Support coordination is a capacity building support to implement all supports in a participant’s plan, including informal, mainstream, community and funded supports.
The delivery of Coordination of Supports is to assist strengthening a participant’s ability to design and the build their supports with an emphasis on linking the broader systems of support across a complex service delivery environment. Coordination of Supports is to focus on supporting participants to direct their lives, not just their services. This involves working together to understand the funding, identify what participants expect from services, and how participants want this designed. Coordination of Supports also includes coaching participants, and working with participants to develop capacity and resilience in their network.
The intended outcomes of providing Coordination of Supports is that a participant’s capacity and ability to design, develop and implement their supports is sustained and includes, but is not limited to:
While it is the NDIA's preference that support coordination providers not provide other supports, NDIS have confirmed that support coordination providers are able to provide other supports at this stage. However, providers need to have a robust conflict of interest policy in place if they choose to deliver both support coordination and other supports. This may include: separating support areas, creating different policies and processes for support coordination, developing procedures to mitigate conflicts of interest, recording the choices provided to participants, and ensuring there is a clear separation of support coordinators and service delivery employees.
Unfortunately our experience has been that either providers may or may not have conflict of interest policy’s but their front line staff do not adhere to them if they do. Too many experiences with participants feeling and being pressured to use their money all with the one provider and/or not provided real choice by their support coordinators.
The NDIA has assured NDS that participants' choice and control will not be restricted, nor will they be told that they are not able to access a particular provider. This is aside from a number of participants, with very limited informal supports, for whom the Agency may determine the need for independent support coordination; for example, someone living in a group home without family or connections and with supports provided by only one organisation.
We also note that the NDIA intends for approximately 20-30 per cent of NDIS participants to receive funding for support coordination. Other participants will receive support via their LAC.
The NDIA has also raised some concerns that support coordinators are not engaging with participants in a timely manner or following directives stipulated in the 'Request for Service.' Providers are advised to provide reports to the NDIA and make contact with the participant as indicated in the 'Request for Service.' The NDIA has stated that providers are generally expected to make contact with participants within five working days and provide an initial report by eight weeks.
We at In the Drivers Seat Support Coordination are independent and we offer only support coordination, specialist support coordination and plan management. We will respond to your referral within 24 hrs. We will complete your 8 week implementation report as well as prepare for review and submit your annual review report 8 weeks prior to your end date of your plan. If you are changing over to us from another provider, we will ascertain where your plan implementation is up to, prepare a short progress report and identify what is required through a range of possible recommendations for the remainder of your current plan.
The delivery of Coordination of Supports is to assist strengthening a participant’s ability to design and the build their supports with an emphasis on linking the broader systems of support across a complex service delivery environment. Coordination of Supports is to focus on supporting participants to direct their lives, not just their services. This involves working together to understand the funding, identify what participants expect from services, and how participants want this designed. Coordination of Supports also includes coaching participants, and working with participants to develop capacity and resilience in their network.
The intended outcomes of providing Coordination of Supports is that a participant’s capacity and ability to design, develop and implement their supports is sustained and includes, but is not limited to:
- Connection: assist the participant to develop knowledge, experience and connections with the community and broader systems of support.
- Support Design: works together with participant to understand plan funding and its purpose. Support Coordinator will understand the participant’s confidence and skills, and helps participant identify what they want from services. Will develop and design support solutions to meet participant outcomes.
- Establish Supports: assist the participant to identify and consider support options, and link the participant to the broader systems of supports. Where practical creates a supports and action plan to facilitate the participant to implement their plan.
- Crisis: Assistance to resolve points of crisis and developing capacity and resilience in the participant's network.
- Coach, Refine, Reflect: Coach the participant through challenges that come up. Helps participant prepare for review and report on achieved participant outcomes.
While it is the NDIA's preference that support coordination providers not provide other supports, NDIS have confirmed that support coordination providers are able to provide other supports at this stage. However, providers need to have a robust conflict of interest policy in place if they choose to deliver both support coordination and other supports. This may include: separating support areas, creating different policies and processes for support coordination, developing procedures to mitigate conflicts of interest, recording the choices provided to participants, and ensuring there is a clear separation of support coordinators and service delivery employees.
Unfortunately our experience has been that either providers may or may not have conflict of interest policy’s but their front line staff do not adhere to them if they do. Too many experiences with participants feeling and being pressured to use their money all with the one provider and/or not provided real choice by their support coordinators.
The NDIA has assured NDS that participants' choice and control will not be restricted, nor will they be told that they are not able to access a particular provider. This is aside from a number of participants, with very limited informal supports, for whom the Agency may determine the need for independent support coordination; for example, someone living in a group home without family or connections and with supports provided by only one organisation.
We also note that the NDIA intends for approximately 20-30 per cent of NDIS participants to receive funding for support coordination. Other participants will receive support via their LAC.
The NDIA has also raised some concerns that support coordinators are not engaging with participants in a timely manner or following directives stipulated in the 'Request for Service.' Providers are advised to provide reports to the NDIA and make contact with the participant as indicated in the 'Request for Service.' The NDIA has stated that providers are generally expected to make contact with participants within five working days and provide an initial report by eight weeks.
We at In the Drivers Seat Support Coordination are independent and we offer only support coordination, specialist support coordination and plan management. We will respond to your referral within 24 hrs. We will complete your 8 week implementation report as well as prepare for review and submit your annual review report 8 weeks prior to your end date of your plan. If you are changing over to us from another provider, we will ascertain where your plan implementation is up to, prepare a short progress report and identify what is required through a range of possible recommendations for the remainder of your current plan.