The Supported Decision Making Advisory Group met on 28 October for the fifth meeting of the year.
The meeting was held online.
Focus of the meeting
The focus of the October meeting was:
- Frontline Learning Team
- Accessible and inclusive participant experience of New Framework Planning.
Frontline Learning Team
The NDIA gave an update on the feedback received from the supported decision making module.
Feedback from members will be used to inform new training being developed to support the roll out of the new approach to planning. Feedback will also be incorporated into the next iteration of the learning module that is currently being used for frontline staff and planners.
Accessible and inclusive participant experience
The NDIA gave a recap of a recent workshop held to explore how participants with different levels of decision making support and decision supporters experience the new approach to planning, including support needs assessments.
The workshop covered:
- Exploring how participants with different levels of decision-making support and their decision supporters experience the planning process.
- Identifying the needs, challenges and barriers that get in the way of supported decision-making.
- Generating strategies and ideas for how decision supporters and the NDIA can better enable supported decision-making.
Member feedback included:
- The group was very encouraged to see the Agency embedding decision supports and resources in the new planning pathway.
- There needs to be clear differentiation between substitute decision makers and decision supporters. While it is still a requirement of a substitute decision maker to fulfil will and preference of the participant, they are still the ones making the decisions and this is very different role to a decision supporter.
Supported Decision Making Advisory Group next meeting
The next Supported Decision Making Advisory Group meeting is 8 December 2025.