Your ndis pathway success is all in the planning!

It's all in the planning!

Australians with disabilities are asking the Federal Government to 'fund it & fix it', when it comes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme known as the ndis. This is the new way the government promised to provide people with disabilities with the support and assistance to participate in the community. However too many participants and their families are finding ndis pathways difficult to navigate, service agreements hard to follow and lenghtly delays. ndis plans and budgets are based on the participants goals or what they want their daily lives to look like.

Instead of a simplify system to navigate supports, therapies and equipment, participants are finding plans that do not meet their needs, delays in processing their reviews, delays allowing them to access support services and vital equipment and medical supplies. My first hand delay has been accessing a new powerchair to access art community projects. 

My first plan finishes on June 26th and I am still using 'the beast' to get around the house, to do so safely I need to remove the foot plates.  The pathway to this point in time has been finding a provider to do my assessments, getting hold of the right person to do the assessment, meeting with supplies to test driver chairs, agreements expiring, re-negation the original agreement and waiting for reports to be submitted to ndis.  That was completed in December, both the motors on my chair need replacing and talking to a sales representative on the weekend I found out they're just getting orders for quotes lodged with the ndis in September.

On of the biggest things that needs 'fixing' is waiting for plan reviews and appeal processes to take place.  This will delay your access to funding, however if you plan is completed probably in the first place then there is no need to request a review.  Getting the plan right is both the responsibility of the participant and the planner.

The planners has tools to help them asses you needs, but you are responsible for providing the correct information and clearly articulating you goals and the activities you want to engage in. The ndis plan is about the participant, however others can be involved in the planning processes, for example family members, carers and support workers. Your plan is about you as the participant not the service providers or other services you are wanting to access. Hopefully as you read on the reason for this will make sense. 

However you should always remember you do have the right to request a reviews if you do not think your ndis plan will meet your needs. 


The key ingredient to a plan that suits the participants needs seems to be pre-planning.  This is preparation the participants do before they meet with their planner. The ndis plan is based on the goals identified by the participants and their families. Not their disabilities; what the participant can't do; nor the services their hoping to access. 

When we think about goals we're really talking about the things that are most important to the participants and what the would like their day to day life to look like. For some participants this will be exactly the same as what life looks like now.  So the key for them and their families is to pull out the aspects of their lives that will allow that to happen.  

If you are focusing on money, what hours you can purchase and where to make those purchases, then your not planning for the ndis. The services and supplies you can purchase under the ndis are paid for from what is known as 'core funding' or 'improved daily living'. The participants life is more than just meeting the basic needs. To take a all or life approach to support then we need end goals.  Service A might be a great fit now . . . however it may not fit in 15 years time.  So under the ndis you want to be thinking about what comes next.

Key one to success is to understand the ndis landscape.  This includes:-

• knowing the services available in your area. 
• knowing how different services can support you to reach your goals.
• knowing 'ndis' language.
• using this information to help guide you path.

An outline of the ndis landscape is available on the website with a glossy of terms you should familiarized yourself with. Not only will this assist you when you meet with your planner, but it will help you to talk to others about how they are or intending to tackle the ndis. 

You should not base you ndis goals on a service provider's objectives; remember that service provider may not be round in two, three or four years time.  The ndis is a great opportunity to map out your own pathway . . .I did it my way!

I DID IT MY WAY!

If your plan is written your way, then it should be simpler to put into action and your be equipping yourself better to advocate for you needs. 

Key Two to success in to map your current network system or who helps you to do what now?

• Who are your natural supports systems, what support do they provide and how may hours dose this make up in your week. i.e. you live with your family and they assist you with daily living tasks for 30 hours per week.
• What supports do you access now?  Not service providers - supports are things like personal care supports; in-home support; respite care; assistance with transport and acconomdation; help to access the community.  
• List all mobility aids; communication needs, modifications. 
• What other meaningful interactions in your community do you have.  Sporting teams, clubs, art & craft groups.

These are the things that help paint a picture of what life looks life now.  You could also ask a family member; friend or support worker to assist you to create something visual to help you communicate what you're life looks like when you and your supporters meet with your ndis planner.

Today my life looks like:-

Example:

I live with my parent and big brother.  My brother and I like to play sport, attend footy pratice with my brother and watch his team play on most weekends.  My dad is a teacher and mum is a cleaning when she is not helping me.  I attend a day-service two days a week to give mum a break and have 5 hours community access support to do some personal shopping and go walking to keep fit.  I walk with my support worker twice a week and my dad or brother on other day.  I often go with my brother to footy practice.

Without naming providers or specific daily routines you and start to pull out the key things in you life.  This is how to make you plan about you and your goals.  Most participants find they are able to access more support under the ndis.  What that looks like will be your choice and not up to a support provider or coordinator to decide. . . .YES! If you want it can be similar to how it looks now, you can still go to the movies with your support worker. 

