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Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

SGP KP Publishing

Exported on 2025-11-24 23:27:17

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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

Table of Contents

1 Recent updates …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

2 Before you start …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

3 Appendix C – Supports – Guide for decision makers …………………………………………. 6

                                                                       Table of Contents – 2
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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

This article provides guidance for a planner delegate, internal review delegate, national reassessment delegate, local area coordinator, early childhood partner, technical advisors, liaison officers (HLO/JLO), or a planner (non-partnered area) to understand: • planning for participants living with psychosocial disability.

                                                                     Recent updates – 3
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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

1 Recent updates

December 2023

Updated work and study options in the learning, work and volunteering section.

                                                                     Recent updates – 4
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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

2 Before you start

You have read and understood:

•  Our Guideline – Reasonable and necessary supports (external)
•  Our Guideline – Mainstream and community supports (external)
•    article Guide – Complex support needs (CSN) pathway.

                                                                          Before you start – 5
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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

3 Appendix C – Supports – Guide for decision makers

This list contains important considerations when working with participants with psychosocial disability and their informal, mainstream and community supports.

Support by a recovery coach

Support by a psychosocial recovery coach (recovery coach) is funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The recovery coach will work with the participant to:

•   build capacity and resilience
•  manage the complex behaviours involved in psychosocial disability issues
•   improve social and economic participation
•    identify, plan, design and coordinate supports
•   plan and maintain engagement through periods of increased support needs.

Note: Some participants may already have a support coordinator and may choose to continue working with their support coordinator, rather than changing to a recovery coach.

However, intensive case management is funded and provided by the mental health system, where a significant component of case management is related to stabilising the impacts of psychosocial disability.

Co-existing conditions, secondary disability and dual diagnosis

If a participant experiences co-existing conditions (for example, a secondary disability alongside a diagnosed psychiatric condition), we are responsible for:

•   additional, ongoing functional supports associated with the comorbidity to the extent
     that the comorbidity impacts on the participant’s overall functional capacity.

Other types of supports are generally funded by mainstream services. For example, clinical treatment of conditions or symptoms such as: • ambulatory care • hospital/acute inpatient care • rehabilitation • hospital diversion services • time-limited follow-up treatment or support, relating to hospital or hospital discharge • all medical services such as treatment by a GP, mental health professional, psychiatrist or psychologist

•   treatment related specifically to substance abuse.

Medication support

We will generally fund assistance with maintaining a participant’s medication regime where they experience difficulties due to the functional impact of their disability. This support must align with their goals and enhance the participant’s functional capacity.

For example, support to:

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SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Psychosocial disability Appendix C - Supports - Guide for decision makers

•   assist the participant to develop a structured routine that integrates medication support
   and encourages the participant to self-manage their medication.

•   develop strategies for self-care.

Supports that are generally funded by other mainstream services include:

•    clinical treatment. This is where medication support is solely for the purpose of assisting
    or requiring a participant to take medication and does not form part of other daily living
    supports. This is the responsibility of health and mental health systems (for example a
   mental health nurse to administer/supervise the taking of medication in the home).
•    clinical monitoring or assessment of side effects related to medications.
•   ‘hospital in the home’ services.
•   medication supervision, including the administration and monitoring of medication in
   compliance with treatment or other legal orders.

•   medications or pharmaceuticals, including medications and other items including both
   those listed and not listed on the Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Transport

We generally fund supports such as:

•   support to attend appointments that the participant is unable to access independently
   due to their disability (where no other transport option is appropriate and not
     substituting for parental responsibility).

•   transport training to build capacity and travel-related skills if the participant’s goal is to
   use transport independently. For example, learning to understand timetables, read
  maps or use ticket systems, or if the participant cannot leave the house due to
  symptoms of their mental health condition. Another example is if social interaction is
   impacted by specific behaviours, and these functional impacts may be addressed
   through transport training

We don’t fund:

•   accessible public transport systems.
•   public transport concessions.

Social participation

We generally fund supports like:

•   support to attend individual or group activities of the participant’s choice.
•   non-labour costs associated with providing transport to participants accessing
   community participation supports.

•   support to build capacity to participate independently in activities in the future.

We don’t generally fund treatment of underlying symptoms (such as panic attacks) that prevent a participant from leaving the house and accessing the community.

Assistance with daily life

We generally fund supports like:

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•   supports to assist with activities of daily living, such as self-care tasks, grooming and
    hygiene.

•  meal planning and meal preparation, such as developing skills related to cooking,
   shopping and budgeting.

•   personal domestic and household assistance.

We don’t fund day-to-day living costs, for example, rent, groceries or utility fees.

Home and living

We generally fund home and living supports, this may include:

•   supported independent living (SIL)

•   short term accommodation or respite (STA)
•  medium term accommodation (MTA)
•   individualised living options (ILO)

Learn more about home and living supports in Our Guideline - Home and living supports (external).

We don’t fund day-to-day living costs, for example, rent, groceries or utility fees.

