Advocacy Tasmania Inc and Speak Out Association of Tasmania Inc are being funded as part of the reforms of Disability Services to provide support to clients. Advocacy Tasmania Inc will focus their support on the South and South West areas, and Speak Out Association of Tasmania Inc will focus their support on the North and North West areas.
More specifically, the roles of these services will be:
- To provide individual advocacy, with a focus on transitional support for clients accessing government managed respite and day support services, and service coordination.
- Representation on the Area Advisory Groups on a state-wide and area level. Representation on these groups will ensure that people with disabilities have a voice, and will be involved in the planning for services within their local area. Advocacy Tasmania Inc are being funded to develop a process to ensure people with disabilities are represented on this forum.
- Input into government reform models and future directions which may include input into changes around work practice, policy, legislation, and community attitudes.
Speak Out Association of Tasmania Inc are also being funded to provide support to the RIU around the development of key messages around the reforms to clients in compic or Plain English format.
Advocacy Tasmania Inc and Speak Out Association of Tasmania have developed a proposal on how to involve people with disabilities at the Area Advisory Groups.
Advocacy Tasmania Inc and Speak Out Association of Tasmania will be running surveys early in 2010 to register interest for individuals who would like to participate in the Area Advisory Groups.
Both organisations will be working directly with various Community Partnership Teams to involve people with disabilities in the development of an area based plan.