Support coordination – the delicate art of balance – Q5

Panel members

• Elizabeth Hickey (EH) – Support Coordinator, AFA Support Coordination
• Sera CrichtonAita (SC) – Support Coordinator, Australian Regional & Remote Community Services
• Kate Read (KR) – Founder/CEO, Inspires & Co
• Zena Dyson (ZD) – Specialist Support Coordinator/Team Leader, Esteem Care Services
• Danni Bament (DB) – Managing Director, Aspire Recovery Connection

Support coordinators work as intermediaries, treading a fine line between NDIS participants, their service providers, and the NDIA (as well as other individuals and organisations). How do you balance that role to make sure you build and maintain professional networks and productive working relationships, while also ensuring cost effective, best practice, person centred supports are delivered to your clients?

EH – So much of what a support coordinator does is about knowledge and connection. Ongoing engagement in professional learning is important, along with participation in networking and local education events to promote amazing connections while still managing to be cost effective.

Ongoing connection and maintenance of professional relationships also assists in the work you do with clients – by knowing where to start looking for supports, you can easily speed up your service delivery to clients.

SC – Prioritise their goals, ensure there is enough funding before you send the referral out, calculate what you have funding for and how much you are going to reserve in case the provider doesn’t fit with the participant.

KR – I am still trying to work that out and balance my work/personal life. It is very difficult when everything seems to be a battle. Even when the NDIA/LAC makes mistakes, it is such an ordeal to have the mistake rectified. If it was done properly the first time, it would save so much time and money and there would be more money for the participants.

ZD – Communication is the key here I believe. If the requested supports by the participant are organised and communication is flowing between myself, NDIA, and our participant’s service providers then I find everything runs quite smoothly for everyone. Also, I believe complaints must be dealt with and rectified with importance immediately to ensure the continuance of effective communications between all parties and the participant’s services.

DB – We’re guided by how our person would like us to manage the networking that happens around them. Speaking from lived experience, our capacity to respond, and the level and type of support we need, fluctuates and changes along our recovery journey.

For some people, working collaboratively with all of a person’s supports on things that they’ve defined as important to them can work really well. Other people feel safest and most supported when all communication goes through them directly. It’s important to note these dynamics can change over time, so it helps to check in when it feels like things are changing. Whatever the case is, the approach is dictated by the person.

Click here for question 6.