A guide toPrepare for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)This guide has been developed to support people with disability and their carers to prepare for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Contact Us

Yooralla is happy to answer any questions you have about the NDIS.

We can also talk to you about how Yooralla can support you under the NDIS.

If you have questions about the NDIS, or your planning meeting, you can contact Yooralla on:

Phone: 03 9666 4584

Email: ndis.infohub@yooralla.com.au

If you have a NDIS plan and want to find out how we can support you, or to book Yooralla’s services, please contact:

Phone: 1800 966 725

Email: intake@yooralla.com.au

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) For people who need help with English, call 131 450.

To get regular updates on the NDIS visit www.yooralla.com.au or subscribe to Yooralla’s fortnightly newsletter at www.yooralla.com.au/subscribe.

Yooralla’s NDIS support materials

Yooralla has two guides that can assist you to prepare for the NDIS. They are:

A guide to accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which can assist you to:

understand the NDIS, and access the NDIS.

A guide to prepare for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (this book), which can assist you to:

understand the NDIS planning process, and prepare for your planning meeting.

We also have NDIS resources in Easy English. They include:

NDIS factsheet A guide to accessing the NDIS, and A guide to prepare for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

What are the NDIS and the NDIA?

The NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme – a new way of providing support for people with disability. The NDIS is designed to empower people with disability to work towards achievements, to identify the disability related support they need and to choose where they would like to buy their supports.

The NDIA is the National Disability Insurance Agency – the government department that runs the NDIS.

What is a NDIS plan?

Your NDIS plan will be all about you. It will include details about your personal goals, needs and aspirations.

Your NDIS plan will also include details about the supports that you are funded for and how much funding you will receive for these supports.

Who will develop my plan?

You will work with someone allocated by the NDIA to develop your plan. This might be a NDIS planner, a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or an Early Childhood Partner. A LAC and an Early Childhood Partner are from a NDIS partner organisation. In this document, we refer to all these roles as your planner. Your planner will not know you or your circumstances, so it is important to think about what’s important for your plan now, to assist with the planning process.

What is funded in a NDIS plan?

Depending on your goals and aspirations, the funding in your NDIS plan may include:

Core funding – funding that covers functional support needs for daily living and participation and to access community supports and activities.

Capital funding – funding that covers the purchase of one off items such as equipment, technology or modifications. It also includes funding for Specialist Disability Accommodation.

Capacity funding – funding that supports skill building, training, learning, capacity building, accessing employment, improving health and wellbeing and support coordination.

What does reasonable and necessary mean?

The NDIS will fund reasonable and necessary supports needed to meet your needs and achieve your goals. Reasonable and necessary supports must:

be identified in your NDIS plan as helping you to achieve your goals be related to your disability help you take part in the community or to find paid work or volunteering work not include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability represent value for money be beneficial to you and be proven to work (tried and tested), and take into account informal family, carer and community support that is available to

you.

What is not funded in a NDIS plan?

The NDIS will not replace funding from mainstream services such as education, health, medications or other community services. The NDIS only funds supports that are disability specific. For example, if you have a disability such as cerebral palsy and need a wheelchair to get around, this will be funded by the NDIS. However, if you also have asthma and use a ventolin puffer or nebulizer, this will be paid for by health services.

The NDIS does not fund items such as rent, utilities, food or public transport (e.g. Myki).

When should I start to prepare for my planning session?

You should begin to prepare now so you are ready for transition to the scheme when it becomes available in your area.

The NDIS is being progressively rolled out across Australia until 2019.

You can see when the NDIS is coming to your area on the Yooralla website at www.yooralla.com.au.

It is important to be prepared for your planning session because you are the expert about your disability and the support that you need.

You should think about:

what support you have and what activities you do now whether these are meeting your needs and support the things you want to achieve what is important to you, and how all of these things will be reflected in your plan.

What are the steps in getting a NDIS plan?

