The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is described as insurance for the nation – insurance that’s helping to build inclusive communities for Australia’s 25 million residents and fund support for more than 500,000 Scheme participants.
A program of the size and scope of the NDIS requires a lot of different people to implement it, and it can be tricky to understand what they all do.
This article outlines five key roles in the NDIS and what they do to support you at different stages in your journey – from when you first discover the Scheme to when you have a plan reassessment.
A planner is a person who works for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and is a delegated decision maker. They determine what funding you’ll receive in a plan.
| Awareness | After you’ve gained access to the NDIS, you’ll be linked with an NDIA planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) to develop a plan in relation to your goals. |
| Planning | If you’re initially linked with a LAC, after they’ve met with you at a planning meeting, gathered your information and submitted it to the NDIA, the LAC and the NDIA planner will collaborate by discussing the information gathered and reviewing any progress reports, quotes, and recommendations provided to determine plan funding. The NDIA planner will also approve your plan. A planner can play the role of a LAC as well. For example, many clients with more complicated supports deal directly with a planner instead of a LAC. |
| Using a plan | NDIA planners can help you to understand and implement your plan if you don’t have a LAC. |
| Plan reassessment | NDIA planners conduct participant check-ins, run plan reassessment meetings, and approve plans. |
If you decide you don’t need a LAC to apply for access to the NDIS, once you’ve met access requirements, the NDIA will either allocate you to a LAC who will send you an invitation to a planning meeting, or you may be allocated directly to an NDIA planner. If you’re allocated to a LAC, you can’t opt out to work with an NDIA planner instead.
Local Area Coordinators (LACs) are people with a deep understanding and knowledge of disability and its impact on individuals, families, and carers.
| Pre-access to the NDIS | LACs hold a range of discussions to help you understand and access the NDIS. They talk to people who haven’t heard of the Scheme, who want to know more, or who want help applying. If you’re thinking about applying for access to the NDIS and are aged seven to 64 years, the first step you can take is to contact a LAC. This is completely up to you. If you’re not eligible for the NDIS or don’t want to apply, a LAC can link you to services in the community (like community centres and volunteer transport services) to help you participate in day-to-day life. |
| Planning | Once you have access to the NDIS, your LAC will contact you to conduct a planning meeting where they will gather information to start creating a plan. They’ll send the plan they draft to an NDIA planner for consideration, and the planner will either approve it or recommend changes. LACs cannot approve NDIS plans, but they can put forward recommendations in a draft. They can also connect you mainstream services to help you participate in day-to-day life. |
| Using a plan | If a plan is approved and you don’t agree with what’s in it, or it doesn’t meet your needs, your LAC can help you to identify your review rights and next steps. A LAC can also help you to understand and implement your plan. |
| Plan reassessment | A LAC will conduct a plan reassessment meeting where you and they will reflect on what’s working well for you, what you’d like to change, and how you can use your NDIS plan to achieve your plan goals. They can help you prepare for a plan reassessment. If you don’t know what your goals are before your plan reassessment, you can develop new goals with your LAC in the meeting. |
Click here to find the closest LAC office to you. There is zero out-of-pocket cost to access their services.
Early Childhood Partners (ECPs) deliver the early childhood approach and are funded by the NDIA. The NDIA’s ECPs have teams of professionals with experience and clinical expertise in working with young children with developmental delay or disability, as well as their families and carers.
