NDIS: How to translate your plan
There is SO much information about NDIS that it’s overwhelming for many families and they aren’t sure what they need to do or how the system works. Here’s a simple guide to how supports are grouped in a NDIS plan and a translation guide/glossary for how to talk “NDIS speak” which seems to be a whole new language at times! Remember that all supports and services under NDIS should be contributing to the achievement of an individual’s goals. This is why getting your goals right is so important!
Support Purpose
Firstly, funded supports are broken out into 3 broad categories based on what the supports are going to be used for. They are:
- CORE – A support that enables a participant to complete activities of daily living and enables them to work towards their goals and meet their objectives.
- CAPITAL – an investment, such as assistive technologies, equipment and home or vehicle modifications, fundings for capital costs.
- CAPACITY BUILDING – A support that enables a participant to build their independence and skills.
Outcome Domains Secondly, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an outcome based system. If it’s working it should be ultimately helping a person with a disability (PWD) to not need as much support and to be able to function better and live their life more successfully without as much support. So with that in mind under each Support Purpose category there are a total of 8 Outcome Domains which are:
- Daily Living
- Home
- Health and Well-being
- Lifelong Learning
- Work
- Social and Community Participation
- Relationships
- Choice and Control
These Outcome Domains are what a planner will discuss with you when working out what supports you have and where further supports are required.
Support Category (Plan Budgets) Thirdly there are 15 specific support categories that are basically the way that budgets for different supports are broken out into different buckets of money:
- Assistance with Daily Life
- Transport
- Consumables
- Assistance with Social & Community Participation
- Assistive Technology
- Home
- Coordination of Supports
- Improved Living Arrangements
- Increased Social and Community Participation
- Finding and Keeping a Job
- Improved Relationships
- Improved Health and Wellbeing
- Improved Learning
- Improved Life Choices
- Improved Daily Living Skills
Those 15 support categories fall under specific outcome domains and support purpose categories as follows: 
Hopefully that helps you have an idea of how the supports are allocated and what you plan means. Let us know in the comments below if you’d like us to post an article with some specific examples of each of the NDIS supports listed.
GLOSSARY
NDIS – National Disability Insurance Scheme
PWD – person with a disability
Support Purpose – why the support is being used. Is it to help them day to day, invest in something they need or help them develop better future skills?
Outcomes Framework Domain – different area of life where an outcome is expected
Support Category (Plan Budgets) – the different supports that can be allocated to a person with a disability to help them achieve their individual goals.