Support Coordinators & Supported Decision Making: Theory into Practice
In 2019, the NDIA adopted a Supported Decision Making Framework which details, among other things, strategies to strengthen decision making supports. In reality, the low expectations of the decision-making ability of people with disability which pre-dates the NDIS have perpetuated into the Scheme. Consequently, there has not been any consistency in the implementation of supported decision making processes nor any monitoring of the extent to which a substitute decision maker considers the person’s will and preferences. The allocation and use of nominees for substitute decision making is in direct contradiction to the commitment to supported decision making outlined in the NDIS Act.