What is specialist support coordination?

Specialist support coordination is one of the three types of support coordination that may be included in an NDIS Plan.

You are more likely to have support coordination including in your NDIS Plan if you need additional assistance to implement your plan, manage your budgets and connect with providers.

The three levels of support coordination are:

• Support connection
• Support coordination
• Specialist support coordination.

For a quick recap on support coordination, check out our previous article, What is support coordination?

Specialist support coordination.

Specialist support coordination is the highest level of support coordination for NDIS participants whose situations are more complex and who require greater support.

A specialist support coordinator will assist you to manage challenges in your support environment such as dealing with support providers and ensuring consistent delivery of service.

Depending on your specific needs, a specialist support coordinator may be an occupational therapist, psychologist, social worker or other suitably qualified and experienced person.

What a specialist support coordinator does.

A specialist support coordinator does all the things a support coordinator does, with some additions. 

They can:

• Connect you to relevant services and supports from both NDIS and mainstream providers
• Help you negotiate service agreements
• Set up appointment bookings for you
• Help you to understand and get the most from your NDIS Plan
• Manage challenges in your support environment such as access to education, health or justice services
• Reduce barriers to implementing or using your NDIS Plan
• Support you to build capacity and resilience.

Where to find a specialist support coordinator.

Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), or Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Partner may assist you to find and connect with a support coordinator. They will provide plan information so your specialist support coordinator can understand your plan and help you to achieve your goals.

The Leap in! Provider Network Directory also has an extensive list of specialist support coordinators. To find one near you, follow these steps:

1. Go to https://www.leapin.com.au/provider-network-directory/
2. Click on Specialist support coordination under “Service types”
3. Select your location.

When selecting a specialist support coordinator, think about the following:

• Is the person accredited and registered in their field?
• Do they have the appropriate training specific to your needs (for example mental health training)?
• Do they have experience working with people with similar needs as yours?
• Are they well connected to NDIS supports and other networks?
• Are they caring, empathetic and understanding?

Working with a specialist support coordinator.

The inclusion of specialist support coordination in your NDIS Plan may be time limited. That means it may be included for a certain amount of time to help you overcome specific barriers in relation to implementing your NDIS Plan or accessing associated supports.

Keep in mind that while support coordinators of all levels are there to help you implement your NDIS Plan, they cannot make decisions for you.
Where needed, a specialist support coordinator can also develop an intervention plan to be implemented by support workers.

Specialist support coordination and your NDIS Plan.

New items were introduced into the NDIS Support Catalogue last year to give NDIS participants more flexibility to pay for support coordination, including specialist support coordination.

The new item numbers allow you to use funds from either your Core or Capacity Building budget categories to access these supports.

Leap in! can help.

Our friendly and knowledgeable plan managers help NDIS participants all over Australia to navigate the NDIS and manage their NDIS budgets. To find out more about the benefits of plan management, talk to one of our crew by calling 1300 05 78 78 or emailing crew@leapin.com.au.

Further Reading

What is support coordination?

What is the difference between plan management and support coordination?

Is support coordination right for you?