Intermediary Services to Assist People With Disabilities to Implement Individualized Funding Plans: A Rapid Systematic Review

A systematic review was conducted to describe, and evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of, intermediary services to support people with a disability to implement individualized funding plans. We included six records, including one subanalysis of randomized trial data, three qualitative studies, and two systematic reviews (reporting on 73 and 18 studies, respectively). No studies directly compared consumer-directed plan plus intermediary services to consumer-directed plan with no/alternative intermediary, so effectiveness of these interventions is uncertain. There is qualitative evidence from the perspective of disability planners and workers that intermediary interventions are important enablers of successful plan implementation. There is also qualitative evidence from consumer and family perspectives that external support is required to successfully navigate self-directed systems and that strong, trusting, and collaborative relationships with both paid and unpaid individuals in the person's support network were facilitators of successful plan implementation. There was evidence of disabling practices and attitudes among some support agencies, resulting in coordinators being very risk averse in order to safeguard their clients. Suggestions for future research include carefully planned and ethically robust comparative trial designs, clear description and consistent delivery of interventions, and long-term evaluation of impact. The protocol was published on PROSPERO (CRD42020177607).

Automated summary

This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of intermediary services in supporting people with disabilities to implement individualized funding plans. The study found that intermediary interventions were important enablers of successful plan implementation, and external support and strong relationships within the person's support network were facilitators of successful plan implementation.