Disclosure Log - FOI 24/25-1354 DOCUMENT 1
Guide - Therapy supports SGP KP Publishing
Exported on 2025-03-26 22:33:50
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Disclosure Log - FOI 24/25-1354 SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Therapy supports
Table of Contents
1 Recent updates …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2 Before you start …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
3 What are therapy supports? ………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 3.1 Maintenance supports ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
4 The role of Allied Health Professionals ………………………………………………………………….. 7
5 Assessments and reports ……………………………………………………………………………………… 8 5.1 Progress reports ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
6 Capacity building – Improved Daily Living Skills ……………………………………………………. 9 6.1 Value for money ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 6.2 What if I decide not to include all of the AHP recommendations? ………………………………. 9
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Disclosure Log - FOI 24/25-1354 SGP KP Publishing – Guide - Therapy supports
This article provides guidance for a planner delegate, review officer, local area coordinator, early childhood partner, technical advisors, liaison officers (HLO/JLO) or complex support needs (CSN) planner to understand: • what are therapy supports • the role of allied health professionals • assessments and reports • capacity building – Improved Daily Living Skills.
This guide is for participants 7 and older. For information about capacity building supports for children younger than 7, go to article EC: PEC – Capacity Building – Early Childhood supports overview.
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1 Recent updates
6 May 2024 Update to include the age range this guide applies to.
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2 Before you start
You have read and understood:
• Our Guideline – Reasonable and necessary supports (external) • Our Guideline – What principles do we follow to create your plan? (external) • Our Guideline – Mainstream and community supports (external).
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3 What are therapy supports?
Therapy supports assist participants to develop skills to build independence in the home, community, place of education and work.
The goal of capacity building therapy supports are to build or maintain the participant’s independence, meaning that the need for future therapy support will generally reduce over time. Some participants may need ongoing maintenance supports, for example, if they have a condition that is unlikely to change or will degenerate over time.
There may be instances where therapy supports remain the same or increase. Some examples include:
• the participant has not progressed as expected • a change in situation • the participant had difficulty attending sessions.
There are many systems apart from the NDIS which provide supports and services. We call these systems mainstream supports, and they are available to everyone across Australia.
Participant plans might include some therapy supports funded by us, and some funded and delivered by a mainstream or community service such as the health system. If we’re responsible for funding the support, it must meet all the NDIS funding criteria before we can include it in the plan.
3.1 Maintenance supports
Maintenance supports are used to assist the participant to maintain their current capacity, achieve small incremental gains or prevent further decline. Maintenance supports can be provided through a ‘delegated’ model. This means that the therapist can train family or staff to provide support to the participant to implement strategies on a more regular basis. You should discuss using a delegated model of maintenance care with the participant.
When using a delegated model, the therapist will regularly reassess the participant’s maintenance program to make sure it continues to meet their needs. They may need to adjust a program or update training to the participant and their supports.
Requests for maintenance supports should be supported by an assessment or report that includes recommendations of supports and how the participant will be linked to additional informal, community or mainstream supports to help them to pursue their goals.
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4 The role of Allied Health Professionals
Allied health professionals (AHPs) provide therapy supports in their specialist area. They develop strategies to improve outcomes for participants in areas including:
• mobility • movement • personal and social well-being • managing diets and nutrition • organisation • communication
• self-care • cognitive capacity • social skills • moods and emotion • modifying the environment to make it more accessible.
AHPs may also prescribe assistive technology. To learn about assistive technology, go to article Record assistive technology information and Our Guideline – Assistive technology (external).
AHPs may be, but are not limited to, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, prosthetist or orthotists, podiatrists, dieticians or respiratory therapists.
Individuals may be treated by one or more AHPs from different specialisations at the same time to optimise benefits and outcomes of therapy. They can work in a multidisciplinary team. When we say multidisciplinary team, we mean a team of professionals who work with one another and share the job of evaluating, planning and providing therapy services to the participant. T
o learn more about AHPs and what therapy support they may provide, go to article Guide – Therapy Supports Appendix A.
