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Suitable for 0-18 years

Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan

Key points

  • Your child’s NDIS plan is a written agreement that outlines your child’s supports, goals and funding.
  • The NDIS planning process has several steps, including a planning meeting with an NDIS representative.
  • You can prepare for the planning meeting by thinking about your child’s needs, circumstances, goals and supports.
  • In the planning meeting, you’ll work with an NDIS representative to develop your child’s NDIS plan.
  • Once your child’s NDIS plan has been approved, you’ll get a copy of the plan.

On this page:

↓What is an NDIS plan?

↓The NDIS planning process

↓1. An NDIS representative contacts you

↓2. You prepare for the NDIS planning meeting

↓3. You have the NDIS planning meeting

↓4. Your child’s NDIS plan is approved and you get the plan

↓After the planning meeting: what happens next?

What is an NDIS plan?

An NDIS plan describes the:

  1. supports and services in your child’s life
  2. goals your child wants to work towards or you want your child to work towards
  3. funding that has been allocated in your child’s plan.

All children with disability or developmental delay need support to grow, develop and thrive, but each child needs specific things to reach their individual goals. This means that you and the NDIS will work together on developing a plan that’s tailored to your child’s individual needs and circumstances.

The NDIS planning process

The NDIS planning process has several steps:

  1. An NDIS representative contacts you to arrange a planning meeting.
  2. You prepare for the planning meeting.
  3. You have the planning meeting with your NDIS representative.
  4. Your child’s plan is approved, and you get a copy of the plan.

1. An NDIS representative contacts you

When your child becomes an NDIS participant, an NDIS representative will contact you.

Depending on how old your child is and where you live, this person will be an early childhood partner, a local area coordinator (LAC) or an NDIA planner.

The NDIS representative will make a time to meet with you to discuss your child’s NDIS plan. The meeting might be face to face, by video chat, or on the phone. The NDIS representative will help you decide whether your child should come to the meeting.

They’ll also tell you:

  • how long the meeting will last
  • what you need to bring to the meeting
  • what you can do to get ready for the planning meeting.

2. You prepare for the NDIS planning meeting

It’s a good idea to do some preparation before the planning meeting. You’ll get a planning booklet from the NDIS to help. You can fill in the planning booklet before your planning meeting, or your NDIS representative can help you fill it in. If your child is older, your child might fill it in themselves.

First, think about your child’s condition and how it affects their daily life. For example:

  • ‘Piper is autistic. She can’t speak, so she gets upset or frustrated when we don’t understand her.’
  • ‘Ajay has cerebral palsy. He can walk sometimes although his movements can be quite jerky, especially when he’s tired. He has had several surgeries and needed a wheelchair afterwards.’

Second, think about your child, who they live with, and who’s important to them. For example:

  • ‘Piper lives with her mum (Jenny) and dad (John) and younger brothers (Brett and Sal). She loves seeing her grandparents most weekends and going to Aunty Rachel’s house.’
  • ‘Ajay lives with his dad (Varun) and his older sister (Su). He loves his teachers and his friends at kindergarten.’

Third, think about what your child does each day and what interests and activities they enjoy. For example:

  • ‘Piper goes to school. She loves purple things and likes being outdoors especially when her parents are close by.’
  • ‘Ajay goes to kindergarten 3 days a week and playgroup once a week. He has a great sense of humour and is the family joker. He loves cricket.’

Fourth, think about your child’s current supports. These include:

  • mainstream health supports – for example, child and family health nurses, GPs, paediatricians and so on
  • mainstream education supports – for example, a preschool inclusion subsidy, a teaching aide at school and so on
  • community supports – for example, playgroups, library services, church or cultural support groups, sports clubs and so on
  • informal supports – for example, the support you give your child, any help you get from grandparent or kinship carers, and so on.

Fifth, think about the supports you and your child might need. For example:

  • Do you think your child needs support to communicate, learn, move, play with other children and so on?
  • Do you need support for your caring role – for example, respite care?

You can write down all this information, plus any questions, in your child’s planning booklet. It’s a good idea to bring this booklet to the planning meeting.

It can also help to write a carer’s statement. This statement explains how your child’s disability or developmental delay affects you and your family. You can write about your other children, your child’s carers, and your own health, wellbeing, financial circumstances and so on. For example:

  • ‘Piper’s mum, Cara, would like to be able to work more. At the moment she works part time so she can care for Piper after school and during holidays.’
  • ‘When we go out as a family, we have to make sure Ajay won’t need to walk too far. This can be frustrating for his sister.’

Your child’s goals are a key part of your child’s NDIS plan. Goals are the things your child wants to work towards with NDIS support and other supports and services. At your child’s NDIS planning meeting, you’ll discuss your child’s goals, so it’s a good idea to start thinking about goals before the planning meeting.

3. You have the NDIS planning meeting

The NDIS planning meeting is between you and your child’s early childhood partner, LAC or NDIA planner.

You should bring:

  • the information you’ve prepared, including your NDIS planning booklet and carer statement
  • information or reports from your child’s health professionals, therapists or teachers, if you have them
  • proof of your identity – for example, a passport and driver licence
  • your bank account details if you’re considering self-managing some or all of your child’s NDIS funding
  • your myGov log-in and password
  • a support person if you’ve decided you want one, like a family member, friend or advocate
  • any questions you have about the process.

In your child’s NDIS planning meeting, the NDIS representative will discuss or ask about:

At the end of the planning meeting, the NDIS representative will explain what happens next.

During the planning meeting, you can ask for a copy of your child’s plan in various accessible formats. These include Braille, electronic text (on CD), large print or audio (on CD). You can also have the plan translated into your preferred language.

4. Your child’s NDIS plan is approved and you get the plan

Once the NDIA has approved your child’s NDIS plan, you’ll get a copy of the approved plan via the myplace portal within 24 hours. You’ll also get a copy in the mail within 7 days.

If you disagree with the supports funded in your child’s NDIS plan, you can ask for a review.

After the planning meeting: what happens next?

Most NDIS plans for children go for 12-24 months before they have a regular plan review. The plan review is a good chance for you to think about:

  • how well the plan is meeting your child’s needs
  • whether your child’s circumstances have changed in the last year

Contact - Including You

We are both receptive and responsive to any contact made by you. We value all feedback, compliments and complaints and will respond to all feedback in a prompt and timely manner with courtesy and consideration.

At Including You , we welcome your feedback as a way to improve the services provided to you. We offer a number of ways to contact Including You and pass on Compliments and Complaints, feedback or suggestions about how we can make our service better.

ABN: 74 168 402 711

ACN: 168 402 711

Phone: 03 8407 0940

Email: [email protected]

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If you have come across any queries regarding the NDIS policy, you are welcome to consult us!

Contact - Including You

For serious illness or injury that is critical and requires urgent attention, call triple zero (000) for an ambulance or go to the emergency department of your local hospital.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help now, you can contact the following services:

  • Lifeline – 13 11 14
  • Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 for young people 5-25 years
  • Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
  • MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78 for men of any age
  • 24/7 Family Violence Support – 1800 015 188
  • Aboriginal Family Domestic Violence Hotline – 1800 019 123
  • 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732

  • Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636

  • QLife (LGBTIQ+ support) – 1800 184 527

  • Carers Australia Support Services – 1800 242 636

  • National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline – 1800 880 052

  • Relationships Australia – 1300 364 277

3RMDS will provide you with a range of services supported by the first NDIS funds to help you achieve your NDIS Plan goals.

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