Clear answers for your NDIS journey.

An NDIS Support Coordinator helps you understand your NDIS plan, connect with suitable providers and coordinate the different services involved in your support.

The assistance you receive will depend on your individual goals, circumstances and the level of Support Coordination funded in your plan. A Support Coordinator may help you:

• Understand your NDIS plan and funded support categories.
• Develop a plan for using your funding effectively.
• Identify providers that meet your needs and preferences.
• Request and compare service options and understand service agreements.
• Coordinate communication between providers and connect with community, health and mainstream services.
• Monitor your budget and service use and identify gaps or barriers.
• Prepare for NDIS plan reassessments and develop contingency arrangements.
• Build your confidence to manage your supports more independently.

A good Support Coordinator should listen, explain information clearly and involve you in decisions. They should respect your right to choose providers and not make decisions on your behalf unless an authorised decision-making arrangement is in place.

The purpose of Support Coordination is to help you exercise choice and control while building your confidence and capacity to manage your supports.

Support Coordination focuses on understanding and implementing an NDIS plan, while Psychosocial Recovery Coaching combines plan implementation with recovery-oriented coaching for people living with psychosocial disability.

Support Coordination

Support Coordination generally helps you establish services, coordinate providers, monitor budgets, address service gaps and prepare for plan reassessments. It may support people with physical, intellectual, neurological, sensory, developmental or psychosocial disabilities.

Psychosocial Recovery Coaching

Psychosocial Recovery Coaching is designed for participants living with psychosocial disability. A Recovery Coach may help you:

• Understand and manage the impact of psychosocial disability.
• Identify strengths, values and recovery goals.
• Establish routines and strategies that support wellbeing.
• Recognise early signs of declining mental health and plan for periods of increased difficulty.
• Connect with mental health, community and NDIS services.
• Build confidence, independence and self-advocacy skills.
• Coordinate supports around your individual recovery needs.

Recovery does not necessarily mean the complete absence of symptoms. It can mean developing a meaningful life, increasing choice and independence, strengthening relationships and learning how to manage challenges more effectively.

The right option depends on your disability-related needs, goals and the supports included in your NDIS plan.

The right NDIS support worker should have the required skills and be someone with whom you feel safe, comfortable and respected.

Before choosing a support worker, consider:

• The activities or tasks you need help with and the experience required.
• Your preferences concerning gender, communication style or cultural background.
• Their understanding of your disability, including relevant experience with autism or psychosocial disability.
• How they respond to feedback, changing needs, routines, boundaries and choices.
• Their availability, reliability, screening, qualifications and checks.
• Whether your funding arrangements require a registered provider.

A good support worker should work with you—not take over unnecessarily. Their support should promote independence, safety, confidence and participation.

An introductory meeting can help you ask questions, discuss preferences and decide whether the worker feels like an appropriate match. You are entitled to provide feedback and, if concerns cannot be resolved, review your service agreement for the process to change workers or end the service.

Preparing early for an NDIS plan reassessment helps the NDIA receive clear and current information about your disability-related needs, goals and supports.

Consider gathering:

• Your current NDIS plan and reports from relevant allied health or treating professionals.
• Provider progress reports and a summary of progress towards your goals.
• Information about changes in disability, health, living situation or support network.
• Evidence explaining why current supports remain necessary and what has not been effective.
• Details of unmet needs, service gaps, significant incidents, risks or periods without support.
• Recommendations for future supports and a proposed schedule or budget where appropriate.

Reports should clearly explain the functional impact of disability, the assistance required, risks without appropriate support, the relationship to NDIS goals, and how recommendations may build capacity, improve safety or increase independence.

Your Support Coordinator or Recovery Coach can help organise evidence, obtain progress reports and prepare a clear summary of your circumstances.

Individualised community participation can build practical skills, confidence, relationships and a greater sense of belonging.

Community participation support may help you:

• Attend appointments and essential community services.
• Use public transport more confidently.
• Join community, hobby, sporting or recreational groups.
• Develop social, communication, planning and decision-making skills.
• Build confidence in unfamiliar environments and reduce social isolation.
• Participate in volunteering, education or employment-related activities.
• Learn to access community services more independently.

Some people may initially need one-to-one assistance, sensory preparation, visual information or support with anxiety. As confidence and skills develop, the level of assistance may change.

Meaningful community participation should reflect the participant’s interests, preferences, culture and personal goals.

NDIS capacity-building supports are intended to help participants develop skills, confidence and independence.

