Frequently Asked Questions
From understanding support coordination to in-home care and community access we’ve answered your most common questions to help you feel confident and supported.
What is support coordination?
Simply put, support coordination is a service provided by support coordinators to individuals with a disability (i.e. ‘NDIS participants’). Support coordinators help individuals to make the best use of approved supports within a NDIS plan. The goals of support coordination are:
To help the individual (or ‘participant’) understand their NDIS plan.
To develop, pursue, and achieve goals utilising the plan and supports available.
To connect the participant with appropriate services, supports and providers.
To assist the participant with building their confidence and capacity to get the most out of their supports and services and ultimately achieve their individual goals.
What are the different kinds of support coordination?
There are different kinds of support coordination. Let’s look at the main three:
Support coordination
Support coordination is the coordination of supports by a support coordinator. But it is also more than this. A good support coordinator will work with you to help you understand your NDIS plan and to get the most out of the supports available to you within the scope of the plan. Ultimately, the goals of support coordination are to not only help you understand your plan but also to help you build your confidence and capacity to achieve your goals, and live a more fulfilling lifestyle.
Specialised support coordination
This kind of support coordination is more specialised coordination and is aimed at those participants with more complex individual needs . It is for people whose situations are more complex and who need specialist support. This level of support is provided by a specialist support coordinator, who will carefully curate and manage the required supports and advocate for the participant in receiving the highest possible level of service and support for their needs and within the scope of their NDIS plan.
Support connection
Similar to support coordination, support connection has more to do with the act of connecting you – the participant – to the various supports available to you within your NDIS plan and, by extension, helping you connect to and engage with the broader community and the various organisations and groups that can assist you with working towards your goals.
How can I get support coordination included in my NDIS plan?
Support coordination funding is included in a participant’s NDIS plan if the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) deems it ‘reasonable and necessary’ for the participant’s personal circumstances. If this is the case, funding for support coordination will be included in the ‘capacity building’ part of your plans budget and is to be used for support coordination services.
Your NDIS plan may state the level of support coordination for which your budget is permitted (e.g. specialist support coordination). If this is the case, you will need to use your allocated budget for that specific level of funding. If your plan does not state the permitted level, you can use your budget towards the level of support that best suits your needs.
What does a support coordinator do?
The ways in which your support coordinator will assist you will be determined by the level of support coordination your plan permits (or that you have chosen for yourself – see above for more on this) and is also based on your individual circumstances and personal goals.
Here are some examples of what your support coordinator may do for you or assist you with:
Assist you with learning about and understanding your NDIS plan
Help you access and coordinate the various supports available to you
Oversee the provision of those supports and ensure you’re getting the best service
Facilitate in finding or changing providers if appropriate
Help determine your goals and build your confidence and capacity to achieve them
Help you engage with the broader community
Help plan for, manage, and prevent crisis situations where appropriate
Advocate for your rights where appropriate
Report to the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency)
How will my support coordinator connect me with the right supports and services?
A good support coordinator will be aware of, and familiar with, services and supports within your local area. Your support coordinator will work with you to introduce you to various services within your community that suit your individual needs and your NDIS plan’s provisions. They can also help you (and your family, friends, carers etc.) access non-NDIS services such as other government or community-based services that are relevant to you.
Choosing the right services and supports can seem overwhelming for participants and their families or caregivers. A good support coordinator will help you understand what supports are covered by your NDIS plan, which supports may not be, obtain quotes, and also help ensure you are engaging with providers who have been cleared/approved by the NDIA and not those who have been banned by the NDIS Commission.
Can I change support coordinators?
Yes, you can change support coordinators if you are not happy with your current coordinator.
You must ensure you are abiding by the terms in the service agreement you have with your current support coordinator. For example, you must provide the appropriate amount of notice to your current support coordinator. You must also inform the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) of your decision. They can also assist you with advice on the next steps.
Your current support coordinator will then create a handover report for your next provider which will include an end-of-service date that has been agreed upon by both you (the participant) and your current coordinator.
What is the difference between a support coordinator and a plan manager?