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5 Assessments and reports
You will need guidance from suitably qualified AHPs on the amount of therapy supports that the participant will need to pursue their goals. You can get this information through assessment or progress report documents provided by the participant. This will help you determine if the request for therapy supports meets the NDIS funding criteria.
When you need further evidence to make a decision on supports, you can ask the participant to have an assessment.
Before asking the participant to have an assessment you need to:
• review all existing information and determine that additional evidence is needed • consider the costs and benefits of the request • consider how it will assist you to decide whether to approve funded supports • determine the type of assessment that is likely to produce the information you need • specify the information to be provided in the assessment • make sure the request aligns with the objects and general principles in the NDIS Act.
When you request an assessment for therapy supports, make sure you include funding for the assessment.
Requests should clearly specify the functional area to be assessed. Some examples are communication, activities of daily living, balance and mobility.
Make sure you are clear about the information you need in the assessment. For example:
• how the therapy support will build or maintain the participant’s independence • how the participant’s informal, community and mainstream supports will help them to achieve their goals
• how the gains or outcomes will be measured • the expected time the participant will need to achieve the outcome • the NDIS contact person to forward the information to.
5.1 Progress reports
A progress report should include:
• a summary of the supports provided • how the support has helped the participant work towards their goals • the measurable gains the participant has made since receiving therapy supports • how the participant has been linked to additional informal, community or mainstream supports to help them pursue their goal • any barriers encountered and how these have been resolved • any risks to the participant or others.
Progress reports should also include information on how any proposed supports will further increase independence and the risks or impacts on other supports.
If the report does not have enough information to justify continued support at the same level or an increase in support, you should talk to the participant about providing more information.
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6 Capacity building – Improved Daily Living Skills
The frequency of therapy will depend on the participant’s individual circumstances. When making a reasonable and necessary decision about the therapy supports to include in the participant’s plan, use the following information:
• the participant’s knowledge and experience with how therapy supports interact with their condition
• assessments • reports • published information about the therapy supports such as the TAB digest or research journal articles.
All information is important in determining if the support meets the NDIS funding criteria. Where information from all 4 information sources doesn’t match, talk to your line manager. If you are still uncertain, create a technical advice case for the Technical Advisory and Practice Improvement Branch (TAPIB). To learn more, go to article Create a technical advice case.
6.1 Value for money
Value for money considers: • whether a support will represent value for money over time • the cost of other available supports that can help the participant reach the same goal.
When determining if therapy supports are value for money, consider:
• If investing in therapy supports early is likely to have the long-term benefit of significantly improving life stage outcomes for the participant or reducing their support needs. For example, is it likely that the use of therapy supports for early intervention will increase the participant’s independence and decrease reliance on supports throughout life?
• If investing in therapy supports is likely to reduce the participant’s support needs in the short and medium term. For example, will increasing the participant’s independence in self-care reduce the amount support worker hours needed each day?
• If investing in the support will delay the need for, or avoid reliance on, additional supports. For example, will maintenance therapy delay the functional impact of a degenerative condition allowing the participant to maintain independence for longer?
• Whether there are similar supports that would have the same outcome at a lower cost.
6.2 What if I decide not to include all of the AHP recommendations?
The AHP providing the assessment or report is a qualified professional who has met and worked with the participant.
There may be times when you do not believe the supports the AHP recommends meet the NDIS funding criteria. Some reasons may include:
• information conflicts with other reports or information you collect during the planning conversation • support hours requested are higher than expected • supports requested may not be considered best practice
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• supports requested may not seem value for money.
When this happens, you need to:
• review all reports and supporting information • review your conversation with the participant • speak to the AHP to get more information and discuss any differences • seek advice from your team leader.
You will then be able to develop a plan that includes the reasonable and necessary therapy supports.
When you make a decision to include supports in the participant’s plan that are different to the AHP’s recommendations, you must write a clear justification detailing: • the reason the supports recommended do not meet the reasonable and necessary criteria
• evidence to support this decision (for example, consultation with your team leader or TAPIB advice)
• what other lower cost/alternative supports were considered.
Go to articles Add budget justifications and Change the draft budget.
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