Frontline Essentials: Making Connections, Applying and Access

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Session outline: Day 1

Topic 1: Pathway and Roles
Topic 2: Early Childhood Approach
Topic 3: Local Area Coordination Approach
Topic 4: Community Connections Case
Topic 5: My profile

Learning outcomes: Day 1

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Identify pathways and roles
Understand and apply the Early Childhood Approach
Understand and apply the Local Area Approach
Understand community connections cases
Create a My Profile and understand parts of the profile

Program overview

The program includes facilitated sessions, workshops, on-the-job training, self-directed learning, and check-ins with your team leader and facilitator.

Experience	Education	Embedment
On-the-job or experiential learning	Formal training or learning	Learning through others

Topic 3: Tools used to gather information

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Developmental concerns or developmental delay

For children younger than 6, an early childhood partner gathers a range of information to determine if the child can be described as having developmental concerns or developmental delay. Some of the ways they may do this is through:

Talking to families
Reviewing information from professionals who know the child well
Making observations of the child in their natural setting
Completing an ecomap
Implementing the Ages and stages questionnaire
Implementing the PEDI-CAT
Creating a person account plus a child representative account in PACE.

The ASQ for an early childhood partner

The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is a developmental screening tool that Early childhood partners use to gather information about a child’s development.

It involves asking the child representative questions around the child’s daily life, including development.
A score is generated that is used to interpret if the child shows developmental concerns or developmental delay.
This information provides supporting evidence for the applying to the NDIS, or for if early connections/ supports alone is the best pathway.

The PEDICAT

We always use the PEDICAT assessment with children younger than 6
Sometimes, we use PEDICAT for children aged 7-16 if there isn’t another tool available

Topic 2: Functional capacity assessment

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Functional capacity assessment

Functional capacity assessments are a form of evidence.

We use them to:

help us identify the level of support and funding they will need in their plan
understand how they manage everyday activities
assist us in making decisions.

Types of functional capacity assessments

Depending on a person’s developmental delay or disability, a specific functional capacity assessment may be required. It’s important to check knowledge article in PACE, as some need to be completed by a health care professional.

General (unspecified)	Hearing Loss
- Life skills profile (LSP -16)	Vision Loss
WHODAS	Spinal Injury
PEDICAT	Traumatic Brain Injury

Intellectual Disability Cerebral Palsy

Individual Activity: Who can complete what assessment?

Review resources and note down whether it is the Agency or a Health professional that can complete the assessments.

There is space in your learner workbook to note down your answers.

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Individual Activity: Debrief

WHODAS	PEDI-CAT	Life skills profile	Hearing loss	Vision loss	Spinal injury	Traumatic brain injury	Intellectual disability	Cerebral Palsy
Allied or health professional	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
NDIA staff or partner	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes

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Functional capacity assessments

When collecting functional capacity assessment information, the score of an external assessment needs to be provided by:

The person
Their nominee
Their child representative
Their treating health professional

Different assessment tools may have requirements over who can administer them, such as qualified health professionals.

A manual assessment refers to any previously completed functional capacity assessments.

A new assessment refers to you completing a new PEDI-CAT or WHODAS assessment in PACE

Completing a functional capacity assessment

Check for exceptions
Log an activity in PACE
Complete a new assessment

Internal disability specific severity tools

The internal disability specific severity tools that can be completed by Agency staff and partners include:

Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) for Cerebral Palsy
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) for Stroke
Disease Steps for Multiple Sclerosis
Hearing tool
Vision tool

Locating resources

Tools

Update Severity Indicator - Cerebral Palsy
Update Severity Indicator - Hearing
Update Severity Indicator - Multiple Sclerosis
Update Severity Indicator - Stroke
Vision Impairment Tool

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Example MS

Question	Details
What symptoms do you have due to your MS?
Do your symptoms have any effect on your activity level or lifestyle?
If so, what is that level of effect on your lifestyle for example, minor, moderate, severe?
After an attack, do you return to normal?
Does your MS interfere with your walking?
Do you use a mobility aid?
If so, what type?

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Group Activity 6: Using severity tools

Use the Intranet to locate the Update Severity Indicator – Multiple Sclerosis tool Home > Service Delivery > Pre-Planning > Topic: preparing for Planning > Update Severity Indicator - Multiple Sclerosis
Watch Sonia’s video: Andrew and Sonia - Lived Experience (external) Home>Service Delivery>Disability Navigator>Multiple Sclerosis
In your groups, complete the Multiple Sclerosis severity tool for Sonia

Assessment not specific to a disability type

If there are no relevant disability specific assessments or internal disability specific tools then we would use an assessment that is not specific to a disability type.

Assessments not specific to disability type:

Can be completed by NDIA staff and partners
Include PEDICAT (0-16) and WHODAS 2.0 (+17).

WHODAS demonstration

We are now going to go through a WHODAS demonstration. During the demonstration, please take notes as you will complete a similar activity during your self-directed learning.

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PEDI-CAT

Assessment and Documents

Steps

Functional Capacity Assessment
Select an Authorised Representative
Select Tools
Launch PEDI-CAT
Complete PEDI-CAT in Pearson
Submission
Confirmation

Details

PEDI-CAT and PEDI-CAT (ASD)

Please confirm details are correct before launching the PEDI-CAT report.

NDIS Number:

Applicant/Participant name: Angelina Bell

Date: 04-09-2023

Reminder to assessor: please do not enter any applicant/participant or representative identifying information (names or contact details) into the online Pearson’s Q-Global system when you commence the assessment.

Save for later

Launch PEDI-CAT

Topic 3: The Access Request Case in PACE

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Version Control

Version	Amended by	Description	Status	Date
V2.0	RWP064	Links updated, Edits	Draft	04/03/24
V2.1	SSN695	Links and content updated	Draft	09/05/24
V2.2	SJT409	Links and content updated	Draft	01/08/2024
V3.0	AIA372	Legislation updates	Final	29/10/2024

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