What you need to know about the new community consultation
DSS wants your feedback!
Kia ora,
Starting 10 February, Disability Support Services will open a community consultation running through to 24 March 2025.
They want your feedback on assessments and funding options for equipment and services. We know you’ve already done this. We know it’s frustrating. But it’s crucial to do it again.
Specifically, this round of consultation asks what potential changes to assessment tools and processes and flexible funding options you would like to see.
Assessment tools and processes
The consultation includes a series of questions about:
making sure there is a consistent approach to needs assessment
improving how the assessment tool reflects the diversity of disability
assessing the needs of family/whānau and carers
making sure the services and support a person receives continues to meet their needs
helping people access support that isn’t available through DSS.
It basically asks - How can Disability Support Services make their assessment and allocation processes clearer?
Flexible Funding
The consultation will include options for changing how flexible funding can be used:
Option 1: link flexible funding to the person’s plan, with oversight of how it is used.
Option 2: adjust current lists of what can and cannot be funded using flexible funding.
Disability Services Fact sheet: accessing and using flexible funding (PDF 308 KB)
Disability Services Fact sheet: accessing and using flexible funding (DOCX 501 KB)
How do I get involved?
There are several ways you can participate after consultation opens on 10 February, including:
attend an in person workshop
attend an online briefing workshop
make a submission – either in writing or by video
complete a short survey
While places are limited for in-person events due to venue capacities, DSS says all contributions, including submissions and survey responses, will be considered equally.
All is for All external is managing the registration process for the in-person and online events on DSS’ behalf.
Awhi will be in touch before 10 February with more assistance. This is just to let you know that this consultation round is coming and we encourage people to sign up and register for in-person events or any support you may need. More information about registration here.
It’s also a gentle nudge to read the discussion document provided by Disability Support Services before consultation opens.
The final decisions relate to Recommendations 5 and 6 from the Independent Review.
If you have any questions - please get in touch and we will do our best to answer them for you.
It is absolutely crucial that the community shares the impact of government changes to disability services and how it has impacted disabled, neurodivergent and medically fragile tamariki, adults, and their whānau.
We know you’re tired. We know you’ve already given feedback. But they’re insisting we provide more feedback. Please do.
Please share this post far and wide. Share it with everyone you know. We really need to make the most of this small consultation opportunity as it may be the only one our community gets.
Arohanui, The Awhi team.