The NDIS and children: FAQs

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What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a single, national scheme that funds reasonable and necessary support for children with disability or developmental delay and adults with disability. NDIS support helps people reach their individual goals and gives them choice about the support they need to live the life they want.

If your child has a developmental delay or significant and permanent disability, the NDIS helps you and your child get services and support in your community. It also gives you funding for support like early childhood intervention therapies and supports or one-off items like wheelchairs or communication devices.

The NDIS also supports you if you care for a child with developmental delay or disability.

The NDIS is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

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What does the NDIS fund?

The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary support to help children with disability or developmental delay reach their goals in a range of areas.

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What doesn’t the NDIS fund?

Generally, the NDIS doesn’t fund support that:

isn’t related to your child’s developmental delay or disability
is funded by mainstream services like the education or health systems
is part of day-to-day living costs that aren’t related to your child’s support needs
is likely to cause harm to your child or pose a risk to others.

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Support for children with disability: not funded by the NDIS

For school-age children the NDIS will fund support that enables a child to go to school, like help with self-care at school. But it won’t fund teachers or learning-specific aids like computers, because the education system funds these supports.

Is my child eligible for NDIS support?

The NDIS supports children who:

have a developmental delay or disability
are Australian citizens, permanent residents, or other visa holders with Protected Special Category Visas.

For more information
NDIS – Am I eligible

How can my child aged under 7 years get support from the NDIS?

If your child is aged under seven years and has a developmental delay or disability, your child can get support through the NDIS’s early childhood early intervention approach. Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis.

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How can my child aged 7 years and over get support from the NDIS?

If your child is aged seven years and over, your child can get support from the NDIS if they have a permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities.

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The NDIS pathway: how to get support

What is an NDIS plan?

An NDIS plan is a written agreement between you and your child and the NDIS. It describes the:

supports and services in your child’s life
goals you want your child to achieve
funding that has been allocated in your child’s plan.

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What if I’m not happy with the support in my child’s NDIS plan?

If you don’t agree with the support in your child’s NDIS plan, you can ask for a review.

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NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review

Will my child’s plan be regularly reviewed?

Your child’s NDIS plan will be reviewed regularly, usually every 12 months. In a scheduled review, you and your NDIS representative can check the plan is still meeting your child’s needs. You can also change your child’s goals if you need to and adjust supports as your child’s circumstances change.

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How will my child’s NDIS plan be managed?

There are three options for managing your child’s NDIS plan: self-managing, plan-managing and NDIA-managing. You can choose which option suits you best.

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Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them

Can I choose the service providers in my child’s NDIS plan?

You’ll be in control of which service providers you choose and when and how your child gets support. Depending on how your plan is managed, you might be able to choose any provider, or you might be able to choose only NDIS-registered providers.

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What can I do if my child’s NDIS access request is rejected?

If your child’s NDIS access request is rejected and you want to keep trying to access the NDIS for your child, you can:

make a new NDIS access request
ask for an internal review of your first NDIS access request.

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What if my child doesn’t get access to the NDIS?

If your child doesn’t meet the access requirements for the NDIS, your child can still get community and other supports. The NDIS can also help you with referrals.

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How does the NDIS support families and carers?

The NDIS can support families and carers in several ways. For example, your child’s plan might include funding that helps you get some respite. It can also include funding for a support coordinator or plan management, depending on your needs.

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How is the NDIS funded?

The NDIS is jointly funded by the Australian, state and territory governments and is partially funded by money raised by an increase in the Medicare levy.