What is the difference between Support Coordination, Plan Management, and LAC?

What is the difference between Support Coordination, Plan Management and LAC?

We have been getting asked about the differences between Support Coordination, Plan Management, and LAC (Local Area Coordination). Here we try to clarify that for you.

Support Coordination

According to the NDIS, support coordination is “a capacity building support to implement all supports in a participant’s plan, including informal, mainstream, community and funded supports”.

This means that Support Coordination can help you to implement your plan, and find services and supports in your region.

What do Support Coordinators do?
Support coordinators work with participants to:

  • Choose preferred options or providers
  • Arrange assessments
  • Work out your budget
  • Talk with the plan manager to allocate funds
  • Link to mainstream and community services
  • Resolve problems or issues
  • Understand service agreements
  • Change or end a service agreement
  • Help you to get ready for a plan review

Aspire is registered with the NDIA to provide Support Coordination, so please contact our Customer Service team if you would like further information.

Plan Management

There are three ways that you can manage your NDIS funds:

  • Manage your own funds (self-management)
  • Get a professional to do it (plan-management)
  • Let the NDIA do it (agency-management)

Or you can choose a combination of the above.

You need to think about how you would like to manage your funds so that you can tell the NDIA what you want at your planning meeting.

If you decide to get a professional to help you with your plan management, a Plan Manager can help you with the financial tasks of your plan. They may:

  • organise providers and their payments
  • process claims
  • process invoices
  • track budgets.

Like Support Coordinators, they are paid separately in your NDIS plan and they must be a registered provider.

Aspire is registered with the NDIA to provide plan management. Please contact our Customer Service team if you would like further information.

Local Area Coordinators

Local Area Coordinators (LACs) gather data and information from people in their planning meetings. They pass the information onto the NDIA to be turned into a plan.

LACs do not work for the NDIA. They are organisations that receive funding to have planning meetings with NDIS participants.  In our region, the LAC’s are Intereach and Latrobe Community Health Service.

After your planning meeting with the LAC, they will give the information to the NDIA to develop your plan.

You can ask a friend or someone who knows you well to go with you to your planning meeting.  If you would like someone from Aspire to go with you to your planning meeting, please give our Customer Service Team a call.

Please contact our Customer Service team at Aspire if you require further information.
T 02 6058 4000     E customerservice@aspiress.com.au

 

Click here for more information about our Customer Service Team.

Do you need some respite?

Do you need some respite?
Caring for someone can be a rewarding experience and, at the same time, can be stressful and leave you feeling tired. As a carer taking regular breaks is important as it can help relieve stress for both you and the person you are caring for.Previously, these breaks were referred to as respite care, however, with the introduction of the NDIS, respite care is now known as short-term accommodation.

Short-term accommodation provides you with a break from caring to give you time to do everyday activities or simply look after yourself.

Carers often worry about leaving the person they care for, and this is understandable. However, regular breaks can be important for you as a carer and those breaks need only be for a short period of time.

Planning your short-term accommodation

Planning a break in advance can help avoid stress build-up. If you would like a regular service, for example monthly, this can be arranged. Ad-hoc bookings are also welcome and will be managed wherever possible.

What type of short-term accommodation is available?

Aspire offers short-term accommodation services for both children and adults.

Short-term accommodation houses provide families and unpaid carers of a person or persons with a disability with planned, short-term time-limited breaks from their usual caring role.  Our houses aim to provide a positive experience for the person with a disability, while their carer has a break.

The Aspire short-term accommodation houses are comfortable, well maintained and well resourced and offer specialised equipment and are located close to transport and other local services.

The children’s and adult houses are bright, modern, well equipped five bedroom homes. Aspire has professional, skilled staff who specialise in ensuring that the short terms breaks provide positive experiences for all.

Why are breaks important?

Taking a break and having some time to yourself can benefit both you and the person you care for.

There are many reasons you should consider taking a break:

  • you are feeling stressed, tired or burnt out
  • you need some time for yourself
  • you are ill
  • you need to attend an appointment or event
  • there is tension between you and the person you care for

Taking a break can often be difficult at first, especially if you are the main carer. However, it is really important to have a break and to ask for help.

Trying to reduce stress is important. If you are feeling stressed, try taking a break so you can have some time to relax.

Aspire currently has short-term accommodation available at both the children’s house and the adult house.

If you would like to be sent a calendar to submit your short-term accommodation for the next quarter or would like to discuss your short-term accommodation options, please contact our Customer Service Team.

T 02 6058 4000     E customerservice@aspiress.com.au

For further information regarding Aspire Short-term Accommodation services follow the links below.

Children’s Short-term Accommodation (Respite) House
Adult Short-term Accommodation (Respite) House

If you have any questions about your NDIS plan and short-term accommodation or require further information feel free to contact our Customer Service Team.

