NDIS Support Coordination. What is it, and How Do I Get It?
With the introduction of the NDIS, came the introduction of many new roles. One of these new roles is called ‘Support Coordinator’. This has led to many people not quite knowing what a Support Coordinator does, whether they have funding for one, or if they need to ask the NDIA to allocate funding for one. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have some idea of what a Support Coordinator does, whether you may be eligible and how to get one.
Who Will Help Me Implement My NDIS Plan?
Getting your NDIS Plan can be confusing and hard to implement, especially if it is your first Plan. The NDIA has come up with a few solutions to this problem. One of these solutions is the role of a Support Coordinator. Below is a table that shows you who will help you before you have a NDIS Plan, and who will help you implement your Plan once you have it.
Note: The term 'Support Coordinator' in the diagram refers to all 4 types of Support Coordination supports that can be approved in your plan (see 'What is Support Coordination?’ below). Aboriginal Medical Services support may differ depending if you are located in a regional/remote location or Perth Metro.
What is Support Coordination?
It is hard to define exactly what a Support Coordinator does. This is because of the variety of support the Support Coordinator provides. Below is a summary of what Support Coordinators do as defined by the NDIS. Because everyone has different intensities of needs, there are 4 levels of 'Support Coordination' that can be approved in your NDIS Plan by the NDIS. In this article, we refer to 'Support Coordination' as any one of the 4 types described below:
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.
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 tasks, and live more independently.
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.
Psychosocial Recovery Coach - This a support introduced in July 2020 to give specialised support coordination and mental health specific support to Participants who have Psychosocial disability as their primary disability. This Psychosocial Recovery Coaches uses recovery-based approaches to build the capacity of Participants to manage and coordinate their supports. For more information about Psychosocial Recovery Coaches, refer to our article here.
Depending on your individual circumstances, disability type, and goals, you may receive funding for one the above supports in your plan.
When you have a Support Coordinator, you should expect the following service from them:
Connection - A Support Coordinator acts as your primary point of connection for anything relating to your Plan. It’s our job to assist you in developing your knowledge and experience as well as assisting you with making connections within the community and make referrals.
Support Design - It can be difficult to gain a simple understanding your Plan and funding, especially if it your first Plan. A Support Coordinator will work with you to better understand it and how it affects you and your family/carers. They get to know your aptitudes, skills and confidence and help you to identify exactly what you want and should expect from support services. Once they have a firm understanding of you, they develop and design support solutions designed to help you achieve your goals and live a good life.
Establish Support - It’s the job of your Support Coordinator to ensure that you know all your available options. They link you to NDIS and broader support options, helping you to identify and consider options that are appropriate and available to you. Where possible and practical, it’s also their job a to create a support and action plan and help you to implement it. It is also important for your Support Coordinator does not have a conscious or unconscious bias when recommending the best supports. Many service providers offering Support Coordination, also provide a variety of other direct supports, and there can often be a conflict of interest as they are inclined to recommend their own services at your expense.
Crisis Resolution - Support Coordinators may also be expected to assist in crisis resolution, helping participants to resolve points of crisis while also helping participants to develop a capable and resilient support network. This may include things such as hospitalisation.
Coach, Refine, Reflect - A Support Coordinator works closely with you to guide you through challenges, review your progress and report on achieved outcomes so you can reflect on you journey with NDIS support and plan future goals.
How Can I Receive Support Coordination?
Not everyone with an NDIS Plan will automatically get funding for a Support Coordinator. The NDIS will generally make a 'reasonable and necessary' decision on a case-by-case basis considering some of the following:
New to the NDIS: If it is your first NDIS Plan, you may need some support to set up your supports and manage your day-to-day. A Support Coordinator may help you do this while you build your own capacity.
Location: If you are located in areas that have no Local Area Coordinators (LACs), you will likely have Support Coordination approved if you request it. This includes mostly regional areas in WA where there are no local NDIA offices or LAC Partner organisations can help you implement your Plan (see table above).
Complex Support Needs: If you have recently exited the justice system, have been hospitalised, or are homeless the NDIA will likely approve a Specialist Support Coordinator to support your transition out of the justice, hospital or homelessness.
Informal Supports: You are also likely to get Support Coordination approved if you do not have an informal network to support you. There is an assumption that your informal support networks (family, friends, carers e.t.c.) will support you to achieve your goals. Whilst this is the case for many NDIS Participants, for many others, it is not. A Support Coordinator may be needed to fill this gap.
Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander: If you are an Aboriginal or Torre Strait Islander the NDIS may approve a Support Coordinator to support you in understanding your Plan in a culturally appropriate way, and connect you to culturally appropriate services. You may also have a language barrier and/or live in a regional or remote area.
Language Barrier: If you are from a non-English speaking background, you may have a language and/or cultural barrier to activating your NDIS Plan and connecting to the right services. The NDIS may approve a Support Coordinator to help build your capacity, over time you will be able to coordinate your supports with the help of your informal network.
Significant Life Stage: If you are going through a significant life stage, such as leaving school, transitioning to employment, moving out of home e.t.c, you may need some extra support to transition. The NDIS may approve a Support Coordinator, to help you and your family/carers make this transition.
Significant Functional Impairment: If you have a disability associated with comorbidities, you likely have a significant functional impairment that may require some Specialised Support Coordination. The NDIS may approve Specialist Support Coordination, based on what is reasonable and necessary.
If you have one or more of the above, you may already have a Support Coordinator approved in your Plan. If you have not had Support Coordination included in your Plan but think you should, or are unsure, you can contact the NDIS to make this request.
What a Support Coordinator Cannot Do.
Support Coordination is a very broad and varied role. This can often lead to confusion about what the Support Coordinator can and cannot do for NDIS Participants. Generally, a Support Coordinator cannot:
Provide Direct Support: The role of Support Coordinators often gets confused with the role of Support Workers. In the context of the NDIS, a Support Worker is a type of support included in your NDIS Plan who provides you with direct supports such as in-home personal care and taking you out into the community. A Support Coordinator may help you find and coordinate your Support Workers along with all your other direct supports.
Plan Management: Plan Managers and Support Coordinators are often also confused. This is not a surprise, because both Plan Managers and Support Coordinators may help you understand your funding, and what it can and cannot pay for. But that is where the similarity ends. The scope a Plan Manager’s role is limited to managing the Participant’s funding (i.e. being your bookkeeper). They process invoices and make sure your service providers get paid on time. They also track your spending and send you updates. For those without a Support Coordinator, your Local Area Coordinator should be able to answer all other NDIS queries that aren’t related to your budget and processing invoices.
Sign Service Agreements: While one of the roles of a Support Coordinator is to help you put Service Agreements in place with your various providers, they do not have the legal authority to act on your behalf, make decisions on your behalf or sign documents on your behalf. Support Coordinators can only support you in making good decisions. If you need someone to act on your behalf, only a Nominee, legal representative or guardian can do this if you cannot do so. Your Support Coordinator will help you find an appropriate person to sign documents and make decisions on your behalf if you need to.
Anyone can apply to have Support Coordination funded in their NDIS Plan. If you have more questions and need support in doing this, our team can provide you with free advice and support. To find out more our services, visit our Support Coordination page.
