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Guide — Assisting communication — Non disability related interpreting and translation supports
This article provides guidance for a planner delegate, participant support officer, early childhood partner or local area coordinator to understand:
e funding for non-disability related interpreting and translation supports
e Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
e free interpreting and translating services
e printing plans in a language other than English (LOTE)
e supports for participants with a language other than English (LOTE) at plan
implementation.
September 2023
This guidance comes from the Practice Guide — Assisting communication. We’ve made minor updates to change any NDIS Business System language to PACE language. We’ll make improvements to this guidance in the future.
Before you start
You have read and understood:
e article Guide — Assisting communication
e article Guide — Assisting communication — Disability-related interpreting and translation supports
e article Guide — Assisting communication — Considerations when arranging interpreting services
e article Check a participant’s preferred communication method.
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Funding for non-disability related interpreting and translation supports (including LOTE and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander)
It is the responsibility of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to make sure the participant has help with their interactions and communication with a planner delegate, participant support officer, local area coordinator or early childhood partner. Funding for disability-related interpreting and translation supports is accessed from the regional office, local area coordinator or early childhood partners budgets.
Interpreting for LOTE including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages (excluding Auslan) is not funded in the participant’s plan as it is not a disability-related support.
You should encourage the participant to use supports in their primary language where possible. Mainstream services, for example transport, justice, or education will provide funding for translation supports to interact with these organisations. Refer to DHA - free translation service (external) for translation of non-NDIA documents.
Funding arrangements at each stage of the NDIA pathway are:
Applying – funded by National Access and Reassessment Branch Plan approval – funded by Regional office budget, local area coordinator or early
childhood partner budget Printing and translation of plans – funded by Regional office budget Plan implementation and check-ins – access to funded supports.
Accessed through Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) National and funded by
National Office Budget. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language
interpreters, these are to be local and be funded by the Regional office budget or
local area coordinator or early childhood partner budget or funded by chosen NDIA
service provider Plan changes – funded by Regional office budget, local area coordinator or early
childhood partner budget.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
You are responsible for finding and providing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language translator or interpreter.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language interpretation must be booked based on the participant’s location, through state-based organisations. There is no national provider. To learn more, go to article Guide – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supports.
Free interpreting and translation services
The Australian Government provides a free interpreting services for non-English speaking Australian citizens and permanent residents, when they are communicating with certain approved groups and individuals, like:
general practitioners, nurse practitioners and medical specialists pharmacies non-profit, non-government community based organisations for case work and emergency services local governments on issues such as rates, garbage collection and services.
Provide the participant with information about this service if it will help to meet their communication needs. To learn more, go to About the Free Interpreting Service (external).
Printing plans in a language other than English (LOTE)
When a participant requests to have their plan translated into a language other than English (LOTE), Service Delivery will arrange translation through a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translator or other local organisation or business. If you are unsure who your region would use for translation services, refer to your team leader or supervisor for help.
The planner delegate organises the printing of the participant’s plan in a LOTE. This is funded from the regional office budget. If a local arrangement is established, you must create a deed of confidentiality with the provider. To establish a deed of confidentiality please engage with the NDIA Legal Privacy Team.
Before organising the translation of the participant’s plan consider:
If the plan is written in plain English. Plain English is clear language that can be
easily read and understood. The reader should be able to act on information the first
time they read it. Complex concepts and legal documents, such as contracts and
legislation, can be written in plain English while maintaining legal accuracy. Plain
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English should focus on the message, only use necessary words, and avoid jargon
and complex language. If the participant reads the language they speak. For example, a person may speak
fluent Polish, but not read Polish due to their education taking place in another
country. Many spoken languages do not have a written equivalent or have multiple written
equivalents. The participant may only read one of them. NDIA terminology may not translate into other languages and cultures without
appropriate context and explanation. Both English and LOTE versions of the plan must be sent to the participant to allow
providers to read and understand the plan.
Supports for participants with a language other than English (LOTE) at plan implementation
Translation and Interpreting Services (TIS) National are contracted with the NDIA so registered providers can book an interpreter on behalf of the participant to implement their plan. The NDIA funds this service to support participants to understand their plan. This support helps them use their funding. To learn more about how providers can book NDIA-funded services for plan implementation see Language Interpreting Services for Providers page (external).
It is important the participant knows it is not their responsibility to book or fund interpreting services.
Supports may include initial face planto face meetings. Other meetings may use the TIS National’s telephone options if appropriate. If communication will be sensitive, complex or there will be a lengthy discussion, please consider the participant’s needs and use on-site interpreters.
TIS National does not provide access to interpreters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, therefore providers will need to find interpreters from local sources.
Translation and interpreting services at plan implementation for LOTE
The role of the planner delegate
The planner delegate can support participants who use a primary written language other than English (LOTE) by:
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printing the participant’s plan in LOTE. The plan developer can arrange this through
a NAATI translator. If you are unsure who your local office uses for translation
services, refer to your team leader or supervisor for help. providing handover notes for the local area coordinator, early childhood partner or
their support coordinator to review so they can proceed support with plan
implementation.
The role of the plan implementer (Local area coordinator, Early childhood partner or support coordinator)
After the planner delegate hands over the plan, the plan implementer supports the participant to:
make sure the participant understands all supports identified in their plan, with help
from an interpreter if required. explore the capacity of informal and mainstream supports to help the participant
implement their funded supports. find service providers who can communicate in the participant’s primary language to
help implement their funded supports. If there aren’t any available in the participant’s
primary language, the plan implementer must discuss available options with the
participant. Together they need to identify an appropriate provider to help implement
their funded supports. Talk to providers about the NDIA-funded TIS National process. They can register to
support participants during their plan implementation. To learn more, go to How to
become a client on the TIS National Website (external).
Next steps
To learn more about accessible formats, go to article – Guide – Assisting communication – Accessible formats
Article topics and case names – internal use only
Topics
This article relates to the following topics:
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e Communication
e Implementation
Case names
You can use this guidance for the:
e Plan Approval
e NDIS Plan
Version control
Version Amended Brief Description of Change
by
1.0 CS0074 |Class 1 approval APPROVED | 2022-12-12
2.0 ED0024 |Class 1 approval. APPROVED | 2023-08-18Article formerly known as Appendix B — Funding for non-disability related translation and interpreting.
Cl: Planning cohort guidance updates.
Transition Guide - Assisting
communication from PG to PACE articles include PACE language and plain English update.
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