CF and the NDIS
In this episode of the CFStrong podcast we speak with Ben from Trusted Care, a subsidiary of CF Queensland, about the NDIS. We explore what the NDIS is, how people with CF are accessing support from the NDIS and what advice Ben has for anyone thinking about applying for the NDIS.










”It's about educating people in the NDIS. That's real advocacy, helping people become educated and better equipped to understand and learn the way to speak about the NDIS, the way to approach the NDIA, the way to access all of that. It's all an education process for people. Advocacy is education in my opinion. And it's a really important part of the NDIS. Ben, Trusted Care











Transcript
 
Voiceover: Welcome to the CFStrong Podcast. CFStrong covers the successes and challenges faced by those living with cystic fibrosis. You'll hear first-person stories, conversations with health professionals, friends and partners. Just a heads-up guests may share their personal views about treatments and health management. But please remember this is not medical advice, and you should always follow the advice of your clinic team regarding your health. 
Kirby: Hello, my name is Kirby. I'm the digital content producer at CFStrong. And I'm joined today by Ben Smith, the head of business development at Trusted Care, a subsidiary of CF Queensland for a discussion all about the NDIS. Ben, thank you very much for joining us today. Perhaps you could introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Trusted Care. 
Ben Smith: Thanks Kirby. Yes. So, I started with Trusted Care late last year. So, Trusted Care was created by Cystic Fibrosis Queensland, and what they saw was a need for NDIS service provisions within the cystic fibrosis community. So how it's broken up into work with the cystic fibrosis community is that the service provision side of it, so our support services and any direct service that we work within the NDIS and with participants, it's rolled out across the whole of the NDIS sector.  
So, any person can work with Trusted Care. However, at the same time, a lot of our services are aimed at the cystic fibrosis community. So, when the idea was first created, and when it was implemented, a lot of the services, which is a little bit of a mishmash of services for a provider, it was actually based on the cystic fibrosis community and the needs in that area.  
So, all of the revenue that's raised through Trusted Care goes directly back into the charity, Cystic Fibrosis Queensland. And aside from the NDIS service provisions, there is a lot of work that goes on within the cystic fibrosis community around the advocacy to actually access the NDIS. 
So, unfortunately for a lot of people with cystic fibrosis, it's been a struggle to actually access the NDIS. So, what Trusted Care, what myself is here for is actually to create a bit of an avenue to gain some understanding around the NDIS. Not everybody with cystic fibrosis is going to be able to access the NDIS, but there is a really large cohort that should really have access there.  
So, it's working with the community to kind of give them a little bit of a better understanding around the NDIS, and what improvements in their life they can actually gain from NDIS funding. 
Kirby: Let's talk a little bit about the NDIS. I'm going to ask you a really big question so, feel free to give me a very simple answer. What is the NDIS? 
Ben: The NDIS, well, it's an acronym, the NDIA love in acronyms. So, the NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It is overseen or governed by the National Disability Insurance Agency. So many years ago, the disability services were governed state by state. So, each state had their own disability funding, and they would grant those funds to various providers within their own state.  
The NDIS is a federal scheme. So, it works in every state and territory, and it doesn't matter what state or territory you are...