DOCUMENT 29

                               FOIOFFICIAL25/26-3392
            Knowledge Article

                            For Internal Use Only

The contents of this document are OFFICIAL. Agency Understand self-care and community access supports Insurance Guidance in this document is not approved for use unless you view it in PACE. This article provides guidance for a planner delegate to: Disability - understand self-care and community access supports - consider when to include high intensity supports. National Recent updates
The by 29 July 2024 - Article renamed from Add or update self-care and community access supports in a 1982 plan approval case. Act - Included section Understand self-care and community access supports. - System steps removed. - Next steps section updated to reflect process change. Information of Before you start You have: Freedom - read and understood Our Guideline - Reasonable and Necessary Supports the (external) - read and understood Our Guideline – Social and Recreation Support (external) under - referred to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (external) - read and understood article Support Categories. Understanding Self-Care and Community Access Supports was When you include self-care or community access supports in a participant’s plan, you’ll need to make sure you include the appropriate support category. released documentV4.0 2024-07-23 Understanding Self-Care and Community Access Supports 192248066 Page 1 of 6 This This document is uncontrolled when printed OFFICIAL

Page 886 of 910

Knowledge Article

For Internal Use Only

Self-care

Self-care supports provide assistance with daily personal activities. This could include:

Agency

• personal care such as, bathing, dressing, toileting and grooming
• assistance with eating
• mobility including exercise, positioning and moving.

To include supports for self-care, you’ll need to use the support category Assistance with Daily Life.

Community Access

Community access supports provide assistance with participation in community, social and civic activities.

National the by 1982 Act

to learn more, go to article Support Categories.

Consider When To Include High Intensity Support A support is considered a High Intensity support if it’s a support provided to a participant who requires assistance from a disability support worker who has one or more high intensity skills. These skills are specified in the NDIS Commission’s NDIS Practice Standards: cskills descriptors (external).

Developing A Plan With High Intensity Supports FreedomA participant’s plan doesn’t change by including high intensity support. This means you’ll continue to develop the plan as normal. Participants with complex needs may need some or all of their supports provided by a support worker with high intensity skills.

You’ll need to make a decision based on the NDIS funding criteria to determine if the participant’s support needs are standard or high intensity. Support items are explained in the NDIS pricing arrangements and price limits (external). Use the Plan Conversation Support Tool to guide your decision making. Go to article Understand and update the plan conversation support tool.

Information From The Participant, Their Providers, Functional Assessments, Therapy Reports, behaviour reports and medical information may help in determining if the participant has higher intensity support needs.

This document is uncontrolled when printed

Knowledge Article

For Internal Use Only

Standard support Participants without high intensity support needs would generally require a support worker Agency with standard skills.

High intensity support Participants with high intensity support needs will generally require a mix of support workers Insurance with standard skills and high intensity skills to have their support needs met.

For example, a mixture of standard and high intensity support may be required when aparticipant: Disability

• only needs a support worker with high intensity skills for their disability related health

     supports (DRHS) that occur at a certain time of the day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 National
  

In some situations, the participant will always need a support worker with high intensity skills to the provide all their supports. Talk to your team leader if you need help to decide what level of by worker is needed. 1982 Registered nurse (RN) delegation of care Act Registered nurse (RN) delegation of care allows an RN to delegate high level care to another suitably trained person.

Participants who meet the criteria for DRHS may need a support worker who is skilled to meetthis need. The provision of these supports could be delegated by the RN to a support worker Information who has the required high intensity support skills. The number of hours needed will depend on of the tasks required. When determining the number of hours to fund for DRHS, information from the following sources will help you to make sure the support meets the NDIS funding criteria (external): Freedom

• the participant the their providers •

      functional                 assessments                                                                                                    under      •
  

• therapy reports

• behaviour reports released

• medical information. was Go to Our Guideline - Disability-related health supports (external) and article Calculate disability-related health supports and meal preparation supports for further information. documentV4.0 2024-07-23 Understand self-care and community access supports 192248066 Page 3 of 6 This This document is uncontrolled when printed OFFICIAL

                             Page 888 of 910
  

Knowledge Article

Plan Changes

A plan change should only be considered where necessary. The participant should talk to their Agency provider first to understand their supports and the price control being claimed. The my NDIS contact or support coordinator who implemented the plan may help to:

• determine if there’s enough funding in the plan to cover any increased costs Insurance
• re-arrange their supports to better meet their needs.

You should support the participant to seek a plan change if they’re considerably Disabilitydisadvantaged and unable to purchase their supports because of the change in price controls. The prioritisation of the plan change will be considered in line with the current prioritisation process. National Implementation the Encourage the participant to discuss with their providers how the delivery of their supports can by be improved to create the most efficient use of their plan Providers are encouraged to help the 1982participant to arrange their supports within the available plan budget to deliver efficient service and value. This includes where a support worker with high intensity skills may be appropriate Act for some supports.

The participant’s my NDIS contact, or support coordinator, supports the participant to implement the plan and develop their service agreements. Information Providers of

The price controls are the maximum prices that can be charged for each support. Go to NDIS price guides and information (external) for more information on price controls. This enables theparticipant to use their plan budget to purchase an appropriate mix of supports, including Freedom support workers with high intensity skills if necessary the Service bookings and claims will be subject to audit. Providers may be required to provide proof that the staff member who delivered a support was subject to the high intensity price under countrol and had the relevant skills or experience.

If the participant has concerns about their provider and the use of the price controls, theyshould escalate these to the local provider engagement team. released wasNext steps

1. For a: documentV4.0 2024-07-23 Understand self-care and community access supports 192248066 Page 4 of 6 This This document is uncontrolled when printed OFFICIAL

                          Page 889 of 910
   

Knowledge Article

For Internal Use Only

• Plan Approval case, you’ll need to use the plan conversation support tool to calculate the funded supports. To add or update this support in a draft budget go to Agency article Change the draft budget

• Plan Change or Participant Budget Update case, go to article Action a budget update.

Insurance Article labels – internal use only Disability PACE user role names No change National Topics the No change by Case names 1982 Act Ownership Add: own_sgplanchangesandconnections of Delete: own_sgyourplansupportsandimplementation Freedom Version control the Amended Version Brief Description of Change Status Date under released by

3.1 BTM847 DRAFT 2024-07-17 Included section ‘Understand self-care and community access supports’. was

DocumentV4.0 2024-07-23 Understand self-care and community access supports 192248066 Page 5 of This This document is uncontrolled when printed OFFICIAL Page 890 of 910

FOIOFFICIAL25/26-3392

Knowledge Article

For Internal Use Only ‘Next steps’ section updated to align with July release changes

Agency 3.2 MSM312 Peer review DRAFT 2024-07-18

3.3 BTM847 Action peer review DRAFT 2024-07-18

Insurance 3.4 DD014 EL1 review DRAFT 2024-07-18

Disability Class 2 approval Article name updated. Included section ‘Understand self-care and 4.0 EMN960 APPROVED 2024-07-23 National community access supports’. ‘Next the steps’ section updated to align with by July release changes. 1982 Act Information of Freedom the under released documentV4.0 2024-07-23 Understand self-care and community access supports 192248066 Page 6 of 6 This This document is uncontrolled when printed OFFICIAL

                             Page 891 of 910