Simply put, support coordination is a service provided by support coordinators to individuals with a disability. Support coordinators help individuals to make the best use of approved supports within a NDIS plan, connecting the participant with services that suit their individual needs and goals. While they may assist with obtaining quotes and checking proposed service fees are within the participant’s plan budget, they do not pay invoices or handle financial aspects of the plan in any other way as this is the role of the plan manager. See the FAQs above for more on what a support coordinator does.
Plan managers manage the financial aspects of the participant’s NDIS plan, such as paying service provider invoices, tracking the approved budget versus spending and reporting on this participant. They will also help ensure the approved budgets are spent appropriately. They do not connect participants with services as this is the role of the support coordinator.
What is in-home care?
The goal of in-home care is to provide people with disabilities individualised support within their own homes – assisting with maintaining independence and managing day-to-day activities. In-home care varies from one person to the next, depending on an individual’s unique needs and may include (but is not limited to) assistance with household and personal care tasks, mobility and wellbeing support, and support with management of medication and other medical aspects of one’s personal needs.
What are some examples of in-home care or in-home disability support?
Home modifications: Modifications to improve accessibility and make the home safer for individuals.
Household tasks: Assistance with tasks in and out of the home, such as cooking and meal planning/preparation, shopping, running errands, cleaning, laundry, gardening and yard tasks.
Personal care: Help with showering, grooming, dressing, toileting, and other individualised personal hygiene tasks.
Emotional Support: Providing companionship, opportunities for social interaction, and other forms of emotional support.
Mobility: Assistance with various forms of moving in and around the home, including (but not limited to) moving in and out of bed, the shower/bathroom, and other movement-related assistance.
Assistive technology: Supporting individuals who require assistive technologies or devices such as movement-related equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.), communication aids (hearing aids and other communicative devices), etc.
Live-in care: Some individuals may require a carer to live in the home with them to provide 24 hour support.
Support with more complex needs: For example, support for individuals with medical conditions. This could include timely management of – and assistance with – taking medications, wound care, and assistance with other forms of personal aids.
Transportation and community engagement: This covers a wide range of activities such as attending appointments, participating in social activities, and learning or improving life skills.
Respite Care: When appropriate, providing short-term relief or support for family and other caregivers.
Therapy and Counselling Support: Assistance with various forms of therapies such as occupational therapy (OT), speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychologist/psychiatrist services, and counselling.
Early Childhood Interventions: Supporting young children with disabilities and their families through arranging timely assessments and appropriate services.
Carer Training: Where appropriate, facilitating training and/or support for caregivers and family members.
Support coordination: Specialised support with managing NDIS plans, accessing supports and services, and achieving individuals goals.
What is Supported Independent Living (SIL)?
Supported Independent Living – often referred to as ‘SIL’ – is a type of support suited to supporting individuals with disabilities who have higher or more complex needs to live at home. Individuals receiving SIL support generally require some kind of assistance or support 24 hours a day. This can occur in a participant’s own home or in a group home setting (often referred to as a ‘SIL home’).
The aim of SIL is to assist the participant to remain as independent as possible while living at home, providing whatever level of assistance is required to build confidence and achieve their individual goals.
What is the difference between a SIL home and a SDA home?
As discussed above, SIL homes (i.e. Supported Independent Living homes) referred to a spectrum of living arrangements that support a participant to live as independently as possible at home. SDA facilities (i.e. Specialist Disability Accommodation) provides a more specialised form of housing suited to individuals with higher disability support requirements, for example higher functionality and mobility needs. SDA generally suits individuals who cannot live alone at home in any capacity.
What are home modifications?
Home modifications refers to a variety of changes or adjustments to a participant’s home that help a participant to safely access and better use areas of their home. They can be minor changes (such as having handrails installed in a bathroom) or more complex (such as chair lifts to negate the need for walking up stairs). These modifications must be undertaken by an appropriately licenced contractor (usually a specialised provider of disability-related home modifications) and in compliance with codes and regulations.
What is community access support?
Community access support (often simply referred to as ‘community access’) is a support provided to individuals with disabilities (i.e. ‘NDIS participants’) and is designed to assist participants with community engagement. This may include assisting participants with private or public transport needs, attending appointments, events or recreational activities, carrying out errands such as shopping, and developing and maintaining social ties within the community.
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