Tips for excellent NDIS report writing

Provider reports are powerful devices in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that can make or break funding requests. Delivered well, they can demonstrate to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) where a participant’s at and the impact their disability has on their daily life – and they can assist with securing funding for supports that allow people to live as independently as possible.

So, what does that mean for you? Well, put simply, preparing A-grade reports in a complex ecosystem where change is a constant is a huge responsibility. But NDIS providers do incredible work, and we know you’re more than ready to step up to the plate to support your clients.

The NDIA doesn’t have a template for provider reporting, but there are tips for crafting documentation to support the best outcomes for individual participants – as Linda Grant, one of our Community Engagement and Partnerships Managers, explains.

Previously a support coordinator and a delegate at the NDIA, Linda has seen hundreds – if not thousands – of provider reports across the years, so she’s well placed to offer up guidance drawn from the ones that worked and the ones that didn’t.

If you’re a provider looking to sharpen the vital skill of report writing, be sure to consider Linda’s insights before drafting your next report.

When's a provider report required?

The NDIA uses evidence to support decisions when allocating funding for NDIS supports, and provider reports often hold the key to providing that evidence. It’s a reasonable expectation that providers of most capacity building supports will report on supports delivered and progression towards – or achievement of – a person’s goals, as well as providing recommendations for the future. These reports are generally requested when a participant has an upcoming plan reassessment, or if they’re alerting the NDIA to a change in their circumstances.

Reports are also required when Level 3 and 4 assistive technology and home modifications are needed.

With stricter spending rules now in place in the NDIS, provider reporting is more essential than ever to ensuring specific supports are included in a participant’s plan.

We explore how participants can secure the funding they need here.

The NDIS support catalogue indicates when report writing is in and out of scope.

What should providers outline in a report

Including the information below in a report can help to paint a clearer picture of the participant and pitch a stronger case for the funding and supports they need.

• Capital supports – what assistive technology (equipment) and home modifications might they need?
• How have they progressed towards achieving their current goals?
• Recommendations about future supports - what else is needed to build and maintain independence?

Reporting structure is vital too and can influence the NDIA’s funding decisions. Be sure to clearly:

• articulate the link between the participant’s goals, the supports delivered, any barriers to success, and outcomes achieved
• identify recommendations for ongoing needs, including both risks and benefits for the participant (recommendations should consider informal, community, and mainstream services, as well as NDIS funded supports)
• refer back to the Objects of the NDIS Act

Can you tell us about the importance of outcomes versus outputs?

The NDIA requires providers to think about and document instances of support in terms of outcomes, not outputs. An output details an instance of support, such as ‘Carly went to the city and had a coffee’, whereas an outcome details the result of an activity and its impact. An example is below:

“Carly went into the city today. She ordered a coffee and paid for it herself. She needed prompting to wait to receive her change. Outcomes included increasing money handling skills and the opportunity to develop social skills in her community.”

Why is objective language so important?

Using objective, rather than subjective, language to communicate observations in provider reports is vital!

Subjective information includes personal perspectives, feelings and opinions, whereas objective language is factual and impartial.

Subjective language can look like this:

• Carly felt that she had progressed towards her goals.
• As Carly’s support worker, I think she's more social.
• Carly had a good day and enjoyed the cooking class.

Objective language looks more like this:

• Carly independently caught public transport and met her support worker at the coffee shop.
• Carly approached the café assistant on her own and ordered her own coffee. She did not require assistance from the support worker to complete her order.
• Carly followed instructions in cooking class and cooked her own meal.

What do providers need to know about using key NDIS phrases?

The Agency uses key phases in the objects and principles of the NDIS Act and its reasonable and necessary criteria. These key phrases include:

• ‘Increase social and community participation’
• ‘Independent living skills (e.g. cooking, cleaning, money management)’
• ‘Live as autonomously as possible’
• ‘Increase independence to’
• ‘Build capacity to’
• ‘Sustain informal supports/strengthen sustainability of informal supports’
• ‘Increase choice and control/self-determination’
• ‘Improve health and wellbeing/support and maintain wellbeing’
• ‘Maintain home environment’
• ‘Maintain support relationship’
• ‘Daily living skills’
• ‘Increase economic participation’

Using these key phrases, where relevant, can create a stronger report that communicates to the NDIA in the Agency’s own language that’s tied to its principles.

Are there any other things to consider?

Reports should be written in plain English without jargon and clinical language. They should be easily understood by the participant, their informal supports, and the NDIA representative. Don’t assume the NDIA representative has a specialist background or understands complex industry speak!

Reports need to describe the positive or negative impact of the service, support or equipment on the person’s ability to live an ordinary life – in language that’s understandable to anyone.

Also consider these points:

• Does the report focus on functional impact of the support on the participant’s life?
• Do you have evidence to support your report (like case notes, rosters, assessments etc)?
• Does your report justify how funds have been spent, mapping incremental targets and achievements with each instance of support?
• If progress towards the participant’s goals has been slow or difficult to achieve, does the report describe why? E.g., difficulty securing housing, time spent in hospital etc.
• Are the report recommendations at the forefront of the document?
• Does the report address the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria and take a lifetime approach to minimise support costs over a participant's lifetime through an early intervention approach?

Provider reporting is a vital tool in NDIS, and we hope Linda’s tips have added value. If you want to know more, be sure to check out NDIS provider reporting 101.