Key three to success is mapping out your future.

• You can set goals around any area of your life you want.  School, training, education, sport, transportation, work, accommodation, friendships, fitness, creativity or community interactions.  All these are independent of any support service you may choose to access under ndis.
• You might currently live with your family and be looking at moving out of home.  Right now you do not access accommodation support so this might be something you need to build into you ndis plan  or future plans.
• So goals are the things you want to do or the way you want your like to look.  You will have longer term goals like to find voluntary work and short term goals such as learn new skills. 
• Your daily activities and the support you need are what will make up your ndis plan and budget.  'Supports' includes services provided by support services e.g. respite care, inhome support, centre based care,;  mobility and communication devices; modifications to home & car; therapies.
• So you want to start thinking about where the gaps in your currents supports are and how those gaps can be filled.

Key four to success is called 'Your Plan Management'.

Until now participants and their families have had little input into the way the are assisted.  There are three ways to manage your ndis plan, with in each option there are many different choices on how you can set-up the administration of your plan.  Plan management is around your budget, expenditure, payments and reporting back to the ndis.

The basics

• Plan managed by the ndis
• Plan managed by a 'host fund provider'
• Self manage you own plan

How you want you plan managed will be discussed at your planning meeting and will form part of your ndis plan. So this is something you should decide before attending the planning meeting.  However you will need to prove you have the ability to have your plan managed in this way.

Regardless of 'how' you chose to have your plan managed the ndis must provide all costs associated with plan management.

Option 1 - Plan Management by ndis.

If you have previously received support or accessed equipment and supplies through MASS or its equivalent then the budget, paying invoices and reporting is much the same as not.  However the ndis will not tell you a service you have to use.  The service, types of supports and when you receive your supports is now your choice.

Option 2 - Plan Management through a 'Funds Host Provider'

This means you choose a 'host' to hold you funds, make payments and report back to the ndis on you behalf.  'A Host Fund Provider' may also be your direct support service provider.  Larger support service providers, provide a whole range of services and depending on your goals and support needs they may be able to offer you a complete package.

If you 'host' provider will also be delivering some of your direct service needs, be aware they may guide you towards the services the provide. So you may want to chose a 'host' who only provides administration services.  You may also want to chose a host funds provider if you intend to self-manage your own plan.

Option 3 - Self-Managing Your Own Plan

Self-managing ans self-directing are two different things. You can chose to do one or the other or both. Self management involves decisions around how individual areas of your budget will be broken-up.  For example what you will spend on direct supports, assisted technology and consumables.  You will also be responsible for the payment of all invoicing. 

You can self-manage through buying supports from a provider(s) or self-directing your own supports.  Self-directing means you will be engaging supports out-side of traditional support providers; engaging your own support staff and suppliers.  Those who are self-managing do not have to use ndis providers, they may chose to use generic services like the physio down the road or a cleaning service to provide domestic services. 

Under self-managing you can do everything yourself or ask the ndis to pay someone to support you to self-manage your plan. I am currently partially self-managing allowing me to self-direct my own supports. There are a number of different ways you can engage your own support workers and it is important you understand you legal responsible under each of these.

If you elect to engage your own support workers you may become an employer and thus need to meet all legal and taxation  responsibilities. 

Ways you can engage your own support team

• Self-manage your support team through setting-up your own business. Their are data-bases to help you set up your pay roll.
• Use a service provider that has self-directing services.
• Engage support workers with their own ABN.  These means they are responsible for their own insurances and will provide an invoice for payment just like other providers. 

This is in no way an exhausted list on how to engage your own support workers. 

If you intend to engage a host provider; plan manager; self-direct or self-manger. Reaching and developing a model to direct under should be part of your pre-planning process.

Step One

Talk to others about how then intend to have there plans managing and get recommendations on host providers, plan managers, support workers in your area.

Step Two

Talk to 'host fund providers' including current providers and find out what they have to offer and what your responsibility.  Rate how suitable they might be to meeting your needs.

If you intend to self-manage find someone who may be able to assist you to develop a model of self-managing or mentor you as you set-up both your self-managing and self-directed models.

Developing a model for self-directing my supports

One thing I tried is devising a model of self-management that allows me to gradual take more self-management responsibilities as I progressed. In my first plan I asked for a Plan Manager to assist me to self-manage my plan.  Intitally I choose to access all my direct supports through a lager support provider.  My Plan Manager worked for a separate support service. I found this wasn't working very well for me so I looked at starting to self-direct through engaging my own workers.

