Support coordination in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

Strengthening a NDIS participant’s ability to coordinate and implement their supports and participate in the community.

What is Support Coordination?

Support Coordination aims to build the capacity of people with disability, so they reduce their reliance on funded services and supports. Yooralla offers a Support Coordination service, to support you to navigate the NDIS.

Support coordination can include:

• initial assistance with linking participants with the right providers to meet their needs
• assistance to source providers
• coordination of a range of supports both funded and mainstream
• building on informal supports
• and
• developing participant resilience in their own network and community.

Support Coordination is an item that may be funded in participant’s NDIS plan, at a level that reflects their needs. Support Coordination is funded under the ‘Capacity Building’ support category.

What is not part of Support Coordination?

Support Coordination is not rostering of support, or management of the financial component of a person’s plan - it has a specific role in ensuring participants are empowered to select their preferred provider and develop an appropriate Service Agreement. Support Coordination is also not the same as case management in terms of support in times of crisis.  Support Coordination is also not plan management. Plan management is an intermediary that you can appoint to pay your NDIS supports.

Find out more about Support Coordination in Yooralla’s 6 facts about Support Coordination.

There are three levels of Support Coordination.

1. Support Connection

This support is to build your ability to connect with informal, community and funded supports enabling you to get the most out of your plan and achieve your goals.

2. Support Coordination

This support will assist you to build the skills you need to understand, implement and use your plan. A Support Coordinator will work with you to ensure a mix of supports are used to increase your capacity to maintain relationships, manage service delivery tasks, live more independently and be included in your community.

3. Specialist Support Coordination

This is a higher level of Support Coordination. It is for people whose situations are more complex and who need specialist support. A Specialist Support Coordinator will assist you to manage challenges in your support environment and ensure consistent delivery of service.

Find out more about Support Coordination at Yooralla.

If you’re not funded for Support Coordination, but you need support implementing your NDIS plan or at any stage of your NDIS journey, you can contact our Yooralla Connect Team for advice, or get our free guide to implementing your NDIS plan.

Note: This article has been updated from the original article published in September 2015.