NDIS funding allows families to access services at Lizard Centre, but budget management is a critical issue and not within control of the service. There have been instances where families or Plan Managers did not disclose that funds were fully allocated, leading to an immediate halt of services to avoid financial hardship, as the NDIS does not cover budget overruns. This affects our 1:1 Therapy Assistants who may lose their hours without warning, despite upfront service budgeting and a four-week notice protocol.
Therapy Assistants build caseloads gradually, which makes the role unsuitable for those requiring immediate financial stability of full-time employment. Peak demand is during after-school hours for children aged 4 to 16, while younger children typically receive services in the morning. Reaching a full-time schedule can take over a year due to limitations such as funding, client availability, travel constraints, and therapist availability.
Clinical Supervisors must meet BCBA or CBA Certifications, this is attainable after 3 or 4 years of practical experience, supervised by another credentialed supervisor. There will be a career development gap from practical experience to the responsibilities of a clinical supervisor, amplified by a limited workforce.
Leadership at Lizard Centre is well experienced across all business functions, but daily management tasks can overshadow long-term planning, affecting the progress of project timelines in the active service delivery environment. Some projects are contingent on another function’s project timeline before being rolled-out.
Policies and procedures are sometimes seen as inflexible,
particularly in comparison to non-clinical services, but the approach is to maintain professional standards at par with other Allied Health Practices and enterprise-sized organisations. This adherence to high standards, unfortunately, requires a more stringent operational framework.
Travel burnout can be a factor, you will be expected to travel witih expenses reimbursed. This role is not suited for those who prefer clinic based. Travel burnout has been addressed through continuous improvement. I was on the project team to re-design the clinical caseload model and regions of each metropolitan capital city.