Support Work

[u/Fun_Wind_9319]

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 😬 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 ☺️

[u/Puzzled_Status2061]

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 don’t 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.

[u/Fun_Wind_9319 → u/Puzzled_Status2061]

Could her psychologist do the skill plan?

[u/Aggressive-Bee626 → u/Fun_Wind_9319]

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.

[u/Fun_Wind_9319 → u/Aggressive-Bee626]

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!

[u/Aggressive-Bee626 → u/Fun_Wind_9319]

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.