Depending on your plan, capacity-building supports may assist with:

• Managing NDIS supports and providers.
• Developing daily living, social and communication skills.
• Finding and maintaining suitable housing.
• Preparing for employment or further education.
• Improving relationships and positive behaviour.
• Developing organisational and financial-management skills.
• Increasing community participation.
• Accessing assessments, therapy or training.

Capacity-building funding is divided into support categories and generally needs to be used within the category stated in your plan. Available supports depend on your individual plan, goals and approved funding. Check your plan or speak with your Support Coordinator, plan manager or the NDIA if you are uncertain.

Support can improve executive functioning by using individualised strategies for planning, organising, starting tasks, managing time, remembering information and regulating emotions.

Executive functioning difficulties may affect household tasks, routines, appointments, paperwork, meal preparation, money management, transitions, personal care and emotional regulation. These difficulties are not simply laziness or a lack of motivation.

Useful support strategies may include:

• Visual schedules, checklists, timers, reminders and calendars.
• Breaking activities into smaller steps and preparing items in advance.
• Establishing predictable routines and completing tasks alongside a support person.
• Reducing distractions and allowing recovery time after demanding activities.
• Using written, visual or demonstrated instructions.
• Identifying sensory or emotional barriers.
• Gradually reducing prompts as skills develop.

Strategies should be developed collaboratively. Occupational therapists and other appropriately qualified professionals may also help assess functional barriers and develop suitable strategies.

Psychosocial disability describes the functional impact that a mental health condition can have on a person’s everyday life.

A person may experience difficulty with personal care, household tasks, routines, leaving home, social interaction, planning, decision-making, managing stress, employment, relationships, appointments or asking for help during distress.

The impact can fluctuate. A person may manage some activities independently on one day and require significant assistance on another. Helpful responses include:

• Listening without judgement and asking what support would be useful.
• Respecting choices, preferences and lived experience.
• Communicating calmly and clearly without relying on assumptions.
• Supporting predictable routines and recognising early signs of distress.
• Following an agreed wellbeing or crisis plan.
• Encouraging connection with appropriate health and community services.
• Focusing on strengths, goals and recovery.

Urgent support: NDIS providers do not replace emergency or clinical mental health services. If someone is in immediate danger or requires urgent medical assistance, call Triple Zero on 000.

NDIS participants generally have the right to choose who provides their funded supports, subject to their plan and funding-management arrangements.

Before changing providers:

1. Review your service agreement, notice period and cancellation conditions.
2. Discuss concerns with the provider if you feel safe and comfortable doing so.
3. Identify and confirm a suitable replacement provider.
4. Consider whether a transition or handover period is needed.
5. Provide consent before personal information is transferred.
6. Confirm the end date, outstanding invoices or bookings.
7. Update your Support Coordinator, plan manager or other relevant people.

Ask a potential provider about their experience, worker matching, service approach, complaints and incident processes, fees, cancellation conditions and how to end the agreement if it is not right for you.

An NDIS referral should include relevant participant, plan, decision-making and support-needs information so a provider can assess whether the service is suitable.

Participant information

• Full and preferred name, pronouns, date of birth and NDIS number.
• Address, service location and contact details.
• Preferred communication method and accessibility requirements.

NDIS plan information

• Plan dates, funding management, relevant categories and available funding or requested hours if known.
• Plan manager and Support Coordinator or Recovery Coach details where applicable.

Decision-making and consent

• Whether the participant is their own decision-maker.
• Any plan nominee, guardian or Office of the Public Guardian arrangement.
• Consent to the referral and permission to share relevant information.

Support needs

• Disability and functional impacts, NDIS goals and assistance required.
• Preferred schedule, worker preferences and communication, sensory, mobility, cultural or language needs.
• Current supports, emergency contacts, known risks and relevant safety information.
• Behaviour support or restrictive-practice information where applicable.

Only relevant information should be shared. Sensitive information should be submitted through a secure referral process rather than an unsecured general email wherever possible.

Participants and authorised supporters can use the Your Journey Compass online referral form to request NDIS services across the Gold Coast and selected surrounding areas.

Referrals can be submitted by participants, family members, nominees, Support Coordinators, Recovery Coaches, allied health professionals and other authorised representatives.

Our team can discuss Support Coordination, Psychosocial Recovery Coaching, NDIS support workers, assistance with daily living, community participation, groups and support for people with psychosocial disability or neurodivergence.

Services are available across the Gold Coast and selected surrounding areas, including Ashmore, Southport, Benowa, Beenleigh and Tweed Heads, subject to service availability.