The advocacy service, actioned swiftly by the Marshall Liberal Government, is a key recommendation from the recent Safeguarding Taskforce final report.
Minister for Human Services Michelle Lensink said the new service will receive $400,000 a year for three years and will begin operating in December.
“We know the NDIS can be a difficult system to navigate and the new advocacy service will make it easier for families and individuals to get the support they need – free of charge,” said Minister Lensink.
“The new service will not only provide South Australians living with disability and their families with support and address gaps in support, it also aims to help them build knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves.
“Individual disability advocacy has not been funded by the state since 2007, when the former Labor Government defunded it as a cost saving measure.
“The Marshall Liberal Government remains determined to actioning everything in our power to improve the lives of people living with disability in South Australia.”
The new service operator will be selected through a competitive tender process, open soon. Organisations tendering to provide the advocacy service will need to demonstrate:
- Experience in supporting vulnerable people with disability;
- Capability to provide a state-wide service and offer various methods of accessing the service; and
- Experience in providing legal advice to support appropriate representation (e.g. appearing before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal)
