When you have a loved one who is living with a disability, ensuring that they receive the right support for a better quality of life is naturally your greatest priority. Partnering with an NDIS approved provider is one of the most effective steps to make it happen.
There are over 9,000 active NDIS approved providers helping around 650,000 participants with their disability needs. Knowing what to expect from the journey ahead will give you the best chance of getting the best support for your loved one. In this guide, we’ll answer all of your key questions, such as;
- What should you expect an NDIS approved provider to do for your loved one?
- Which skills do the best NDIS providers possess?
- What tasks can an NDIS approved provider deliver to your loved one?
- How are you expected to help the NDIS approved provider throughout the process?
- How can you get started with arranging NDIS care for your loved one?
What to Expect from an NDIS Approved Provider
Whether searching for an NDIS approved provider or reviewing whether the current solution is right for your loved one, it’s vital that you have clear expectations. Otherwise, it can be very difficult to know if the right decision has been made.
The characteristics, capabilities, and credentials of the NDIS provider should all satisfy your expectations. Here’s all you need to know:
The Relevance of an NDIS Provider’s Services in 2024
All NDIS providers, including non-registered ones, must adhere to the NDIS Code of Conduct. This sets out several guidelines that ultimately focus on working with professionalism, integrity, transparency, and fairness while always seeking the best outcomes for NDIS participants.
However, the National Disability Insurance Scheme conducted a review in 2023 and subsequently released a list of 26 recommendations and 139 supporting actions for improvements. As the loved one of a person living with a disability, you should expect your chosen NDIS approved provider to deliver on these items.
While consulting the full report will provide detailed insights into what is expected of providers in 2024 and beyond, some of the key aspects are;
- A greater focus on functional impairment and how it actually impacts the NDIS participant’s daily life, which then encourages a result-driven approach to care rather than a focus on simply labelling a disability.
- An increased use of foundational supports, which are designed to help people living with disabilities who are not necessarily eligible for NDIS funding. This also reduces the demand for professional diagnoses and NDIS confirmation.
- The suggestion that all NDIS providers should become registered, which will validate their high standards. With a growing need for NDIS carers, NDIS providers are expected to employ and train quality workers too.
- The proposed introduction of an independent pricing model by The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority. This should ensure that services are affordable and fair.
Consequently, then, NDIS providers should show a person-centric approach to disability care while also deploying qualified carers to support NDIS participants and deliver affordable services. When they do, you can be certain that your loved one will receive reliable care that aligns with their needs as well as the latest care capabilities.
The Human Qualities of a Great NDIS Provider
In addition to keeping pace with the latest National Disability Insurance Scheme recommendations, NDIS providers must show that they have the characteristics to deliver the world-class services that Australians living with disabilities deserve. After all, care teams will become a central focus of the NDIS participant’s life. So, carers should be expected to put the care back into disability care.
Regardless of whether your loved one receives at-home care or Supported Independent Living (SIL) services, interactions with carers should be consistent. Therefore, it is fair for you to expect that the NDIS provider will ensure that your loved one is seen by the same small number of carers. As well as building stronger companionship, it allows carers to develop a greater understanding of the participant’s individual needs.
Meanwhile, some of the key human characteristics that you should expect from NDIS carers include;
- A friendly attitude that will put your loved one at ease from the first meeting and lead to the development of strong friendships.
- A positive outlook that can help push the individual to unlock their potential for increased independence.
- Patience and a good understanding of how autism or another disability impacts behaviours.
- Good time management and organisational skills because consistent routines are a key part of ongoing care.
- Adaptability so that they can handle any challenges that may surface when providing disability care to your loved one.
Arguably the most valuable trait, however, is clear communication. It will significantly help your loved one navigate daily life, whether that relates to home care or activities in the community. Moreover, transparency allows you to know more about the care your loved one receives.
Verified Credentials
When selecting an NDIS provider on behalf of a loved one, you need 100% confidence that they are equipped to deliver a trustworthy and reliable service. Verifying their credentials is an essential step towards ensuring that the provider will meet your expectations.
Opting for an NDIS approved provider confirms that they are regulated while also verifying that individual employees have completed an NDIS worker screening. Furthermore, you can be sure that police checks have been conducted.
To ensure that an NDIS approved provider is strongly positioned to deliver the right level of care to your loved one, you should also;
- Ask for proof of mandatory qualifications and peak body memberships relating to the type of disability care offered.
- Check that their carers have driving licences if delivering transportation-based services.
- Verify that insurance coverage including public liability, professional indemnity, and WorkCover are in place.
- Confirm that carers are first aid trained and ready to handle emergencies when a loved one is in their care.
- Ask for further information regarding group homes and other facilities to confirm safety and suitability.
