Foster carer guidelines

This fact sheet is the second in a set of resources for authorised OOHC carers about the NDIS. This fact sheet provides key information about the NDIS planning meeting.

The OOHC caseworker referred to in this fact sheet is the Family and Community Services or Non Government Organisation OOHC caseworker that has case management responsibility for the child or young person.

A child or young person’s NDIS plan has two parts:

1. Participant statement of goals and aspirations
2. Statement of participant supports

The statement of goals and aspirations is prepared by the participant, or if they are under 18, by the child’s representative. For children and young people under Parental Responsibility of the Minister, the OOHC caseworker, carer and child or young person will need to work together to develop the statement. The statement needs to describe the goals, objectives and aspirations of the participant and their environmental and personal context (social/community and personal relationships).

The statement of participant supports is prepared by the NDIS representative with input from the child or young person, their carer or key family members, OOHC casework staff and available assessments that specifies:

• the general supports (if any) that will be provided; these may include support that is provided by the carer and support delivered through the child or young person’s OOHC case management plan
• the reasonable and necessary supports (if any) that will be funded under the NDIS
• the date or the circumstances in which the NDIA must review the NDIS plan
• the arrangements for managing the funding of supports under the NDIS plan
• the management of other aspects of the NDIS plan.

What types of supports may be included in a participant’s NDIS plan?

The types of supports that the NDIS may fund for participants include:

Home

• Household tasks
• Drop in support
• Home and garden maintenance
• Living skills
• Holiday care
• Prepare for leaving home
• Overnight assistance
• Respite care
• Crisis care
• Home modification design and construction

Health

• Daily personal activities
• Behavioural supports
• Therapeutic supports
• Assistance to access activities
• Mobility equipment
• Gym / personal training
• Dietitians
• Exercise advice
• Occupational therapy
• Help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training

Transport

OOHC carers of children and young people in the Scheme have a responsibility to meet their child’s daily transportation requirements.

However, some children may require additional assistance when the child cannot use public transport or their parent’s vehicle, even if modified, due to their disability.

Carers and their OOHC caseworker will work with an NDIA planner to develop a participation plan outlining their child’s transportation support requirements.

See Transport Fact Sheet

Preparing for Independence

• Personal support
• Service and support coordination
• Social and communication skills
• Daily living and life skills
• Bill payment and budgeting
• Independent  living skills assessment
• Training
• Assistance to develop and achieve goals
• Workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market

Community

• Living skills
• Recreation and social activities
• Shopping
• Assistance to access activities
• Social inclusion
• Attend appointments
• Camps / holidays

Are there supports for the carer in a participant’s NDIS plan?

Each child or young person will have an individualised NDIS plan that is tailored to their goals, personal circumstances and disability support needs. The types of supports that the NDIS may fund that may have direct or indirect benefits for you as a carer include:

• personal care to support an individual in your home or the community
• supports to assist the child or young person with disability to enjoy social and community interaction without relying solely on you as their carer
• assistance with tasks of daily living, including help to improve your child’s ability to do things
• supported employment services and help for young people to move to work programs that prepare them for work
• training related to the caring role that may enhance your ability to provide care.

For further information about NDIS planning process, including reasonable and necessary supports, see www.ndis.gov.au/participants/creating-your-plan and/or Developing your First Plan Fact Sheet.

What types of supports are not covered under the NDIS?

Supports are not likely to be covered by the NDIS if the support or service:

• is not related to the participant’s disability
• duplicates other supports already funded by a different mechanism through the NDIS, for example you can’t access two different services for the same therapy.
• relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s support needs, or
• is likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others.

What will DCJ remain responsible for?

DCJ remains responsible for:

• statutory child protection services required by families who have entered, or are at risk of entering, the statutory child protection system
• general parenting programs, counselling or other supports for families at risk of child protection intervention and to the broader community, including making supports accessible and appropriate for families with disability
• funding or providing OOHC or support to carers of children in OOHC where these supports are not additional to the needs of children of similar age in similar out-of-home care arrangements.

What information needs to be taken to the NDIS planning meeting?

All relevant information, evidence, reports and plans including Health Management Plans and Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) case plans should be taken to the meeting.

For children or young people in the Parental Responsibility of the Minister, it will be the role of OOHC casework staff to work with the carer to collect relevant materials and take them to the meeting. This includes drafting the Participant Statement of goals and aspirations, listing the current supports the child or young person currently receives, including day to day carer supports and consideration of the aids, equipment and modifications the child or young person might require over the next 12 months.

Children and young people currently receiving NSW direct disability supports will receive an information pack with their latest assessments and plans relating to their disability. For children or young people in Parental Responsibility to the Minister, the OOHC casework staff attending the NDIS planning meeting should receive a copy of this information pack.

Who can attend the planning meeting?

Your OOHC caseworker will include you in making this decision.  The meeting will include the NDIS representative, the OOHC caseworker, you and where possible the child or young person. You and your caseworker may also invite other important people in your child’s life who can provide valuable input to their NDIS plan. This may include people such as the Local Health District OOHC Coordinator, Occupational Therapist, teacher or support person.

What is Support Coordination and Plan Management?

Responsibility for ongoing tasks related to engaging and coordinating disability supports under an NDIS plan is best undertaken by an NDIS Support Coordinator to ensure carers and caseworkers can focus on their core role for the child or young person.

During the NDIS planning meeting with the NDIS representative, Carers, and OOHC casework staff should request Support Coordination to be included in the child or young person’s NDIS plan. It should be explained to the NDIS representative that they will not be in a position to provide coordination of disability specific supports or be best placed for ongoing NDIS plan management.

A Support Coordinator can help implement a child or young person’s plan and manage their supports by:

• understanding and monitoring their plan
• choosing and connecting with service providers
• exploring and linking with community and mainstream services and help coordinating these as required
• navigating the NDIS Participant Portal called ‘MyPlace’.

For further information about support coordination, click here.

Responsibility for ongoing tasks related to managing invoicing and reporting on the expenditure of supports under an NDIS plan is best undertaken by an NDIS Plan Manager.

There are two options for NDIS plan management:

1. Agency Managed: the NDIS pays your support providers directly
2. Plan Management Provider Managed: the NDIS pays your Plan Management Provider who is responsible for managing your funding and paying your support providers.

One of these options needs to be requested during the NDIS planning meeting.

Can we change providers if we are unhappy with the way supports are being provided to the child we care for?

Yes, if you are not satisfied with the supports being provided under the child or young person’s current NDIS plan, you should discuss your concerns with your OOHC caseworker in the first instance.  Carers and caseworkers will need to work together to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for children and young people in OOHC.

For more information about who will represent a child or young person in statutory OOHC, refer to Who will represent a child or young person?

What if I don’t agree with the supports or funds allocated in my child or young person’s NDIS plan?

You should first discuss your concerns with your OOHC caseworker who is responsible for representing your child or young person throughout the NDIS planning process. The caseworker can work with you to raise the issue with the NDIS plan manager, NDIS support coordinator or the NDIA as required.