Disability Loop - Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) – Commissioning Framework

< Back to news

Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) – Commissioning Framework – Consultation Draft has been released

The NDIS has recently released a document called ‘Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) – Commissioning Framework – Consultation Draft’. This talks about how the NDIS can help people with disability and their families, even if they are not NDIS participants. This is about making life better for all people with disability and their families, in lots of different ways.

In the early days of the NDIS, ‘Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC)’ was known as ‘Tier 2’.

ILC Policy Framework

The ILC Commissioning Framework is based on the ILC Policy Framework released earlier this year. It outlined five activity streams:

Stream 1 is about providing information and connecting people with each other and other services
Stream 2 is about making sure mainstream services meet the needs of people with disability more effectively
Stream 3 is about building understanding in the wider community
Stream 4 is about creating support that builds the capacity of people with disability
Stream 5 is about strengthening the connection between people with disability, the NDIS, their family and their carers

ILC Commissioning Framework

The Policy Framework outlined what the ILC is. The new ILC draft Commissioning Framework talks about:

the role of ILC in the NDIS
what the NDIS hopes and expects will happen for people with disability and their families after the ILC has been running for a while
how activities will be paid for

The Policy Framework was co-designed, which means that lots of people with disability that don't work for the NDIS gave the NDIS advice and feedback about the things in the document. The Commissioning Framework is a draft so that it can be co-designed too.

Co-design on the Commissioning Framework will begin in mid-January 2016. Sometime after that the NDIS will release the final version of the Commissioning Framework.

What we know

Some of the things we know about the ILC now are:

ILC projects and programs will paid for with grants
Successful ILC funded projects and programs will begin the ACT in July 2017, followed later by the rest of the country
The NDIS will have about $132 million in the budget to pay for the grants by 2019/2020
NDIS registered disability service providers will be eligible to apply for ILC funding - but to avoid conflict of interest, Local Area Coordinator (LAC) providers will not be eligible for other ILC grant funding, other than in exceptional circumstances
ILC providers will not have to be registered with the Agency to apply for, or deliver, ILC activities. ILC funding agreements will, however, have quality requirements to provide appropriate safeguards for users

What the NDIS would like to see

The NDIS has listed 9 outcomes it would like to see, to prove that the ILC programs and activities have been good for people with disability, their families and carers, and the community. These are:

People with disability have capacity to exercise choice and control in pursuit of goals
Independence and social and economic participation of all is promoted
Informal support and care arrangements are upheld and nurtured
Participants can access unfunded supports and individual funding is provided at the optimal time
High-quality, effective and efficient disability support, is available including ILC activities
People with disability have appropriate support during their lifetime, including early intervention
People with disability, their families and carers shape supports and services
Increased community/mainstream awareness of how to support people with disability
Interests of people with disability are faithfully represented in policy/infrastructure design

Find out more