NDIS Funding
Calm and Connected see a number of children under NDIS plans. We often get a number of questions so we hope that this page can be of resource to families!
Don’t have a plan yet or have a review coming up?
It can be very useful to go into your planning meeting prepared. This includes knowing what goals you want your child to acheive for the year, what services you would like, and how much they cost. Give us a call and we can put together a summary quote which outlines the services that you would like included in your plan, what headings they come under and why attending would be of benefit for your child to meet their goals.
There are 3 different ways that families can have their NDIS funds managed:
- Agency Managed; the organisation puts the claims through and manages the funding that you allocate to them
- Plan Managed; the organisation sends invoice to a plan manager to pay. This is an additional service that is added to your plan (and is different to a support coordinator!)
- Self Managed; the organisation sends invoices to the family who then claims the money from NDIS to pay the organisation.
We have explained below how we work for each of the different types of NDIS funding management.
Costs:
Our costs for therapy sessions are slightly higher for NDIS families. This is due to the high amount of admin requirements placed on our organisation by being a registered provider with NDIS. We ensure that our prices meet the NDIS price guide and are confident that we provide a very comprehensive service to families. All the costs are discussed with families upfront so you know exactly what to expect from our therapy service.
How can my funding be used?
See the bottom of this page for examples of what families have used their funding for with us. We offer lots of weird and wonderful programs that are often outside the norm of therapy providers, so it can be helpful to see what this may look like across the year.
Do I need to give a copy of my plan?
You don’t have to give us a copy of your plan if you don’t want to. Though for agency managed we will need certain details to put through a service booking (explained below!). It may be helpful for us to see a copy of your plan to help you understand it, or to view the goals.
One of our therapists Emily has written this blog post ‘Tips for Navigating the NDIS’ based on feedback we have been given from families. Check it our here: http://calmandconnected.com.au/navigating-the-ndis/
Agency/Organisation Managed
Whats the process?
- Get in touch with us and have a discussion around what therapy, groups or camps that you would like to sign up for
- We put together a Service Agreement, which is required by NDIS. This just outlines what amount of funding you would like allocated to us and how you want us to use it. This can be done at the first session with the help of your therapist if you are not sure what is most suitable for your child.
- Book in a first appointment, or complete the online application forms for the group/camp you want your child to join
- We complete a service booking in the portal for the amount of funding that has been written in the service agreement
- After each appointment or group we claim the money through the NDIS portal
What are Calm and Connected registered for?
CB Daily Activities: this is the therapy amount in your plan and can be used for individual sessions, groups, therapy intensive camps, therapy assistant sessions, and functional assessments.
Increased Social and Community Participation; this can be used to access our group and camp programs to support children to engage in social activities.
What details are needed from your plan?
For us to set up a service agreement and booking in the portal we need the following:
- Child’s date of birth
- Plan start and end date
- NDIS number
- Amount of funding to be allocated to Calm and Connected and which line item it will come under
You can share your plan with us by logging into the NDIS portal and giving us permission. If you don’t want to share the plan, make sure that this is saved as your preferred option in the portal. Or you can send it to use via email or give to the therapist in your next session.
Who can help?
When starting out with NDIS it can all get a bit confusing.
- Give us a call to see if we can help you understand your plan and where funding can come out of for our programs
- For new families it may be worth seeing if you can get Support Coordination built into your plan as they can help you navigate your plan, especially when you have multiple services or providers involved.
- Give NDIS a call
- Contact an advocacy service to help you navigate
Plan Managed
If you are plan managed then you have a Plan Manager built into your funding package. This is a person that helps you manage your funding and pays the invoices.
Whats the process if I am Plan Managed?
- Get in touch with us and have a discussion around what therapy, groups or camps that you would like to sign up for
- We put together a Service Agreement, which is required by NDIS. This just outlines what amount of funding you would like allocated to us and how you want us to use it. This can be done at the first session with the help of your therapist if you are not sure what is most suitable for your child.
- Book in a first appointment, or complete the online application forms for the group/camp you want your child to join
- We complete a service booking in the portal for the amount of funding that has been written in the service agreement
- After each appointment or group we send an invoice to your plan manager to pay
Self Managed
What’s the process if I am self managed?
- Give us a call to book in individual therapy, group or camps
- Complete the relevant online group/camp booking forms and pre therapy questionnaire
- Complete a Service Agreement
- Sign up to our direct debit payment service
- If you let us know that you are self managing then we send you an invoice after the appointment and give you time to claim and pay the invoice. You are still required to sign up to our direct debit service as the family is liable for any therapy charges if invoices aren’t paid due to mismanagement of funds.
- If you prefer to not let us know that you are self managing your funds then we use the direct debit service to charge your account following the appointment.
