Systemic Advocacy – How We Work

Systemic Advocacy

Systemic Advocacy focuses on making a more inclusive community through changes to legislation, policies and practices that ensure the collective rights and interests of people with disability are served.

VALID’s systemic advocacy strives to empower people with a disability to:

• Exercise their human rights and citizenship status within their local communities.
• Inform and influence the policies and practices of disability service agencies, governments and other authorities.
• Have control and influence over the decisions and choices which affect their lives.
• Influence public understanding and attitudes.

In order to achieve systemic change VALID

1. Works in partnership with other organisations
2. Makes submissions to government
3. Publishes Position Statements on issues affecting people with disability

VALID works with other organisations

To maximise its systemic influence, VALID works collaboratively within a range of networks, alliances, advisory groups and representative bodies. VALID is currently:

• Victoria’s Agency Member of Inclusion Australia (formerly the National Council on Intellectual Disability)
• An active member of the Disability Advocacy Network of Australia
• A member of the Victorian Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme Implementation Task Force

A member of the NDIS Independent Advisory Council’s Intellectual Disability Reference Group

Submissions

VALID makes submissions to federal and state government inquiries and organisations such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme to ensure the voice of people with disability, especially people with intellectual disability, is heard when government lawa and policies are changed.

Recent submissions from VALID include:

• Productivity Inquiry into NDIS Costs (July 2017)
• VALID response to the NDIS Quality & Safeguarding Framework and Other Measures Bill (July 2017)
• VALID response to the Victorian Government consultations on ‘Rights in SDA (Specialist Disability Accomodation) (July 2017)
• VALID response to the Victorian Government consultations on the proposed Registration & Accreditation Scheme (Oct 2017)

Position statements

VALID publishes position statements on current issues affecting people with a disability

• Individual Funding Principles
• Supported Accommodation Principles
• The Advocacy Role of Disability Support Workers
• The Use of Facilitated Communication
  VALID has also presented submissions to a range of inquiries, including:
  • Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Abuse in Residential Settings
  • Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry in Services for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

You are welcome to reproduce articles however please acknowledge VALID as the author

• Facilitated Communication : ISAAC Position Statement on Facilitated Communication
• Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities Inquiry : VALID’s submission to the Inquiry
• Advocacy Role of Disability Support Workers : VALID’s position on advocacy role of disability support workers
• Our Forgotten Families : Issues and Challenges faced by parents with a disability in Victoria
• Accommodation : Principles of Accommodation Support
• Individualised Funding : VALID’s submission
• Spirituality: VALID’s Statement on SpiritualityVALID’s Statement on Spirituality

Disclaimer: All information contained within VALID’s web site is as accurate as possible and is provided in good faith, however it is not guaranteed. VALID does not recommend any product, activity, organisation, service or item – such details are provided for general information and interest only.