The role of a Support Coordinator: What to expect

A Support Coordinator will work with you to work towards your goals, increase your capacity to live more independently and maintain relationships, and manage service delivery tasks. The exact things that they may help with varies depending on a number of factors, including the level of Support Coordination allocated in your NDIS plan, and what your goals, needs and individual circumstances are.

Help you understand your NDIS plan

The NDIS can be complicated, using a lot of language and terms that may not be explained properly. A NDIS plan lays out the funding that has been allocated to the participant, however it is often lacking information around what the funding can be used on, how the participant can access these services, and any other requirements that need to be met to access certain supports. This is where a Support Coordinator can come in and help you understand your NDIS plan. They can explain the different categories in an NDIS plan and the kind of things that each category can be used for, how your funding is managed and how this impacts the services that you can access, and provide some guidance around what can or cannot be claimed, how much can be claimed and how service bookings work (please note, Support Coordinators are not the ones that decide on whether a certain service or product is approved for payment or not, this still rests with NDIA ultimately). A Support Coordinator can also explain what do in the event you require more funding in your NDIS plan, and what happens as you get towards the review date of your NDIS plan.

Plan and coordinate your supports

It is important you get the right mix of services and supports in place that help you to move towards your goals. This mix should be based on your circumstances, preferences and what you need. Your Support Coordinator cam work with you to decide how you would like to receive your supports and services, find the right providers for you that can meet your needs, and help you work with multiple providers if you want to or need to.

Report to the NDIA

NDIA like to know how things are going, to ensure your NDIS plan is being utilized effectively and to see how you are progressing towards your goals. Your Support Coordinator will need to provide the NDIA with reports on how they have and how they have been helping you use your NDIS plan and move towards your goals. These reports can include:

• A initial plan implementation reports outlining what steps have been taken after the start of your NDIS plan
• A mid-term implementation report which looks at how things are progressing and what you and your Support Coordinator will be doing next
• A plan reassessment reports reflecting how the plan has been implemented, and recommendations for your next NDIS plan

Prepare for unexpected events

We all know that things can happen unexpectedly. Your Support Coordinator can work with you to prepare for these situations as much as possible, to ensure you get through all the things that life throws at you, such as needing to move home, suddenly needing to go to hospital or a family member or dependent becoming more reliant on you. Your Support Coordinator will help you understand your circumstances and environment, work out what might stop you from using your plan, what you can do in these situations and put supports in place to work through these challenges. Whilst doing this, your Support Coordinator should also help you to build up your skills and confidence to handle these things on your own in the future.

Acting in your best interest

Your Support Coordinator must always act in your best interests. They must recommend and provide supports and services that best suits your needs, declare and ensure you understand any potential conflicts of interest, and avoid engaging in, participating in or promoting unethical, dishonest behaviour. All NDIS providers, both registered and non-registered NDIS providers, must comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct.

How support coordinators assist in achieving participant goals

Connecting with and establishing and maintaining your supports

Once you are connected with a service provider or support that you need and want to proceed with engaging with them, it is important to establish this support properly to ensure a smooth beginning and a lasting relationship. Your Support Coordinator can assist with this process, by helping with important tasks like setting up a service agreement outlining how the service will be delivered and how your NDIS plan will be charged, and setting up service bookings to reflect the arrangement. Your Support Coordinator can check how your current supports are working for you, help you work through what to do if a provider cancels or you are not happy with their service, and find new providers to make sure you continue receiving the supports you need. If you are ever not satisfied with the supports you are receiving from a NDIS provider, your Support Coordinator can help you make a complaint to the NDIS Commission.

Capacity building for independence

Your Support Coordinator should work with you to build up your confidence and skills to increase your independence so you can choose and control your supports. They should work with you to explore different ways you can exercise your choice and control, assist you to communicate how you want your supports to be delivered, and create opportunities for you to do these activities more independently. Your Support Coordinator should not make decisions for you, they should support you to make your own decisions and exercise choice and control over the supports you are receiving.

The process of working with a support coordinator

To get started working with a Support Coordinator, first you should check if you have been allocated Support Coordination in your NDIS plan, and what level of Support Coordination. If you don’t have this in your NDIS plan, or you are still applying for a NDIS plan, you can still reach out to Support Coordinators, most will be happy to provide some guidance on what to do next.

The next step would be choosing a Support Coordinator. You can do this:

• Using the Provider Finder tool on the NDIS website (click here)
• Contacting your Local Area Coordinator or NDIS Planner
• Searching online or local advertisements for Support Coordinators and contacting them directly

Once you have connected with a Support Coordinator, you should meet with your new Support Coordinator to discuss your goals and what services you require. Make sure to have a service agreement set up so that it is clear what the roles and responsibilities are of your Support Coordinator, how your NDIS funding will be charged, how to resolve any problems that may come up and what happens if you or your Support Coordinator want to change or cancel services. You should also discuss how you would like to communicate.

About Connect Support Group’s Support Coordination service

Our team, led by Agnes Bamford, have developed a vast network of support services in the community. We understand that managing your NDIS journey may feel overwhelming, as it is not always easy to navigate your NDIS plan and support network. We are highly experienced in coordinating a wide array of supports, whether it be community, mainstream, government, or other services that you may need to reach your goals, we are passionate about helping people. Our team will guide you through the process of connecting with, selecting, and receiving services from your preferred service providers. No matter your challenges, we have a team that you can trust and rely on to be there for you and get the most out of your NDIS funding.

To find out more about our Support Coordination service, click here. We have capacity to take on new participants, with no waitlist! Get in touch today via our contact form (click here), or give us a call on 03 9874 8628.