Capacity Building - Support Coordination

Support Coordination (if required) is included in the Capacity Building budget. This is a fixed amount for strengthening participant’s abilities to coordinate and implement supports in their plans and to participate more fully in the community.

There are three levels of support coordination that can be included in your plan:

1. Support connection – This support is to build your ability to connect with informal, community and funded supports enabling you to get the most out of your plan and achieve your goals.
2. Support coordination – coordination of supports: This support will assist you to build the skills you need to understand, implement and use your plan. A support coordinator will work with you to ensure a mix of supports are used to increase your capacity to maintain relationships, manage service delivery tasks, live more independently and be included in your community.
3. Specialist support coordination – This is a higher level of support coordination. It is for people whose situations are more complex and who need specialist support. A specialist Support Coordinator will assist you to manage challenges in your support environment and ensuring consistent delivery of service.

A Support Coordinator and a Specialist Support Coordinator are very similar however there are some key differences.

A Specialist Support Coordinator will be funded where there are additional high or complex needs in your situation and will be a qualified and experienced practitioner such as an Occupational Therapist, Psychologist or Social Worker.

Specialist support coordinators will support you to manage challenges in your support environment which may include health, education, or justice services. Specialist support coordination aims to reduce barriers to implementing or using your NDIS plan.

References:

https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/using-your-plan/who-can-help-start-your-plan/support-coordination#what-is-support-coordination

NDIA Price Guide 2019-20

This support category involves supports for participation in skills-based learning to develop independence in accessing the community.

These support items are price controlled. Providers of these supports can also claim for: Provider Travel; Cancellations, NDIA Report Writing and Non-Face-to-Face supports.

The group rate is based on a staff/participant ratio of 1:3. If the group size differs, providers should claim at the rate applicable for the group size. A higher staff ratio for groups may be indicated when a participant has challenging behaviour or high medical support needs, which require additional assistance from another worker and this is referred to as a higher intensity support.

This support item is not price controlled. It is designed to allow providers to offer new and innovative services to NDIS participants. Any standards applicable to the industry in which the provider operates would need to be met.

These support items are not price controlled. They are designed to enable providers to claim for tuition fees, art classes, sports coaching and similar activities that build skills and independence. Camps, classes and vacation activities that have capacity building components. These may include assistance to establish volunteer arrangements in the community, mentoring, peer support or individual skill development.

All supports funded under these items need to be determined as reasonable and necessary given the participant’s plan goals and could include, but are not limited to:

• Universal recreational activities: A limited number of lessons could be funded to enable a participant to try out an activity and test their capability and interest in further pursuing this activity – such as horse riding, art, dance or singing classes
• Funding to attend a “camp” or groups that build a person’s relationship skills and offer a range of activities and opportunities to explore wider interests.
• Other items or adjustments such as customised tools required because of the person’s disability could also be funded.

This support category relates to assisting with and/or supervising personal tasks of daily life to enable the participant to live as autonomously as possible. These supports are provided individually to participants and can be provided in a range of environments, including but not limited to, the participant’s own home.

A support is considered a high intensity support if the participant requires assistance from a support worker with additional qualifications and experience relevant to the participant’s complex needs.

These support items enable participants to maintain their home environment. This may involve undertaking essential household tasks that the participant is not able to undertake.

For example:

• House And / Or Yard Maintenance
• House Cleaning And Other Household Activities

These supports enable a participant to engage in community, social or recreational activities. They may be provided in a centre or in community settings at standard or higher intensity rates. If arranged in advance with participants, providers may charge up to four hours for each plan period to document proposed supports and expected outcomes. Price limits vary according to the support needs of the participant and the day of the week the support is provided.

This support is included in a participant’s plan to enable them to pursue recreational activities and engage in the community when associated with a participant’s disability and goals. Participants may use this funding for activities such as camps, vacation and outside school hours’ care, course or membership fees.

This registration group includes short and long-term supports that focus on strengthening the participant’s ability to coordinate their supports, and to assist them to live at home and participate in their community. Includes:

• support connection
• coordination of supports
• assistance with accommodation and tenancy obligations
• Life transition planning including mentoring, peer support and individual skill development
• assistance with decision making, daily planning, budgeting

Providers registered for Assistance in coordinating or managing life stages, transition and supports are able to help with the following support categories:

• Assistance with social and community participation
• Coordination of supports
• Improved daily living
• Improved living arrangements