As a NDIS participant, you have a set of goals in your NDIS plan, with funding provided to achieve those goals. It’s always your choice on how you want to spend those funds, as long as the money is spent in accordance with your plan and goals. It’s important to allocate those funds wisely so that you can get the most out of your NDIS funding. But you don’t have to make those decisions alone. If you are plan managed, and have support coordination allocated, you have two extra members on your team – the Support Coordinator and NDIS Plan Manager. They can work together to help you get the most out of your funding.
Who is on your NDIS team?
For most NDIS participants, there are three key roles that help you access and manage your support services:
The Local Area Coordinator helps you create your goals, sets up and reassesses your NDIS plan. They have some capacity to help you understand and use the supports in your plan. But, day to day, the Support Coordinator and NDIS Plan Manager are more involved. When it works well, their teamwork can be instrumental in helping you achieve your NDIS goals. The Support Coordinator helps you find the services you need to achieve your NDIS goals. If you don’t have a Support Coordinator allocated in your NDIS plan, then you must find the services yourself. The NDIS Plan Manager is your bookkeeper for your NDIS funds. Your service providers send the invoices to them and they organise the payments, and make sure that you spend the money in the allocated categories, up to your allocated budget. If you choose to, you can self-manage your NDIS funds, or get an agency to manage both your funds and services. If you chose a NDIS Plan Manager, your NDIS funding includes their costs. Remember that you always have the choice as to who is on your NDIS team. You choose what disability support services and therapies you want to access. No matter whether you have a Support Coordinator or a Plan Manager. The NDIS is full of jargon. It can take some time to get familiar with the words used, and how NDIS funding works. Both Support Coordinators and NDIS Plan Managers understand how the NDIS works and what the rules are. With their help, you can make informed choices about how to manage your NDIS plan. Navigating the NDIS can be a lot smoother with a Plan Manager and Support Coordinator by your side. They can be from the same organisation or different organisations.
Deciphering the Role of Support Coordinators
Having a Support Coordinator helps you focus on participating in your disability support services and therapies. There are a number of levels of support coordination. Importantly, your Support Coordinator is like your travel agent in your NDIS journey. First, they need to learn about you and where you want to go (achieve your goals). And then NDIS support coordination services go out and find the available options and suggest an itinerary (support services) for you. But you get to decide whether to accept that itinerary or not. Which support services and therapies to use is always your choice. An effective Support Coordinator will look for disability service providers that best suit your needs, and have sufficient capacity to help. Just like some people make their own holiday plans, without relying on a travel agent, not every NDIS participant has a Support Coordinator. Your NDIS plan will indicate whether you have the funding for a Support Coordinator included in your plan. Once you’ve decided which NDIS supports you’d like, the Support Coordinator will put in place service agreements for those supports. Having a Support Coordinator who really understands you and your goals is important to:
- help you connect with available service providers best suited to you and your needs and goals.
- build your capacity. They can help you to understand how your plan works and how to make the most effective choices for your NDIS goals
- problem solve when you need to juggle a number of services and supports. If you have complex care needs, you might need disability support from a number of organisations. Your Support Coordinator can coordinate all of that on your behalf.
Understanding NDIS Plan Managers
A Plan Manager is there to handle the financial and administrative tasks. They free you up to concentrate on what matters most: reaching your NDIS goals. Within the NDIS, a Plan Manager is like a bookkeeper. They are experts in the ins and outs of how funding of your NDIS plan works. Their main job is to manage the financial aspects of your NDIS plan and report back to you. They handle the funds in your plan and pay your service providers for you. They also keep track of how much money you have left. This helps you to use your NDIS funds wisely. It can take away some of the stress of managing money. Like a bank statement, a Plan Manager prepares monthly financial reporting for you. You can see what payments have been made and what funds you have left in each category. Your NDIS Plan Manager should alert you when funds are running low in a particular funding category. This way, you always know where you stand with your NDIS plan budget. Having a Plan Manager you can talk to and trust is important to:
- allow you to focus on meeting your NDIS goals rather than managing paperwork
- give you confidence that you are spending your NDIS funds in the correct categories
- help you make the most of your funding. Some services can be allocated to a number of categories. Your NDIS Plan Manager can advise you on which is most appropriate in the context of your NDIS goals.
Synergy between Support Coordinators and Plan Managers
Your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator work in distinct ways to support your NDIS plan implementation. When they collaborate, they can support you even better. Especially when they know you, and your needs and goals, well. Your Support Coordinator helps you understand and implement your plan. Your Plan Manager focuses on managing your NDIS funds. Both roles are designed to make it easier for you to achieve your NDIS goals. When they work together, things can run more smoothly. Together, the Support Coordinator and Plan Manager can forecast what supports you’ll likely need and plan the funding allocation carefully. That way the Support Coordinator has more time to find the right services for you. They can concentrate on finding supports near where you live, and that fit in with your other services. So that when the Support Coordinator presents the service provider choices, you can focus on what works best for you. You’ll know that they have taken care of the budgeting so you can focus on what best supports you. Remember, your NDIS plan is a living document. It should change as your needs and goals change. Your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator can help with this. Knowing you and your needs means that they can help you identify if you need a NDIS plan review. And then assist you in reviewing and requesting changes to your plan as needed. Their collaboration between your Support Coordinator and NDIS Plan Manager can help you feel more confident about how you’re implementing your NDIS plan, and working towards your goals.
How to Optimise Your NDIS Experience
Your NDIS Plan Manager and Support Coordinator are there to help you. Here are some tips on how you can optimise your NDIS experience with your Support Coordinator and Plan Manager:
Regular check-ins
First, have regular check-ins with your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator. Keep them updated about your needs and goals. The more they know, the better they can assist you.
Ask questions
Second, ask questions. Don’t understand something? Need more information? Don’t hesitate to ask. Your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator are there to help you understand.
Provide feedback
Third, provide feedback. If something isn’t working, let your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator know. They can make adjustments to better meet your needs.
Conclusion
In summary, take an active role in your NDIS journey. Engage with your Plan Manager and Support Coordinator. They’re on your team, and together, you can work towards achieving your NDIS goals. Here at Trinity Plan Management and Supports, we are NDIS Plan Managers and can also provide access to Support Coordinators. Contact us today to learn more about our approach to helping you.
