Identifying Gaps in service provision is essential to being able to provide streamlined service delivery.

After years of experience of working in this sector, consultation with colleagues and other service providers and community members, it’s apparent there has always been gaps in the provision of services and once identified there are some measures made to close the identified gaps.

For example: The Closing the Gap program run by the National Indigenous Aboriginal Agency (NIAA) has been a very necessary resource for Aboriginal people since 2005 to help close the gap they experience, for health and education.

As a community member needing assistance, this would usually mean bringing the problem to the attention of a service provider.

Sometimes, however, the assistance that is needed is where there is a gap.

As a service provider, it is frustrating not being able to provide streamlined service provision this impact’s on how the professional relationship can proceed with your participant.

Working collaboratively with other local services the gaps can be minimised however due to minimal overlap of service provision, a lot of identified gaps still exist today.

Especially in rural and remote areas

Recognising a gap and identifying that it is a ‘known gap’ is a frustrating situation!

It takes a long time for things to alter, due to restrictions in funding, the processes of change and Government Policies.

Workers struggle to understand why changes have not been put in place as a solution addressing those who fall through the cracks, especially with early intervention strategies.

The region that we sit in now is delegated as a Monash Model 5 (MM5) with the National Disability Insurance Service (NDIS).This is a demographic zoning based on population, size, and locality.  The MM5 identifies the level of support and funding allocated to participants. It also indicates that there is a higher lack of delivery of services due to being a remote location. 

Workers in the delegated MM5 areas are stretched beyond their capacity repeatedly and have identified a lot of the gaps in service delivery.

Please let us know if you can identify any other gaps in any service provision you encounter. 

Listed below are some of the gaps that we have identified.

Housing – lack of available, suitable, and affordable housing.

Literacy – lack of literacy and the ability to understand certain types of documentation

Transport – severe lack of public transport in rural areas

Emergency Accommodation – little to no emergency accommodation in rural areas.

Sustainable Employment –little to no employment opportunities in rural areas.