T
here are around 4.3 million Australians living with a disability currently and it’s estimated that over the next five years, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will provide more than $22billion in funding a year to about half a million Australians with a permanent or significant disability. In many cases, this will be the first time they will receive the disability support they need. From Hall & Prior’s point of view, creating the new role of NDIS Manager was a must-do part of their future strategy for growth - and in Claire Marsh, the Group has found a very safe pair of hands.
Navigating the
NDIS
Claire Marsh has a long career ensuring people with disabilities are given the best chances in life - and as Hall & Prior’s new NDIS Manager, she has big plans to expand the scheme within the Group’s offering. By Gabi Mills. 22
Moving to Australia from the UK at the age of 13, Claire showed early signs of being destined for a role in the caring professions. “I think my teachers would have said that I scored high on the empathetic scale,” says Claire, who was born in Essex. Thanks to some family connections around the disability sector, her first job took her into this challenging landscape - and she’s worked in it ever since. In the past, the funding mechanism had not developed significantly to support those who most needed it, but the NDIS now provides funds for helping people in a variety of areas of their lives, including supports for older people and people with a psycho-social disability.
