National Disability Insurance Scheme

In reply to the Hon. F. PANGALLO (15 May 2019).

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services): The Department for Child Protection has advised:

The Department for Child Protection operates under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (the Act). The Act sets out the legislative threshold by which the department may intervene in keeping a child or young person safe from significant risk of harm. The act does not allow for children or young people to be brought into child protection arrangements on the basis of disability or lack of disability supports alone.

Where a child protection report has been made and the department has undertaken a child protection assessment and determined that there is no risk of harm to a child or young person but has identified that there is a need for access to, or an increase in access to disability supports, the Department for Child Protection negotiates with the NDIS to support the family to access appropriate NDIS funded specialist disability supports.