Organisations can apply for funding from a range of sources to help them provide services for people with disability in South Australia.
Disability, Ageing and Carers provides funding to approved non-government organisations to help them meet the needs of people with disability.
On this page:
How to become an approved service provider
Aims and benefits of the disability services provider panel
What happens when I become an approved service provider?
How to apply for funding
Open calls
What happens if funding is awarded?
The Disability Sector Reference Group
Other sources of funding
More information and an application for a registration form are available from Disability, Ageing and Carers, by phoning 8415 4250 or emailing dacdisabilityageingandcarers@dcsi.sa.gov.au.
How to become an approved service provider
To be eligible for funding from Disability, Ageing and Carers, you must become a member of the disability services provider panel.
To become a member of the disability services provider panel, organisations must complete an application for registration and go through a qualification process. This process ensures they can:
- provide high-quality services
- respond to invitations to quote or tender in specific service activity areas.
Organisations must identify in their application:
- the types of services they are applying to provide
- their target group or groups
- regional areas they service
- location of their services.
Applications for registration are assessed by Disability, Ageing and Carers (DAC).
An organisation on the disability services provider panel may apply for funding in the specific service activity areas for which it has qualified. Being on the panel is not a guarantee that any funding will be awarded.
For more information and application kits, contact:
Disability, Ageing and Carers
Level 4, Riverside Centre
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
PO Box 70, Rundle Mall
Adelaide SA 5000
Phone: 8415 4250
Fax: 8207 0555
Email: dacdisabilityageingandcarers@dcsi.sa.gov.au
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Aims and benefits of the disability services provider panel
The qualification process aims to:
- adopt a standard model of continuous improvement in the disability sector
- enhance the performance of the disability sector
- give confidence in the ability of organisations to provide satisfactory service delivery outcomes in terms of consistency, cost, quality and service development
- provide objective, quantifiable data to support the decision-making processes in selecting organisations.
This process enables Disability, Ageing and Carers to:
- develop a register of organisations interested in and capable of contracting with us and other identified brokerage agencies (for example, Service Coordination agencies)
- set minimum requirements based on the qualification criteria against which the suitability of organisations to perform specified services can be assessed
- adjust the minimum requirements periodically to ensure continuous improvement in the disability sector
- develop objective, quantifiable data to support decision-making and risk assessment processes in qualifying organisations, taking into account their legal status, financial viability, service activity type, experience and ability to provide the services, safety and security, quality of service, compliance with the:
- Passenger Transport Act 1994
- Supported Residential Facilities Act 1992
- Family and Community Services Act 1972
- Carers Recognition Act 2005
- Children's Protection Act 1993.
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What happens when I become an approved service provider?
Once an organisation qualifies to become a member of the disability service provider panel, Disability, Ageing and Carers will put in place a 'Master Agreement' between the organisation and the South Australian Minister for Disability. This agreement outlines the terms and conditions of being on the disability service provider panel. However, being on the panel is not a guarantee that any funding will be awarded.
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How to apply for funding
To be eligible for funding, an organisation must become an approved service provider by joining the disability service provider panel.
If the State Government wants to purchase a new service for people with a disability in South Australia, members of the disability service provider panel (that are qualified to provide the type of service being sought) will be invited to provide a quote or to tender to provide the service.
Organisations on the disability service provider panel are approved only for specific service types, target groups and regions. Disability, Ageing and Carers therefore approaches only those providers relevant to the service being sought, enabling a streamlined and efficient process.
For example, if an accommodation service is required in the western suburbs for clients with acquired brain injury, only those organisations that are qualified to provide accommodation support services in the western suburbs to clients with acquired brain injury will be invited to respond to a 'Request for Quote or Tender'. Organisations will be required to qualify in all service activity areas relevant to services they are applying to provide.
In the event that there are no providers to meet the service requirements, an open call is conducted.
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Open calls
In the event that there are no providers on the disability service provider panel to meet identified service requirements, an open call is conducted (publicly advertised). Potential providers who are not current members of the disability service provider panel are required to complete the application for registration for the provider panel, which will be assessed as part of their response to the open call.
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What happens if funding is awarded?
Organisations entering into a funding/purchasing arrangement with the Disability, Ageing and Carers will be issued with a 'Service Activity Agreement'. This agreement describes the services they are providing according to the National Disability Agreement National Minimum Data Set classifications. Service providers are reviewed periodically to ensure they remain eligible for the panel.
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Disability Sector Reference Group
The terms of reference of the Disability Sector Reference Group are to:
- Provide guidance for the ongoing development of the disability service provider panel (DSPP) processes.
- Assist Disability, Ageing and Carers with the ongoing monitoring and reviewing of the DSPP processes.
- Assist Disability, Ageing and Carers with the development of policy directions as they relate to the DSPP.
- Work with Disability, Ageing and Carers to develop strategies to address specific issues across the sector (for example, training of workers).
- Assist Disability, Ageing and Carers with the ongoing review of the Provider Panel Agreement, Service Activity Agreement and other agreements as may be developed with regard to their relationship to the DSPP.
- Be a conduit for dissemination and collation of information between the sector and Disability, Ageing and Carers.
For more information about the group and its membership, contact:
Disability, Ageing and Carers
Level 4, Riverside Centre
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
PO Box 70, Rundle Mall
Adelaide SA 5000
Phone: 8415 4250
Fax: 8207 0555
Email: dacdisabilityageingandcarers@dcsi.sa.gov.au.
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Other sources of funding
Organisations can apply for a range of funding available from both the State and Australian governments. For more information, visit:
You can also search easily for other funding sources using our service and information directories.
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