There are four steps to getting a NDIS plan:

1. NDIS contact and eligibility 2. Preparing for your NDIS planning meeting 3. Your NDIS planning meeting 4. Your NDIS plan arrives – getting it started

1. NDIA contact and eligibility

Before you transition across to the NDIS, the NDIA will call you to:

ask if you consent to join the NDIS (you need to say yes to transition to the NDIS)

confirm your identity – your name, date of birth and Centrelink Reference Number (CRN)

discuss your eligibility for the NDIS (this may relate to your age, residence and disability), and

ask if you are already receiving disability services.

After this first contact, a NDIS representative will be in touch at a later date to organise a time with you for your planning meeting.

2. Preparing for your NDIS planning meeting

To make the most of your NDIS plan you need to be prepared for your planning meeting.

This means you need to understand what you get now and think about any areas of additional support you may need.

At the back of this booklet there is an activity planner you can use to help you to write down all the things you want included in your NDIS plan.

We suggest you start by thinking about the following.

What do you do every day?

Where do you do these activities? Who supports you to do them? What support do you need to get ready, to get up in the morning or when you

come home?

What support do you need to do these things?

Write down how you get to activities, what support you might need for the whole or part of the activity, or for specific tasks such as personal care or meal assistance during the activity.

Consider whether you currently use:

paid support family support peer or volunteer support mainstream (i.e. Doctor) support therapy or behaviour support, or aids and equipment or a modified home environment.

Do you currently get funding for:

an Individual Support Package (ISP) Early Childhood Intervention Support (ECIS) flexible respite or other carers package continence aids - Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) nutritional supplements - Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) Futures for Young Adults (FFYA) travel, either from a service or mobility allowance other support or services related to your disability.

You need to know what supports you get now to share this with your planner.

What are your goals?

Goals describe what you want to achieve. Once you are clear about what support you receive and what works for you, this will help you think about your goals.

During your planning conversation, the planner will talk to you about the goals you want to achieve across many aspects of your life. The planner asks this because a NDIS plan is based on goals, and supports will only be funded if they will help you meet these goals.

Remember, if you need a specific support it needs to be related to a goal. For example, if visiting a disability peer support group every month is important to you, this can be related to your goal of “social and community engagement and inclusion”.

An example for goal setting:

1. Think about what’s important to you

I like attending book group every week. I like participating in activities at my local Community Hub (meeting place). I want to improve how I communicate.

Then work out your goals

2. My goals:

To increase my ability to access the community for social activities. To be involved in the community and engage with others. To improve my ability to speak clearly.

So the funded supports you need to achieve this goal might cover the following

3. I need:

(Help from) a Speech Pathologist to improve my communication To attend the Community Hub (meeting place), and A Disability Support Worker to get me to a Community Hub (meeting place) and

book group.

What’s important to you?

We suggest that the easiest way for you to think about goals is to think about what’s important to me.

Use this list to think about all the aspects of your life and what is really important to you.

Finding and keeping a job. Relationships. Daily living. Money management. Social and recreational activities. Health and wellbeing. Transport and support to travel. Equipment and therapy. Learning and education. Where you live.

3. Your NDIS Planning Meeting

Your planner will organise a time to discuss your plan. This may be face-to-face, at a NDIS, Early Childhood Partner or LAC office, or over the phone – whatever is most convenient for you.

Remember it is your choice how you want to have your planning discussion, so if you are not comfortable with a phone call you can request a face-to-face meeting.

The planner will want to know about your life so they can develop a plan that meets your needs. This means you need to describe your life in terms of your family, friends and what you like to do. It is also important to know about factors that may affect the support you receive from your family, for example if a family member who cares for you occasionally needs to go to hospital.

The planner will ask you about the supports you need to live the life you choose, how you manage everyday activities, and any part of your life where you require more support. They will also discuss goals with you.

Who can attend my planning meeting?

You can have a support person, or people, with you to support you in your planning meeting. You should think about who you might want to be there well before you have to attend. You can have family, friends, your current service provider or an advocate join you.

What do I bring to the planning meeting?

It is important to bring documentation to your planning meeting. The checklist below might help you think about the things that can support your planning meeting.

