NDIS Community for participants and providers NSW

30/08/2025

– Thriving Kids Program

What is Thriving Kid

• A new government program starting July 2026 for children aged 8 and under who have mild to moderate autism or developmental delay.
• These children may no longer get an individual NDIS plan.
• Instead, support will be given through schools, health services, and community programs.

Why the Change?

• The NDIS has grown much faster than expected and is becoming expensive to run.
• The government wants to focus the NDIS on people with permanent and significant disabilities.
• Thriving Kids will provide foundational supports for children with lower needs.

When Will It Happen?

• Program starts: July 2026.
• Transition period: 2026–2027.
• By mid-2027, most children with mild to moderate needs will use Thriving Kids instead of NDIS.

What Does This Mean for Families?

• Support will still be available, but in a different way.
• Parents may feel worried:
• Will schools and community services be ready?
• Will there be enough therapy and trained staff?
• Will any children miss out during the change?
• The government says more details will be shared as the program is developed.

Points to Remember

• No child will be left without support during the transition.
• Families should start keeping records of their child’s needs and therapies.
• More information will be given closer to the launch.

21/08/2025

Interesting and informative.

Guidance, stories, research and resources for Autistic people, their families and health professionals.

12/08/2025

My Circumstances Have Changed – What Do I Do?
Sometimes life changes – you might move house, your health changes, or your family can’t help as much as before. If that happens, your NDIS plan might need to change too so it still works for you.
From 4 March 2025, the NDIS has made new rules to make it clearer when and how plans can change.

Two ways your plan can change
1. Plan variation – Small updates to your current plan (for example, new contact details, new goals, or changing how your funds are managed). Your plan stays the same except for those updates.
2. Plan reassessment – Big changes when your needs or goals are very different. You’ll meet with an NDIS planner and get a brand-new plan.

Why you should tell the NDIS about changes
If you keep using supports that no longer match your needs and don’t tell the NDIS, you might have to pay money back.

Things that can change your plan
• New phone number, email, or address
• Changes in family or friends who help you
• New or different disability support needs
• Moving house, overseas, or into aged care
• Change in work or study hours
• Health changes related to your disability
• Long-term travel overseas

When you might need a plan reassessment
• Your disability affects your life in a new way
• You’re starting school or work
• You’re moving out of home
• You’re losing family or carer support
• Your child under 9 needs new developmental supports

How to tell the NDIS
You can:
• Call 1800 800 110
• Email enquiries@ndis.gov.au
• Fill in a change of details form on the NDIS website
• Post a letter with evidence to GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601
• Visit an NDIS office in person

Tip: If your support needs have changed, you’ll need evidence (like a letter from your doctor). Small updates like a new phone number usually don’t need evidence.

What happens next
• The NDIS looks at your request
• If changes are approved, you get your updated or new plan
• If not, they explain why and tell you your review options
• All updates must still meet NDIS “reasonable and necessary” requirements.

26/07/2025

NDIS Employment Supports

Do you want to work, earn money, or build job skills?
If you have a goal in your NDIS plan related to finding a job, getting work experience, or building career skills, the NDIS can help.

What supports are available?

NDIS can support you at every stage – from preparing for work, getting a job, staying employed, and growing your career.

Supports might include:
• Help exploring job interests and career pathways
• Skills training (e.g., communication, getting to work on time)
• On-the-job support (e.g., coaching or personal care)
• Help transitioning from school or Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE)
• Job planning and counselling

Where can you use these supports?

You can receive support in many work settings, like:
• Government or private workplaces
• Social enterprises or your own small business
• Volunteering roles or ADEs

Types of NDIS Employment Supports

1. Core Support – Supports in Employment

Funded under Core: Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation

For people who need regular support at work. Examples:
• Help with personal care during work (e.g. eating or toileting)
• Coaching and reminders to stay focused
• Learning workplace skills (e.g. how to dress or talk with others)

2. Capacity Building – Finding and Keeping a Job

Funded under Capacity Building

Helps build skills for future work. Includes:
• Work experience and part-time jobs during school
• Training and communication skills
• Career planning or changing jobs
• Support with mental health or disability-related barriers

Note: School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) are being phased out by 2027 and replaced with Employment Assistance.

Other Helpful Supports
• Employment assessment and counselling: Helps you understand your strengths and plan your career. Delivered by professionals like OTs or speech pathologists.
• Support Coordinator or Recovery Coach: Can help you find work options, manage stress, and coordinate services.

What NDIS Does Not Fund:

NDIS won’t pay for:
• Government employment services (like DES)
• Workplace adjustments (e.g. ramps or assistive tech)
• Employer responsibilities (like job training or travel to work)
• Business costs (e.g. bookkeeping or startup fees)
• School work experience or textbooks

How to Get These Supports in Your NDIS Plan

At your NDIS planning or review meeting:
• Talk about your work goals
• Bring employment plans (from school, DES, or ADE)
• Include assessments from therapists if you have them

07/07/2025

Saturday, 31 May 2025: Virgin Australia and Adelaide Airport have today announced the official launch of the ‘Try Before You Fly’ (TBYF) program, committing long-term to an initiative that provides people with disability and other health conditions the opportunity to experience flying who would ...

