Past initiatives: YPIRAC

In February 2006, the National Alliance succeeded in achieving one of its key aims: a joint initiative by Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments addressing the chronic issue of young people in nursing homes. The 5-year program ran from 2006 until 2011.

The Younger People In Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) initiative, or ’MyFutureMyChoice’ as it was known in Victoria, focused on delivering suitable support services and accommodation for young Australians with high and complex support needs

Breaking from the status quo of the relying on the overburdened state disability systems wholly shouldering the burden, YPIRAC focused the delivery of services as a joint effort between disability, health, aged care and housing.  This meant that each sector arm would contribute to meet the need of the individual where appropriate.

This ‘whole system’ approach is fundamental to the wellbeing of these young people, and encouraged a system that allowed individuals to have a choice about where they live and how they are supported. Implementation by the states and territories

Objectives

Initially targeting YPINH under 50 years of age, the three key objectives of (YPIRAC) initiative were to:

1.move younger people with disability currently in residential aged care into appropriate supported disability accommodation; where supported disability accommodation can be made available and only if the client chooses to move

2.divert future admissions of younger people with disability who are at risk of admission to residential aged care into more appropriate forms of accommodation; and

3. enhance the delivery of specialist disability services to those younger people with disability who choose to remain in residential aged care, and if residential aged care remains the only available suitable supported accommodation option.

Funding

With a total funding pool of $244 million over its 5 years, the Commonwealth Government contributed $122 million with each state and territory matching this amount, calculated on a per capita basis.  The program was implemented nationwide and run by the states.  

Although it was universally agreed that the funding for the program would not be enough to assist all 6,500 YPINH living in aged care facilities, YPIRAC was seen as an important first step on the path to resolving the long-standing problem.

COAG YPIRAC Program's Mid-Term Review report

The Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) Program’s Mid-Term Review report analyses the targets, performance to date and key issues associated with the YPIRAC Program.

This landmark collaboration between Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments was always intended as a first step towards final resolution of the YPINH® issue, and not a solution in and of itself.

Aiming to provide community based accommodation and support alternatives to younger people with disability living in or at risk of admission to residential aged care (RAC), the YPIRAC program has three key objectives.  These are to:

• offer community based alternative supported accommodation options to younger people with disability currently accommodated in RAC
• prevent or divert further admissions of younger people with disability who are at risk of admission to RAC
• and provide disability services to younger people with disability whose health prevents them exiting RAC, or who choose to remain there for reasons of proximity to family and community in remote and rural areas.

Each state and territory government signed a bi lateral agreement with the Commonwealth to implement the program.  These bi lateral agreements contained targets specific to each objective.

YPIRAC2: The Next Steps report to FaHCSIA

In early 2011, the Alliance was asked to prepare a report for federal and state Disability Ministers that set out the essential next steps for the COAG Younger People In Residential Aged Care initiative (YPIRAC).

The YPIRAC program was coming to the end of its first 5 years and Ministers were considering what shape the initiative might take to continue assisting young Australians living or at risk of placement in residential aged care.  

The 'YPIRAC2: The Next Steps'398.37 KB report outlines the need for service pathways across the health, disability and aged care arms of the service system; and the types of collaboration that must be developed to ensure a comprehensive response.

It urged immediate action by all jurisdictions to continue the work YPIRAC1 began and suggests that this continued work is a vital precondition to the successful introduction of an NDIS nationally.