If you need assistance to navigate and implement your NDIS plan, tell the NDIS that! You can get Support Coordination funding under the 'Capacity Building' budget in an NDIS plan. The NDIS can be overwhelming or tricky to navigate, so NDIS Support Coordinators are like NDIS experts that aim to guide you along your journey.

How a Support Coordinator should support you

Main duties include:

Support Coordinators undertake various responsibilities to support participants to  achieve their goals and access appropriate services.  Everyday tasks will vary based on the needs, goals and circumstances of the participants they support.

A support coordinator should:

1. Have an initial meet & greet - Meet with you so that you can get to know your support coordinator and find out more about support coordination and the NDIS.
2. Assess needs and goals & breakdown your plan for you - Support Coordinators work closely with participants to understand their NDIS plans, individual needs and personal goals, this ensures all support plans are individualised and tailored to the individual.. Support coordination helps you to understand your budgets, what you can use funding for, how to manage your funding and what requirements may be needed to access your supports. i.e. recommending high-quality providers and therapists, booking appointments and finding ways to help you manage your own schedule.
3. Developing support plans - Support Coordinators collaboratively work with participants to develop detailed support plans that highlight what supports, services and strategies should be utilised to support the individual to progress towards their NDIS goals. Your support is tailored to you, but support coordinators can help you with finding the right providers, services and supports, to ensure you can pursue your goals.
4. Coordinate services and supports - Support Coordinators should be familiar with services in your local community. They can assist you to find services to access, choose appropriate NDIS funded, community and mainstream supports and advocate for you if required. Support Coordinators arrange a wide range of services, connect participants with providers, manage schedules, and ensure effective communication flows between all care team members. Implementing strategies to problem solve any conflicts or issues as they arise.
5. Monitoring and reporting on progress and outcomes - Support Coordinators regularly conduct check ins to review participants progress towards their NDIS goals, ensuring all services and supports align with their needs and desired outcomes. They can also arrange service agreements and service bookings with your providers. They can help you plan if something goes wrong, check on how your supports are working, and help you to change providers. They should also provide coaching on how to refine and reflect on your plan. This helps to build participants confidence and skills to implement their plan themselves,. They then report on progress,
6. Report to the NDIA - Support Coordinators are required to regularly report on participant progress, achievements and barriers to the NDIA. Reports should explain how a participant has used their plan to pursue their goals. Usually reporting is done at implementation of a new plan, in the middle of a plan and the end of a plan. Plan review reports should include recommendations for future plans such as increased support or an additional therapist.
7. Advocating for participants - Support Coordinators advocate for participants, although we are not technically paid advocates, and there are situations where we may need to refer participants to organisations providing specific advocate services to ensure the participant is supported appropriately. Support Coordinators still find themselves advocating for their participants, ensuring their rights, preferences and choices are respected within the disability services system.
8. Building Independence - Independence is the end goal, your support coordinator can help you to build this, in order to choose and control your own supports. Working with you and loved ones to source providers who meet your needs, they can support you to communicate and create opportunities to do tasks with more independence.
9. Linking with community resources - Support Coordinators help participants by connecting them with community resources, such as social activities, educational programs, employment supports and opportunities, healthcare services and other support services where required with an aim to foster inclusion and independence.
10. Preparation for unplanned events/crises - Unplanned events can be distressing. Support Coordinators can help you plan for possible outcomes or changes that may impact you. i.e. moving house or needing to go to hospital. By helping you to plan for potential changes, they will help you to build confidence so you can do this yourself.
11. Providing guidance and information - Support Coordinators offer guidance and valuable information and insight to participants and their families, empowering them to make informed decisions about their support options. Support Coordinators should always present participants with multiple options for providers and ensure there are no conflicts of interest present that could adversely impact participants.
12. Act in your best interests - Most importantly, your support coordinator should have you best interests in mind and at heart.

If you or someone you know are looking for a support coordinator to assist with understanding and implementing your plan, feel free to contact Disability Support Squad with any questions you may have. We'd love to have a chat and guide you in the right direction!