"NDIS" is the National Disability Insurance Scheme and is the funding body that provides support to Australians who have a permanent or significant disability. As therapists at Out Loud, it has become a big part of all of our lives - and for those already in the NDIS system, a big part of your lives too! As we continue working under this scheme, we are learning more and more about how best to help our clients and families. Families are required to meet with their NDIS planner on entry to the scheme, and then again for review at regular intervals (usually every year).
Your child's therapists are a key part of the NDIS planning & review process. We want you to feel supported and well prepared for your child’s NDIS meetings - but we know that it can often be overwhelming trying to navigate different people and companies, all while having to identify what you want for your child. For this reason, we thought it would be helpful to talk about NDIS reports, and how we can help you prepare for your meeting.
What does your Therapy Provider want you to know before your NDIS meeting?
As your therapy provider, we are required to provide a report to NDIS at least 6 weeks before your meeting. This report includes:
what services your child has received
what progress they have made
recommendations for the next plan
These reports take time to write and a lot of consideration goes into them. When your child gets a review or an early meeting, we sometimes don’t know about it. We would love it if you could let us know when your planning meeting will be so that we can make sure you have all the information you need. And so that we aren’t caught by surprise when NDIS contacts us and tells us that our report is late.
The reports we write also include recommendations for services and resources that may benefit your child in their next plan. If there is something that your family has identified you’d like added in your next plan, please let us know and we can include it if it fits within your child’s therapy goals.
If we’ve been working with your child and your first NDIS meeting is coming up, please let us know. It’s helpful to take any therapy reports your child has, as well as a Therapy Summary Report (that we can write for you) to your meeting. Preparation is key as you will be asked lots of questions at your meeting. It helps to have your paperwork ready to go to help guide your decision making and so that you know what you want to ask for.
Some NDIS plans are rolled over without a planning meeting. In this case, you may make the choice for the therapists to not write a report, as you do not need it for the meeting. This decision is individual to each family and their circumstances. We find that review reports are a fantastic opportunity for formal documentation of your child's goals, progress and future directions. If you don't need a report, please ensure to let us know of this decision at least 2 months prior to the end of your NDIS plan.
What happens after my NDIS meeting?
After your meeting, NDIS will send you a copy of your child's new plan including goals & budget. We do not receive a copy of this report unless you provide it to us, so send us a copy as soon as you get one! You can drop it off in person, forward the email or post it to us. We are even happy for you to email us screen shots if you are unable to send a paper copy.
Your NDIS plan is used to plan out therapy services in a Service Agreement. Without a service agreement, we cannot see your child for therapy. Their usual pattern of appointments may be disrupted if there's a delay in receiving their plan and updating the service agreement.
You know your child better than anyone, and it’s important that you feel confident and empowered to advocate for them and get the funding they need. We are passionate about working with you to do this and are always happy to talk with you and provide the reports to support your needs. Just remember to let us know!
The Team @ Out Loud
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