How to identify whether your child needs NDIS Specialist Support Coordination

August 8, 2022

As a parent or guardian of a child with a disability, there’s nobody who knows your little one’s unique needs better than you. Depending on the level of care your child needs on a daily basis, they might be eligible for NDIS Specialist Support Coordination. In this article, we discuss what Specialist Support Coordination is, and how to determine whether your child is eligible for this type of NDIS support.  

What is NDIS Specialist Support Coordination? 

Put simply, NDIS Specialist Support Coordination is a higher level of support that seeks to reduce complexity in a participant’s support environment. This allows the participant to overcome any barriers that affects their access to supports.  

A Specialist Support Coordinator will design a service plan for your child’s support needs to address any complex barriers or care needs where appropriate.  

There are three levels of support coordination that participants may be eligible for. These are –  

Level 1: Support Connection  

Level 2: Coordination of Supports 

Level 3: Specialist Support Coordination 

The NDIS website provides a helpful overview of these levels of support, which you can access here.  

How can I tell if my child needs the assistance of a Specialist Support Coordinator? 

Specialist Support Coordination is a funded category within the Capacity Building budget of an approved NDIS plan and may require your child to experience one or more of the following to be considered eligible: 

• they are over the age of 7 and have an approved NDIS plan 
• they have one or more mental health illnesses 
• they live at home with you (their parent or guardian) and you also have a disability 
• they require ongoing support from a social worker 

I think my child needs NDIS Specialist Support Coordination – now what? 

If your child is receiving support coordination and you think they’d benefit more from specialist support coordination, there’s a few things you can do.  

Firstly, begin to collate any evidence or documentation relating to your child’s needs and barriers to supports. You can do this by speaking to your child’s existing support coordinator, allied health and medical professionals and ask for their recommendations.  

Sometimes, a participant may benefit from the temporary introduction of a specialist support coordinator to develop a plan that removes their barriers to accessing supports before transitioning back to the original support coordinator, so it’s important to communicate with them regularly to ensure they’re with you and your child every step of the journey.  

Once you’ve collated enough documentation and evidence, you can request a plan review. The NDIA allows participants to have their plan reviewed before the scheduled reassessment date if changes need to be made.  

If your child is receiving no support coordination in their plan, you can follow the similar steps as above – collate documentation and evidence outlining why they’d benefit from NDIS Specialist Support Coordination and request a plan review. 

How NDIS Specialist Support Coordination benefits parents and caregivers 

Once your child is matched with the appropriate level of support – whether that’s from a support coordinator or a specialist support coordinator – you’re likely to feel a weight lift off your shoulders. Why? Well, when a participant has the right mix of formal and informal supports, it means they’re likely to become more independent and work towards achieving their goals. It also means, as their parent, you’re not burning yourself out doing tasks a support coordinator could do. You could save time on tasks such as trying to make the most of your child’s funds or trying to access community and mainstream services, so you can spend more time doing what you love – like spending quality time with your little one.  

Can Disability Plan Services help? 

Yes we can! Our extensive NDIS support coordination services allow us to offer participants assistance with pre-planning meetings, disability plan reviews, complex case management and regular support coordination. 

We also offer plan management services, meaning you can engage us to look after the payment of all service providers, liaise with the NDIS directly, keep track of your spending and much more. A lot of our clients think of us as their own personal NDIS accountant, because we’re here to keep you informed of your spending in a language you understand.   

If you’re looking for Specialist Support Coordinator or plan management services from a NDIS registered provider you can trust, get in touch with us today by calling 1800 312 870 or emailing info@disabilityplanservices.com.au.