Before I started to establish my own team, I thought a lot about how much time I wanted to put into this considering I already own my own business and my ndis goal to expand my art practise. I though about my responsibilities as an employer, insurance issues and pay roll and decided I wasn't ready to employ my own workers, I wanted the protection for me and my workers under what a larger company could offer.

I engaged a provider that allowed me to self-direct.  This gave me several options and I elected for my workers to be employed by the direct service provider.  I recruited, did safety checks and training my own staff.  I was the first person to chose this method with the company thus I am daubed 'the ginnie pig'.  I happy to report both parties are experiencing a smooth working relationship.

With my workers I elected a team leader, who assists me with the administration responsibilities of self-directing such as rosters, timesheets, and invoices.   I had intended to engage three inhome support workers as well.  However I only found on suitable candidate in the end,  I hoped my existing support provider would provide back up and fill the shifts my team couldn't.  That plan didn't work out in the end either.

I had a late response to the job ad I put on seek through using a recruitment service.  Reading the application sounded like this person would tick all the boxes except one.  It was  major box, how far she lived from me,  I knew she would not accept two hour shifts on a support workers pay rate.

So I decided to redo my job descriptions and create a third role.  I offered her a job as my studio support person meaning I needed her to be her for longer shifts.  My studio support person is paid under a private contract allowing me to pay her for the art knowledge she brings to the role.

With the major support service not being a viable option I needed to find alternative back up. For when my team members take leave. So this week I've registered with Hire-up and Better Caring.  Tonight I found a causal worker to join the team through one of these online platforms. I can also advertise other vacant shifts as the arise and cover other team members when they take leave.  

When it comes to ndis pathways and self-directing the biggest asset is the ability to be flexible. Accept that not all your choices will workout and you may need to try different models of self-managing before you fine the right one for you.

Step Three -Mapping out potential plan management model

Think about how you like to be supported and your current support needs.  Start to develop job descriptions.

Look at online platforms through which you can self-direct. 

Taking your first step along the ndis journey

Once you plan is approved and you have discussed with your planner how each section of your budget will work,

If you are not happy with your ndis plan or there is something you don't understand it is at this meeting you need to discuss this with your planner.  If you decide to challenge your plan and as for a review this may result in delays in being able to access your support. 

If the ndis is not the administrator of your plan, the first thing you need to action is making an agreement with the people who will be assisting you to administer you plan.  Until this is confirmed you can not access any of your funding. 

Just because your ndis plan has commenced doesn't mean you need to stop immediately accessing services you are currently using.  You do need to give them the date your plan commenced and how to invoice any supports provided after the commencing your approved plan.  If you intend to cease accessing that service at any stage you have an obligation to let them know. 

You can ask them for an interim service agreement. A service agreement with a support provider can be for any amount of time and bridging agreements can be extending if you need more time. This will give you time to meet with other service providers you are thinking about accessing. If you are thinking about also accessing a service you not previously used, it is wise to talk to other participants who have used that service.  Shop around to find the service that best suits your needs. A full list of service providers can be found on the ndis website.

However hopefully by this point you have a short list of providers you want more information about.  Maybe the first thing you want to set-up are the services you've not been previously able to access like therapies. If these are through ndis providers this will give you practice to navigate a service agreement. 

So what is a service agreement and why do you need one?

A service agreement is a document between you the participant (or family member) and a company or organization who provides you with any supports for your ndis.  If you have previously received support from a provider then you would of signed a service agreement in the past.

The service agreement sets out the services that will be provided. For example: 12 hours of in-home support per week; attending day service 2 days a week as well as providing transport.  Under the ndis all service providers must provide a written quote so you know how much money to set aside for these supports service.  Service Providers will request proof of your ability to pay.  Your host fund provider or the person managing your funding can assist you.  If you are self-managing you will need to do this yourself.

The amount of money for the services spell out in the service agreement should be Quintin so you can not spend it on other things.  This information is feed into the ndis portal after you sign the service provider. 

Previously it was standard for service agreements to be for a 12 month period.  Most services will want the same terms under the ndis, however the landscape has changed and you can not state the period of the agreement.  If you have not access this type of support before or you are new to a provider then you may want a shorter service agreement.  

Once all your service agreements are looked in and your ndis funds are quietened the your budget is set for the duration of your plan. This is a difficult process to navigated thus, being firm on your goals and the types of activities you want to engage in will assist you to decide if a service is a good fit for you.

If you are intending to self-direct, depending on the model and 'how' your support workers are engaged you may need to write up your own service agreements.  You will find plenty of service agreement templates online. 

The pathways to the ndis are complex and not smooth to roll along. The ndis is still very much a structure under construction.  The are problems that need fixing and pwd's have the right to see that funding is fixed not fear funding cuts with every budget. The ndis is your opportunity to have your support your way.  To this you need to be preparing to work with your planner to ensure that happens.