“Brain Injury Australia’s advises that there has been an historic under-representation of people with brain injury in the Disability Employment Services (DES). This situation has worsened with the closure of Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services Australia (CRS) Australia and subsequent loss of brain injury-specific expertise and staff with allied health qualifications to appropriately assess and provide vocational programs for this client group.”

Brain Injury Australia, in collaboration with its then Queensland Member organisation “Synapse,” and James Cook University, advises that DisabilityCare should integrate the Planning and Assessment Framework into its Operational Guidelines, and for assessments with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, assessors should work in accordance with the four stages specified in the Planning and Assessment Framework: Engagement, Pre-Assessment, Assessment and Follow-up.

“Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a “hidden disability.” Participants reported poor understanding of ABI within the medical, allied health, and disability professions. This has led to unsuitable or inappropriate treatment from doctors, therapists and support workers engaged to support people with an ABI. It can also lead to misunderstanding in the community where people with an ABI are excluded from mainstream services because they are considered to be under the influence of alcohol or other substances and/or mentally ill.”

“Brain Injury Australia believes that access to educational supports for students with disabilities should be consistent between jurisdictions.”

“Brain Injury Australia commends the development of the National Carer Strategy as an important recognition of the work of Australia’s growing ‘care force’. It needs involvement and voices from all involved. In particular, it is essential that carers are directly involved in planning and implementing policy and programs under the Strategy.”

“Brain Injury Australia recommends that need is a more appropriate basis for eligibility than one based on a medical diagnosis. A nationally consistent definition of need must be developed, which retains flexibility to respond to the complexity and diversity of different disabilities, including acquired brain injury.”

“Brain Injury Australia recommends the Framework contain a description of the optimum working relationship between individual and systemic advocacy services, including a commitment to exchange data wherever possible.”

“Brain Injury Australia’s joint submission (with the Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance and Multiple Sclerosis Australia) advises the the Department of Health and Ageing to consider implementing an individualised assessment and funding scheme in addition to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) funding level to be implemented for younger residents with high and complex needs that include rehabilitation, aids and equipment, social and community involvement, care and support.”

“Brain Injury Australia’s consultations overwhelmingly point to a lack of awareness about brain injury throughout the disability employment services system as being the fundamental impediment to workforce participation.”

“Brain Injury Australia advises that a commitment by Australian Governments to additional funding of Community Access Services will act to break down barriers to social engagement for not only people with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), but people with a disability generally.”

“Brain Injury Australia recommends that, in keeping with both the Australian Government’s whole-of-government commitment to a social inclusion agenda and the projected growth rates in the number of people with an Acquired Brain Injury in the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement’s (CSTDA) target population, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, enhances funding for Community Access Services in all future iterations of the CSTDA.”

“The overarching point of Brain Injury Australia’s submission to the Australian Government’s Green Paper “Which Way Home? A New Approach to Homelessness” is to demonstrate that most of the population subgroups that comprise the homeless – people with a mental illness, people with alcohol and other substance abuse problems, people leaving (or at risk of re-entering) prisons or juvenile justice institutions, people fleeing domestic violence etc. – are absolutely commensurate with the constituent populations of Australians with an acquired brain injury (ABI). And unless, in whatever strategies derive from this consultation, the Australian Government builds the capacity within all services to the homeless to firstly recognise, and then address an underlying – perhaps undisclosed, perhaps undiagnosed – ABI then every interaction with a homeless Australian simply fiddles at the edge of chronic conditions, and places a person with an ABI at risk of permanent homelessness.”

“Brain Injury Australia advises that the Disability Branch within the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs meet with representatives of Brain Injury Australia to discuss the relationship between brain injury and mental illness further.”

“This submission argues that although further research is required into unmet needs, there is irrefutable evidence that people with an acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families are significantly disadvantaged under the current funding and program arrangements of the Commonwealth, State Territory disability Agreement (CSTDA).”