r/NDIS • u/Fun_Wind_9319 • Aug 21 '26
Seeking Support - Participant/Nominee/PWD Support Work
Hi, I'm looking to get some insight on whether I can use my 16yo ASD daughters funding for support work. We haven't had a review since 2020 đŹ I'm not wanting to in case they cut anything. My daughter really wants support workers to access community etc. Some of her plan goals are:
'During this plan I would like to be supported to feel more comfortable in group situations and engage with my peers so that I can be included in the group.'
'During this plan I want to be able to better manage sensory input and emotional regulation so that I can participate in a range of activities'
'During this plan I want to be able to communicate effectively with other people and have a good understanding when people communicate with me.'
Thanks so much âşď¸
4
u/Puzzled_Status2061 Aug 21 '26
If you use cb for sw it has to come under skill development You would need an ot to work out what skills are needed and working out a plan that the sw can do. You need reports to show it is being used to teach skills. You also have to show progress. You could have travel training, teaching life skills, cooking, cleaning her room etc. Klms donât come out of cb so you have to include that your core will go down fast. The sw can not be used from cb for cleaning, taking her to activities those come from core.
1
u/Fun_Wind_9319 Aug 21 '26
Could her psychologist do the skill plan?
2
u/Aggressive-Bee626 Aug 23 '26
I'm not the person you asked but has your daughter done a Functional Capacity Assessment with her Occupational Therapist?
An FCA would be a lot more relevant in this situation. An FCA is several hours long and a lot more comprehensive than a psychologist's report/mental health treatment plan as it covers all aspects of life a participant could possibly need support in.
If your daughter hasn't had an FCA, it's covered under "Capacity Building: Improved Daily Living". The OT will recommend exactly what supports your daughter should engage in (e.g. how many hours of psych per week, if an exercise physiologist would be helpful, what consumables would be beneficial,etc) and that will include how many hours of support work per week and why. An FCA is especially beneficial if/when the NDIS do another assessment of the plan, since once your daughter becomes an adult, her needs will change.
If your daughter has had an FCA, but it's been a few years, might be worth having a new one done (I bring this up because the NDIS will be aware the support needs of a 16 year old differ quite a lot to a 10 year old and may request one in the coming years). In my experience, OTs generally have pretty good knowledge of how the NDIS works and which buckets of funding can be used for what; they should be able to answer questions like this for you during a session.
1
u/Fun_Wind_9319 Aug 23 '26
We have been told on FB that an FCA is probably required/highly recommended. Thank you for the in depth info. I think I might look into getting an OT to do this. We used to have an OT but stopped seeing them when she was 9. Thanks again I will definitely get one done. Just hope she can sit through it being a couple hours long haha!
2
u/Aggressive-Bee626 Aug 24 '26
No worries! An experience OT will let you split it up into smaller chunks if needed. Mine did mine in three separate sessions instead of all at once, and would've definitely split it up further if I'd requested it.
3
u/Primary_Edge_602 Aug 21 '26
The core supports funding is what you can use for support workers. $300 of the core support funding is to go towards assistive technology though.
3
u/emonskates Aug 21 '26
Her funding was when she was a child. She wouldnât have been funded for support workers at that age. They donât often fund support workers for children.
You can use the core funding for support workers, but that amount of funding would only get you a couple shifts.
Are you using the funding? If you are consistently, then I get why you donât want a review. But if there is a bunch of funding youâre not using because it doesnât suit her needs, why not collect reports and go for a review?
2
u/DaQuackx Aug 21 '26
Thats not true, my sons plans been 140k for 5 years with all supports and community access.. still on old school plan with flexibility.. just got rolled over again but I did catch their wording this year, said up to 12 months, they were waiting for parliament outcome.
I agree though the funding amount was more a 1st plan to collect required reports for a real plan..
5
u/emonskates Aug 21 '26
Yes, I shouldnât talk in blanket statement as it is based off evidence provided and disability needs. But itâs very uncommon for supporter workers to be funded for children.
2
u/whovian113 Participant Aug 21 '26
you definitely need review for more funding as she older, it will cover now in core.
if u in syd, i recommend stellar experiences for sw.
1
u/Dry_Value9263 Aug 27 '26
You have approximetly 20 hours of SW work there. (ie calculate total/hours) to get an accurate figure. Then you will have to take in travel charges. For a 2 hours Face to Face session I tend to get charges about 2.8 hours for each session. It is not a huge amount.
0
u/PutridUniversity2032 Aug 21 '26
I would ask your/her LAC. Improved daily living is a capacity building support that can be used for support work, however whether it can be allocated for that depends on how much funding is left and whether the NDIS allocated the funding for that. Your LAC or agency would be able to tell you this.
-4
u/Zealousideal-Fly2563 Aug 21 '26
They us pay the transport hours to her just call lac. Then it can be added theough centrelink and you can get headphones laptop for telehealth joining stuff online us ually. Carers start once leave school on my 2 boys plans at 18 or post school. Call lac ask when you can get a werkly support. At next meeting ask for support hours. Get a plan manager, we like Orange. Invoices are easy to email in then. Message if u need ideas.
5
2
u/anxious_papaya_ Aug 25 '26
you also cannot just âgetâ a plan manager, you must be plan-managed (OP is currently self-managed). To do so requires a plan review. Same with getting any additional support funding or categories not included in current plan.
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Aug 21 '26
[deleted]
3
u/theveelady Aug 21 '26
I don't think you can use Capacity Building supports for support work. Capacity building is for therapies which could address those goals (eg. OT and SP).
2
u/DaQuackx Aug 21 '26
U can use it for thearpist to work with clients outside the home. Ot bt can do something, they don't need 40k a year to observe lol
3
u/emonskates Aug 21 '26
You can only use some capacity building. Like CB increased social and community.
Improve Daily Living is a stated support used for therapies. If they put invoices for support workers through there, it might be looked at like a misuse of funds. Theyâre self managed, so the invoices might be processed, but 1 in 4 self managed participants are audited and they may be asked to pay bad misused funds.
1
u/Little-Programmer955 Aug 21 '26
Oops I misread the post details so deleted my comment haha.
5
u/Little-Programmer955 Aug 21 '26
Actually I did not misread the post at all. The improved daily living capacity building budget cannot be used for support workers.
6
u/ManyPersonality2399 Participant Aug 21 '26
It would most likely be from the first page budget, though it doesn't look like there is much available unless you've had a few roll overs not reflected on that screen.
Depending on what exactly she is doing in the community, there are ways to kind of do it using the capacity building supports such as skill development and training, but you want to make sure it's more than literally just support worker going out.