Raising Children Network has developed new resources with members of the LGBTQ+ community to support LGBTQ+ parents and families of children with disability to more confidently navigate the NDIS.
Resources developed in consultation with members of the LGBTQ+ community are part of a new suite of articles developed by the Raising Children Network to support parents and families of children with disability to more confidently navigate the NDIS.
The Raising Children Network team collaborated with an expert panel of health professionals, families and care sector stakeholders and academics to develop a suite of 25 evidence-based and inclusive articles aimed at giving parents and carers more choice and control when accessing the NDIS system to assist children in their care.
The resources discuss issues including:
- how to decide how much information an LGBTQ+ family might share with an NDIS provider
- things LGBTQ+ families might like to consider when having an NDIS provider in their home– including the right to respectful service.
- signs of an LGBTQ+ culturally safe service.
Raising Children Network Senior Program Manager Dr Naomi Hackworth said the resources were developed to address a need for quality, trusted information developed specifically for parents and carers who are seeking disability support for their children.
“We found that LGBTQ+ parents may be hesitant to engage with the NDIS due to prior experience of discrimination in mainstream services, highlighting the need for LGBTQ+ specific resources and support in this space,” Dr Hackworth said.
The Raising Children Network team developed the resources in partnership with parents and disability professionals to make sure they are useful and relevant to the families who will be using them.
The suite of NDIS articles was funded through the National Disability Insurance Agency and Australian Government Department of Social Service’s NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building project, which aims to build the knowledge, skills and confidence of people with disability, and improve their access to community and mainstream services.