The NDIS Conundrum: Missing Pieces in the Puzzle of Inclusive Childcare
Image by Rachel Callander & Nathan Maddigan | Image Description: A mum (Kellie) holding her son standing and watching her daughter build a tower with connecting blocks.
Recent comments by Bruce Bonyhady, one of the original architects of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), are just some of a growing many, surrounding the shortcomings of the current disability support model in Australia. Bonyhady argues that the NDIS, while transformative, has been treated as a 'Magic Pudding'—a limitless resource that absolves the state and federal government(s) of their broader responsibilities toward people with disabilities. At RippleAbility, we’ve been quietly toiling away in the background for the past three years, advocating for change in this sector. However, the lack of genuine commitment from the government and transparency on a solution demands that some noise be made. It's time we discuss the gaps in this ambitious program, specifically when it comes to accessible childcare, an area in which, despite the scheme's broad reach, many families find themselves without options.
Filling the Gaps in Support
While the NDIS offers a wide array of services and supports for individuals with disabilities, it was never intended to be the sole provider of these services. The NDIS’s focus on individualized plans has been ground-breaking, and we have always wholeheartedly stood by the benefits the scheme brings, but there's a pressing need to integrate these services into mainstream public offerings, especially childcare.
Amid discussions around the sustainability and reach of the NDIS, childcare is currently not included under Australia’s Disability Standards for Education (DSE) despite three independent reviews (2010, 2015, & and 2020) recommending the extension of the Standards to include early childhood education and care (ECEC).
To understand the gravity of this omission of ECEC from the DSE, it’s important to understand what they do. The DSE sets out the obligations of education providers under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA; 1992), in relation to education. In effect, the DSE gives individuals with disabilities the right to educational opportunities on the same basis as students without a disability. This raises questions about the scope of the ECEC sector’s obligations under the DDA.
It is important to note, that the DDA itself has much broader application than the DSE and makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of disability in various areas, including education. However, the consultations with service providers conducted as part of the latest review into the DSE found,
“There is limited awareness and understanding of the DDA in the ECEC sector” and “...while many ECEC services had an awareness of the DDA, some participants had never heard of the DDA, or had heard of it, but had never read it or were unaware of its content.”
This official review is further backed up by our own anecdotal evidence wherein many of our families of children with complex needs have been refused access to childcare citing a myriad of carefully worded excuses.
This is not to say no facility is currently accommodating children with disabilities. Through our consulting for the government and research into the options presently available in Australia, we’ve identified some select ECEC facilities that have made accommodations to be more inclusive. However, this status quo makes accessible inclusive childcare more of a ‘postcode lottery’ than an easily available public service, and many parents, especially those in regional Australia are left high and dry with no options.
This is a glaring oversight that has lasted for far too long.
And while this has manifested in many ways for families of children with disabilities, none have felt it more than children with profound disabilities and complex medical needs. To date, no facility exists, in Australia, that has been able to accommodate the needs of these children. In addition to our fight to change childcare legislation, this has been the mission and chief focus of our research and systemic advocacy efforts: the development of a purpose-built facility to accommodate children who, even with legislative reform, would not be able to fit into the mainstream model of childcare.
Economic Implications for Families
The absence of accessible childcare services is detrimental for all parents, and we are seeing more and more that it disproportionately affects women. So often, in the work we do, Mothers find themselves torn between their professional responsibilities and their unique highly demanding, caregiving roles, intensifying the 'second shift' of domestic labour they frequently bear.
For many women, the absence of accessible childcare means a choice between their career and caregiving. According to the National Women's Law Centre, women already lose a combined total of nearly half a million dollars annually due to the wage gap, much of which is attributable to ‘conventional’ caregiving responsibilities. In the context of our Australian landscape, this translates to lost productivity, increased demand for our welfare and healthcare systems, and, in many cases, a high risk of homelessness for these affected women later in life. This is not a choice any parent should have to make. The benefits of childcare are universal, and all parents understand the critical role it plays in child development and familial well-being.
Kelly (mother of Jayden) quit her job to be her son's full-time carer. For the first five years of his life, Jayden has required a high-level of care from his mum. Jayden is just one of thousands of children in Australia who can't access childcare.
Broadening the Scope: Time for Legislative Change
We at RippleAbility believe that an integrative approach is overdue. The NDIS does a great job in funding individual support, but we need legislation to back inclusive childcare services that allow parents, particularly women, to reconcile their professional and caregiving roles. Our mission aligns with this pressing need. We advocate for legislative change under the education standards to include Childcare.
Meet the RippleAbility Team: L > R: James, Cassie, Monique, Claire, Stevie, Bee.
RippleAbility, with support from organizations like CarersWA and Kiind, is advocating for truly inclusive childcare to be the rule, not the exception. Our endeavour aligns seamlessly with Professor Bonyhady’s sentiment that disability support must be an "all of government and all of society approach."
It Takes a Village
It’s time we acknowledged that our children are the tiny but profound drops ready to expand into ripples of change. They deserve the resources and opportunities to do so, and this includes access to inclusive childcare. The NDIS has been revolutionary but, as Bonyhady suggests, it’s time for a rethink—one that includes community-based services and encompasses the very real challenges parents and especially mothers face when it comes to accessible childcare. The NDIS should not serve as a "Magic Pudding" distracting us from the systemic changes still required.
We all have a role to play in creating a more inclusive society. Let’s work together to ensure that the much-needed review of the NDIS isn't the only catalyst for change in Australia's disability support ecosystem.
We invite you to share this article to get the word out. We are presently in the process of launching a formal government petition, gathering individual stories from families, and crowdfunding for this cause.
