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EC: PEC - Carers - Sustaining informal supports
Guidance in this document is not approved for use unless you view it in PACE.
This article provides guidance for early childhood partners and planner delegates about:
• Carers in the Personal Environmental Circumstances (PEC) case
• What are responsibilities of informal, community and mainstream supports
• Sustaining informal supports
• Funding Core Supports for children younger than 9
It important that the PEC is completed accurately so that the TSP accurately reflects the child with developmental delay or disability and their family’s actual circumstances and needs.
Recent updates
10 February 2025 Guidance has been updated to include information on how different support items can be applied for core supports for children younger than 9.
Before you start
You have read and understood:
• Article EC PEC Daily Supports
• Our guideline - Mainstream and Community Supports (external).
Additional knowledge articles
For information on the PEC case – Capacity building questions relating to other areas, refer to: support coordination, go to article EC PEC Carers - Support Coordination.
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For Internal Use Only Carers questions in the PEC case
The responses in the PEC case for Carers are completed by the early childhood partner and planner delegates in non-partnered areas. It should capture any relevant information to support the planner delegate to make a decision about funded supports the child and family may require, to sustain their caring role.
What are responsibilities of informal, community and mainstream supports?
Informal support provided by parents and carers, siblings and other family members is vitally important to children. Typically, the supports provided to children for support with daily activities and community access is provided by family or carers. Some children also receive support from mainstream services such as early childhood education and care or school.
Funded supports in a plan are not intended to replace the usual care and supervision provided by family or informal carers, or what is available through community and mainstream services. Information on a child’s participation in early childhood education and care and school settings can be found in responses to the PEC case – Daily Supports questions, in the participant statement and within the completed ecomap.
Where children require a level of support with daily activities significantly beyond the level usually required for a child of the same age, funded supports in the plan may be required. To be considered for funding, the need for any increased level of support must be directly attributed to the child’s developmental delay or disability. Where there are considerations to include support in a plan to assist in sustaining informal supports, an understanding of a child’s overall support needs is required. This includes identifying the range of informal, community and mainstream supports which are available and what is needed so the informal supports can be sustained.
Sustaining informal supports
When answering the PEC questions, any relevant information should be added to the free text field and then to the Activity log to ‘Internal notes’ if it does not fit in the space provided.
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’
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For Internal Use Only The responses in the PEC case for carers to this question provide an overview to sustaining informal supports. It should include any relevant information about:
• The impact of the child’s developmental delay or disability on the level of support
required for daily activities. Consider whether support is required which is significantly
above what would generally be considered typical family responsibility for children of a
similar age? If yes, please describe including the times of the day (and/or night if
applicable) and pressure points.
• Who the child’s informal supports are, including the primary carer(s).
• Any changes or fluctuations that may occur within the duration of the plan period which
will impact required funding. For example, is an interim period of funded support required
while other supports such as assistive technology or behavioural management strategies
are being put into place or assistive technology accessed?
PEC question: ‘to help with the child’s daily routines such as completing personal care’
Some children may require support with personal care activities significantly beyond what is usually required for their same aged peers. If this is the case, the family may require support so they can sustain the care they provide to their child.
A weekly timetable can help to evidence the child and family routine, highlighting where the pressure points are across the week. Responses to the PEC case – Carer’s questions require the early childhood partner to indicate the day or days of the week where there are significant pressure points and daily routines where support is required to sustain informal supports.
Additional points which should be considered include:
• Does the child have personal care support needs significantly above similar age children,
for example manual handling, complex feeding support needs or other disability related
health support needs?
• What are the tasks that require support, how long do they take and how often is the
support required?
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For Internal Use Only • [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/foi-library/releases/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)
• Consider any possible duplications of funded support. For example, does the support
that will be funded through the Capacity Building budget also provide support with the
child’s personal care needs? For example, therapy assistance.
• Are there any changes which are likely to occur during the course of the NDIS plan? For
example, an assistive technology assessment is pending which will lead to assistive
technology support for manual handling and may result in a reduction in the need for
Core funding.
• Any other considerations? Examples may include transitioning to mainstream supports –
Early Childhood Education or school which may impact a child’s personal care support
needs.
PEC question: ‘to have time to attend to daily tasks’
For some children, their additional care needs related to their developmental delay or disability significantly impact the parents or carer’s ability to complete daily tasks. For example, when parents or carers need to attend to their own appointments. If this is the case, the family may require support so they can sustain the care they provide to their child.
Additional points which should be considered include:
• s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies
• If the child does not attend mainstream services such as early childhood education or
school, are they able to? If not, include information/evidence as to why they are unable to
access mainstream supports. Please note, funding for Core support can only be
considered if the barriers relate to the child’s developmental delay or disability.
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For Internal Use Only • [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/foi-library/releases/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)
• Are there any other considerations?
PEC question: ‘to attend to other responsibilities such as siblings needs’
For some children, their additional care needs related to their developmental delay or disability significantly impact the parent or carer’s ability to attend to sibling needs. For example, when parents or carers are unable to take a sibling to extra-curricular activities. If this is the case, the family may require support so they can sustain the care they provide to their child.
Additional points which should be considered are:
• What are the parents or carers caring responsibilities in addition to caring for their child
with developmental delay or disability? • s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies
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For Internal Use Only • Are there any other considerations?
PEC question: ‘to have a break from caring for the participant’
For some children, their additional care needs related to their developmental delay or disability significantly impact on the ability of their parents or carers to have a break from caring for their child. If this is the case, the family may require support so they can sustain the care they provide to their child.
Additional points which should be considered are:
• s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies
• Are there any other considerations?
Guidance for planner delegates on funding Core Supports for children younger than 9
This guidance provides clarification as to how different support items can be applied for Core supports, particularly for children younger than 9.
Examples of support item scenarios:
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 provided to strengthen the sustainability of informal supports.
Note: this rate should only be used if you are confident all the care will only be provided in the home environment and the child does not have complex support needs.
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For Internal Use Only
Note: There is no weekend rate for this support. For weekend assistance, planners should consider the ‘Assistance with Self-Care Activities’ rate.
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.
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 feeding needs, respiratory care, or dysphagia.
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 | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (external) and Disability Related Health Supports. Refer to article Determine disability-related health supports and meal preparation supports.
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 the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Pricing Limits 2024-25 (external)
• Document for detailed criteria to apply this support item. Refer to article Understand
behaviour support.
Article labels
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