How to Understand Your NDIS Plan – Capacity Building Supports

And now we’re up to the final piece of your NDIS plan… Capacity Building Supports.

Capacity Building Supports are designed to increase you (or your child’s) everyday functionality so you can live a more independent and carefree life.

There are nine different sub-sections within the Capacity Building framework, all with different levels and types of services. If you have any of these sub-sections within your plan and would like to know more, here lies some great tips and information to help you understand Capacity Building Supports and get the most out of your NDIS plan!

 

Capacity Building Supports are designed to increase your (or your child’s) everyday functionality so you can live a more independent and carefree life.

 

There are nine different sub-sections within the Capacity Building framework, all with different levels and types of services. These sections include:

• Support Coordination (07)
• Improved Living Arrangements (08)
• Increased Social & Community Participation (09)
• Finding & Keeping a Job (10)
• Improved Relationships (11)
• Improved Health & Wellbeing (12)
• Improved Learning (13)
• Improved Life Choices (14)
• Improved Daily Living (15)

I’ll give you a basic run down on each sub-section so you can understand how these work within an NDIS plan.

 

Support Coordination

Support Coordination is allocated to a plan to assist you with connecting and liaising with providers, coordinating your supports and connecting with the NDIA on your behalf. Support Coordinators usually have direct access to NDIA planner, so can advocate on your behalf to request reviews and equipment. Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for support coordination and I haven’t been able to see a clear correlation between why some people get it, and some don’t.

 

Improved Living Arrangements

Improved Living Arrangements is to help you to secure accommodation or rental opportunities. This sub-section is quite rare, and I’ve only seen a couple of plans include this support section. These services are usually provided by other Government organisations.

 

Increased Social and Community Participation

Increased Social and Community Participation is funding for mentors, professionals or highly skilled support workers, to help teenagers and young adults, develop social skills with peers and people within their community. These services can be delivered one on one or in a group environment. The rates in this section are higher than Core Supports (Social & Community) because the services are designed to build your capacity to engage socially with independence and ease. These services aren’t to just support you to access the community, they’re deigned to educate you so you can engage in community activities on your own in the future.

 

Finding and Keeping

Finding and Keeping a Job is allocated to your NDIS plan if you work within a supported disability employment organisation. Your employer receives funding to support you in your job. If you would like to work within a ‘Specialised Supported Employment’ organisation, you’ll need to be assessed by the employer and then request funding be included in your plan.

SLES ‘School Leaver Employment Support’ funding is also within this section. This funding is allocated to school leavers to help them build skills to enter the workforce. Funding can be allocated for two years and is usually added automatically when your child leaves school.

 

Improved Relationships

Improved Relationships is for developing a behaviour management support plan, and training for parents and carers to implement the plan. Funding can be allocated if you (or your child) are expressing behaviours that impact on the safety of yourself, family or community. These services are required to be delivered by an NDIA registered provider, whether the support is plan managed or not.

 

Improved Health & Wellbeing

Improved Health & Wellbeing are supports designed to increase or maintain your current mobility. These services include personal training, exercise physiology and dieticians.

 

Improved Learning

Improved Learning supports are designed to assist your child to move from school-based learning to further education. I have only seen this support category once in an NDIS plan. It’s certainly not a common funding category. But, if it’s something you feel would benefit your child, please bring it up at your next planning meeting!

 

Improved Life Choices

Improved Life Choices are the most wonderful services of all the NDIS supports!! Well of course I’d say that! And, if you’re still reading, it’s certainly time for a little light laughter!! This information can be very dry and boring at the best of times! Of course, this support category is NDIS Plan Management services. We at TCPM LOVE supporting, educating and delivering plan management services to make your life easy.

NDIS Plan management is the process of budgeting supports, claiming your invoices through the portal and paying your providers. Of course, we do a whole lot more than that! We’re here to help you in any way we can and make your NDIS journey as simple and enjoyable as possible. We help you get started by explaining your unique plan, connect you to providers that might suit your needs, look over service agreements and quotes, to ensure you have enough funding for everything you want to do and are only a phone call away when things get tough!

This is who we are and what we love, so touch base if there’s anything you need!

 

Improved Daily Living

Finally, there’s Improved Daily Living. 99% of NDIS plans have this support category included. This is where you pay for therapists to build your capacity in everyday living, write AT and Home Mods reports and provide assessments to help NDIA planners determine the level of funding needed to support you through your plan period.

Professional therapists are extremely important in the NDIS process. Finding one that suits you and your family can be a tricky process, but I can assure you; they definitely exist! We’re super fortunate to have a whole range of awesome therapists in our region that are dedicated to helping you, get to where you want to be!

The main approved therapies can include:

• Speech Pathology
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Psychology
• Specialist Early Intervention Educators

Massage, unfortunately, is not funded through NDIS as it’s more appropriately funded through Medicare or Private Health funds. A touch disappointing for you if you can’t afford private health!

Chiropractic, Naturopathy and Osteopathic services are also not currently funded under NDIS.

I suspect that as time goes on and more evidence supporting these, and many other different types of therapies, is documented, the NDIA may revisit this decision and allow these services to be claimed under NDIS plans.

 

OMG!!! That just about wraps it up! Of course, there’s a lot more information I can give you, but that’s just a summary to get you started.

Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Which support categories have you been funded for and who has been supporting you to achieve your goals? If you have a therapist you absolutely love, now’s the time to share that love! Leave a comment below and let’s help others share in your success!

 

Love Jude x

PS. If you know anyone wanting to access therapies, mentors or employment support through their NDIS, please share this link and help educate our community!