A support coordinator helps you coordinate your support services and help you to make the most out of your NDIS funding. A participant usually starts working with a support coordinator once their plan is approved. It’s completely up to you to decide which support coordinator you want to use. Your support coordinator will work closely with your plan manager (if you have one) to help you make the most of your plan.
You don’t need to use a support coordinator if you, or your support person, are comfortable organising your own support services.
Support coordinators are a private business, separate from the National Disability Insurance Agency, and are funded out of your plan. If you want to use a support coordinator, make sure you discuss this with your planner or LAC at your planning meeting so they can include support coordination funding in your plan.
Read more about what support coordinators do.
There are three levels of support that can be included in your plan:
Support connection enables you to build a connection with informal, community and funded supports to help you achieve your goals. Specialist support coordination is the highest level of support coordination, for participants with complex situations. A specialist support coordinator will help the participant manage the challenges in their support environment and ensure a consistent level of support.
Which type of support coordination is included in your plan depends on your goals.
Support coordinators need to be NDIS-registered providers so they can’t charge more than the NDIS price guide, depending on the type of support coordination included in your plan.
The latest NDIS price guide lists the maximum amount a provider can charge for a service. If you’re able to negotiate a cheaper price with your provider you can, this means you will be able to get more out of your allocated funding.
The price guide also has other useful information about what you may be able to claim through your NDIS funding and what category you can claim it in.
Everyone has different needs and requires different levels of support, so finding a support coordinator who works well with you is an entirely personal decision. A few key things to look for when choosing a support coordinator:
At My Plan Manager, we like to keep the choice and control firmly in the hands of our clients, so we don’t recommend providers directly. But we can certainly help you find the information you need to make you own decisions about providers. We have put together a list of the top NDIS provider search directories to help you find service providers in your local area.
If you’ve found a support coordination company you’re interested but they are full, it’s worth registering your interest in case a spot becomes available. Also ask around among your family and friends or through online NDIS communities, such as My Plan Manager’s online community Kinora, where people with disability and their supports can build capacity, ask questions, and get advice from other members of the community and expert NDIS coaches. You don’t need to be an My Plan Manager client to join our free online community and it allows you to connect with people in similar situations to get support when you need it the most.
