Communities and Justice

Accessing the NDIS

This page provides key information about accessing the NDIS and preparing for the NDIS planning meeting to arrange supports for the child or young person in your care.

Note: OOHC caseworker refers to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) or non-government organisation (NGO) OOHC caseworker that has case management responsibility for the child or young person.

Becoming an NDIS or Early childhood approach (ECA) participant

A child or young person may meet the disability requirements for the NDIS based on a specific diagnosis and their level of “functional impairment”.

The first step for a child to become an NDIS participant is for the OOHC caseworker to complete an Access Request Form.

The ECA is available for children aged under seven years old who have a disability or developmental delay. The aim of ECA is inclusion; with children supported in a range of mainstream early childhood settings such as a preschool or play group, thereby increasing opportunities to learn about and develop positive social relationships.

The first step in accessing ECA is for your OOHC caseworker to contact the local ECA Partner in your local area. To find your local provider go to https://www.ndis.gov.au/contact and search for providers in your area.

Giving children and young people with disability a voice

While you and the OOHC caseworker will support the child or young person with disability through the NDIS planning process, it is important to remember that they too must be given an opportunity to participate directly, in a way that is appropriate for their age and circumstances.

The carer and caseworker have responsibility to encourage active participation by the child or young person in discussions and decisions relating to their goals and the disability supports they need to achieve those goals.

Who is responsible for representing a child in OOHC?

Within the NDIS, a ‘child representative’ is the person(s) responsible for making decisions in the child’s best interests.

For a child or young person in statutory OOHC or under a Guardianship order, the child representative will be the person who has been allocated parental responsibility, such as the Minister for DCJ (the Minister) or the Guardian.

Where parental responsibility has been allocated to the Minister, the child representative will be the OOHC caseworker. 

There may be situations where a child or young person wants to represent themselves and the NDIA is satisfied that they are capable of making their own decisions. In this situation the OOHC caseworker would not be the child representative.

Foster carers are generally not child representatives, except in exceptional circumstances. This may include where the Minister has agreed in writing that the NDIA can appoint them to that role, or where aspects of parental responsibility have been allocated to the carer. In those cases, OOHC caseworkers will still be involved in the NDIS access and planning process, along with the child representative, when parental responsibility is shared with the Minister.

It is important to note that caseworkers should always work closely and collaboratively with carers to help achieve the best outcomes for the child or young person during the NDIS planning and plan implementation processes. Carers will bring their knowledge and understanding of the child or young person and provide crucial insight into their everyday lives. This understanding will be invaluable for the development of an NDIS plan. Caseworkers are experienced and focused on case planning to meet a child or young person’s needs, and their goals and aspirations.

Access further information about child representatives under the NDIS

What supports are provided by the NDIS for children and young people in care?

The level and type of supports that will be funded through the NDIS will depend on the individual needs of each child or young person and the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) assessment of ‘reasonable and necessary’ supports. Day-to-day care for children and young people in statutory OOHC will continue to be funded by DCJ.

What happens to the child or young person’s NDIS supports after they turn 18 or leave OOHC?

NDIS supports and funding move with the child or young person through their life transitions, such as turning 18 years old and leaving OOHC, or where restoration occurs.

Whenever a significant life transition occurs, the NDIA should be contacted to make sure the supports and funding effectively meet the child or young person’s needs in their new environment.

How will I know when my child or young person has been accepted into the NDIS?

When the child or young person has been accepted into the NDIS, their OOHC caseworker will receive a letter advising of this and they will be contacted to arrange a meeting to discuss their first NDIS plan. 

The caseworker will then contact the child or young person and carer to seek their participation in the meeting and provide assistance with the NDIS plan preparation.

Preparing for the NDIS planning meeting

The NDIA has prepared a workbook called ‘My NDIS Pathway’ which details the journey into the NDIS and provides guidance on how the NDIS planning process works.

At a glance - before The Planning Meeting

Steps to take:

  1. The caseworker will contact the child or young person and carer before the planning meeting, allowing enough time to prepare.
  2. The carer and caseworker can prepare the participant statement with the child or young person:
    Prepare
    The child or young person’s goals.
    Prepare
    A list of all the current formal and informal supports and carer activities and the reason why each one is valuable.
    Prepare
    A list of all the aids/equipment the child or young person currently has and whether modifications or new equipment are likely to be required over the next 12 months.
    Who can help
    NDIA: 1800 800 110
    A Local Area Coordinator (LAC): https://www.ndis.gov.au/contact
    Useful links
    Developing your child’s participant statement (the NDIA prefer participants to bring an already drafted participant statement with them to their NDIS planning meeting).
  3. Caseworker and carer prepare information to take to the planning meeting with the child or young person (age/ability appropriate)
    Who can help
    NDIA: 1800 800 110
    A Local Area Coordinator (LAC): https://www.ndis.gov.au/contact
    Useful links
    NDIS checklist for carers 
Last updated:

16 Dec 2022