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Arts therapists concerned for vulnerable clients as NDIS funding changes without consultation

Wednesday 27 November 2024: The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) advised the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA) on Monday 25 November that arts therapy will not be continued as a Therapy Support after 2 December 2024. On 26 November the NDIA posted different guidelines on its website without consultation or explanation. The NDIA has left the profession reeling from its poor process, lack of consultation and different advice from one day to the next. The unexpected removal of art therapy from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) approved services list will leave hundreds of Australians living with a disability without access to crucial therapeutic support.

Dr Kate Dempsey, CEO of ANZACATA, the peak professional association for Creative Arts Therapies in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, said the organisation and its members are shocked and dismayed at the lack of transparency, poor process, absence of fairness and the lack of communication surrounding this change.

“We were not consulted and the reason given for our sudden exclusion (that art and music therapy are not evidence-based therapies) is incorrect.

“We have been given nothing in writing to explain why after more than a decade, art therapy is to be excluded from the NDIS. There has never been mention of a review and no paperwork has been provided to us,” stated Dr Dempsey.

Arts therapy is a proven, evidence-based treatment modality, currently providing essential support to NDIS participants who often struggle to engage with conventional therapeutic approaches. The proposed changes will affect vulnerable Australians nationwide, including those with complex communication needs. Art Therapy has been a funded therapeutic support since the NDIS commenced.

"This decision will have devastating consequences for NDIS participants who rely on arts therapy as their primary means of therapeuticsupport," says Dr Dempsey.

"Many of our members’ clients cannot effectively engage with traditional talk-based therapies, making arts therapy their vital link to therapeutic support."

Key impacts of the proposed changes include:

• Loss of a key therapeutic support for hundreds of NDIS participants
• Potential closure of numerous small healthcare practices across Australia
• Job losses for Masters-qualified Arts Therapists
• Reduced access to disability support services, particularly in regional areas
• Significant disruption to existing therapeutic relationships.

Arts therapists in Australia complete rigorous clinical training specifically designed to support people with disability. This professional workforce has developed specialised expertise in making therapy accessible to vulnerable community members who may otherwise be unable to access appropriate support services.

“The removal of arts therapy services contradicts the NDIS's founding principle of providing choice and control to people with disability. It represents a significant step backward in Australia's commitment to providing accessible disability support services,” commented Dr Dempsey.

ANZACATA calls on the government to:

• Maintain arts therapy as an approved NDIS service
• Engage in consultation with practitioners and service users
• Review the extensive evidence base supporting arts therapy's effectiveness
• Consider the broader economic and social impacts of this decision

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