Having choice and control over your life is very important. Which is why there is huge emphasis on providing participants with more choice and control under the NDIS.
What does ‘choice and control’ actually mean?
Under the NDIS, ‘choice and control’ is a term used to give participants power over the pursuit of personal goals, and the planning, engagement and delivery of supports. This means, you have ‘choice and control’ over where, when and by whom the supports and services you need are provided.
How does choice and control work in your NDIS plan?
An NDIS plan is made up of three support budget types – Core, Capacity Building, and Capital Supports. You might receive funding in all three support budgets or in just one or two of them, depending on your support needs. Your funding will be based on what is considered ‘reasonable and necessary’ for your individual needs to help you pursue your goals.
Core Supports
The Core Supports budget is made up of four categories:
Assistance with Daily Life
Consumables
Assistance with Social and Community Participation
Transport
You can move your Core Supports funding can be moved flexibly between the four categories.
Capacity Building Supports
Capacity Building Supports are designed to build your independence and skill-set to help you pursue your goals.
The Capacity Building Supports budget is made up of nine categories:
Support Coordination
Improved Living Arrangements (or CB Home Living)
Increased Social and Community Participation (or CB Social, Community, and Civic Participation)
Finding and Keeping a Job (CB Employment)
Improved Relationships (CB Relationships)
Improved Health and Wellbeing (CB Health and Wellbeing)
Improved Learning (CB Lifelong Learning)
Improved Life Choices (CB Choice and Control)
Improved Daily Living (CB Daily Activity)
Although your Capacity Building Supports cannot be moved from one support category to another (like you can with Core Supports), within each of the nine support categories you can flexibly engage any approved individual support within that support category to help you pursue your goals.
For example:
If your goal is to ‘learn to move around or walk unaided in order to become more independent’, your plan might include funding for ‘Improved Daily Living’ (or CB Daily Activity). Initially, you may decide to use 75% of your funding on Occupational Therapy and 25% on Physiotherapy. As your plan progresses, maybe decide you want 40% of your funding going towards Physiotherapy instead. You have the flexibility to modify how you want your funding to be divided within each individual category.
Having this kind of flexibility gives you ‘choice and control’ over how you believe your Capacity Building Supports should be used to help you achieve your goals.
Capital Supports
There are only two support categories in Capital Supports:
Assistive Technology
Home Modifications
Capital Supports is the least flexible budget type. Any funding can only be used for its allocated purpose. For example, if funding is given for a hand rail in the bathroom, it must be used for a hand rail in the bathroom.
How Plan Management gives you more choice and control
Engaging a Plan Manager comes under the NDIS Capacity Building Support category ‘Improved Life Choices’ (or CB Choice and Control). Which means if you would like a Plan Manager to take care of your financial and administrative funding needs, it will come at no extra cost to you. Instead, a Plan Manager can simply be included in your NDIS plan.
With a Plan Manager, you can have more choice and control over your plan with access to a greater service provider network of registered and unregistered service providers. Your day-to-day record keeping and financial administrative tasks will be looked after by your Plan Manager so you can focus on what’s important – pursuing your goals.
At First2Care, we work alongside all our Plan Managed participants to make sure they maintain choice and control, understand the ins and outs of their plan, and help them make the most of their plan.
Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.