DSS move to MSD – discussion notes

DPA -

Recently, DPA had the opportunity to talk with a staff representative from Disability Support Services (DSS), which now sits within the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to talk through their answers to the questions asked by you in our survey.

Below are the answers to the questions we raised.

Rationale for changes
What is government's rationale for doing the lift and shift of DSS to MSD given that this was not one of the recommendations from the independent review?

  • The Crown needed greater oversight of DSS if it was to be financially viable. A departmental agency model was not appropriate for an entity that spent more than $2 billion a year. DSS would have access to MSD’s scale and expertise in financial management, capability and performance evaluation.
  • The change in arrangements was intended to support improvements in DSS and to strengthen the role of the Whaikaha the Ministry of Disabled People (Whaikaha) in influencing government policy.
  • DPA also noted that disabled people and families still need flexibility and that reducing residential options reduces flexibility.

Engagement
What assurances are there that disabled people and disability organisations will be meaningfully included going forward, given that to date we have been excluded from such a critical review/decision making process?

  • The Taskforce is currently planning how it will engage with the disability community and other DSS stakeholders on issues relating to the recommendations made by the Independent Review. The Taskforce will release information on the engagement once it has made decisions on it.

 
Eligibility for DSS
There is major anxiety that there will be changes to the eligibility criteria, particularly for autistic people and people with invisible disabilities, will there be cuts to IF budgets?

  • No changes to eligibility policy have been made by Cabinet in response to the Independent Review. There have also been no changes made to operational policy relating to eligibility, or to reduce IF budgets. Operational policy is about how to apply the decisions made by Cabinet.
  • The Taskforce is currently planning the work required to implement recommendations 5 and 6. No decisions have yet been made.

MSD/WINZ Culture
There are major concerns about DSS moving to MSD, including anxiety disabled people will have to engage with MSD staff.

  • DSS will be within a branded business unit that maintains its own identity within MSD.
  • Disabled people will not have to engage with Work and Income MSD staff in relation to their disability supports. The interactions will continue to be with NASCs, Individual Funding (IF) Hosts, Equipment and Modification Service providers, and other service providers
  • DPA noted that there is concern that DSS will be shaped by the MSD commissioning approach.

Privacy
Some disabled people are worried that personal information held by their NASC being accessed by MSD.

  • Moving DSS to MSD has not changed who can access personal information or where or how it is stored.
  • Access is restricted only to those who have a direct role in providing DSS and who have a business-related reason for accessing the information.
  • DPA stated that it is important that there is no change to who can access personal information.

Disabled Workforce
Will MSD employ more disabled people and will the downsized Whaikaha retain and increase its disabled workforce?

  • MSD supports the employment of disabled people. Whaikaha and DSS are both supported by the MSD recruitment team and there is no indication that DSS will change the commitment to employing disabled people. Prior to the Whaikaha / DSS separation 43% of the Whaikaha workforce identified as disabled. We don’t know what the percentage is within DSS.
  • DPA noted that disabled communities want to trust that DSS and Whaikaha continue to proactively employ disabled people.

Kaupapa Māori Services
Work was underway to increase these. What commitment is there to proceed with these changes?

  • DSS continues to support the development of Kaupapa Māori Services. These services are an important part of supporting tāngata whaikaha Māori in a way that is consistent with tikanga.
  • Feedback from the WAI2575 hearings was clear that more Kaupapa Māori services are needed.

Enabling Good Lives
The review recommended a revised approach to giving effect to EGL principles, what does this mean?

  • The primary emphasis in the immediate future is on stabilising the disability support system so that it can remain within the increased amount of funding available to it in 2024/25.
  • The focus on stabilising the system means that the next stages of the national roll out of Enabling Good Lives that were to be funded through the Budget 2022 funding have been paused while the Taskforce carries out its work.
  • DPA noted that some providers have reported that the commissioning approach doesn’t support EGL. DSS committed to bring this to the attention of its Director of Commissioning and has done so.
  • DPA also noted that many Government departments have historically not met their obligations to disabled people.

Residential services
What will MSD do to ensure that disabled people in residential care are not harmed by the freeze on funding?

  • DSS noted the safeguarding work that has been underway for several months, also the recently announced review of deaths in residential services as examples of things that are in place to ensure disabled people in residential services aren’t harmed. Providers are contractually obliged to report incidents of harm and a process led by the Quality team reviews all reports that are received.