Technology Delivered Disability Training and Support for Service Providers in Regional and Remote New South Wales

Abstract

The rollout of individualised disability funding in Australia will result in an increased demand for services for Australians with a disability. Growing and maintaining a skilled workforce will be vital in keeping up with the increased demand for disability-related support. Continuing professional development is one way to build capacity, however face-to-face opportunities can be limited in more remote areas in Australia. Technology may provide a low-cost and widely-accessible platform for training and supporting rural and remote staff. The studies in this thesis are a realist evaluation of a novel webinar training and individual online support program to upskill a diverse range of participants including allied health, education and community support staff. Surveys and interviews were conducted to investigate what is it about the program works, for whom, and in which conditions. We found a statistically significant increase in perceived skills and knowledge, and confidence in working with children with autism from pre- to post-program, and this increase was positively related to the number of webinars the participants accessed. The mode of webinar access was predominantly via asynchronous learning (watching recording of webinars). These results were consistent across job roles and levels of remoteness. Synchronous learning via individual sessions was accessed by a small number of participants, mostly allied health professionals. Increased collaboration and access to autism-specific support were reported benefits of participating in the training program, while barriers for engagement included work load and scheduling. Occupational stress was found to be within normal limits across the sample and duration of the program. The technology platform was found to be accessible and acceptable. The results indicate that online technology may provide professionals in geographically isolated areas with improved access to learning and support that increases their skills.