Enabling Good Lives (EGL) is Universal and Enduring Posted by Posted by Michelle Abbas on 15 October 2024 Posted on: 15 October 2024

A resource for community leaders and officials

Central Obligations

1. To recognise disable people and their families as citizens and taxpayers
2. To promote inclusion and well-being for people with disabilities. This involves providing resources and services that enable disabled people to participate fully in society, access necessary care, achieve their personal goals and contribute to family wellbeing.
3. To ensure each taxpayer dollar counts, we have a responsibility to ensure immediate needs are met (short term objectives) while, at the same time, incrementally building a new approach (medium and long-term objectives).

A significant asset is that much of the work has been done and has recently been endorsed by the Abuse in Care report: ‘Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light[1]’.

Four key points

1. We have defined many of the “problems”
2. We have co-designed a better way (the Enabling Good Lives approach)
3. We have tested the new approach and it works better for disabled people and their families
4. To create equal opportunity[2] and fairness, we need to expand EGL-based system change 

We have defined many of the “problems”

There have been numerous in-depth reviews and working groups that have detailed challenges associated with the current system and the importance of increased choice and control for disabled people. These have included:

• The Office for Disability Issues Review of Equity and Coherence (renamed the Review of Long-Term Disability Supports)
• The Social Services Select Committee’s 2006 to 2008 Inquiry into the Quality of Care and Service Provision for People with Disabilities (the Select Committee Inquiry)^[3].
• In 2012 the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues agreed fundamental change to the disability support system was needed. This change to be based on the Enabling Good Lives vision and principles
• Putting People First: A Review of Disability Support Services Performance and Quality Management Processes for Purchased Provider Services[4]
• The Machinery of Government working group, comprised of officials and disability community representatives, developed advice in partnership on proposed new organisational arrangements. The Machinery of Government Working Group also produced ‘Mana, Self-determination and Voice’ [5] which is a paper emphasising the critical importance of independent voice and key features.
• “Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light”[6]. This comprehensive report details systemic problems and endorses the EGL approach as a way of the future. “The government should prioritise and invest in work to support contemporary approaches to the delivery of care and support, including devolution, social investment and whānau-centered and community-led approaches, such as Enabling Good Lives and Whānau Ora, and avoid the State-led models that contributed to historical abuse and neglect in care”.[7]

We have co-designed a better way (the Enabling Good Lives approach)

Between 2012-2017 there have been numerous opportunities for disabled people and their families to describe a better approach. Co-development harnessed insights from national networks and specific opportunities included:

• The influence of the “Coalition” (2009 -2013)[8]
• the initial EGL Report [9]
• the Christchurch and Waikato Plans[10]
• the Disability Action Plan 4(a) Working Group: Advice on the components for a transformed system[11]
• Disability Support Services Framework Redesign Group (2013)
• the “High-Level Design Working Group” (2017-18)[12]
• Over 4400 disabled people have been involved in the EGL sites[13]. These sites operate within a “try-learn-adjust” approach and are consistently learning and adapting according to feedback from disabled people, their families and regional leadership network input

We have tested the new approach and it works better for disabled people and their families

Between 2013-2023 there have been numerous reviews regarding the effectiveness of an EGL-based approach. Examples of findings include:

“Qualitative data gathered from each Enabling Good Lives site demonstrates positive impacts of the approach on the lives of disabled people, including:  

• improved independence, self-confidence and personal development, expanded social networks, and opportunities to do things not possible under the previous system 
• tāngata whaikaha Māori, Pacific disabled people and disabled children and young people reported increased uptake of and satisfaction with supports.” [14]  

“….More positively, participants who accessed EGL principles-based funding had increased choice and control over the support they received, leading to greater enjoyment of their human rights. Participants also expressed cautious optimism about the potential of Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People, and hoped for equitable access to EGL principles-based funding and services for all disabled people as quickly as possible.”[15]

Enabling Good Lives (EGL) and Value for Money (VfM)

“ EGL Waikato performs highly across all VfM criteria…. EGL is a highly effective programme. It is delivering positive outcomes for disabled people, families and whaanau…. Improved access, choice and control are unequivocal outcomes of EGL Waikato.”[16]

To create equal opportunity and fairness, we need to expand EGL-based system change

This is an intentional, phased multi-year process[17].

The type of process that can be useful in bringing about the essential positive change required can involve:

Setting a destination

• Describing how we want things to be (what would we experience?)
• Developing key critical shifts[18] (looking at what needs to change to get from where we are now to where we want to be)

Developing a pathway

• Defining and prioritising the key steps/actions that will get us to where we want to be (the phased approach[19])
• Who needs to do what in order for change to happen (strategy, responsibility and accountability)

Monitoring change and adjusting

• Being clear about what evidence will indicate positive change
• Gathering information and adapting as we go (Try-Learn-Adjust)

Appendix One

Setting a Destination

Examples of some critical shifts are: 

1. Attitude and altitude shifts

Crown shifts might include things like:

Community shifts might include things like:

2. Infrastructure investment

Crown shifts might include things like:

Community shifts might include things like:

3. Equipping everyone with new skills

Crown shifts might include things like:

Community shifts might include things like:

4. Refining

Crown shifts might include things like:

Community shifts might include things like:

Appendix Two

Developing a pathway related to community voice

Examples of a phased approach

Growing Individual Autonomy and Voice

Growing Collective Independent Voice