December Update Posted by Posted by Loren Savage on 18 December 2017 Posted on: 18 December 2017

Posted by Loren Savage

Posted on: 18 December 2017

Sacha O'Dea Monthly Update

NZSL translation

Kia ora koutou,

It’s been an amazing year, it’s just over nine months since System Transformation started. Over that time we had a three month co-design process with the sector where we came up with the high-level design for the new disability support system. This went to Cabinet in July and since September we have been working with almost 20 working groups to develop the detailed design for the new system. At the moment, we are busy trying to get the information from the working groups into a form that we can send to people to get their feedback through virtual testing groups. So you can expect to see information coming out to all of you who have registered for being on a virtual testing group before Christmas. Please if you want to be part of virtual testing groups and you haven’t gotten back to us, there is still an opportunity to do that so please contact us at STfeedback@moh.govt.nz

I am sure that you are looking forward to Christmas as much as me, but I’m also starting to think about what we will be focussing on next year. So we will be looking forward to feedback from the virtual testing groups and we will be receiving feedback right up until the end of March. But if you get your feedback into us by the end of the first week of February that feedback will inform the Cabinet paper. As you will probably remember, the Cabinet paper is asking Cabinet to agree to the detailed design for the prototype to be rolled out in MidCentral, for the funding to do that, for decisions on what funding comes across from other government agencies into the new disability support system, and also outline the process for making decisions about how organisations will be arranged to support the new disability support system.

Up until now, we have been talking a lot in these updates about the design process, what have we been doing in terms of working groups and testing groups, and the how are we pulling it together? Next year we are going to be moving into a different phase where our communications will focus much more on these are what the changes will look like in practice and what does it mean for you, whether you are a disabled person, or a family member, or a provider or currently working within a NASC, or within a government agency.

We’ve also got six new working groups that will be starting. One of the groups that we haven’t had a chance to start is the Whānau Ora interface group and we really wanted to wait until we have finished the work on understanding about how we would make it work for Māori in MidCentral. So that’s one of the working groups that will be starting next year. We also have working groups on Social Investment, Market Shaping, Tax, Brand and Identity for the new system and what the organisational arrangements will be.

So I hope you all have a sunny, relaxing and safe holiday period and I look forward to working with all of you next year.

Ngā mihi,

Sacha O'Dea

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Comments

By Sacha O'Dea (7 years ago)

Thank you for your post. We have people who have a range of impairments right throughout this process including on MidCentral Regional Leadership Group, the co-design group and on a range of working groups. Anyone in the disability sector is welcome to join the virtual testing groups. We will have a look at the work done by the Low Vision Rehabilitation Reference Group to identify any learning for System Transformation.

By Naomi Meltzer (7 years ago)

Hello Sacha. Do you have representation of groups who are sensory disabled such as those who have low vision e.g. RetinaNZ, MDNZ, VICTA. Unfortunately this groups gets left out when there is any work around disabilities. The Ministry of Health paid for a large project in 2016, the Low Vision Rehabilitation Reference Group. The draft plan for future services for those with low vision has never got to final stage and has never seen the light of day, but it is there sitting on someone's desk never to see the light of day. There are some that cannot see and some that don't want to see. Any work on systems transformation for disabled people must include sensory disabilities of vision and hearing.

By Sacha O'Dea (7 years ago)

Kia ora Michael, Thank you for message highlighting your concern around System Transformation and its alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The UN Convention and the New Zealand Disability Strategy are guiding documents for the transformation. There is a small, dedicated team of people who are committed to ensuring the transformation aligns with these documents. The work also involves many more people from across the disability sector. Article 4.3 of the UN Convention highlights the need to closely consult with and actively involve disabled people. For the transformation of the disability support system, this is being implemented in the following ways: · The high level design of the new disability support system was created by a group of five disabled people, two family representatives, two provider representatives and four government officials. A disabled person on the co-design group, Esther Woodbury commented, “Although I had reservations initially, my personal experience of the co-design process, as a member of the co-design group, was that it was an inclusive and thoughtful process, where huge amounts of effort were made to restore some of the imbalance of power between disabled people and government agencies. There was also a massive effort to communicate to the disability community in a wide range of accessible formats, for people with many different communication barrier.” · A prototype of a newly transformed system is being designed by working groups that are made up of at least a third disabled people. Disability groups and organisations are also involved in the design process. There are virtual testing groups to review elements of the prototype – these testing groups are open to anyone and provide another avenue for disabled people to be involved in the design of the prototype. · The prototype will be launched in MidCentral this year and will be tested and refined by disabled people and whânau. · Disabled people are also involved in the governance of the work programme – with three members of the National Enabling Good Lives Leadership Group on the governance group – two disabled people and a family representative. One of the disabled people and the family representative co-chair the governance group. Thank you again for your message. If you are interested in being involved in any of the virtual testing groups please email STfeedback@moh.govt.nz. Ngâ mihi, Sacha O’Dea

By Michael Gibson (7 years ago)

I think it is essential that any form of assistance to people with disabilities complies with the provisions of the United Nations (Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities) Act 2008 which, as you know, imposes positive obligations on our government, including executive branch agencies, to respect and protect the rights contained within the Convention (and the Act). Almost a decade after the Convention's enactment into domestic law, I see little or no evidence that government agencies pay any more than lip service to the Convention. By contrast, most of the 'action" appears to consist of surface froth, designed to obscure the fact that the government remains intent on implementing neoliberal dogma, including agressive and pervasive cost-shifting, in the name of economic "efficiencY', irrespective of the resulting hardships. I am sure you have all convinced yourselves that you are doing vital work, if only to justify your pay and perks, but be assured that many of us outside the magic circle have a diffierent view of your activities.

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