Advocacy, Capacity Building and Support Services

Continuing support for Victorians with Disability

$24.1m in 2025-26 to maintain critical supports for people with disability including:

• The Victorian Disability Advocacy Program.
• Supporting Victorians with disability who are ineligible to receive services from the NDIS.
• Autism assessment grants.
• Delivery of an integrated child and family services response for the most vulnerable children with disability.
• Building the capacity of mainstream services to support people with complex disability needs.

Supports for people with disability outside of the NDIS

$22m in 2025-26 to maintain delivery of the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People, which enables independent living in the home and community for people with disability outside of the NDIS.

Funding is also provided to assess people with disability seeking to have allied health supports included within their NDIS plans.

Early Childhood Sector Supports and Regulation

$3.1m in 2025-26 towards early childhood intervention services, such as inclusive education and therapy supports, to children with disability or developmental delay who are not eligible for the NDIS due to their residency.

Statewide rollout of Disability Inclusion

$237.3m in 2025-26 ($319.8m/4 yrs) to continue the rollout of improved disability and inclusion practices in Victorian government schools

Additional Supports for Students with Disabilities: Transport assistance

$33.4m in 2025-26 to continue transport assistance for eligible students to travel to their government specialist school. New services will also be introduced from the 2026 school year to meet growth in demand.

Additional Supports for Students with Disabilities: Accessible Buildings Program

$9.3m in 2025-26 ($18.6m over 2 yrs) to improve access to school facilities for students with disability and additional needs. Facility modifications may include ramps and handrails, alterations to toilet and shower facilities, and adjustments for students with vision or hearing impairments.

Community mental health supports

$12.8m in 2025-26 ($27.2m/4 yrs) to continue delivery of statewide community mental health programs that provide specialist support to cohorts experiencing mental ill-health and prevention initiatives that reduce mental distress and promote wellbeing. This includes funding to support Forensicare’s community forensic disability mental health service.

Regulation and oversight

Maintaining regulation of disability and social services

$13.6m in 2025-26 ($27.5m/2 yrs) to support the operation of the Disability Worker Regulation Scheme through the Victorian Disability Worker Commission and the Disability Worker Registration Board of Victoria.

Maintain identity and worker screening services

$23.5m to continue worker screening checks, including working with children and NDIS screening checks.