| Awareness | ECPs can connect a child, their family and carers to local mainstream and community services like playgroups, childcare providers, parent support groups, education options and recreation. They may also provide practical information about a child’s development. ECPs use observations and information from assessments or reports to understand the impact of a child’s delay or disability – but they don’t complete assessments for diagnosis. They can identify if a child is likely to benefit from early support and, where appropriate, provide a short period of early supports to help a child and their family work towards goals. ECPs can also assist a child’s parent or carer to apply to access the NDIS on the child’s behalf. They can help put together information and evidence to help work out if a child is eligible to access the Scheme. |
| Planning | Once a child and their family have access to the NDIS, the ECP will contact them to conduct a planning meeting where they will gather information to start creating a plan. They’ll send the plan they draft to an NDIA planner for consideration, and the planner will either approve it or recommend changes. |
| Using a plan | If a plan is approved and a child’s family doesn’t agree with what’s in it or it doesn’t meet their needs, an ECP can help them to identify their review rights and next steps. An ECP can also help to understand and implement a plan and connect a child, their family, and carers to mainstream services. |
| Plan reassessment | ECPs conduct plan reassessment meetings where they reflect on what’s working well for a child, their family, and carers, what they’d like to change, and how they can use their NDIS plan to achieve their goals. They can help prepare for a plan reassessment. If the goals are unclear before a plan reassessment, new goals can be developed in the reassessment meeting. ECPs also conduct participant check-ins. |
If you have concerns about your child’s development, you can first speak to your doctor, child health nurse, or other health professional. They’ll help you work out what supports you and your child may need, and they may connect you with an early childhood partner.
A support coordinator is a plan-funded support delivered by NDIS providers (both registered and non-registered).
While a LAC is a starting point if you want to request access to the NDIS, seek help to gather information, or have a plan implemented, if you require extra support, that’s when you may turn to a support coordinator.
A LAC is free, whereas a support coordinator is funded in an NDIS plan and has a stronger focus on capacity building.
| Awareness | A support coordinator comes into the picture later. |
| Planning | A support coordinator comes into the picture later. |
| Using a plan | If a plan is approved and you don’t agree with what’s in it, or it doesn’t meet your needs, your support coordinator can help you to identify your review rights and next steps. A support coordinator may assist you to: • understand and use your NDIS plan to pursue your goals • connect with NDIS-registered and unregistered providers, community supports, and government services • build your confidence and skills to coordinate and leverage your supports |
| Plan reassessment | If you have a support coordinator, they’ll support you in a plan reassessment meeting where you’ll reflect on what’s working well for you, what you’d like to change, and how you can use your NDIS plan to achieve your goals. They can help you prepare for the meeting. If you think your goals need to be reviewed before your plan reassessment, you can develop new goals with your support coordinator. |
To access a support coordinator, you’ll need to have support coordination funded in your NDIS plan. A good NDIA planner or LAC will automatically identify this need when your plan is being developed – however, you may need to request this service to ensure you receive appropriate supports.
If you initially planned with a LAC and you have a plan approved that includes support coordination, your LAC will contact you and ask if you have chosen a support coordinator who you want to work with. If you haven’t, they can assist you to find one.
Here’s some information about finding a support coordinator.
A plan manager is a provider that supports you to manage funding in your NDIS plan. My Plan Manager is Australia’s largest (and leading!) plan management provider.
| Awareness | We come into the picture later, but you may see us out in the local community explaining how we can support you by taking plan management off your plate and letting you focus on what’s important – growing capacity to achieve your plan goals. |
| Planning | Once you have access to the NDIS, your NDIA planner or LAC will discuss plan management with you in your planning meeting. If you tell them you want to be plan managed, they’ll put that forward to for approval by the NDIS. |
| Using a plan | At My Plan Manager, we process your invoices, reduce time-consuming paperwork, and support you to quickly and simply track your NDIS plan spending. We also work with you to maximise your NDIS plan and ensure it includes the important items that really make a difference to achieving your goals. We have a dedicated team of NDIS experts who can advise you on what supports, services and providers you can access through your funding, giving you the confidence and certainty to use your plan. We can also help you to find the right providers and, if ever you happen to run out of funding in one category, we can show you the different categories you may be able to claim from. We can help you to budget your plan to ensure you have supports in place for its entire duration. And we check that providers aren’t charging you more than the rates set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (formerly known as the NDIS Price Guide), which lists the maximum prices that registered providers can charge for specific supports. |
| Plan reassessment | Here’s our advice on how to prepare for a plan reassessment. |
An NDIA planner or LAC will first discuss plan management in a planning meeting once you have been approved to access the NDIS. If you tell them you want to be plan managed, they’ll put that forward for approval by the NDIS.
If you’re already funded for plan management and would like to join My Plan Manager, click here.
If you’re not happy with your existing plan manager, you have every right to change. Click here to switch to My Plan Manager.
If you have any questions, we’ll happily assist. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday to speak with our friendly team.
