NDIS Lingo: A Glossary For Your Reference
The term NDIS needs defining in itself, let alone the terminology scattered throughout a plan, provider websites and reports. Perhaps you are a new participant, are supporting someone who is or just landed a job working in the NDIS sector, either way here is an extensive glossary of NDIS terms for you to refer back to. Let us know any we missed!
Accessibility: when the needs of people with all abilities are considered to fully participate. Accessibility includes access to buildings, products, services and information are available on an equal basis and without barriers for all people.
Access Request Form: The document used to apply for an NDIS plan. It provides information about the individual’s disability, how it affects their daily life, and the types of support they need to live independently and participate in their community.
Access Requirements: The supports and services a person with a disability requires to access and participate in their community. This includes physical modifications to buildings and infrastructure, assistive technology, and personal support services.
Advocate: A person or organisation supporting an individual to stand up for their rights and preferences. An advocate can aid individuals navigating the NDIS, attend planning meetings, provide information support complaints, appeals and advocate to protect individual choice and control. In an NDIS context, an advocate for people with disabilities cannot be someone who works at the NDIA, the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission or a registered/unregistered NDIS provider.
Assistive Technology: Devices and equipment that enable people with disabilities to do things they are unable to do, do more easily or safely because of the disability. This includes mobility aids, communication devices, sensory aids, and other types of technology that can improve a person's independence and quality of life.
Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT): An independent body that hears appeals and reviews administrative decisions made under Government law. The NDIS is governed by the Government, therefore participants can appeal decisions made by the NDIS regarding eligibility for support, funding, and services to the AAT. In December 2022, it was announced the AAT will be overhauled and replaced.
Budget: The amount of funding in an NDIS plan based on the person's individual needs and goals determined through the planning process. An individual’s plan budget is split into three categories; capacity building supports budget, core supports budget and capital supports budget.
Capital Supports Funding: Funding used for high cost investments in assistive technology, home and vehicle modifications or Specialist Disability Accommodation. Includes high cost pieces of equipment, one-off purchases you may need and assessment, delivery, set-up, adjustment and maintaining costs of the support. This funding cannot be used flexibly.
Carer Impact Statement / Impact Statement: A one-page document detailing your daily life and all support you provide for someone with a disability as a carer or family member. This can include the amount of time and effort required to provide support, the emotional impact of caring for someone with a disability, and the financial impact on the carer's life.
Capacity Building Funding: Funding that facilitates independence and skill building to help participants achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. This can include training, education, and support services. This funding can be used flexibly.
Change of Situation / Circumstance: Significant events or changes in a participant’s life circumstances to notify the NDIA. Significant changes may affect an NDIS plan. The NDIA identifies changes they should be notified of include; contact details, informal supports, new job, travel, living situation or claiming compensation for an accident/illness related to the disability.
Community Services: Mainstream services and supports provided by community organisations and local government for all people. Supports outside the NDIS available for people with and without disability.
Core Support Budget: Funding for supports and services for everyday activities to maintain independence and quality of life for someone with a disability. It includes consumables like continence care, daily activities like assistance with personal-care, supports to facilitate engaging in social and community participation and transport. This funding can be used flexibly.
Continence Supports: Incontinence occurs when you can’t control bladder or bowel movements. Continence supports are products to manage incontinence, like pads, catheters or support from a health professional for management and learning to use these products.
Early Childhood Approach: Used by the NDIS to support children with disabilities or developmental delays under seven years old. A family-centred, strengths-based approach to provide supports for the child and their family as early as possible to provide supports to have the best possible start in life.
Formal / Funded Supports: Supports and services funded in a NDIS plan provided by trained professionals, such as assistive technology, therapists, nurses and support workers. These supports have been applied for and approved by the NDIA.
Flexible Funding / Supports: Funding for NDIS supports and services that can be used in different ways. When funding is more flexible like in Capacity Building and Core Budgets, the participant can choose what services and supports best choose them.
Fixed Funding / Supports: Funding for NDIS supports and services with a description of what it can specifically be used for. Also called a ‘stated support’, it means this funding is not flexible and must be used for the supported or service stated.