You can check the company’s credentials by conducting online research, which also gives you a chance to read testimonials for further peace of mind. Alternatively, you can discuss this with them on the telephone or via a consultation.
Either way, the right qualifications and credentials show that the NDIS plan will be managed professionally. It is the least that your loved one deserves.
A Focus of Personalised Plans
Around 4.4 million Australians live with disabilities, and every single person has their unique situation. Unfortunately, when people are grouped together and receive generic management plans, the harsh reality is that your loved one may not be supported to their maximum capabilities.
For starters, an NDIS approved provider should be equipped with the knowledge and expertise needed to support the disability or disabilities that your loved one has. Crucially, though, all care should be tailored to help the individual unlock their full potential. Frankly, that will look different from one person to the next, which is why it’s vital to build and manage an NDIS plan that aligns with the objectives of the individual.
As well as covering a wide range of disabilities, disability care can relate to several services. They include, but are not limited to;
- Personal care including hygiene and getting dressed.
- Daily care with medications, food preparation, and more.
- Community participation to boost social lives and independence.
- Domestic care to keep the home safe and clean.
- 24-hour care for individuals with more complex needs.
Personalised plans may also focus on developing life skills for increased independence or in preparation for the work arena. After all, 59% of people living with a disability, including thousands of NDIS participants, are in full-time employment.
Ultimately, your family should expect that an NDIS approved provider will implement a person-centric NDIS plan that reflects the challenges and opportunities surrounding the individual.
A Commitment to Safety
When a loved one is in the care of another person, you entrust them to maintain safe surroundings and situations. Whether the disability causes physical or mental impairment for the participant, an NDIS approved provider should be expected to keep safety as a priority.
As well as safe home surroundings, in residential homes or the individual’s family home, carers should be aware of potential risks in public settings. This could extend to helping the participant find the right mobility scooter or vehicle. Moreover, the NDIS provider must be prepared for behavioural challenges and know how to manage outbursts quickly and effectively.
An NDIS behaviour support plan (BSP) is one of the best solutions as it can;
- Be used to highlight the triggers and early signs of an incident,
- Develop mechanisms to control the situation without needing regulated restrictive practices,
- Identify which regulated restrictive practices will cause the least distress if required as a last resort.
Other issues directly impacting your loved one’s health, ranging from medication to hygiene or nutrition, should be under control too. Health and happiness are key ingredients in the recipe for a better and more dignified quality of life. As such, you should not accept an inferior NDIS provider that does not get this right at all times.
Further Insights
Nobody knows your loved one and how their disabilities impact their life quite like you do. Nonetheless, your knowledge is limited to what you have learnt through their individual experience. When it comes to supporting them, there is so much more to learn. When selecting an NDIS provider, you are turning to an expert in the field. So, you should expect them to provide advice that helps your family navigate the minefield of putting the right features in place.
It’s likely that you will not know all the strategies and techniques for supporting your loved one, but your NDIS provider should be willing to help. Meanwhile, they can help you learn about NDIS assistive technologies capable of adding convenience to your loved one’s daily life.
Your NDIS approved provider may also provide advice on;
- Other schemes that your loved one may be eligible for,
- Community activities that you could enjoy as a family,
- Outlets where you can increase your knowledge,
- Further support like respite care.
Ultimately, you should expect NDIS providers to deliver a comprehensive service that aims to help the NDIS participant holistically. When they do, your loved one will gain the full benefits of the NDIS scheme.
How can You Help Your NDIS Approved Provider?
As a loved one of an NDIS participant, you feel the responsibility to ensure that the NDIS approved provider meets your expectations and will provide the best services. However, your role doesn’t end there.
When the NDIS provider is committed to quality and consistent care that is tailored to the individual, your loved one will be in safe hands. Nonetheless, the process is made far easier when all parties work together. Crucially, it will support a smoother transition for the participants as they begin to receive NDIS funded support.
Your role as a loved one or primary caregiver is very important. Here are some of the steps you can take to support the NDIS provider;
- Prepare all relevant documentation, such as medical records or records of previous support that your loved one has received.
- Familiarise your loved one with the situation so that the prospect of meeting a new carer won’t overwhelm them.
- Conduct a little research into plan-managed and self-managed services to see what you think will be best for your loved one.
- Make a list of the restrictions or challenges that the disability places on your loved one’s daily life.
- Write down the objectives for how you believe disability care services should improve your loved one’s life.
Providing the NDIS approved provider with as much relevant info as possible will certainly help in those early stages. However, it is equally important for you to listen to the advice offered by the provider. They have the experience and expertise to transform your loved one’s life for the better and should expect them to do this. Allow them to do this while still playing an active role in the process and it should lead to fantastic outcomes.
What Assistance Can You Expect from Your NDIS Approved Provider?
