What role do support coordinators play in assisting their clients to identify and engage with mainstream and community supports, build effective relationships, and measure progress towards goals? How does the work of a support coordinator differ from or complement the role of a local area coordinator in this space?
EH – My current experience is that LACs are unable to assist in any real way in the space of assisting participants to connect with mainstream, community or even NDIS supports – outside of handing over a list of providers and suggesting they do a ring around. This is more due to the current workload that LACs have, and I hope that a review into their role will change this in the future.
As a support coordinator, it is really important to help assist participants and families to engage with community and mainstream services. Most of the time it is reasonably straight forward connections either with a support directly or with a mainstream engagement service to assist with other supports – e.g. housing, medical and education.
There are times however where more intense and direct support to assist a participant or family to connect may be needed – this can include setting up support workers to assist or being present at initial appointments so that the participant or family has someone else to help tell their story and help navigate the issues that disability can cause with ongoing engagement.
Achievements in this area are usually very obvious – the person is either supported to access further support in other areas or there are new connections for that person. One of the biggest things I have noticed when engagement with mainstream and community supports works well is the support a person needs changes.
SC – The role of a support coordinator is mainly to engage with providers that will support people to accomplish their goals – it is person centred.
I have worked as a LAC and I believe a LAC is for community engagement and planning, whereas I only focus on a person’s goals and ensuring we are building relationships with providers that can progress towards their goals.
KR – This is a very grey area as support coordinators are there to implement the NDIS plan, but it takes a lot more time to source mainstream supports.
The LAC will always put the needs of the NDIS before the participant. The support coordinator generally puts the needs of the participants first.
All our support coordinators are well trained and generally are more knowledgeable than the LACs. Our turnaround time is 24 hours – sometimes participants never hear from the LAC, even after they have contacted them numerous times.
ZD – Being a qualified social worker, I am very aware of mainstream, and community supports available not only in my area but also other areas around Brisbane, Queensland, and Australia wide, and how to navigate all government structural systems. I keep in touch with my participants and/or their carers.
DB – It is really important for support coordinators to have a good understanding of, and good networks with, local mainstream and community supports, and to help people to engage with these. In terms of measuring progress towards a person’s goals, it may be that a mainstream service is asked to write a report on the person’s progress at regular intervals.
A LAC may assist a person to connect with mainstream and community supports when a person engages with them at the access or planning phase. A support coordinator can then continue to support a person with accessing and engaging with these supports and can work more closely with a person to build on their strengths and help to overcome barriers that may be getting in the way of access.