Guardianship / Guardian Support: Someone appointed as a Guardian has the power to make decisions on behalf of someone who needs help making decisions. A Guardian can make decisions regarding personal matters such as living arrangements and health care. They usually can’t make decisions about legal or money matters.
Goals: A participant’s goals are personal desires about what they would like to do. Goals can be used as outcomes that a participant would like to achieve through their NDIS plan, such as skill or relationship building, working, studying or joining social activities now or in the future.
Home and Living Supports: Supports for daily living tasks in a participant’s own home to enable them to live as independently as possible. These supports are part of a Core Support Budget and provided individually to participants.
Home Modifications: Physical changes made to a participant's home to make it more accessible and safer to live in. Includes changes to the structure, layout or fittings.
Informal Supports: Family, friends, or other informal caregivers who provide support to a participant with a disability.
Line Item: A code for a specific support service listed in a participant's plan and how the NDIA categorise these services. It is used by NDIS service providers on invoices to show the NDIA the service delivered and if the funding comes out of core, capitol or capacity building budget.
Local Area Coordinator (LAC): A NDIS partner in the community to help someone with a disability access and understand the NDIS. Local Area Coordinators are a free service not from a plan budget. They may be your NDIS contact person and are involved in the planning, building, implementation and review of a NDIS plan.
Mainstream Supports / Services: Supports and services provided by community organisations or Government funded services like health, mental health and education system. These supports are non-disability-specific organisations obtained outside the NDIS.
Multidisciplinary Team: A team of professionals in multiple disciplines or areas of expertise, such as health and education, working together to support someone on the NDIS.
MyPlace Portal: The online portal participants or their nominee use to access their NDIS information including current and previous plans, messages from the NDIS, upload documents, find service providers, manage payment requests and service bookings.
National Disability Insurance Agency / NDIA: The government organisation responsible for implementing and supporting people with disabilities utilising the NDIS.
National Disability Insurance Scheme / NDIS: The legislation passed by the government to support people with disabilities in accessing supports and services.
Ombudsmen: Independent person who investigates and resolves complaints about government agencies, including the NDIA. If you are unhappy with the outcome of a complaint to the NDIS, you can lodge a complaint with the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Participant: A person with a disability who has met the access requirements. Someone who has an NDIS plan.
Participant Service Charter: A document outlining the NDIA's commitments to participants, including their rights and responsibilities, timeframes for their processes and decision making.
Plan: A document outlining a participant's NDIS-funded supports and services.
Plan Nominee: A person appointed by a participant aged 18 or older to help them manage and make decisions regarding their NDIS plan.
Plan Reassessment: A process and meeting where the NDIA assesses a participant’s plan, if support needs have changed and the plan needs to reflect this. Every NDIS plan has a ‘reassessment date,’ or participants can request a Plan Reassessment if they are unhappy with their plan.
Planner (NDIS Planner): A person who works for the NDIA and helps participants develop their NDIS plan.
Provider, NDIS/Registered/Service Provider: A person, business or organisation that delivers NDIS-funded supports and services to participants.
Quality and Safeguard Commission: A government body that monitors the quality and safety of NDIS-funded supports and services. They are responsible for responding to concerns, complaints and reportable incidents, including abuse and neglect.
Safeguards: Measures put in place to uphold the rights and well-being of participants to receive quality services from NDIS registered providers. The safeguards protect them from harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Self-Managed Funding / Self-Management: Where the participant manages their NDIS funding and has more control and creativity in how it is used. Participants are still able to use NDIS funding to hire someone to assist with financial admin of their plan.
Service Agreement: A written agreement between a participant and their provider outlining the supports and services that will be provided. It is a contract, sating clearly what both parties have agreed to.
Social and Community Participation: A service that may be funded through an NDIS plan to facilitate participating in the community, social or recreational activities that provide a skill-building component and help participant’s in achieving their goals.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA): A type of accommodation designed for people with extreme functional impairment or high support needs often in a group home setting. The accommodation is purpose-built to support, but needs designed to as much independent living as possible.
Workers Screening Check / NDIS Workers Screening Check: Compulsory process for individuals looking to work with people with disabilities to assess whether they pose a potential risk to people they may support.