With the arrival of colder weather, we have seen an increase in the number of cases of both influenza and COVID-19 in Tasmania. Many providers have been revisiting their infection prevention and control process and supporting COVID-19 vaccination boosters. Please make sure you join us on Tuesday 23 May at 10:30am for a Winter Preparedness session with the Communicable Disease Prevention Unit, Tasmania Department of Health.  

For the latest best practice information on COVID-19, don’t forget the resources on the NDS COVID Hub.  

The NDIS PACE trial continues to gather speed, with the NDIA reporting that over 1600 Tasmania participants are now registered. Thank you to providers who have continued to work with us on identifying issues with the trial. NDS continues to engage with the Agency and advocacy groups to advocate for a better system for providers and the participants they support. 

On 28 April, the NDIS announced changes to in-kind funding arrangements for participants in Tasmania. We understand this was the first piece of public communication about this. To advocate effectively on your behalf, we are keen to understand how this may affect you.  Please get in touch and let us know how we can support you.    

The Tasmanian NDS Divisional Committee will be calling for nominations in July this year. If you are an NDS Member and are keen to join the committee but are not sure what it’s all about, please contact me and we can arrange for you to be an observer at our meeting on Monday 22 May at 1:00pm.  

Tas Health Eating Project  

NDS has collaborated with Healthy Tasmania and Nutrition Solutions Tasmania to develop 10 cooking videos for people with disability and those that support them. 

The aim is to equip people with the skills and knowledge to improve their healthy eating. The videos focus on budget-friendly meal options with minimal ingredients. 

Each recipe features step-by-step instructions from Dietician Stephen Hodgkinson. In the videos, Stephen highlights healthy eating benefits and possible dietary modifications. There is also an accessible word doc and PDF to go with each recipe. 

To access the recipes go to our webpage. 

This project has also seen people with disability and the disability workforce learn from free cooking demonstrations and nutritional workshops. It ends on 30 June, so the final sessions have been scheduled. For dates, please see the events listing.   

Workforce Coalition 

It was wonderful to see so many disability providers attend the recent Workforce Coalition Network Meeting. As a project partner, NDS is keen to see great outcomes from this project, which is part of the greater Tasmania Community Services Industry Plan. The room was buzzing with discussion as we shared experiences and tackled the issues of workforce recruitment and retention. If you would like further information about this project or if you are keen to contribute, please go to the Workforce Coordination Project page on the TasCOSS website for details.   

Diversifying Disability Employment 

The Diversifying Disability Employment project is entering its final months. The project, which focuses on bettering employment outcomes for people with disability, has supported employers to expand their knowledge of disability in the workplace by offering Let’s Talk Disability awareness sessions and employment workshops. It has seen some great outcomes for people with disability. Peer-reviewed resources will soon be available online to further support employers’ education about employing people with disability.  

This statewide project has seen many employers build confidence and begin diversifying their workforce. Employment services have expanded their reach by assisting with identifying vacancies and have been instrumental in delivering these training packages.  

The final Let’s Talk Disability session to be run by this project is on Friday 19 May. The session is open to everyone and free of charge. If you know of any businesses that might be interested, please spread the word.   

Upcoming Events 

Winter Preparedness session 
Tuesday 23 May

Anyone involved in planning and supporting the health and safety of participants, should attend this free online session on managing acute respiratory illness, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV, held in conjunction with the Communicable Disease Prevention Unit.

NDP Workforce Virtual Conference 2023 
Tuesday 20 June  

This one-day virtual conference will focus the hot topics and challenges faced by the disability workforce.