speak Out

• Three FaCSIA-funded agencies in Tasmania:

Citizen Advocacy - their own Model of matching Nth Region

Speak Out - Self Advocacy & Individual Advocacy Statewide

Advocacy Tasmania - Individual Advocacy Statewide • Other State-funded service:

Association for Children with a Disability Statewide

GAPS IN SERVICENO GEOGRAPHICAL GAPS IN

• DISABILITY ADVOCACYIN TASMANIA

• GAPS IN COVERAGE IN ADVOCACY TYPE: SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY - NONE FUNDED

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY

COMPLEXITIESOF A SMALL STATE

• In Australia, Tasmania has:The Most decentralized populationHighest Proportion of DisabilityHighest Level of DisadvantageHighest Proportion of Ageing

NATURE OF NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

• Informal• Quite regular between

the two Individual Advocacy Services • Living Independently Project - A Special

Collaborative Project between Speak Out, Advocacy Tas & State. Transfer of state accommodation services to the private sector

NATURE OF NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

• Quarterly Liaison Meetings with State Disability Services and State funded advocacy services - Systemic Issues and Relationship Issues.

NATURE OF NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

• Liaison with FaCSIA state and federal offices - specially scheduled with all agencies when there are issues such as Employment and NDAP Reform

NATURE OF NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

• Individual liaison with FaCSIA state office - when there are particular Systemic Issues.

THE KEY ISSUES FOR THE ADVOCACY SECTOR IN TASMANIA

For Advocacy Agencies:• No funding for Systemic Advocacy • Insufficient Mental Health Advocacy funding• Small complicated state• LIP: State getting out of direct

accommodation service provision - due to ongoing service quality issues and conflict of interest in service provision & monitoring. Very vulnerable client group of the most disabled.

THE KEY ISSUES FOR THE ADVOCACY SECTOR IN TASMANIA

For Client Group:• UNMET NEED - supported accommodation; day support;

individual support packages; respite & equipment.

• No increase in Disability Services funding for service provision for past two years and very little increase in the 3 years prior to that.

• Challenges in:AbuseService Quality - lack of effective QA Monitoring and Evaluation

FUNDING BY SOURCE

Total FaCSIA FundingFor Advocacy in Tasmania

$451,944

FUNDING BY SOURCE

Advocacy Tasmania Inc • 5 Disability Advocates (2 full-time, 3 part-time)

0.75 FTE Disability Advocate State-wide FaCSIA 2 FTEs Disability Advocates State-wide State

• 1 FTE LIP Advocate to June 08 NE & Sth State

• Plus HACC, Mental Health, Residential Aged Care & Dementia Advocacy Programs State & Comm

FUNDING BY SOURCE

• Speak Out 5 Disability Advocates (1 full-time, 4 part-time)2 FTEs Advocates State-wide FACSIA

1.5 FTEs Advocates State-wide State 1 FTE LIP Advocate to June 08 NE & Sth State

• Citizen Advocacy Citizen Advocacy 2.5 Admin & Recruitment paid staff Launceston Region Inc 55 Volunteer Advocates North East FaCSIA

• Association for Children with Disability (Tas) Inc State-wide State

THE FUTURE

• In response to the upcoming FaCSIA competitive assessment process, I am sure that some advocacy agencies in Tasmania will be seeking additional funding to meet the unmet need for Advocacy Services in that state.