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Support Coordination Support Guide

Updated

Overview

Support Coordination is a capacity-building support funded by the NDIS to assist participants in understanding and implementing their NDIS plans. It aims to empower participants to manage their supports independently and achieve their goals. 

It’s important to note that this is only a guide to assist you make an informed decision. Only your My NDIS Contact, an NDIS Delegate, or the explicit written information in a current NDIS plan serves as the source of truth. The NDIS considers requests based on whether the support is related to your disability and whether it meets the NDIS Reasonable and Necessary Guidelines.

What Are Support Coordination Supports? 

The NDIS funds Support Coordination under the Capacity Building budget category and must be included in the NDIS Plan to be utilised. The funding for Support Coordination is determined during the planning process and is based on the participant's individual needs and goals. There are three levels of Support Coordination:

  • Support Connection: Short-term assistance to strengthen the participant's ability to connect with informal, mainstream, and funded supports.
  • Support Coordination: Assistance to build the participant's skills to understand and implement their plan.
  • Specialist Support Coordination: Time-limited support for participants with complex needs, requiring a specialist to address barriers and reduce complexity in the support environment.

These supports are designed to help participants:

  • Understand their NDIS plan
  • Connect with NDIS providers, community, mainstream, and other government services
  • Build capacity to manage their supports independently

What Is Funded?

Supports that assist participants to connect with informal community and funded supports (including as part of psychosocial recovery supports). This includes:

  • ✅ building a participant’s capacity to connect with supports
  • ✅ assisting participants to understand and utilise their plan
  • ✅ connecting with providers and mainstream services
  • ✅ addressing barriers and reducing complexity in the support environment.

Assistance in Coordinating or managing life stages, transitions and supports

Supports provided on a short-term basis that provide assistance to manage life transitions. This includes:

  • ✅ transition from or to new educational settings or employment settings
  • ✅ transition to new living arrangements
  • ✅ support before and immediately following hospital discharge where there has been a change to a disability participant’s support needs prior to hospitalisation
  • ✅ transition out of a mental health setting
  • ✅ transition out of a custodial setting.

What Requires NDIA Approval?

Certain aspects of Support Coordination may require NDIA approval:

  • ⚠️ Specialist Support Coordination: This level is funded for participants with exceptionally complex needs.Approval is based on evidence demonstrating the necessity for specialized support to manage challenges in the support environment.
  • ⚠️ Conflict of Interest Management: If a provider offers both Support Coordination and other funded supports to the same participant, they must have strategies to manage potential conflicts of interest. The NDIA may require approval of these strategies to ensure participant choice and control are not compromised.ndis.gov.au+1ndis.gov.au+1idealplan.com.au+1ndis.property+1

What Is Not Funded?

The NDIS does not fund:

  • ❌ Ongoing case management: Support Coordination is distinct from case management and is not intended to provide continuous management of a participant's supports.
  • ❌ Services unrelated to the participant's disability: Supports must be directly related to the participant's disability and necessary for achieving their goals.
  • ❌ Supports that duplicate other funded services: The NDIS will not fund supports that are already provided by other systems, such as health or education.
  • ❌ Supports that are not value for money: The NDIA assesses whether the support represents value for money in the context of the participant's plan.

Related NDIS Information and Operational Guidelines

 

Participant Responsibilities

NDIS participants play a key role in managing their supports responsibly. Here’s what participants need to know

Responsibility What It Means
🎯 Know Your Goals Ensure any support purchased helps achieve goals in your NDIS plan.
💰 Understand Budget Categories Each category has rules about what you can use funds for.
📜 Be Aware of Stated Supports Some plans include exact supports – others are more flexible but must still meet NDIS guidelines.
⏳ Know Your Funding Periods Be aware of how your funding is spread across the life of your plan.
✅ Spend in Line with the Plan Supports must meet the NDIS Reasonable and Necessary criteria.

👉 If you're unsure whether a support is claimable, speak with your Plan Manager.

How to Get a Support Funded by the NDIS

To explore whether a support may be funded: