The merger between leading South Australian disability service organisations Novita and scosa was formalised on 1 October 2019, creating a single provider that offers continuing support for people living with disability at all stages of life.

The merger – approved by the members of both organisations in August – follows an extensive due diligence process that determined a merged entity would provide improved quality and range of services, as well as better outcomes and facilities, for kids, young people and adults living with disability and their families.

Key benefits of the merger include:

• an extensive service offering including therapy, assistive technology, accommodation, day options, and community programs
• an entity that benefits from the combined resources of both organisations and is well positioned within the landscape of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to invest in new facilities, develop professional capabilities, and offer more choice
• the scosa brand amalgamated into the Novita brand and maintained within the Novita family of sub-brands, with day options services continuing to operate under the scosa brand for the foreseeable future
• all scosa staff have transitioned to the merged organisation, and all existing scosa members have been invited to become Novita members if they wish.

Under the merger, three existing scosa directors, Mr Alan Morrison, Ms Vicki Toovey and Dr David Caudrey PSM, have been appointed to the Novita Board.

Novita’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Greg Ward says the merger brings together the complementary services of two highly respected organisations to create a unique disability service for South Australia.

“We explored the merger because we believed it would be beneficial to people living with disability in South Australia and beyond, which was confirmed by the due diligence process and the strong support for the proposal from the members, Boards, staff and families of both organisations,” he says.

“We are very excited by the significant opportunities presented by the merger, and we firmly believe Novita and scosa will be better together, for the benefit of people living with disability.

“Our clients, families and staff should notice little or no change as a result of the merger – if anything they’ll start to see improvements as we enhance our facilities and service offerings.

“Importantly, we have ensured the history and legacy of both organisations will be preserved and promoted in perpetuity because we know that both Novita and scosa are important to so many South Australians.”