Who's who in the NDIS Zoo
The NDIS includes a number of 'stakeholders' (fancy word for interested parties) and since we often receive questions about who's who, we decided to put a resource together that covers each of them and their role:
Participants
These are the people with disability who have successfully applied for NDIS funding and after a planning meeting, receive an NDIS plan.
Related Resouces:
Planners
Employed by the NDIS, planners interview people who have been deemed as eligible for NDIS funding (i.e they have applied and been accepted). Before receiving a funding package (NDIS plan) they meet with a planner to discuss and set their goals and aspirations so that the planner can work out what funding they need to achieve their goals.
NDIS Planners determine where supports already exist and where further supports are required across the domains of:
- Daily Living
- Work
- Home
- Social and Community Participation
- Health and Wellbeing
- Relationships
- Lifelong Learning
- Choice and Control
Related Resources:
Local Area Coordinators (LAC)
Once you have your NDIS plan approved, you will be contacted by your local LAC to have a meeting either over the phone or in person.
The LAC will help you understand your plan and help you choose and connect with service providers.
For most people aged seven years and older, a LAC will be their main point of contact, to discuss any questions about your plan.
A LAC will connect people with disability to supports, services, activities in their community and other government services (in most cases) and also work in communities to help them become more accessible and inclusive for all people with disability.
Related Resources:
Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) partners
ECEI partners are appointed by the NDIA to help families understand what supports the NDIS can offer children under 7 years old.
If you have a child with a developmental delay, an ECEI partner will meet with you and your family at home or in their offices to learn about your background, your child's developmental progress and the impact on everyday life for you AND your family.
They will help you find the supports you need. These may be basic and involve connecting with the community or they may be more complex and involve the necessity of NDIS funding.
If you receive NDIS funding for a child under 7, the ECEI partner will help you manage and understand your NDIS plan.
Related Resources:
Support Coordinators
The NDIS describes Support Coordination in the NDIS Price Guide as "a fixed amount for strengthening participant’s abilities to coordinate and implement supports in their plans and to participate more fully in the community."
Support Coordinators help participants:
- Understand their NDIS Plan
- Connect with Supports and Services
- Build their capacity to engage supports themselves
- Prepare for NDIS plan reviews
Not all NDIS participants receive support coordination in their NDIS plan.
Related Resources:
Plan Managers
Plan Managers support the participant in managing their NDIS funds by handling the day-to-day admin like processing/paying invoices and keeping track of your plan balance.
A participant has to elect to have their NDIS plan 'plan managed' and they can choose whichever plan manager they like.
A plan manager is paid by the NDIS and their fees do not come out of the participant's pool of funds - this payment is over and above the funding they receive.
A Plan Manager will help a participant by:
- Paying all their bills - they can send them to their Plan Manager or service providers can send the bills directly to the Plan Manager for payment.
- Send them monthly statements to help them track their plan spending.
- Reimburse them for anything they need to pay upfront.
- Some Plan Managers will help them with establishing service agreements with providers.
Related Resources:
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
They are like the Lion in the zoo: in charge.
The NDIA is an independent statutory agency.
Their role is to "implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will support a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers."
Related Resources:
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
"The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is an independent agency established to improve the quality and safety of NDIS supports and services."
They regulate NDIS providers, provide national consistency, promote safety and quality services, resolve problems and identify areas for improvement.
They provide all regulatory requirements for NDIS registered providers. They play a role similar to the ACCC where participants that don't receive genuine NDIS services as promised can complain.
See the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website