EC PEC – Carers – Sustaining informal supports | FOI document library

FOI 25/26-3705 DOCUMENT 1

EC PEC – Carers – Sustaining informal supports

SGP KP Publishing

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SGP KP Publishing – EC PEC – Carers – Sustaining informal supports

Recent updates ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Before you start …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Carers’ questions in the PEC case …………………………………………………………………………. 6
Support provided by informal, community and mainstream supports……………………… 7
Sustaining informal supports …………………………………………………………………………………. 8
- 5.1 General question ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
- 5.1.1 PEC question: ‘After considering informal, community and mainstream supports, does the family require NDIS funded supports to sustain their caring role because of the child’s developmental delay or disability’ 8
Questions about specific scenarios that might apply to the child and family …………………. 9
- 5.2.1 PEC question: ‘to help with the child’s daily routines such as completing personal care’ …………. 9
- 5.2.2 PEC question: ‘to have time to attend to daily tasks’ …………………………………………………………. 10
- 5.2.3 PEC question: ‘to attend to other responsibilities such as siblings’ needs’ …………………………… 10
- 5.2.4 PEC question: ‘to have a break from caring for the participant’…………………………………………… 11
- 5.2.5 Example of required funding for support to sustain informal supports that changes across the duration of the plan. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11
Safeguarding examples when answering PEC questions for children ……………………….. 12
- 5.3.1 Example: Hamish ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
- 5.3.2 Example statement or questions ……………………………………………………………………………………. 12
- 5.3.3 Example: Yuki……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13
- 5.3.4 Example statement or questions ……………………………………………………………………………………. 13
- 5.3.5 When the request is about supports around early childhood education and care ………………….. 13
Guidance for planner delegates to fund support to sustain informal supports ………. 14
- 6.1 Examples of support item scenarios ……………………………………………………………………… 14
- 6.1.1 Specialised Home-Based Assistance for a Child ……………………………………………………………… 14
- 6.1.2 Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard ………………………………………………………………. 14
- 6.1.3 Assistance With Self-Care Activities - High Intensity…………………………………………………………. 14
- 6.1.4 Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation ………………………………………… 15
- 6.1.5 Intensive and Complex Behaviour Support ……………………………………………………………………… 15
Early childhood education and care ……………………………………………………………………… 16
- 7.1 Types of NDIS supports that may be required in ECEC settings ………………………………. 16
- 7.1.1 Assistive technology …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16
- 7.1.2 Early childhood intervention supports…………………………………………………………………….. 17
- 7.1.3 Individual support worker or nursing support……………………………………………………………………. 17

Table of Contents – 2

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SGP KP Publishing – EC PEC – Carers – Sustaining informal supports

This article provides guidance for early childhood partners and planner delegates about Carers’ questions in the Personal Environmental Circumstances (PEC) case including:

considering the support provided to the child and family by informal, community and mainstream supports
support for a family to sustain the care of their child younger than 9
early childhood education and care (ECEC).

Careful consideration should be made when completing the PEC case to best reflect the child and their family’s actual circumstances and NDIS funded support needs. The PEC case is used to inform the draft budget and planner delegate reasonable and necessary decision making.

Recent updates – 3

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SGP KP Publishing – EC PEC – Carers – Sustaining informal supports

1 Recent updates

7 April 2026

Guidance related to duplication of supports
Additional considerations regarding the child’s support needs and the family situation when responding to PEC case questions
Guidance on safeguarding for children with examples and suggested questions
Additional examples of support item scenarios
Additional guidance on types of NDIS supports that may be required in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings

Recent updates – 4

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2 Before you start

You have read and understood:

article EC Early childhood intervention supports overview
Our Guideline – Mainstream and Community Supports (external).

Before you start – 5

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3 Carers’ questions in the PEC case

The PEC case is completed by the early childhood partner or a planner delegate in non-partnered areas. Responses to the questions in the Carers’ section should capture any relevant information provided by families or professionals. For example, this could come from information provided in carer statements or professional reports (verbally or in writing) and can support the planner delegate to decide whether funded supports are required to support the family in their caring role.

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4 Support provided by informal, community and mainstream supports

Typically, the support for young children with daily life is provided by families and other informal supports. Some children also receive support from mainstream services such as ECEC and school. Refer to the section later in this article on ECEC.

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5 Sustaining informal supports

Some children require significantly more support with daily activities than is usually required for a child of the same age. Sometimes this impacts on a family’s wellbeing and ability to sustain the care of their child, and consideration needs to be given to NDIS funding to support this. A family may request this NDIS support, or an early childhood partner or planner delegate may identify a need through a discussion with the family. It is the planner delegate’s role to work out whether the support meets the reasonable and necessary criteria.

Support also should not duplicate existing in-kind support for personal care at school.

As part of determining whether a support meets the reasonable and necessary criteria, the planner delegate must consider Rule 3.4(a): Supports for Participants Rules - Reasonable Family, Carer, and Other Support. This rule outlines the factors the NDIA must consider when deciding whether to fund a support and what is reasonable to expect from families, carers and informal networks and the community. This includes:

(iii) The extent of any risks to the wellbeing of the participant’s family members or carers.
(iv) Whether funding the support for a family would improve the child’s capacity or future capacity or reduce risk to the child’s wellbeing.

The free text fields have character limits. If more space is required, add the information to an internal note in the Activity log for the PEC case.

5.1 General question

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redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

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redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

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redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

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redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

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redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

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6 Guidance for planner delegates to fund support to sustain informal supports

6.1 Examples of support item scenarios

6.1.1 Specialised Home-Based Assistance for a Child

This support item provides specialist assistance in the home that is required due to additional requirements of a child’s developmental delay or disability and may be funded to strengthen the sustainability of informal supports.