27/06/2025

Improved Relationships Funding – What You Need to Know

What is it?
The Improved Relationships budget helps people with disability build social skills, improve communication, and develop healthy relationships. It’s part of the Capacity Building budget.

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Key Differences: Legacy Plans vs. PACE Plans

Legacy Plans PACE Plans
One category: Improved Relationships Split into two categories: • Relationships (social skills) • Behaviour Support (managing behaviours)

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What Can This Funding Cover?

Relationships (PACE Plans):
• Help finding the best way to communicate
• Understanding social cues (e.g. tone, facial expressions)
• Practicing social skills in real-life situations
• Joining programs or groups to boost confidence

Improved Relationships (Legacy Plans):
• Social skill development for home, school, work, or community
• Behaviour assessments and strategies by a behaviour support practitioner

✅Important: Behaviour assessments can only be done once the right funding is approved. They can’t be claimed from other budgets like Improved Daily Living.

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Social Skills Examples (All Plans)
• Practicing conversations
• Attending groups with support
• Learning how to read social cues
• Managing difficult social situations
• Building confidence in steps (e.g. short meetups → regular groups)

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Things to Remember

• This funding is usually stated, meaning it must be used for exactly what your plan says (not flexible).
• The NDIS won’t pay for general entry fees, tickets, or memberships – but will support you to build skills to join those activities.
• Providers need to meet specific registration and rate requirements – they should check with NDIA.

If you’re switching to a PACE Plan and need both social skills and behaviour support, make sure to mention this at your planning meeting so both are funded separately.

26/06/2025

NDIS Changes – June 2025 Update

The NDIS is making major changes this year. These updates affect how plans are created, how funding works, and how supports are approved. Some changes are already in place, and others will be introduced gradually over the coming months and years.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what’s changing:

1. Funding Periods – Already Started (From 19 May 2025)
• All new and reviewed NDIS plans now have funding periods.
• A funding period is a set time (like 3 months) where only part of your funding is made available.
• This means you won’t get your full budget all at once anymore.
• Funding is divided into components (used to be called “budget categories”).
• You can only spend the money that’s available in the current or earlier funding periods—not future ones.
• The goal is to help participants avoid overspending or underspending.

2. Annual Price Changes – Starting 1 July 2025
• New price limits are based on the 2024–2025 Annual Price Review.

• Some therapy supports will have lower price caps because they were found to be overpriced.

• Extra pricing (called “price loading”) for physio and psychology will be removed in WA, SA, Tasmania, and NT.

• Therapists will be able to claim less for travel costs.

• Price limits will increase for Level 1 Support Coordination and psychologists in NSW, VIC, QLD, and ACT.

3. New Planning Framework – Now Rolling Out
• The NDIS is switching to a new planning process for more personalised and flexible plans.

• This affects how people join the NDIS, how needs are assessed, and how budgets are set.

• The rollout will take around 5 years.

• If you’re new or getting your plan reviewed, you’ll get a new framework plan.

• If not, you’ll stay on the old system for now.

Support Needs Assessments – Starting September 2025
• A new way of assessing what support you need—not just your disability level.

• This will help decide your NDIS budget.

• It’s currently being tested and will begin rollout in September 2025.

• These are items you can request instead of something already in your plan.

• For example: a smart device or household item.

• Even though these aren’t usually funded, they might be approved as a replacement in certain cases.

• You must apply, and NDIS must approve it before purchase.

• Must be paid from your existing budget and meet specific rules.

6. Impairment Notices – Already Started for New Participants
• Replaces the old “access decision letter.

• Lists the disability or condition that qualifies you for the NDIS.

• All new participants now get this document.

• Existing participants will get one when they switch to a new plan.

• It links your supports directly to your listed impairment—only supports related to this impairment can be funded.

17/06/2025

We’ve published the updated NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, following the release of the 2024-25 Annual Pricing Review recommendations.

It is designed to support participants and disability support providers to better understand how pricing decisions are made.

We’ve made further updates in addition to the Annual Pricing Review recommendations. These include:

✅ Changing the early childhood age limit from 7 to 9 years old.

✅ New text added to explain provider responsibilities and a provider’s duty to declare and manage any conflict of interest.

The updates will come into effect on 1 July 2025.

Learn more at 💻 https://ow.ly/RQgF50W9PYk

08/06/2025

Understanding Mental Health Support Through the NDIS

Did you know that nearly 1 in 2 Australians will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives? If you have a disability caused by a mental health condition, you might be wondering what the NDIS can help with—and what it can’t.

Let’s break it down simply.

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✅ What mental health support can the NDIS pay for?

The NDIS helps people with a psychosocial disability—that means a long-term disability caused by a mental health condition like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression.

