About
About the Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program
The Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program (BLCW Program) is delivered by Ernst & Young and the Community Services Industry Alliance. The BLCW Program is funded by the Department of Social Services.
The BLCW Program aims to develop the capacity of disability and aged care service providers to operate effectively and expand their workforce.
The BLCW Program has three main objectives:
- Reduce barriers that impact providers’ ability and willingness to start, continue or grow their service offer.
- Improve the operation and efficiency of labour markets by better matching supply and demand through measures such as providing information, resources and links to relevant government programs.
- Provide local-level knowledge on the disability and aged care service provider and workforce markets.
Supporting the National Disability Insurance Scheme
By supporting the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the BLCW Program will contribute to creating a market for disability services. This will allow people with disability to exercise choice and control over the supports they receive.
The BLCW Program’s initiatives
There are three initiatives that comprise the BLCW Program (shown in the diagram below):
- Regional Coordinators: up to 25 Regional Coordinators work with existing and prospective service providers and key stakeholders in their geographic area to provide localised support, gather intelligence on local issues, facilitate workshops and connect stakeholders with complementary programs and initiatives in the disability and aged care sectors.
Visit the Connect with your Regional Coordinator page. - Subject Matter Specialists: Subject Matter Specialists provide a national approach to address specific issues including: rural and remote services; participant self-direction and self-management; and allied health.
- Transition Assistance Funding: eligible disability service providers were able to apply for Transition Assistance Funding of up to $20,000 in two rounds in 2019 and 2020. This funded the purchase of tailored professional services including business advice, to grow their business and workforce capability.
About the NDIS Demand Forecasts
The NDIS Demand Map gives providers the most recent data for planning their businesses.
Providers can use the map to view, analyse and compare these sets of numbers in near real time. This will help providers to make more informed decisions about planning and growing their businesses in the NDIS.
The NDIS demand forecasts were prepared by the Department of Social Services and Accenture Strategy.
About the BLCW website
The BLCW Program website was co-designed by the Department of Social Services, Ovass Pty Ltd (Ovass), Razor IT, and Ernst & Young (EY), and delivered by Ovass.