Carers' experiences of the National Disability Insurance Scheme workforce: A qualitative study informing workforce development.

The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) requires a skilled workforce capable of assessing the diverse needs of service participants and providing tailored services accordingly. There is currently limited evidence regarding workforce capabilities to inform training and curriculum design, particularly from the perspectives of carers. This paper reports findings from a longitudinal qualitative study exploring the lived experiences of regional carers following their engagement with the NDIS workforce. This paper aimed to foreground the experiences of carers and identify regional workforce development priorities to benefit both carers and service participants. Seventy‐two carers living in regional New South Wales were interviewed three times between November 2018 and November 2019. The insights provided by carers highlighted workforce expertise, nontechnical skills and service availability as key drivers of either helpful or unhelpful experiences. Interpersonal values, empathy and advanced communication microskills enabled the planning and coordinating workforce to undertake holistic and effective planning. Similar values and relationship‐building capabilities were pivotal for the workforce translating assessments into delivering support and interventions. Findings also highlight NDIS provider organisations can best support carers through better recruitment, retention and training strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]