The Planner
Someone who works with a person with disability to see if they are eligible for the NDIS. If they are eligible, the planner will develop an individual plan with the participant that sets out their goals and determines how much funding they will have to purchase the supports they need.
Service providers will not generally be involved in this planning discussion or in determining what supports a person gets. The NDIA does ask some service provide to give the NDIA a list of their clients to make sure everyone who is eligible for the NDIS are having a planning discussion.
The Local Area Coordinator
Someone who helps a participant (or person in ‘ILC’) connect with service providers to purchase the supports in their plan or to access other mainstream services like healthcare or Centrelink. In some locations the NDIA has contracted non-government organisations to provide these local area coordination services.
The Support Coordinator
Someone funded through NDIS who is employed to support participants to make the most of their NDIS funds. Once a Plan has been approved, participants work with Support Coordinators to determine how their funds will be spent and to connect with providers. At its best, Support Coordination is about:
- facilitating expansive conversations about what is possible with a person’s NDIS funds
- building capacity to exercise choice and control
- supporting participants to navigate the NDIS marketplace and find providers that are the best option for them