First and foremost, an NDIS provider is there to deliver NDIS funded supports to NDIS participants. From domestic assistance to personal care, their services are ultimately designed to improve the individuals’ quality of life with daily benefits. However, they can offer so much more – if you let them.
An NDIS approved provider like Home Caring that is genuinely committed to delivering quality care can assist participants and their families throughout the entire process. Some of the key elements are as follows:
Completing an NDIS Application
Before your loved one can benefit from NDIS funded services, they must first complete an eligibility assessment. This can only be completed by an approved NDIS provider, and is designed to;
- Verify that the disability is included as an NDIS funded condition.
- Assess whether the individual has low, intermediate, and high needs.
- Determine the annual funding that the individual will receive.
While there are three levels of funding, your loved one’s amount will be determined based on a variety of factors. Until you know how much is allocated, it is very difficult to know what NDIS funded supports can be used.
In addition to conducting the assessment, an NDIS provider can help you prepare for it by informing you about documentation requirements. Having already helped hundreds of NDIS applicants, we can help streamline the process to ensure that your loved one gains maximised funding for their needs in the shortest time.
Therefore, you can expect your loved one to receive help far sooner and without stressful delays caused by miscommunication.
Developing an NDIS Plan
Gaining confirmed NDIS funding will provide a solid foundation to build upon. However, the next challenge is to ensure that the right NDIS supports are selected and funds are effectively used. Again, this is an area where an NDIS approved provider should be prepared to help.
A dedicated NDIS plan management strategy should leave all parties feeling clear and confident about the steps to follow. It should answer a variety of questions, such as;
- Which services are most suitable for helping the NDIS participant gain independence and unlock their full potential in relation to the objectives set?
- Where should NDIS services be provided – can the applicant remain in their home or would they be better suited to a group home for SIL care?
- How often are home visits, personal care, or domestic assistance services required – and do primary caregivers need some respite care?
While it makes sense to keep as much of the NDIS support under one roof as possible, an NDIS approved provider can build a plan that incorporates other services if required. Either way, completing a thorough NDIS plan management together at the earliest stage will promote a smoother transition, not least because there will be clear direction regarding the priorities of the service and short to long-term goals.
Ongoing NDIS Management
By now, it should be clear that personalised NDIS plans built around the individual and how supports can actively encourage a better quality of life are among the top expectations. However, this isn’t a task that can simply be ticked off as ‘done’.
As well as reflecting their needs today, the NDIS plan must evolve alongside changing requirements. After all, physical impairments may worsen over age while cognitive decline is another common issue. Meanwhile, life skills can help individuals become more independent, meaning that their needs are reduced. Alternatively, your circumstances as a primary caregiver may change, meaning that the NDIS plan needs to adapt.
Ongoing NDIS management should include regular analysis to;
- Address the need for increased hours or new services,
- Redistribute NDIS funds to more suitable supports,
- Review and reconsider objectives.
It is also a chance to determine whether a new assessment may be needed to help the NDIS participant gain more funding as a result of their changing requirements. Ultimately, it is a key step to helping NDIS providers maintain high standards while simultaneously keeping you in the loop.
What Tasks Should You Expect an NDIS Provider to Offer
When establishing an NDIS management plan, it will be necessary for families and NDIS providers to determine how NDIS funds should be distributed. Once again, you should expect support workers to work closely with you so that this is efficiently handled.
The purpose of the NDIS scheme is to support participants in any aspect of daily life in which their disease causes an issue. This can include homemaking, running errands, and so much more. The NDIS provider should be capable of delivering high-quality assistance in any given aspect. While the list of possible tasks is endless, they fall into three main categories;
- Core supports – basic activities in daily life, which can cover everything from personal care to community participation.
- Capital supports – focused on purchases like assistive technologies that can help your loved one in daily life.
- Capacity building supports – focused on developing skills to navigate daily life or prepare for work opportunities.
When speaking to an NDIS approved provider, they should be able to guide you through their ideas of how NDIS funds can be used across all supports. This helps build a detailed NDIS plan that guarantees a professional service and allows loved ones to build strategies that fit seamlessly into this.
Given that over half of all participants are between the ages of 7 and 35, doing this with a focus on long-term success is particularly important. So, knowing that the tasks can evolve if necessary should be on your agenda too.
Get Your Loved One the Right Help Today
Whatever stage of the NDIS journey your loved one is currently at, teaming up with the right NDIS approved provider will guarantee a smoother path to success. Here at Home Caring, our nationwide NDIS supports for people living with disabilities are fully tailored to the needs of the individual.
We can also support your loved one through every step of the process, including the NDIS application, and developing evolving NDIS plans designed with safety, comfort, and independence in mind. Our goal is to help individuals living with disabilities enjoy a better quality of life and unlock their full potential.
Take the first steps towards getting your loved one the help that they need by contacting us to arrange a full consultation today.
