University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies appointed to assist National Disability Insurance Agency on new Support Needs Assessment

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has appointed a partnership of University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies to assist them over the next five years to develop and implement a new process for assessing the support needs of participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The partnership allows the NDIA to use the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN) version 6 as the starting point for their new approach to assessment. The project team will work with the disability community and the NDIA to further refine the tool for its use in the new process..

The I-CAN is an evidence-based holistic tool designed for people with disability aged 16 years and above. It is a strengths-based and person-centred tool researched and developed in Australia and already used successfully in the Australian context.
The initiative will research and develop a new way of gathering information about the supports adults with disability need. It will include working with participants and the disability community to design the assessment process to make sure it works well and delivers a positive participant experience.

The project will be led by University of Melbourne Professor Jason Thompson from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences. The partnership brings together the academic strength of the University of Melbourne as well as expertise in applied and lived-experience-led disability research brought by the Centre for Disability Studies.

“This project highlights how our research and expertise partnerships can contribute to important national initiatives,” Professor Thompson said.

“The University of Melbourne is proud to partner with the Centre for Disability Studies to help the NDIA develop an assessment process that is grounded in evidence and lived experience and will uphold values of validity, fairness and transparency.”

The Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) has been at the forefront of person-centred holistic support needs assessment approaches for more than 20 years. CDS also brings deep expertise in inclusive research and practice, underpinned by its longstanding commitment to collaborative research that centres the voice of people with disability. Together, the University and Centre will provide the capability needed to support a program of design and development that is inclusive of people with disability, their families and representative organisations.

For more information about the Support Needs Assessment Tool project, please visit the National Disability Insurance Agency: https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/10926-developing-new-support-needs-assessment