NT Welcome

Hello from NT,

We are sharing the NT representative role together- Ciara-Lucy Forrest from the top end and myself from Central Australian Health Service Alice Springs.  

- The CCN SIG is Meetings are bi monthly on a Thursday 4-5pm usually towards the end of a month and members from other areas of the NT are able to join in via teleconference. Contact Sharon Watts (Sharon.Watts@nt.gov.au) for more information.
 
- Darwin allied health professionals and people with complex communication needs were given the opportunity to explore assist

- There are big changes starting to take place with clients phasing into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in East Arnhem and Darwin urban supported accommodation from 1 January 2017 and then other areas slowly phasing in after this.

- There is still much uncertainty on how the NDIS will work in the Top End, particularly in the remote areas where there are only a very limited number of private providers currently providing services to these areas. The Office of Disability launched the NT Quality and Safeguarding Framework in November 2016 to service providers initially affected by the NDIS. All providers wishing to be registered with the NDIS services in the NT must be assessed under the Framework to ensure quality and safeguarding requirements are met.

- A Complex Communication Needs Special Interest Group was started in Darwin this year. This has been a great forum for sharing local information on current best practice as well as having a few guest speakers come and present to us. We look forward to this group continuing next year.

Annette Mikecz

Speech Pathologist