The information on this page is also available as a downloadable Quick Guide, by clicking below. There are.pdf and word versions.
Three Families Share Their Experience of the NDIS from JFA Purple Orange on Vimeo.
Introduction
Many people with disability, their carers and families will feel a little nervous when they are getting ready for their first meeting with an NDIS planner. A Peer Network is a great place to share ideas on how to prepare for the meeting.
This Quick Guide is intended to help this process along by providing some information that can act as a starting point for getting ready for the planning meeting and direct peer network facilitators and members to some further resources online.
Once you are approved and have been given access to the NDIS, you will need to have a planning meeting with the NDIS or a Local Area Coordinator.
You may have this meeting over the phone, but if you would prefer you can request a face-to-face meeting. The planner will help you to work out what your goals are, what supports you may need and where to find services and supports to help you.
Before you start working with the planner it is a good idea to do a few things to get ready. Start by thinking about what your goals are. Goals could be things like: what you would like to do or where you would like to live in the future. The next step is to think about what help and support you need to achieve those goals.
Let’s make it happen
A discussion amongst peer network members can be a great way to help everyone to get ready for the meeting and feel confident that they have got everything they need under control. This quick guide offers peer network facilitators and members some useful tips to think about before attending a planning meeting. It can be used as a hand out or can provide some ideas to start a discussion.
The best thing you can do to get the best plan possible from the NDIS, is to be prepared for your meeting with the NDIS or Local Area Coordinator.
Before the meeting think about what you want to do in the next year and what supports or services are going to help you to do that.
Here are three simple steps you can take to get started:
- What support you receive now?
A good starting point is to write down all the current services and supports that you receive now. Ask your carer, if you have one, if they receive any support as this may need to be included into your NDIS Plan.
- What does a typical day look like?
You may also want to write down what your typical day looks like. You can use a weekly planning sheet that lists the days of the week and the times that you do different activities. You can also use a calendar to write down important dates when you may need support throughout the year such as holiday times or special occasions.
- What aids, equipment and consumables do you need?
Another thing you can do is write down a list of all the aids, equipment and consumables that you use because of your disability such as mobility devices, communication aids, continence products, hearing aids, vision aids or other things you use.
Look to the future
Once you have gathered this information, start thinking about the different areas of your life that you may need support in. NDIS have 8 Outcome Domains or life areas that can help you think about your needs:
- At home: think about if you need any modifications to your house or vehicle to make it easier for you to access or use.
- In you day- to- day life: think about what type of support you may need around the home such as support with personal care, meals, housekeeping or other day-to-day activities.
- In the community: think about what transport support you may need, also do you need help to attend activities, appointments or daily tasks such as banking, chemist or grocery shopping.
- In terms of your relationships, do you need help? Speak with your planner about how they can help you.
- At work: do you need he.pdfinding a job, assistance with training, or support with personal care or transport while at work?
- When learning: what types of skills or interests do you have, and is there anything you would like to learn more about? Also, do you need support to access the Education system?
- In terms of your health and wellbeing, do you need support to access the Health System, Doctors appointments or do you need specialised assessments because of your disability?
- And finally, in choice and control, think about what decisions you make, do you need any help with this, what services and supports do you want to choose and what skills can you learn to increase your independence?
Where to put all of this?
Write this information down somewhere you will be able to find it. There are also a large number of NDIS Planning Workbooks available to help you capture this information, or you can also just discuss these things with your planner.
Where you can find more information
Here are several resources that we think will be useful to peer network facilitators and members when preparing for their meeting with an NDIS planner. They offer useful and practical tips to keep in mind when preparing for the meeting.
To find out more about the NDIS:
Website: https://www.ndis.gov.au/ or Phone: 1800 800 110
| .pdfree-of-charge translator, interpreter or other assistance |
phone 1800 800 110 |
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Text telephone (TTY) users |
phone 1800 555 677 then ask for 1800 800 110 |
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Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) users |
phone 1800 555 727 then ask for 1800 800 110 |
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internet relay users |
National Relay Service website and ask for 1800 800 110 |
.pdfor Peer support: {CCM:BASE_URL}/
Endeavour Foundation – 10 Questions to ask in your planning meeting
https://www.endeavour.com.au/media-news/blog/ten-questions-to-ask-in-your-ndis-planning-meeting
BUPA Blue Room – Our NDIS plan: what I’ve learnt about tackling the first planning meeting
http://theblueroom.bupa.com.au/caring/stay-independent/our-ndis-plan/
Video: What to take to a planning meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6bGDlpA-Q
Co-authored by Carers Victoria
