Stronger Together: A new direction for disability services in NSW 2006-2016 is a 10-year plan to provide greater assistance and long-term practical solutions for people with disability and their families. It involves major reforms and service expansions.

The first five years of Stronger Together set out plans to increase the specialist disability service system's capacity by 40 percent. This involved a record investment of $1.3 billion (in 2006/07 dollar terms). The number of new places created during this phase exceeded projections with 29,000 places created compared to the target of 18,100.

On 3 December 2010 the NSW Government announced a further $2 billion investment in disability services across the five years from 2011 to 2016. This represents a 33 percent increase in funding over the first five years and makes Stronger Together the biggest investment in disability services in NSW history.

Stronger Together 2 commenced on 1 July 2011, with a commitment to deliver 47,000 new places. Under Stronger Together 2 there will be an additional focus on developing a person centered approach that enables people with disability to be the key determiners of how support resources are used. There is also an increased investment in a lifespan approach that will increase certainty by building long-term pathways throughout the service system.

This will create an unprecedented expansion of funding for disability services and create a system that is sustainable for the future.

Stronger Together is available to download in plan, summary and accessible formats. The summary document and the second phase plan are also available in other languages. To order Stronger Together in hard copy and accessible formats, complete the order form below.

Detailed information about the achievements of Stronger Together can be found in the Ageing, Disability and Home Care and Department of Family and Community Services annual reports.

Stronger Together 2 plan: 2011–2016

• Stronger Together: The second phase 2011–2016 (PDF)
• Stronger Together: The second phase 2011–2016 (PDF - large print)
• The Stronger Together 2 Annual Report: This details the highlights of the first year of the Stronger Together 2 reforms, and sets out the initiatives being implemented across the agency to ensure people with disability have access to the supports that they need to live the life they choose. 

Stronger Together plan: 2006–2016 

• Stronger Together: A new direction for disability services in NSW 2006–2016 (PDF, large file >1MB)
• Stronger Together: A new direction for disability services in NSW 2006–2016 (RTF)
• Stronger Together: Summary (PDF, large file >1MB)
• Stronger Together: Summary (RTF)
• Stronger Together: Fact sheet (PDF)

Progress reports

Refer to the Department of Human Services 2009-10 Annual Report and DADHC 2008-09 Annual Report for the latest progress updates.

• Stronger Together: Progress Report June 2008 (PDF, large file >1MB)
• Stronger Together: Progress Report Jan 2008 (PDF)
• Stronger Together: Progress Report Jan 2007 (PDF, large file >1MB)
• Stronger Together: Progress Report Summary Jan 2007 (PDF, large file >1MB)

Research

• PricewaterhouseCoopers: A sustainable approach to increasing demand (PDF)
  Actuarial Modelling on the need and supply of disability services in NSW and the Lifespan Model on which Stronger Together 2 is based. Note that this is a work in progress that will be updated as additional data becomes available.
• Stronger Together: Annual modelling July 2012

Order form

Complete this order form to request Stronger Together in hard copy, accessible and translated formats.

• Stronger Together: Order form (DOC)