Your goals List of current supports This workbook: A guide to prepare for the NDIS Client Support Plan (CSP) / Person Centred Plan Lifestyle Plan Health Support Plan Behaviour Support Plan Therapy assessment Letter(s) from your doctor or therapist that talk about your needs Information from school, university or your workplace about your needs Day program rosters or activity schedules Recreation program information Information about your family Information from a current service provider Information from other places you go

Don’t forget you have the right to:

have a planner you feel comfortable with have a support person (ie. family or friends) attend your meeting ask questions have information provided in a way that is right for you feel you have been listened to, and appeal if you are not happy with your plan.

How do I manage the funds in my plan?

At your planning meeting you will be asked how you would like your plan to be managed. This means how you want your service providers and supports to be paid.

The NDIA will work with you to decide how you manage your plan. Your plan can be managed by:

yourself (known as self-managing) – where you manage your NDIS funds and pay the service providers and keep your own records

a financial intermediary – where they pay service providers for you, this is known as plan management

the NDIS – here the NDIS directly pays providers on your behalf, and manages the money in your plan, or

a combination of the above options.

Whatever option you choose, the NDIA can support you to make arrangements and set up the processes.

Will I receive Support Coordination?

Depending on your situation, you may be funded for Support Coordination in your NDIS plan. This means you will have a service provider (such as Yooralla) support you to organise all the supports in your NDIS plan. The planner will ask you in the planning meeting which service provider you would like to do this.

How is my NDIS plan developed and approved?

Following your planning meeting, your planner will develop your plan. They will work out what funds will be allocated to your plan to meet your needs and achieve your goals.

Your planner will send the plan to the NDIA who will approve the supports that meet the ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria (refer to page 5).

4. Your NDIS plan arrives – getting it started

Your approved plan will arrive in the mail.

What do I do once I have my plan?

Firstly, read your plan and understand your supports. Your plan starts (and is considered active) from the date the plan is approved – this date is listed on the front page of your plan. It is important that you start using it as soon as you receive it. The reason for this is that your existing funding will cease once your NDIS plan is approved.

The next step is to go online and visit your NDIS participant portal, ‘myplace’, which is a secure website where you can view and manage your plan. The letter you receive with your plan will also include an activation code to access ‘myplace’. To access the portal you first need a myGov account, and you then link to myplace. You should do this as soon as possible, as your activation code will expire within about 10 days. If you haven’t used the code within the required time, you will need to contact your planner.

If your planner is a LAC they can assist you to find providers, access the myplace portal and commence using your plan.

If your planner is the NDIA, then a Support Coordinator will contact you shortly after you receive your plan to support you to access the myplace portal, source service providers and Service Agreements, and to provide ongoing support about the NDIS.

Once you have your plan, and you have set yourself up in the portal, you can start contacting service providers to set up your services.

If you want to continue using your existing service provider, you will need to let them know that you have an approved NDIS plan, so they can set up a Service Agreement.

What happens once I have chosen a service provider?

Once you have chosen a provider, you will sign a Service Agreement with them, which outlines how your support will be delivered.

How long does my NDIS plan go for?

Your NDIS plan runs for 12 months. About six weeks before the end your plan, you will be contacted to schedule a review of your plan and your goals for the year ahead.

If there is a significant change in your life that will require a change in your supports before the end of 12 months (such as illness to you or a family member) you can contact your planner and ask for an early review.

What if I am not happy with my plan?

It is important that you review your plan very carefully to make sure it has all of the support you need. If you are not happy with your plan you can contact your planner or the NDIA and discuss the things that you are not happy with. Information about how to do this is on the cover letter with your plan. Or you can go through a review process with the NDIA, called an internal review.

It is important that you start to use your plan even if you are not 100% happy with it, and then go through the review process at the same time. This is because the funding for your previous supports ends on the date your NDIS plan is approved.

Activity planner

The next section of this booklet can help you to think about your current activities and what support you need to do them. It is useful to start thinking about what you do and what you would like to do early, so you are ready when the NDIS comes to your area.

