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The quick answer is NO. The long answer is outlined in the following post! Get a cup of tea, you might need it!
The NDIA states that providers (both registered and unregistered) are not allowed to engage in “Sharp Practices”
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The NDIA guidelines state the following:
60.People with disability expect that NDIS providers will not participate in or promote sharp practices.
This includes not:
a. providing services or expending funds contrary to a person with disability’s approved plan
b. asking for or accepting any additional fees for providing the service
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That means that providers cannot offer you incentives to sign up with their service. This includes things like gift cards, money, tickets, gifts, or other items that coerce you into using their support.
It is also highly unethical for a provider to use incentives to get third parties to convince you to use their services. This means, when one provider provides financial reward or gifts to another provider and in return for those gifts, the provider who receives the gift recommends the first service to you and states you should use their support.
For example:
A Support Coordinator might offer a therapist $100 for every referral they make to back to them, that results in somebody signing up to their support.
A therapist might offer a Support Coordinator a gift for every participant that they refer to their services, which results in ongoing service delivery.
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Providers have an obligation to provide a high level of support and service to each participant, without offering incentives. They have an obligation to do that within the scope of the code of conduct and practice standards laid down by the NDIS. By offering you services based on rewards and incentives, they are acting against your right to exercise full choice and control over your providers. They are also not being transparent with you.
If you are struggling with money, and a provider offers you $200 to sign up with their service, you may naturally consider how that money could benefit you, (as we all would) and potentially choose that provider over another provider, based on the fact that now you can buy groceries this week, instead of it being based simply on the quality and suitability of the support they offer.
When a third-party provider has been given a gift so they will suggest a certain provider to you, that provider is now recommending that service based on the benefit they have received. This means your autonomy and choice and control in choosing your supports has been severely reduced.
π°ππππππ ππ ππππ πππ: You buy an item/engage a service because you read amazing reviews about it on Facebook. You then find out that all those reviews were paid for by the company and the people who left the reviews, either have not used the product/service or were sent free products and asked to provide a positive review.
Your right and ability to make a fully informed choice, free of influence, has now been removed because the information that was provided to you was false, or influenced by the company that owns the product/service.
Great providers will always present you with clear, concise, transparent information. Great providers will never use coercive influence to try and get you to use their service.
You can always ask providers what business or personal relationship they have with another service/support if you are unsure.
π°π πππ πππ πππππππππ ππππ πππ ππππππππ ππ πππ – you can contact the NDIS commission on 1800 035 544
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