Late last year the NDIA released the Improving Support Coordination for Participants paper.
The paper outlines the outcomes of the support coordination
consultation in September 2020, as well as the broader strategic plan
for the NDIS.
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A key determination was that support coordination services need to be
improved to achieve better outcomes for NDIS participants. This is
particularly relevant for people with complex support needs who may
require a skilled support coordinator to navigate complex barriers such
as getting out of aged care.
Targeted support coordination requires support coordinators to have
niche skills and knowledge in particular areas such as the know-how to
support a person to get out of hospital or leave aged care and find
suitable housing and supports to live in the community.
Disability Intermediaries Australia recently published the Professional Standards of Practice for Support Coordinators. These professional standards set the benchmark for the delivery of skilled support coordination.
The key takeaway is that skilled and knowledgeable support
coordinators are the best enablers of favourable outcomes. They assist
participants to achieve their goals, engage with services, overcome
barriers, and design supports across complex systems. It is vital for
support coordinators to keep up-to-date with NDIS developments as well
as developments across relevant sectors.
Continual professional development ensures support coordinators are
not only competent but also excel in their role supporting people with
disability. In 2018 the Summer Foundation created the UpSkill program in
response to the need for a skilled workforce working with people with
disability and complex support needs.
UpSkill Lead, Linda Hughes tells us: “We know that finding
skilled and experienced professionals who can work with people with
complex support needs is challenging. We have developed a series of
workshops about navigating the NDIS and other mainstream systems to
ensure that people with complex support needs are assisted to live well
in the community. 95% of our training attendees told us they would
improve their practice after attending one of our workshops.”
