Disability Support Register

Accessing ongoing disability support

If you have support needs related to your disability that cannot be met by family, friends or other services in the community, you can ask for ongoing disability support from Disability Services. There are two types of ongoing disability support you can ask for:

The Disability Support Register (DSR) is a database of all the people with a confirmed need for funding (Individual Support Package) to purchase supports that meet their disability needs or for supported accommodation. The DSR is used to allocate these supports in a fair and efficient manner when funding or vacancies become available.

Can I apply to be on the Disability Support Register?

There are a number of requirements you need to meet before you can submit an application to register on the DSR. This includes having support needs related to your disability which are not being met and:

are current (support you need now)
are ongoing (support you need for six months or more)
can only be met through Disability Services.

By making sure you have met these requirements will make it easier to answer all the questions in the application form. It will also help make a quick decision about your application.

If you need assistance with this process you can contact Intake and Response on 1800 783 783, or a disability service provider in your local area.

Step 1: Access

Confirm you have a disability under the Disability Act 2006

Contact Intake and Response or a disability service provider to confirm you have a disability under the Disability Act 2006. This means that you have an intellectual disability or a physical, sensory, neurological or acquired brain injury that significantly impacts on your daily life.

You may need to provide information or documents to help determine if you have a disability under the Act.

Intake and Response or a disability service provider can advise on what information or documents might be required.

See Access to disability support for more information.

Step 2: Planning

Consider how your needs can be met in other ways.

You need to have considered:

how your needs can be met through your family and friends
how your needs can be met through community services like community health services, hospitals, general practitioner services, schools, transport service, housing agencies, family services, sport, leisure and recreation activities, and services for people who are ageing
how your needs can be met through disability service providers in the community.

See planning for more information.

Step 3: Application

Complete application documents using the Help guide.

To complete the application you will need to provide information about:

your support needs and how you are being supported
your support needs that are not currently being met
other options you have explored to meet your needs.
how the support you are requesting will meet these needs.

You will also need to provide:

the nature and costs of supports you are requesting if you are requesting funding to purchase disability supports (an Individual Support Package)
more detailed information about your support needs in an individual profile if your are requesting Supported Accommodation.

See Disability Support Register applications forms for more information

Step 4: Registration

Registration
You will be advised within four weeks if your application for supports has been successfully registered on the DSR.

If you receive a letter advising that your need for support has been registered on the DSR, this means you have met the requirements for registration and that the details of the support you need have been added to the database.

It does not mean that you have been allocated funding or a vacancy. When funding or a vacancy in accommodation becomes available, all people registered for that type of support are considered in the allocation process.

See allocation of ongoing disability support for more information.

Disability Support Register information sheets

Information sheets are available on the Disability Support Register information sheets page on this site.

June 2011 Disability Support Register

The Department of Human Services' approach to supporting people with a disability focuses on individually tailored and flexible ways to respond to people's needs, and assist them to achieve their goals and aspirations.

The number of people recorded on the DSR as at 30 June 2011 is shown in the following table.

DSR Category	All Requests
Disability Services Supported Accommodation options	1,225
Support to live in the community	1,760
Daytime activities	260
Total	3,245

Further information

Access Policy - information for people with a disability, families and carers, who apply for disability services, and for disability service providers about how decisions are made regarding access to disability services
Access Policy Implementation Guide - information for Department of Human Services staff, and staff from Community Service Organisations (CSOs), who are involved in making decisions regarding access to disability services under the Disability Act 2006
Planning Policy - information for disability services providers about how to undertake planning with people who have a disability
Planning Resource Kit and Implementation Guide - information for Department of Human Services and CSOstaff, who provide assistance with planning and are involved in the development and bringing about of support plans under the Disability Act 2006

Allocation of ongoing disability support
The Disability Support Register (DSR) is used to allocate supports to people with a confirmed need in a fair and efficient manner when funding or vacancies become available.