Why Group-Based Supports are Considered the Minimum Viable Product for Value for Money by the NDIS
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) aims to provide effective and sustainable support to participants. Group-based supports are often considered the best way of delivering these supports when looking through the lens of “minimum viable product” and ‘value for money” for many reasons:
1. Cost-Effectiveness
Group-based supports allow multiple participants to receive services simultaneously, which can significantly reduce the cost per participant. This shared approach helps maximise the use of resources and ensures that more participants can benefit from the available funding. There needs to be a strong evidence base for why group-based supports are not appropriate. Individualised supports are far less cost-effective; therefore, the evidence to justify that model must be robust. Otherwise, everybody would choose an individualised model, and the NDIS would be financially unsustainable.
2. Social Interaction and Community Participation
Like all other government systems, including education, hospitals, and transport, these services are only economically viable when provided in a group-based setting. There will always be circumstances where individualised supports are required for disability. However, the evidence requirements for justifying this model must be extremely high due to the significant increase in costs. They must be directly related to ‘need’ and not ‘want’, ensuring the NDIS’s financial sustainability and the appropriate allocation of scarce resources.
3. Efficient Use of Resources
The NDIS can efficiently utilise resources such as staff time and facilities by providing support in a group setting. This efficiency helps maintain the scheme’s financial sustainability, ensuring that it can continue to support participants in the long term and allocate scarce resources appropriately based on need.
4. Flexibility and Variety
Group-based support offers a variety of activities and programs that can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of participants and, through the NDIS, enable people to choose one that is best suited to their needs. This flexibility ensures that participants can choose activities that align with their interests and goals while still benefiting from the social interaction and cost savings of group-based support.
5. Evidence of Effectiveness
Research and practice have shown that group-based support can effectively achieve positive outcomes for participants. These supports are designed to be inclusive and supportive, helping participants to develop skills and achieve their goals in a collaborative environment. Participants have the right to change providers when they are unhappy with their current one. This is an example of effectively utilising the choice and control the NDIS enables.
Conclusion
The NDIS considers group-based supports the minimum viable product and value for money for many reasons. They provide a cost-effective, efficient, and socially enriching way to deliver essential support to participants. By prioritising these supports, the NDIS ensures that it can offer high-quality, sustainable assistance to participants in a way that best utilises scarce resources.