How is Specialist Support Coordination different to Support Coordination?

Have you heard about, or been funded for, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Specialist Support Coordination, but you’re not exactly sure how it differs from Support Coordination? Read on to find out more!

What is Support Coordination?

Support Coordination is an NDIS support that strengthens your ability to coordinate and implement your NDIS supports. It aims to build your capacity so you can reduce your reliance on funded supports.

Support Coordination may be funded under the ‘Capacity Building’ budget in a person’s NDIS plan.

What is Specialist Support Coordination?

Specialist Support Coordination aims to reduce any barriers and complexities in the support environment of a person with disability, to support them to achieve their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) goals.

Specialist Support Coordination aims to reduce any barriers and complexities in the support environment of a person with disability, to support them to achieve their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) goals. 

Specialist Support Coordination is similar to standard Support Coordination, in that it supports NDIS participants to:

• implement their NDIS plan
• connect with service providers, and
• build their capacity to navigate the services and supports they need from a range of providers.

Specialist Support Coordination, however, is funded for people who need additional support to implement their NDIS plan, due to their exceptionally complex support needs or high-level risks in their situation. Specialist Support Coordination can help NDIS participants to resolve or prepare for potential crisis situations and will work with a person’s support team and seek specialist advice to manage any risks in their situation.

NDIS participants who may be funded for Specialist Support Coordination include people who:

• have no informal supports (for e.g. family or friends) to support them
• are culturally and linguistically diverse or Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander
• have complex medical needs and/or challenging behaviours of concerns
• require mental health support
• are at risk of homelessness, or
• are involved in the justice system.

Specialist Support Coordinators have specialist training, so they are better placed to support people with disability with a range of complex needs and situations.

A NDIS participant may be funded for both Support Coordination and Specialist Support Coordination in their NDIS plan.

Specialist Support Coordination at Yooralla

Our expert team of Specialist Support Coordinators have extensive experience and training in disability and come from a range of backgrounds including allied health, psychology, speech pathology and social work. They are skilled in working with people with a wide range of disabilities and complex support needs and people from diverse cultural backgrounds; and are responsible, respectful and excellent communicators.

They understand the local community so they can present the best support options to NDIS participants, and they are passionate about empowering people with disability to live the lives they choose.