ASSESSMENT TASK 2:

TASK OVERVIEW

You will write a project proposal that could form the basis of a funding application under the CICD – ILC Jurisdictional Based Grants program. This is a real funding program but has been shortened and adapted below for the purposes of this assessment. You do NOT need to identify a host organisation or a budget.

This project proposal will explain your project idea to build innovative ways to increase the independence, social and community participation of people with a disability. Essentially, you will identify an issue/problem/barrier that is preventing the inclusion of people with disability and you will propose an activity/project to address this issue/problem/barrier and achieve meaningful outcomes for people with disability.

BACKGROUND

Your activity will be related to one of the four areas of the ILC Policy:

1. Information, linkages and referrals – activities that provide people with disability and their families and carers with access to up-to-date, relevant and quality information and/or make sure they are linked into services and supports in the community that meet their needs.

2. Capacity building for mainstream services – activities that increase mainstream services’ knowledge and skills to meet the needs of people with disability.

3. Community awareness and capacity building – activities that will help community members and programs understand the needs of people with disability and have the skills and knowledge they need to be more inclusive.

4. Individual capacity building – activities that help people with disability to have the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to set and achieve their goals. 

See ILC Policy Framework – Revised for more information about each of these areas

https://www.ndis.gov.au/community/information-linkages-and-capacity-building-ilc#the-ilccommissioning-framework

(Scroll down to the Policy Framework section)

Your project/activity will need to be designed so that it will ultimately lead to one or more outcomes for people with disability. Outcomes include where people with disability:

o are connected and have the information they need to make decisions and choices

o have the skills and confidence to participate and contribute to the community and protect their rights

o use and benefit from the same mainstream services as everyone else

o participate in and benefit from the same community activities as everyone else

o actively contribute to leading, shaping and influencing their community.

See ILC Commissioning Framework for more information about outcomes https://www.ndis.gov.au/medias/documents/hf4/ha1/8799111970846/ILC-CommissioningFramework-PDF-3MB-.pdf

You have a very wide scope in this project. You can choose to focus your project intervention/activity on people with disability OR services they might access (community, business or government), community members and broader society (or aspects of this, e.g. school children) etc. You can relate it to your own professional area (e.g. OT, psychology, nursing, health promotion, physical activity etc.) or not. In short, it is your job to think of a project that will foster inclusion for people with disability. There is no size or funding limit for your project, it can be big or small, national, regional or local etc.

CONTENT OF YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL

Your proposal will cover the main parts of the funding submission required by NDIA (leaving out information about the applicant and the budget). Your proposal will cover the following: 

1. Title for your project

2. The Need: Identify and explain the ‘problem’ or challenge

• Clearly describe the challenge or social problem you are working to address.

• Provide evidence of the need / problem (how do you know this is an issue? Is there data, literature that identifies this problem, OR/AND how will you collect information – both qualitative and quantitative to define the problem?)

• Describe the context, what are all the elements that construct this problem in the area you propose working in? Is the problem different in your area than in others – why? Explaining the context might include briefly describing the locality, the social and economic context (e.g. many single families, high unemployment, distance from large services, unique cultural context, particular issues faced by your target group etc.). Remember that it is also useful to document the strengths or assets of the context (e.g. strong local networks, high level of engagement etc.)

• Who is the target group for your activity? Who are the main people/groups that will be involved in your activity? (e.g. are you targeting people with disability themselves as participants, a professional group – e.g. nurses or teachers, a community or community group etc.). Does your activity relate to one of the five ILC focus areas, if so, which does it fit (it can fit more than one)?:

1. Specialist or expert delivery

2. Cohort-focussed delivery

3. Multi-regional delivery

4. Remote/rural delivery

5. Delivery by people with disability, for people with disability (including delivery in each of the preceding areas)

SSee ILC Commissioning Framework

https://www.ndis.gov.au/medias/documents/hf4/ha1/8799111970846/ILCCommissioning-Framework-PDF-3MB-.pdf

• What is the scope / parameters for your activity? For example, is it targeting one particular geographic area or is it state-wide or national in scope?

3. The response (methodology for implementation): Describe the activity /project

• What is the activity? What is the activity/ies you are offering, how are these going to be delivered, how often?

• What is the anticipated activity timeline - i.e. start and end date. How long will the activity take – e.g. is it ongoing, repeated (e.g. takes 4 months and will be repeated twice per year) or one-off?

• What is the anticipated number of people who will benefit from your activity, e.g. participants with a disability, their carers, number of organisations /community groups or community members etc.?

• Does your activity relate to an ILC focus area? If so, which one/s. How does your activity fit with the policy framework? Which of the ILC four activity areas does it relate to:

i. Information, linkages and referrals

ii. Capacity building for mainstream services

iii. Community awareness and capacity building

iv. Individual capacity building (priority given to people who do not have an NDIS plan)

See NDIS (2015) ILC Policy Framework

https://www.ndis.gov.au/communities/ilc-home/ilc-policy-framework.html

ILC Commissioning Framework

https://www.ndis.gov.au/medias/documents/hf4/ha1/8799111970846/ILCCommissioning-Framework-PDF-3MB-.pdf

• Explain how your activity reflects the evidence or principles of effective practice in disability and inclusion. (This is to check you are using the best approach to deliver your activity). You can draw on any principles, theories, policies or best practices discussed in HDS301, and in the literature.

• Show how your approach will reflect contemporary understandings of inclusion (e.g. ensure community inclusion for people with disability is not just ‘presence’).

• Explain how you will be informed by the views, needs and ideas of people with disability in the design and delivery of this activity.

4. The result

• What are the outcomes you expect will be achieved via the project?

• Explain how these relate to one or more of the identified ILC outcomes where people with disability:

i. are connected and have the information they need to make decisions and choices

ii. have the skills and confidence to participate and contribute to the community and protect their rights

iii. use and benefit from the same mainstream services as everyone else

iv. participate in and benefit from the same community activities as everyone else

v. actively contribute to leading, shaping and influencing their community. 

• Who will experience the outcomes:

i. Individual level – how activities are making a difference to individuals (usually people with a disability and/or their carers), AND/OR

ii. Organisation / service level – how activities are making a difference to organisations /services and whether there is evidence of greater inclusion of people with disability, AND/OR

iii. Community level – how activities are making a difference at a community level and whether there is evidence of greater inclusion of people with disability.

Remember that even if you identify outcomes for services, community or mainstream, you MUST also explain how these outcomes will lead to outcomes (which outcomes) for people with disability. 

5. Reference list

Provide a full reference list showing the resources you have used and cited throughout.