When filling out the tables think about all of things you do now – not just at a day program, school or work, but things you do in the morning, or at the end of your day, in the evenings and on weekends.

There are also some note spaces in the table. You might want to make notes about things you would like to change, do more of, or stop doing.

There are tables for the things you do regularly – these are things that have a routine or schedule. This could be going to school or work, or perhaps going to the gym or swimming, if you do these at the same time every week. You might also have regular times when you catch up with family or friends or go to clubs or organised activities.

There is another table that you can use to make some notes about things you do sometimes.

These might be things that:

happen at certain times of the year, like the football season you like to do sometimes, such as going to the movies, markets or the zoo, or you like to do with your family or friends, such as holidays.

Don’t forget to think about how you get to places, what support you need before, during or after an activity, or any specific things you might need support for, such as meals or personal care.

You might also ask the people who currently support you to write a description of the support they provide.

This could include some things you don’t actually see, such as how they organise the activity that you attend.

Weekly regular activity planner

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

What I do now

What I would like to do

What support I need

Daily regular activity planner - Monday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Tuesday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Wednesday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Thursday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Friday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Saturday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Night

Daily regular activity planner - Sunday

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

What I do now What I would like to do What support I need

Night

Occasional activity planner

Month What I do/how often What help I have

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

My equipment

Aids and equipment planner

Type of aid or equipment What help I have

Mobility

Communication

Self care

Access

Environmental control

At work

At school

Other

Continence Disposable products Quantity

Aids and equipment planner

Is it working? What does this help me to do? What needs to happen?

Replace Repair Monitor

Non disposable products Quantity Supply routine

Where I would like to live

Right now I live

Now I have:

Equipment Technology Paid support (formal)

Unpaid support (informal)

In the future I would like to live:

In the future I will need:

Equipment Technology Paid support (formal)

Unpaid support (informal)

What I would like to learn

What I want to learn:

Where I would go to learn:

I will need the following support:

Equipment Technology Paid support (formal)

Unpaid support (informal)

Transport

What job I would like

My dream job:

I would need to do these things first:

I will need the following support:

Equipment Technology Paid support (formal)

Unpaid support (informal)

Transport

Preparing for the NDIS?

Yooralla can answer your questions and support you to get ready for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

NDIS questions

Contact our NDIS team on 03 9666 4584 or email ndis.infohub@yooralla.com.au. We can answer any questions you have about the NDIS.

Planning tools

Use the Activity Planner in this booklet to assist you to prepare before your NDIS planning meeting.

Planning support

We can help you prepare for your NDIS planning discussion.

Plan implementation

We are the disability specialists. We have the services you need to implement your plan.

The information contained in this fact sheet is correct as at April 2017. This material is for general information only. You should seek advice in relation to your particular circumstances. Yooralla, its employees and agents do not accept any liability for action taken in reliance on this document and disclaim all liability arising from any error or omission. ABN 14 005 304 432 © Yooralla. NDIS060417.

Yooralla

Level 14, 595 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000 www.yooralla.com.au

If you have questions about the NDIS or your planning meeting you can contact Yooralla on:

Phone: 03 9666 4584Email: ndis.infohub@yooralla.com.au

If you have a NDIS plan and want to find out how we can support you, or to book Yooralla’s services please contact:

Phone: 1800 966 725 Email: intake@yooralla.com.au

To get regular updates on the NDIS visit www.yooralla.com.au or subscribe to Yooralla’s fortnightly newsletter at www.yooralla.com.au/subscribe

About Yooralla

Yooralla is a disability specialist with almost 100 years of experience in providing disability supports. Yooralla is a not for profit organisation that provides the highest standards of customer wellbeing and safeguards. We are a full-service organisation that provides flexible services tailored to suit the individual. We provide specialist supports for people with high and complex needs, and we are specialists in children’s early intervention supports.

Published by Yooralla © Yooralla 2017. © National Disability Insurance Agency 2017

Yooralla acknowledges the National Disability Insurance Agency as the part owner of intellectual property rights contained within. Apart from any use permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 no part of this document may be reproduced without permission from Yooralla.

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