One of the most crucial steps to your child’s NDIS plan reassessment is meeting your planner, also known as the LAC or Local Area Coordinator.
While in the meeting, you will be able to review the current NDIS plan of your child, assess progress, and make the necessary adjustments to help ensure that your child continues to receive the right support.
You must come prepared and know what to expect to make the most of that meeting.
That being said, here’s what you should expect out of an NDIS planning meeting and tips to help you prepare:
- Your Current Plan Will Be Reviewed
Generally, the meeting starts by reviewing your child’s current NDIS plan. This is an excellent opportunity to assess what’s been working well and the support your child has been receiving. It’s also an opportunity to review the progress they are making towards achieving their goals.
You should also take it as a time to talk about any ‘gaps’ or difficulties you have encountered. If you feel that some of the supports are not working or if there have been changes in your child’s needs, then start discussing this and recommend some changes.
- Goal Review
Next, you’ll start discussing the NDIS goals of your child. Do you think these are still relevant to what your child needs?
During this part of your meeting, you should be able to identify what goals to keep, modify, or replace. Doing so helps to ensure the plan can continuously reflect the evolving needs of your child. Perhaps, in the form of new therapy goals, education support, or others.
- Assessment of Support
The coordinator will ask you about any future support needs your child may have, so do not hesitate to bring up any other kind of support your child might need. He or she may further inquire from you which areas your child may require the most help in, either currently or in the future.
This part of the meeting is where they will pinpoint the most appropriate support for your child, be it therapy or another means. The aim is to ensure the NDIS plan for your child is well-suited for his or her unique situation.
- Bring Important Documents
Do not forget to come with all the required documents for the meeting. It’s good to bring along supporting papers that can help ensure that the plan reflects the current needs of your child. You can bring reports, assessments, or quotes from your child’s therapists, who could be either an occupational therapist, speech pathologist, or psychologist.
Ask your clinician about these reports; they will also inform you which documents will be pertinent in this meeting.
- Discuss Plan Management Options
The funding of the plan is a pivotal subject matter during the course of the meeting. You may opt for self-management, or alternatively, plan managers or an agency to manage the money.
Just keep in mind that each of these options has its respective advantages and disadvantages, so make sure you get to know them well in order to find out which would be the best option that can actually manage well the services and supports for your child.
- Length of Plan
Your child may be eligible for a much longer NDIS plan in some cases that may last for up to three years. Usually, this is the case if the needs are consistent and stable.
However, the length of the plan will mainly depend on the types of needs and the situation of the child. This is, therefore, among the things you should discuss with the coordinator at the meeting.
- Why Do We Do NDIS Reviews?
First and foremost, it is to keep your child’s NDIS plan updated. Thus, we review your child’s plan, goals, supports, and progress each year.
In doing so, we can:
- Ensure the provision of necessary support to your child.
- Track the goals set and the progress being made.
- Discuss any changes to your child’s plan in relation to funding, goals, or intervention strategies.
- Achieve the provisions set out by NDIS.
- What Does an NDIS Report Contain?
In the NDIS report you get, you will have the following:
- An explanation of the intervention approaches at present.
- Evidence of improvement and outcomes of the support and intervention being given.
- Specific recommendations on changing goals and resources to address the needs of your child, for the present and into the future.
These reports are important for the NDIS review meeting of your child and to ensure the plan reflects their specific needs and supports.
Preparing for Your NDIS Meeting
To get the most from your NDIS planning meeting, remember the following:
- Periodically review your child’s progress and challenges, including what is working and where improvements are needed.
- Update goals when necessary. Any changes to the child’s goals should be discussed in relation to their needs at the present time.
- Prepare documents: Bring reports and evaluations from the healthcare providers to assess your child’s needs.
- Understand the alternatives for plan management, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions related to agency administration, plan managers, and self-management.
Without this sort of planning, your child may not receive the appropriate support and services when they need them the most. Keep these things in mind when getting ready for a meeting.