Disability support workforce - community engagement report

The success of disabled people having choice and control over how, where and when they are supported to lead the life of their choice is strongly linked to the capacity, capability and culture of the workforce.

Disability support workers must be empowered to act in partnership and as enablers to the people and communities they support.  

To find out more about what disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau and communities want and expect when it comes to the disability workforce, Disability Support Services in the Ministry of Health asked Allen + Clarke and All is for All to engage with people, communities, and organisations to ask about what was important to them.  

This engagement took place over a few months in 2022, during the transition to, and the formation of Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People. This project was transferred to Whaikaha after Whaikaha was established.

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Community Engagement Summary

Allen + Clarke and All is for All’s Disability Support Workforce Community Engagement Summary reports back on that engagement. It describes what the community say is important to them, and what they see as the challenges to achieving that and why, what was being done well, and what people would like to see in the future. 

The report is based on interviews, focus groups and survey responses of stakeholders, including those with lived experience of disability, family and whānau, disability support workers, service providers and representatives from other organisations who are involved in the sector.  Te Amokura assisted the project team to ensure that Māori voices were authentically captured.   

Whaikaha acknowledge all those who have contributed to this report. The insights it contains, along with other information we have gathered, will inform the development of a disability workforce programme.  

Executive summary with alternate formats

Download the executive summary (DOCX 173KB) of the Community Engagement summary report.

You can find alternate formats of the executive summary below: