The NDIS comes with its own terminology. Enis Jusufspahic provides a guide to common terms.
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an Australian Government body that administers the NDIS.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) introduces a new approach to providing supports to people with disability by funding individuals based on what is reasonable and necessary to reach their personal goals as well as funding community services to enable people with disability to fully participate in their local community.
NDIS plan is an individual’s funded support package which includes details of the person’s daily routine, their goals and funded support services that assist them reach these goals. Sometimes this is also called tier three.
Reasonable and necessary supports for people with disability should: (a) support people with disability to pursue their goals and maximise their independence; and (b) support people with disability to live independently and to be included in the community as fully participating citizens; and (c) develop and support the capacity of people with disability to undertake activities that enable them to participate in the community and in employment.
An NDIS Participant – a person with disability in receipt of a funded individual support package (NDIS plan) or anyone who access Information Linkages and Capacity building (ILC) funded activities.
Pre-planning is the informal process where the person with disability meets with a community based planner to discuss their goals and how to reach those goals using reasonable and necessary supports.
NDIA Planners are skilled workers who meet with the person with disability and their representatives to develop an individual’s plan which includes a budget for reasonable and necessary services and activities.
NDIS Provider is the same as a Registered Provider of Supports. All NDIS service providers are required to meet the relevant state based disability standards until the national standards come into force. This means that in NSW all service providers are required to meet the NSW Disability Services Standards in order to register as provider of supports in NSW.
NDIS Portal is a sophisticated website for both people with disability and service providers. People with disability are able to view their plan’s details and schedule services. Service providers are able to claim payments and make bookings.
Local Area Coordinators (LAC). In the transition phase LACs support people with disability to implement their NDIS plan and after the transition it is envisioned the LACs will undertake most of the pre-planning with people with disability.
Support Co-ordinators provide more intensive longer term support to people with disability to implement their NDIS plan and to build skills to be able to manage their own supports.
Early Childhood Early Intervention Partners are specialised service providers who work exclusively with children with developmental delay under age of 6.
Sector Support & Development Officer (SSDO) works with ageing and disability service providers in order to achieve positive outcomes for clients and the sector.
NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity building (ILC) is designed to support a social model of disability support and reduce reliance on disability-funded support in the future. This includes things such as information, linkages and referrals, to connect people to the right support; building the capacity of mainstream services to engage with people with disability; improving community awareness, inclusion and accessibility; building individual capacity; and local area coordination. Sometimes this is also called tier two.
NSW Department of Family and Community Services Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) is the NSW state department that currently administers the NSW disability support system.
NDIS transition is the process of transferring current state based disability supports clients to an individualised support package under the NDIS.
Compiled by Enis Jusufspahic who is the Sector Support & Development Officer for Eastern Sydney located at Inner Sydney Voice.
For more detail on the NDIS see: An Introduction to the NDIS