Your family has decided to apply – what are the next steps?

1. Is your family member eligible? Check the online NDIS Access Checklist at www.ndis.gov.au
2. Contact NDIA to request access to NDIS, and to see whether they already have your family member’s details from an existing mental health program. If they don’t they will send an Access Request Form to your family member in the mail. Phone NDIA on 1800 800 110.
3. Complete the Access Request Form. If your family member is in an existing mental health program that transfers to the NDIS, you won’t need to do this.
4. Gather evidence. Write a Carer Statement. Support your family member to write a Participant Statement, or ask their case manager to assist them with this. They can also help to collect past assessments and reports, or arrange new assessments.
5. Think about 3 to 4 possible goals or needs that would be important to support in your family member’s life. Ask your family member what is important to them. Ask an advocate or Tandem to look over your evidence and goals before the meeting. Call the Tandem NDIS warmline for assistance on 1800 314 325.
6. A Planner will call you to arrange a date for the Planning Meeting. Submit evidence to the Planner, preferably in advance of the meeting, or ask the case manager to do this on your behalf.
7. Meet with the NDIS Planner. Share your family member’s needs and goals. If relevant in your situation, let the planner know the support coordination agency and Plan Management agency you would like to choose.
8. Your family member’s plan will be sent to them, or to you (if you are the nominated person). Check for anything missing – mention these to the planner for immediate corrections.
   • Have you been funded for Coordination of Supports (to access a Support Coordinator?)
   • Is transport funding accurate?
   • If housing is a goal, does the plan include funding for Supported Independent Living (SIL), or Supported Disability Accommodation? (SDA) Or, does it include an Occupational Therapy assessment to consider this need within the next plan? Call Tandem on 1800 314 325 to go over your plan before you approve it with the planner.
9. Implement the plan. Find service providers and access supports. NDIS Local Area Coordination or your NDIS Support Coordinator can assist you.
10. Not happy with the plan? Apply for an internal review, known as a Review of a Decision. This may take time. You can start using the NDIS funding while you wait for your review meetings, and gather further evidence (reports, letters of support) to explain the needs that haven’t been met in the plan. You may seek an advocate to assist you in this process.

What is an NDIS plan?

An NDIS plan sets out the individual support services for a participant in the NDIS funding scheme. It’s based on the results of your planning meeting, so it should reflect your goals and the support you need to achieve them.

An NDIS plan is based on three things:

1. Individual goals
2. Informal, mainstream and community supports
3. NDIS funded supports

Informal supports are supports from family and friends. In your carer statement, or at the planning meeting, you can share which aspects of the support family provides that you cannot continue to provide in the long term.

The NDIS will fund supports that are:

• Related to a person’s goals
• Related to the disability or mental health concern
• Good value for money
• Effective and likely to work well for you.

A support will not be funded if it:

• Is not related to a person’s disability or mental health concern
• Duplicates other supports already funded by a different government department e.g. housing, health, education
• Relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to mental health support needs, or
• Is likely to cause harm or pose a risk to others.

After the planning process is complete, your family member will be provided with their own NDIS plan. It will outline the support and funding available for the duration of the plan. This is typically one year. Your family member can use this funding to buy services directly or through the support service they choose.

The NDIS Price Guide lists all the supports that the NDIS will consider funding and the unit cost per hour for these supports. You don’t need to look at this level of detail, but it can help to have a sense of things the funding can purchase.

This video is about the NDIS and what they mean when they talk about permanent and significant disability and reasonable and necessary supports.

Managing your funding

Participants in the NDIS have choices in how they would like to manage their resources. In the past, organisations were funded directly. NDIS funding is managed directly by the person with mental health issues, often with the assistance of a nominated person. This may be a carer or family member. It is important to consider how you intend to manage your plan. You will be asked about this at your planning meeting.

Funding may be:

1. Agency-managed
   The simplest approach to managing a plan. Works well where there are many service providers available, eg. city areas
   Works best with physical or intellectual disability. There are not as many NDIS registered organisations to choose from to support mental health.
2. Plan-managed
   Provides the greatest flexibility to choose organisations who are not always registered with the NDIA. This can be helpful for mental health, particularly in rural areas. A Plan Manager organisation is paid separately, to provide accounts administration support. Services assisting you will send an invoice to be paid. They can send this directly to the Plan Manager.
3. Self-managed
   Most flexible approach to using NDIS funding. A high level of administration is required to oversee accounts administration, and to manage contractors. This works well for individuals with experience in managing government funding in the past, or in managing a small business, with the time to set up supports and systems.

Families with children under 18 years of age

Families supporting a child with mental health issues or a young person can seek early intervention within the NDIS. The requirements for providing evidence of an enduring mental health issue remain the same, for children and young people over the age of 7.

Early intervention for young children under 7 years of age
Under the age of 7, while a diagnosis is not essential, it is helpful. It is most important to demonstrate through evidence from professionals that a child is developing at a different pace, or with greater challenges in daily life than other children their age.

The NDIS has a different application pathway for young children under 7. If you think your child requires additional support or therapy, you can contact an NDIS Early Childhood Partner in your local community to get help with the support your child’s needs.

The Association for Children with a Disability are experienced in supporting families with a child under 18 with a disability or mental health issue. They have produced an NDIS Planning Workbook to assist you as you consider your child’s needs for assistance. You can also speak directly to a parent support worker on 03 9880 7000 or 1800 654 013 (rural callers). For further helpful resources see their website.
You can also contact Tandem on 1800 314 325 for advice about providing evidence of ongoing mental health issues in addition to assistance from the Association for Children with a Disability.

Resources

There are many resources online about the NDIS. Speak to carer supports in your area and trusted professionals about resources they have found helpful.

NDIS Access checklist
Web-based checklist to help people work out if they can access the NDIS.

Accessing the NDIS
Information you need to know to access the NDIS.

NDIS Planning Workbook
Designed for families with children under the age of 18, this ACD workbook helps us to think about our needs in daily life. This may be useful for anyone applying for the NDIS, including adults.

Help for children under 7