Who's Who: 13 key terms of your NDIS plan

Knowing who is responsible for what will streamline your experience with NDIS funding and help you know who to turn to if you need assistance. Here, we’ll take a look at these different types of individuals and define their roles in terms of helping NDIS participants. While there’s some crossover of the roles, you’ll find that each coordinator, counsellor, and manager has a unique role to play.

Local area coordinators, also known as LACs, work with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to provide NDIS access to participants, their families, and caregivers. These organisations can help participants create and manage their plans. Additionally, they connect participants with local and regional resources to maximise their NDIS benefits. 

Plan managers work with participants and providers on the financial side of plan management. They offer help with budgeting, service agreements, and funding allocation. Their role is to assist participants with funds management, invoicing, and financial reporting. 

Coordinators of support, also known as support coordinators, help participants manage supports within their plan and connect participants with other helpful resources. At a basic level, their goal is to help you achieve your NDIS goals, understand what supports you have at your disposal, and allow you to get the most out of your plan. There are also specialist coordinators of support who help those with more complex situations.

The term “support worker” recently replaced the term “attendant carer”. These individuals are part of a person’s NDIS plan. They work hands-on with participants to help with daily living activities and to support participants with their NDIS goals. 

Allied health professionals are distinct providers who give specific types of care. The list includes art therapists, dietitians, drama therapists, music therapists, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, osteopaths, paramedics, physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists, and orthotists. Some of these services may be included in a participant’s NDIS plan depending on the care they’re receiving. 

Therapy assistants work under an allied health professional. They also provide care and support, although they aren’t the primary provider. 

Advocates are people who can speak on behalf of an NDIS participant. Advocate is a broad term that can include any person, such as a parent, relative, friend, or caseworker who the participant appoints to speak for them. These people have the participant’s best interests at heart and seek to represent their wishes.

Nominees are people appointed to act and make decisions for participants who don’t have parents or legal guardians. 

Participants are people who have plans and receive funding through the NDIS. The purpose of NDIS funding is to empower and support participants in achieving their goals. 

Providers give care to NDIS participants. These individuals can be registered with NDIS or unregistered. It’s a broad category that includes professionals, such as physicians, therapists, medical specialists, and support workers. 

NDIA refers to the National Disability Insurance Agency. This organisation is an independent agency that helps implement and oversee the National Disability Insurance Scheme. 

The NDIS stands for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This program oversees and distributes funding for supports given to NDIS participants. 

These coordinators serve the same purpose as support coordinators, but they focus on participants from ages 0-6. They are specially trained to understand the needs and development phases of young children. 

Is your NDIS plan in place? We can help you with the next steps. 

As you go through your NDIS journey, you’ll work with many of the helpful people and organisations listed above. As a professional plan management organisation, All Disability Plan Management can help you make the most of your NDIS funding by helping you choose your supports, manage your funding, and work with providers. You’ll have your own dedicated plan manager and access to regular reports to help manage spending.

Best of all, our services are FREE - they are included in your NDIS funding, so there’s no cost to you. 

Learn about the benefits of using All Disability plan management here or contact us directly.