Therapeutic support

Therapeutic support is non-clinical and provided as a standalone service, aimed at managing or reducing a specific functional impact of a participant’s mental health condition or impairment.

We generally fund therapeutic support to:

•   build a social skill, for example, to build self-confidence and communication skills to
    increase community participation.

•   increase independence and build independent living skills, such as cooking, cleaning or
   budgeting to achieve the goal of living independently.

•   develop an individualised exercise plan that the participant can implement
    independently following program development (with reviews as required).

Behavioural skill building and behavioural support from counselling must be time-limited, outcomes focussed and part of a strategy to support a participant’s goals and functional capacity. For example, individual counselling to build behavioural skills with the goal of using public transport.

We don’t generally fund:

•   ongoing mental health treatment including therapy and medication to manage
   symptoms.
•   mental health crisis services, including mental health crisis assessment services.
•   neurofeedback or brain mapping.
•   therapy or therapeutic support where the support is integrally connected to a package
     of clinical support provided by the health or mental health system (such as services
    accessible under, or encompassed by, a Mental Health Treatment Plan, Mental Health
   Care Plan, Better Access to Mental Health Care initiatives)

•   individual counselling for treatment of a condition or impairments.
•   hospital avoidance services.

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•   early interventions related to mental health, including clinical support for child and
   adolescent developmental needs.

•   counselling for treatment. For example, to treat social anxiety or paranoia symptoms
     that arise when a participant uses public transport.

Sustaining informal supports and training for carers

We generally fund ongoing psychosocial recovery supports that focus on a participant’s functional ability.

For example, family or carer supports to help the participant increase their involvement in the community and in social and economic life. This could be training for family or carers on how to implement therapy recommendations or behavioural strategies.

We don’t fund general family support services, such as counselling, support and educational programs for family and carers that are not directly related to the participant’s disability.

Coordination of Supports

We generally fund:

•   capacity building support to help the participant to access and maintain participation in
   mainstream and community activities, including recreation, education, training and
   employment, housing and primary health care.

•   the coordination of NDIS funded supports and supports offered by the mental health
   system.

For more information on mainstream and community supports, refer to Our Guidelines – Mainstream and community supports (external).

We don’t fund intensive case coordination. This is provided by the mental health system where a significant component of case coordination is related to stabilising the impacts of psychosocial disability.

Learning, work and/or volunteering

We generally fund:

•    skill development. For example, organisational skills or essential foundation skills in
   work settings .

•   supports to access mainstream employment (for example, Disability Employment
    Services (DES) providers or other employment services to secure employment, like Job
   Access (external) and further education services

•   supports for young participants of working age to help them get ready for work when
    they leave school. For example, to support a participant to try different types of work,
   and learn new work tasks and how to behave at work. Or help connect to the right job
   and employer.

For more information on school leaver employment support and other work and study supports, go to article Understand work and study supports. .

We don’t fund: • early interventions related to mental health, including clinical support for child and adolescent developmental needs.

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•   support for learning in educational facilities. This is the responsibility of the Education
   system.

•   workplace adjustments or equipment that may be required for increased functional
    capacity at work. Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) – Job Access (external) provides
   work related modifications and services to eligible people with disability and mental
    health conditions (above reasonable adjustment, which is the responsibility of the
    employer).

For more information about work and study supports, refer to article Understand work and study supports and Our Guideline – Work and study (external)

Accommodation

We generally fund:

•   support for accessing accommodation, assistance with obtaining and/or maintaining
   accommodation, where these supports enhance functional capacity or are required due
     to the impact of the participant’s impairment on their functional capacity.

•   support for budgeting expenses and assistance with financial management.
•   coordination to establish a detailed plan of housing options.

We don’t fund:

•   any clinical residential care or residential services where the primary purpose is for
     inpatient treatment or clinical rehabilitation, or where the service model primarily
   employs clinical staff.

•   rent or other costs directly associated with housing or tenancy.
•   public housing provided by State and Territory Housing Authorities.

•   homelessness support and programs.

Assistive Technology (AT)

We generally fund: • devices (for example, wall planners) that can assist with enhancing cognitive skills (organisation, concentration and planning) due to a functional impact.

We generally don’t fund:

•   additional items that are not related to the participant’s functional impairment or
    required to meet the participant’s goals.

•   aids or AT required as a result of medication side effects.

Learn more about assistive technology supports in Our Guideline – Assistive technology (external).

Managing life stages

We generally fund:

•    life or transition planning to assist in major life stages. This could be moving house,
    leaving school, wanting to start or find a job, wanting to begin tertiary study like
     university or TAFE

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•   mentoring, peer support, individual skill development.
•   referral and support to access mainstream and informal supports during times of crisis.

We don’t provide funding where the majority of the coordination and transition supports relate to those funded by the health or mental health system or other parties (such as treatment for the impact of drug or alcohol conditions).

Please refer to Guide – Psychosocial disability Appendix A – Discharge planning.

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