To help these children get the support they need, we have established a team of Regional Disability Consultants to help case workers navigate the NDIS.

The consultants are very experienced and skilled in understanding the needs of children and young people with disabilities and developmental delays and have an in depth knowledge of the NDIS. They provide support and guidance to case workers including:

• understanding the developmental or disability needs for individual children and young people
• understanding the eligibility requirements for access to the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) pathway for children 0 to 6 years, and the Disability pathway for children and young people 6 years and over
• gathering the required evidence to support an access request to the NDIS
• pre-planning for NDIS planning meetings to ensure all areas of disability related need will raised with the planner at the planning meeting
• attending NDIS planning meetings for children and young people with complex disability needs
• considering whether a request for a review of the NDIS Plan is likely to result in a better outcome for the child or young person
• interpreting NDIS Plans and understanding how the funding in the NDIS Plans can be used
• equipping case workers with knowledge of the range of services that can be accessed using the NDIS Plan
• ensuring young people with NDIS Plans are supported to transition from care with adequate and suitable support in place post care.

The case worker’s role is to lead all aspects of NDIS access, planning and plan implementation for a child or young person, seeking advice and support from the Disability Consultant when required.

The case worker also works closely with carers throughout this process, who are often best placed to provide important information about the child’s strengths, interests, goals and required disability supports.

Further information about the NDIS process for children and young people in care can be found on the online carer platform.