Invitation to participate in workshops on contraceptive choices for young women with disability

Invitation to participate in workshops on contraceptive choices for young women with disability

true logo

True, in partnership with Family Planning Victoria, Family Planning Tasmania and Sexual Health & Family Planning ACT, is developing resources for women and girls with disability who request access to contraceptive choices.

The resources will provide accurate and useful information to empower women and girls to reclaim agency, enhance reproductive autonomy and increase access to contraceptive choices.

The resources will include topics such as:

  • Contraceptives and how they work
  • Different types of relations and what consent looks like
  • Sexually transmitted infections and prevention
  • Pregnancy options
  • Sexual health checks

Workshops

true graphicWorkshops will be held with young women with disability to ensure that the content and design of the resources meets their needs.

During the workshops the draft resources will be shared and feedback from the participants will be sought.

There will be discussion on sexual relationships, reproductive systems and contraceptive types.

When: 16 April 10.30-12.30 or 1.30-3.30
Where: Aspire Support Services, Albury

Register your interest here

or contact your Aspire Customer Service Team, E customerservice@aspiress.com.au, T 02 6058 4000

What to do if you think your NDIS Plan is wrong

What to do if you think your NDIS Plan is wrong

NDIS Internal Review

If you have been through your initial transition to the NDIS, received your first NDIS plan and think that it doesn’t meet your goals and needs, you can do something about it.

When the NDIA make a decision, on things like whether you are eligible, or what supports are in your plan you have THREE months from the date of your plan to ask them to reconsider. This is called an Internal Review, which is different from a Plan Review, which is a scheduled annual review of your plan.

There are a few steps to follow to request an Internal Review and the NDIS website provides guidance on this, click here

If you don’t feel confident in requesting an Internal Review you can seek support from different service providers.

What do I need to do when I have requested an Internal review?

Once you have requested an Internal Review, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for it.

This includes having relevant information at hand to prove why you need the changes you want.

The following list provides some guidance on what type of information you will need to provide.

Your life now:

  • What are your goals?
  • Why does your plan not meet your goals?
  • Which supports and services are working well?
  • Which supports and services are not going so well?
  • Are there any supports and services in your plan that you are not yet receiving? If so why? What are the barriers?

Has anything changed since your NDIS plan was approved?

  • Your independence goals.
  • Are you achieving your goals and do you have any new goals?
  • Informal supports, social and family connection.
  • Living arrangements.
  • Health and well being.
  • Access to mainstream supports and services.

If you have support coordination as part of your plan, your support coordinator can complete, in consultation with you, the Internal Review request.

Alternatively you can request assistance through your Aspire Customer Service Team to help you. The support we can offer includes:

  • Collation of relevant information regarding the services you receive from Aspire.
  • Providing supporting documentation to assist your application.
  • Provide guidance on additional documentation for you to obtain to assist with your application.
  • Provide additional support by offering to attend the review meeting with you.

What happens after I request a review?

A request is made to the NDIS – either by the person, their family or the support coordination.

Once consent is given by the NDIS that a request is approved, a reviewable decision form is completed and submitted with supporting documents to VICNORTH, E VICNORTH@ndis.gov.au.

NDIS will then review the application and decide how the review will be processed.

A review will be conducted by an NDIA staff member who was not involved in the original decision making.

They re-consider the facts, law and policy aspects of a decision and determine if the original decision was accurate. The reviewer is also able to consider any new information available.

A decision is made by the NDIA regarding changes to your NDIS Plan.

If you still don’t agree with the Internal Review decision you can apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to conduct an independent assessment of the NDIA decision. Click here for further information

 

For further information about requesting an Internal Review or support in preparing for your Internal Review, contact your Aspire Customer Service Team, E customerservice@aspiress.com.au T 02 6058 4000

NDIS Information Sessions 2018

NDIS Information Sessions 2018

information session

Are you making the most of the NDIS?

Over the last two years, Carers Victoria has facilitated information sessions on preparing for the NDIS.  These sessions have been hosted by Aspire.

There is now an opportunity to host another NDIS Information Program of four sessions for families who have their NDIS Plan in place.

These sessions will again be facilitated by Carers Victoria and will run for three hours each.

The focus will be on “Are you making the most of the NDIS?” and will cover:

  • post plan implementation
  • reviews
  • issues and complaints

The program aims to provide:

  • an opportunity to reflect on your first experience with the NDIS
  • address challenges with the NDIA, services, and the person that you care for
  • identify & build on skills required to re-engage with the NDIS
  • approaches to prepare for your forthcoming & future review meetings.

We are currently gauging interest in this Program.

If you are interested in attending any of the “Are you making the most of the NDIS?” sessions, please click here to provide your contact and Expression of Interest details.

Alternatively, contact our Customer Service Team, E customerservice@aspiress.com.au, T 02 6058 4000