The NDIS can fund non-clinical supports. These are services that help you live more independently and take part in everyday life, like:
• Working with a psychosocial recovery coach
• Building your daily living skills
• Learning how to manage emotions and relationships
• Joining community, social or cultural activities
• Getting help to organise supports (like through a support coordinator)

So, think of it this way:
👉 NDIS = building skills, independence, and daily functioning
Not treatment or diagnosis.

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❌ What the NDIS does not pay for

The NDIS doesn’t cover clinical mental health treatment—this is the job of the mainstream health system, like your GP or mental health services.

This includes:
• Seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist for diagnosis or treatment
• Medication or therapy for anxiety, depression, or PTSD
• Mental health hospital stays
• Early intervention therapy for kids or teens
• Drug and alcohol rehab services

If you need treatment, you’ll need to go through the health system, not the NDIS.

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❓ What’s the difference between clinical and non-clinical support?
• Clinical = diagnosis, treatment, therapy
(e.g. therapy sessions for anxiety or depression)
• Non-clinical = emotional support, skill-building, and daily help
(e.g. working with someone to learn routines or manage stress better)

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🧠 Does the NDIS fund psychology at all?

Yes—but only for non-clinical purposes. For example, if you’re seeing a psychologist to help with life skills, emotional regulation, or managing relationships, the NDIS might cover this if it supports your psychosocial disability.

If you’re getting therapy for depression or anxiety only (without a disability), the NDIS won’t pay, but Medicare can help.

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📋 What is a Mental Health Treatment Plan?

If you don’t have an NDIS plan (or you need treatment as well), your GP can give you a Mental Health Treatment Plan.

This plan lets you get Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist or other mental health professional—up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions per year.

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👍 Can I have both a Mental Health Treatment Plan and the NDIS?

Yes! Many people use both.
They work together to support different needs:
• Use the Mental Health Treatment Plan for therapy and treatment
• Use the NDIS for help with living your life, managing day-to-day things, and building independence

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💬 In summary:

Type of Support Funded by NDIS? Funded by Health System?
Therapy or diagnosis ❌ No ✅ Yes
Psychosocial recovery coaching ✅ Yes ❌ No
Help building life skills ✅ Yes ❌ No
Medication and psychiatric care ❌ No ✅ Yes

If you’re not eligible for NDIS mental health support, help is available from:

Your GP
Community mental health services
Medicare Mental Health, a free service connecting you with supports
Beyond Blue, Lifeline and other helplines that offer immediate support and referrals
Community-run peer support groups
Private Psychologist or therapist

25/05/2025

The NDIS works together with mainstream and community supports to help people with disability live a full life, but it only funds things that are directly related to the person’s disability.

What are mainstream and community supports?

• Mainstream supports come from other government services, like GPs, hospitals, Medicare, schools, and JobSeeker.
• Community supports come from local groups like churches, councils, sporting clubs, and charities.

These supports are for everyone, not just people with disability.

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What does the NDIS fund?

The NDIS only funds supports that are directly linked to your disability and meet the “reasonable and necessary” rules.

Examples of what the NDIS can fund:
• Support workers to help you at social or community activities
• Special equipment or changes to equipment
• Help building skills (e.g., cooking, travel, social skills)
• Transport to activities if public transport isn’t suitable

Examples of what the NDIS does not fund:
• School fees, textbooks, or uniforms
• Everyday medical costs (like GP visits or medicine)
• General mental health treatments or education services
• Social activity fees or your support worker’s entry ticket

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How NDIS budgets help with social and community access?

• Core Supports: Can pay for a support worker to help you attend community activities (but not the entry fees).
• Capacity Building:
• Improved Daily Living: Helps pay for therapies to build life skills.
• Increased Social and Community Participation: May pay for things like art or sports classes to help you build confidence and independence (must be approved).

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Other support programs outside the NDIS

• Companion Card: Lets a carer enter events with you for free.
• Kids vouchers: Help pay for sports or creative activities for children (like NSW Active Kids).
• Grants and subsidies: Some charities offer extra help with equipment or activities (e.g. Variety, Morris Fund).

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Who to talk to for help

• Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or Early Childhood Partner
• Support Coordinator
• Local councils, community centres, or websites can also connect you to helpful programs.

20/05/2025

The NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) is introducing a new way of releasing funding in NDIS plans.

What’s changing?
• From 19 May 2025, new and reassessed NDIS plans will release funding in 3-month periods instead of giving the full 12-month amount upfront.

Why this change?
• To help participants manage their budgets more easily.
• Based on feedback that getting all the funds at once made it harder to avoid overspending or running out early.

Important points:
• The total plan funding stays the same — only the timing of access changes.
• If participants need more or different supports, they can ask for a plan change.
• This only applies to new or reassessed plans — if your plan isn’t changing, nothing changes for you right now.
• The NDIA will discuss each person’s situation during plan reviews to ensure they get what they need.

You can learn more here: NDIA funding update

20/05/2025

Does the NDIS fund respite care?