Examples of Funding Use
As we offer quite a range of programs there are alot of different combinations that families can decide to use their funding for. We have put just a couple of options here, though give us a call and we are more than happy to tailor the service to your child’s goals, family lifestyle etc.
Example One; Individual therapy
This can be in the form of school, home, clinic or community sessions. Families often go for a combination of these depending on the goals.
- It may be that one term we focus on building the supports at home and then the next term we do a program at school. Or if there needs are high we might have sessions at home and school.
- The focus may be on community access so sessions can be in the shopping centre, park or wherever the goals are based.
- Sessions with support workers to train them in using the therapy techniques, or how to manage behaviours when they are with your child.
- We have families opt for sessions with our therapy assistants to help practice strategies in between therapist sessions. These can be a great option for community based goals, expanding the child’s relationships with other people, or when there isn’t as much funding to pay for regular therapist sessions.
Example Two: Groups
- Groups can be a great way for kids to practice strategies in the context of fun activities with peers their own age. Whether the focus is practicing regulation skills so they can stay in a group, or to practice social skills.
- Groups can allow for therapists to see how they function with other kids to provide realistic strategies for school and other group situations. This can be especially useful if school visits aren’t an option.
- It is completely fine for kids to come to our groups/camps only and not access our individual therapy as well. Families are welcome to speak to the therapist running the group before, after or during the week between sessions to learn about the strategies used. A report can also be provided on request if it is not built into the group your child is going to.
Example Three: Combination Groups and Individual
- Individual sessions allow therapists to assess the child and determine specific strategies that are going to support them best. This allows the therapist to build the families knowledge of how to progress with goals. Having this knowledge prior to groups can be very useful as it allows the therapist to put the child’s specific plan into practice during the groups. It also allows for more opportunity for therapists to feedback to parents what was helpful or not for their child if a follow up home visit is booked in.
- A combination of groups and individual therapy can have the benefit of allowing the therapists to support them across different contexts and modify strategies to suit the child based on the context. It can also help for kids to feel comfortable in a 1:1 situation to build their confidence before going into a group setting.
Example Four: Camps only
- Camps are an opportunity to receive a very intensive bout of therapy in a short period of time. They allow our therapists to get to know your child very well as we can see them over 3-4 days. This often results in the recommendations we give being very practical as being with your child for that period we know whether they work in the situation and if they can actually be done.
- Camps often allow us to see what families describe are the real issues. We frequently hear parents say that their child doesn’t show the behaviours in individual therapy sessions or school but they happen at home. So since they are with us for camp for a few days the behaviours come to the forefront which allows us to see exactly what parents are trying to explain and helps us to unpack that for them.
- Camps can be good for kids to see that other children also have the same problems as them. It is common feedback that kids say ‘I didn’t realise I am not the only one that finds … hard’. It is also a helpful reflective tool for those kids that have been on camps before or received therapy with us to see how far they have come when the child sees a new kid come on camp. We have kids say before ‘Is that what I used to be like?’ which can be really powerful for them to own what they have learnt and also then become a support for the other members of their group
- Camps can be great for the families who are super busy and cant fit in regular therapy appointments. Especially kids who have lots of after school commitments or other appointments that they are trying to fit in.
- This can be a great option for families that live in areas where there are limited providers that they can access. We have families travel from all over WA to come to our camps as they can’t typically access therapy that specifically looks at goals for their Childs social, emotional and regulation skills.
- We have had children make significant progress with just attending our camps and no other side long therapy happening. Especially if they attend twice a year, it can be enough for them to feel connected, understood and have a great time.
Example Five: Camps and Individual Therapy
- Having individual therapy alongside camps can help to embed all that the child and therapist has learnt into everyday context. It allows the therapist to take all that they know about the child from the intensive time spent together and be very targeted in what they put into practice at home and school.
- For families that live that bit further away we have skype, phone or other online platforms that can be used for sessions in between camps
Example Six: A bit of everything!
- Coming on camp creates a community among the kids who then also come on our other programs. It is often the same kids that go to camps and our group programs so that they are able to catch up in between.
- On camp the kids get to meet our whole therapy team, so they often become comfortable with anyone in our team. This often gives the families the flexibility of changing between therapists if there are specific goals that they want to focus on. For example they might work with Steph on emotional regulation for a while then change to Laura for feeding goals. This can be good for kids who made need to have therapy changed up to keep it interesting, or to keep parents engaged and on track, or for kids that it is useful for them to learn how to develop relationships with more than one person. It also creates a great buffer that if one of our therapists are on leave and a family needs something, then there is always someone else in the team that knows them really well that can jump in.
- Having camps and groups can often mean that less individual therapy is needed with the child, or that the individual therapy sessions can be used to upskill parents, teachers and community members.
Other options that can be added in:
- Check out our parent workshops, as these are a great way to learn content on the topics our therapists often explain or are using in therapy. They are also a great way to meet other parents and learn tips for how they manage things as well.
