Support coordination

We have provided some information to help support coordinators continue providing supports and services to participants during this time.

This change is effective from 25 March 2020 and will be in place for up to six months. The NDIA will review this change in three months to assess if the change continues to be appropriate.

Support coordination is available as a core support to both new and existing participants who have funding for core supports, to ensure participants get the supports they need.

If a participant needs additional assistance from their support coordinator, and funds are low, a participant is encouraged to call NDIA on 1800 800 110. Special teams of planners in the NDIA are available to help.

The new support coordination line items are available to both participants who have support coordination in their plans and those that do not.

For those with support coordination already in their plan, the change enables them to access funds for additional hours of this support where they may need it due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

For those participants without funded support coordination in their plan, their local area coordinator (LAC) or Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) partner is their first point of contact. Where an LAC is not available to change the plan to include support coordination, participants who do not usually have access to support coordination can only access the new items through their Core support budget.

Participants without support coordination as a reasonable and necessary support in their plan cannot claim support coordination from their Capacity Building budget. These participants can only access the new items through their Core budget.

Only participants with support coordination included as a reasonable and necessary support in their plan are able to claim support coordination from both their Capacity Building and Core support budgets.

Participants are encouraged to consider their current support needs when determining how to flexibly use their Core budget and whether to use this budget to purchase support coordination services.

Participants should use existing support coordination funding first in their Capacity Building budget before using core supports. If funds in either budget are low, a plan review meeting over the phone or by email should be requested as soon as possible so a new plan can be arranged.

If the participant is Agency-managed, providers need to be registered for support coordination to be able to deliver support coordination services.

These registration groups are Support Coordination (high level – Specialist Support Coordination) and Assist Life Stage Transition (lower level – Coordination of Supports and Support Connection).

As long as you are a registered support coordination service provider, then you can access these line items during these times; however, funds from Capacity Building should be used first before accessing Core supports.

Participants who are self-managed can access unregistered providers. To register for support coordination (except WA), please visit the NDIS Commission .

WA providers wishing to apply or add these registration groups have until Tuesday 14 April 2020 to complete their application with the WA Government. Find out more about registering in WA.

Providers should review and abide by the service agreements they currently have in place with participants, and agree with the participant before implementing any changes.

If a participant requires additional support coordination services due to COVID-19, they can flexibly draw on their Core supports. Participants can flexibly use their funding across any of the four support categories under Core Supports.

If a participant is running out of total funds, a plan review meeting over the phone or by email should be requested as soon as possible so a new plan can be arranged.

If the participant’s plan is about to expire, it will be automatically be extended by 12 months to ensure that participants have the funding they need. This extended plan will have the same Core and Capacity Building budget funds as the current plan. For more information, please check the latest advice.

Reporting requirements remain the same whether a provider claims support coordination services using core or capacity building line items.

This is actively discouraged because supports could be duplicated leading to poor coordination of the total package of supports.

For plan review requests related to coronavirus (COVID-19) changes of circumstance, please phone the National Contact Centre on 1800 800 110 and select option 5, so your enquiry can be prioritised and monitored.

Even in this challenging time, support coordinators are expected to be proactive and make multiple attempts to contact a participant through their preferred method of communication.

If a support coordinator is unable to contact a participant, they should get in touch with a participant’s identified emergency contact or next of kin.

If all emergency contacts have been exhausted, support coordinators should contact state / territory emergency services if they have concerns about a participant’s welfare.

The NDIA will also be proactively contacting vulnerable participants (or their nominees).

Support coordinators are expected to review and adjust a crisis plan in consultation with the participant and make necessary adjustments, due to the pandemic.

This could include revising a participant’s key contacts and/or family supports, maintaining more regular contact where necessary to understand a participant’s current support needs and adjust for any changes to supports if required.

In situations where a provider is unable to deliver supports, a support coordinator should consider alternative support options or consider enacting a participant’s crisis plan.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) and the NDIA are closely monitoring changes in service availability and working cooperatively to ensure there is continuity of critical supports for participants.

Registered NDIS providers in all states except Western Australia are required to notify the NDIS Commission of significant impacts to their ability to provide supports to participants.

In the event a support coordinator contracts coronavirus (COVID-19), they are required to follow relevant health advice.

Participants should be immediately informed of any disruption to support coordination, and alternative support options should be discussed and agreed, including transferring services to another support coordination provider or enacting a participant’s crisis plan.