Note: This rate should only be used if you are confident all the care will be provided in the home environment only and the child does not have complex support needs. There is no weekend rate for this support. For weekend assistance, planners should consider the Assistance with Self-Care Activities rate.

6.1.2 Assistance With Self-Care Activities – Standard

These support items provide a child with assistance with, or supervision of, personal tasks of daily life.

This rate applies to children who require assistance in or out of the home with daily personal activities. This can be used for children with behaviours of concern that require moderate support or for other circumstances such as personal care support. This funding is not expected to replace the family’s responsibility for their children to access the community. For example, to drive a child to or from a community activity.

Note: Where support is requested for personal care during school hours at a school setting, consider whether this support is already funded through in-kind arrangements.

6.1.3 Assistance With Self-Care Activities - High Intensity

These support items provide a participant (including children under 9 years of age) with a need for High Intensity Supports with assistance with, or supervision of, personal tasks of daily life. This rate applies to children with disability-related health support needs that require high-level assistance, for example:

complex bowel care
tube feeding and management
severe dysphagia management (for example, related to neurological impairments)
tracheostomy management
urinary catheter management
ventilator management
subcutaneous injections
complex wound management.

Note: Ensure funding for Registered Nurse (RN) delegation and supervision of care is also included for these children, using the CB - Improved Daily Living budget.

For more information refer to Supplementary module: High intensity daily personal activities and

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Note: Where support is requested for personal care during school hours at a school setting, consider whether this support is already funded through in-kind arrangements.

Read more in article Guide – In-kind and Add or remove in-kind supports.

This support item enables a participant to engage in community, social and recreational activities. This item is not expected to take children away from time with their family in the community or their responsibility to support their children in accessing the community.

This also includes a family’s role in transporting their children to and from school and should not replace existing in-kind arrangements for transport to and from specialised education settings. However, there are times when funding a support worker to accompany the family into the community will meet reasonable and necessary criteria to support the family to manage disability related support needs. For example, a child who has frequent seizures may need an additional person in the car to monitor seizures while a parent is driving.

6.1.5 Intensive and Complex Behaviour Support

This rate is intended and only included for children with very complex behaviours of concern where a support worker is needed to implement intensive and complex behaviour support plans and strategies.

Refer to current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Pricing Limits (external).
Read the criteria to include this support in article Understand behaviour support.

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7 Early childhood education and care

If a child attends an ECEC setting, this can sometimes provide an opportunity for parents to have a break, depending on their circumstances.

All children have the right to take part in ECEC including outside school hours care (OSHC). There are laws that require ECEC providers (including OSHC providers), to provide reasonable adjustments to support children with disability to participate. These are not funded by the NDIS. These reasonable adjustments might include:

using visual aids like photos and pictures to help explain things
installing equipment such as handrails to make moving around easier
changing spaces inside and outside so everyone can join in.

These changes help all children feel included and take part in these care settings.

There is support available through the Department of Education (Commonwealth) to assist eligible mainstream services in providing reasonable adjustments or additional supports. Refer to the Inclusion Support Program (external) on the Department of Education (external) website.

When eligible, support funded through the Inclusion Support Program can help the service provide additional support for the group. For instance, an additional educator for the group of children. However, the program does not fund one to one support for an individual child for the majority of time they are at the ECEC (including OSHC) service.

Most children who are NDIS participants don’t require NDIS support to take part in ECEC programs. However, in some circumstances it may be required. We may only fund a support under a participant’s plan:

if it is in line with legislation and the rules (external) about what we can fund
based on evidence of a participant support needs, not provider’s fees.

When determining if this is required, we consider that there are laws that require ECEC providers to make reasonable adjustments and what is typically available through mainstream supports, such as the Inclusion Support Program.

7.1 Types of NDIS supports that may be required in ECEC settings

7.1.1 Assistive technology

Many participants have NDIS supports for items that they use in their everyday life. For example, a child may require portable aids and equipment (e.g. wheelchairs or personal communication devices). These items are for use across all setting such as at home and in the community and likewise, at ECEC settings (including OSHC).

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7.1.2 Early childhood intervention supports

A child’s NDIS plan will include funding for early intervention support for early childhood (younger than 9). Some of this support can be used for providers to share strategies, specific to the child’s individual needs with educators. This can help everyone work together to support the child to develop skills and participate.

7.1.3 Individual support worker or nursing support

Where a child requires individual support due to complex disability related needs for some or part of the day, NDIS funding for support might be required. We consider that there are laws that require ECEC providers to make reasonable adjustments and what is typically available through mainstream support. NDIS funding should only be considered when the support required is beyond the ECEC (including OSHC) services core responsibilities. It is not for support with education or inclusion but rather for individual support specific to the child’s very high disability related support needs. This could be provided as one-to-one support:

which is specialised and outside of the scope of educators to provide. For example, specialist help for disability related health support needs such as feeding, or managing airways or ventilation OR
which is needed to prevent significant risk to the child or others. Whilst individual needs must be considered, when included in a plan this type of support is typically only included on a short-term arrangement whilst strategies are being established to support attendance.

Planner delegates should make funding decisions based on each child’s individual needs and circumstances and the needs of their family. If a child needs NDIS support to take part in ECEC (including OSHC) services, we may fund those supports, but not the session fees.

The NDIS does not fund fees or payments to attend these settings, which include:

ECEC, including outside school hours care, long day care, family day care, and informal care arrangements
separate childcare services just for children with disability, even if they are specifically designed for those children
the activity costs and transport costs associated with attendance.

If there are likely complexities in finding an ECEC service willing to engage with the family due the child’s disability or developmental delay, it is important to consider if a family needs additional funding to ensure they have the support to find appropriate providers. For example, funded supports may be required for support coordination.

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