Why is it hard for young people in country areas to get disability support?
This is a youth-friendly summary of The Barriers to Accessing the NDIS report. This summary reflects the opinions of young people working with the QFCC. For research matters, please see for the original documentation click here.
Meet Abbie, a young university student who completed work experience with the QFCC. Abbie talks about her research into accessing NDIS in regional and remote areas of Queensland (RRAQ).
In Queensland, many children who get into trouble with the law have cognitive disabilities. These are issues with the way their brain functions. A lot of these kids are also Indigenous, meaning they come from the First Nations communities. It's important to figure out how to help these kids so they don't end up in trouble with the law.
One way to help these kids is by giving them and their families support through a program called the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). But, sometimes it can be difficult for these kids and their families to access this support, particularly if they live in remote and regional areas of Queensland.
Some of the barriers faced include:
- Difficulty in travelling to access providers, as they may have to travel long distance or have financial difficulties or unreliable transport.
- Lack of trust on Government entities (NDIA) due to past experiences such as forced removal of Indigenous children from families, which is an ongoing concern till now.
- Lack of understanding about NDIS, as many families may not be familiar with the technical terms and languages used.
- There is a lack of service providers, particularly those that specialize in cognitive disabilities and Indigenous support in remote areas.
There are organizations like XtremeCare and Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation that are trying to make it easier for Indigenous kids and families to access the support they need through the NDIS. They are trying to ensure that the support they provide is appropriate for Indigenous families and that they understand and respect Indigenous cultures.
It's important to provide support to children with cognitive disabilities and their families so they can live good lives and stay out of trouble with the law. It is important to address the barriers faced by Indigenous families and make NDIS support easily accessible for them.
Here is a simple description on how to explain this to a child.
In Queensland, a lot of children who are in trouble with the law have problems with their brain, called "cognitive disabilities." A lot of these kids are also Indigenous, meaning they belong to the First Nations. It's important to figure out how to help these kids so they don't end up in trouble with the law.
One way to help these kids is to give them and their families support through something called the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). But, sometimes it's hard for these kids and their families to get the support they need through the NDIS. This is especially true for kids and families who live in remote and regional areas of Queensland.
One of the reasons it's hard for these kids and families to get support is that they may have to travel very far to see someone who can help them. They might not have a car or enough money to travel, and sometimes the information about the NDIS is only in English, which can be difficult for some families.
Another reason is that some families might not trust the NDIS because it is run by the government. In the past, Indigenous children were taken away from their families by the government, so it's hard for these families to trust government programs like the NDIS.
There are some organizations, like XtremeCare and Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation, which are trying to make it easier for Indigenous kids and families to get the support they need through the NDIS. These organizations are trying to make sure the support they give is appropriate for Indigenous families and that they understand and respect Indigenous cultures.
It's important to give kids with cognitive disabilities and their families the support they need so they can have a good life and stay out of trouble with the law.
Please note that this youth friendly version is a viewpoint of a youth advocate member of our council only. For research matters please see for the original documentation click here.