Background

One of the main challenges for the success of the NDIS is ensuring that people with disability have access to enough disability workers with the needed values, capabilities and skills to meet their support needs. Since the disability workforce is a system of multiple cross sector stakeholders in which the actions of any one shapes the responses and actions of all the others, no single policy, government department, organisation or program can tackle this challenge alone. It requires all individuals to work together, and collectively take responsibility to find real solutions.

Approach

The ACT Workforce Impact Collective (WIC) initiative uses a Collective Impact approach.

This brings together and supports individuals and organisations with diverse perspectives, insights and ideas to collectively develop a shared vision and agenda for action, to pilot innovative workplace and worker system reforms, and share the learning.

 WIC Visioning Workshop

The ACT Government (funded by the Commonwealth NDIS Sector Development Fund) tasked National Disability Services (NDS) to facilitate this process.

The WIC Steering Group, a dedicated group of sector stakeholders representing people with a disability, disability support workers, disability support organisations, training organisations, and business and community sectors in the ACT have worked enthusiastically to set up the Collective Impact approach and encouraged the testing of innovative solutions via pilot projects. Throughout the project end the Workforce Impact Collective worked together in a coordinated approach to build on existing efforts, honour current efforts and engage established organisations/groups/initiatives that align with the aim of this initiative.