Supporting Your Family Living With Disability

January 15, 2021

Whether you are raising a child with a disability, or you are a parent with disability, there are a number of funded family supports available to you. Playing the role of a parent while also living with disabilities can be challenging and its normal to need assistance with some aspects of the day-to-day. 

You and your child don’t necessarily have to be eligible to receive funding under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to receive family supports however if you are eligible, there are a number of supports the NDIS will fund that can help your family living with disabilities. 

In this blog we will cover what the NDIS is and who is eligible, what types of supports the NDIS will fund in relation to families and other types of family support available.

What is the NDIS? 

Before we highlight what family support may be available to you, it’s important to first understand what the NDIS is, who is eligible and how funding can help your family. 

The NDIS is a single, national scheme that funds reasonable and necessary supports to help people with disability in Australia to reach their goals. It also supports carers of people with disability.

If you or your child is deemed eligible for the NDIS, you will then create a plan which is personalised to suit your needs and goals. Your plan decides how your funding will be allocated based on the areas of your life where you need support and what goals you want to achieve. To check your eligibility for the NDIS, click here.

It is important to remember that not every person will receive the same funding. Supports the NDIS will fund will differ depending on how your disability affects different areas of your life and what informal supports you have. 

If you are a parent with a disability, you may be eligible to receive NDIS funding for disability-specific training programs. If your child has a disability, depending on their age they may be eligible for support under the NDIS or through the Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach.

For more information on applying to access the NDIS, click here. 

What will NDIS fund in relation to family support? 

Supports the NDIS will fund are designed to sustain critical family relationships. These supports include:

• Family support and counselling
• Building the skills and capacity of other family members to manage the impact of a participant’s disability on family life 
• Supports that increase the participant’s independence, as well as supports that enable the participant to enjoy social and community activities independent of their informal carers 
• Supports aimed at increasing the sustainability of family caring arrangement, including personal care and domestic assistance related to the person’s disability 
• Where a child’s caring or living arrangement changes due to a child protection order, the Scheme can continue to fund the child’s disability-related supports such as aids and equipment, therapies, transport, or community access

If your child with disabilities is under the age of 7, the ECEI approach supports best practice in early childhood intervention to help your child and family to build capacity and support greater inclusion in community and every day settings, giving your child opportunities to grow and learn.

If your child moves out of home, your applicable state government will retain responsibility for protecting their wellbeing including arranging suitable out of home care where required. Supports the NDIS will continue to fund can include aids and equipment, supports to access the community and transport. 

What if my family isn’t eligible for the NDIS? 

If your child is under the age of 7, then they will not be eligible for NDIS funding. But don’t worry because there are other support options available to you.

One is the ECEI approach, which supports children under 7 who have a developmental delay or disability, and their families or carers. The ECEI approach supports families by helping children to develop the skills they need to take part in daily activities and achieve the best possible outcomes throughout their life.

The NDIS has engaged Early Childhood Partners around Australia to deliver the ECEI approach. Early Childhood Partners are experienced in providing early childhood intervention.

To learn more about the ECEI approach, click here. 

Other options available to families include Carer Allowance, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, Health Care Card, and community services and supports. 

If you are new to the NDIS or unfamiliar with what services are available, working with a third-party Plan Manager may be the right choice for you. The team at Disability Plan Services are experienced Plan Managers who will always focus on your family’s needs.