NDIS terminology: a guide

This page is under review because the NDIS is making changes. After 3 October 2024, there will be a clear list of what you can spend your child’s NDIS funds on. And your child’s NDIS plan will have a total budget amount, which shows you how much money there is and how long it needs to last. For more information about these and other changes, go to NDIS – Changes to NDIS legislation.

A

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has been replaced by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).

For more information, see ‘Administrative Review Tribunal’ below or go to Administrative Review Tribunal.

Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)
This organisation does independent reviews of Australian Government administrative decisions, including decisions about NDIS support.

For more information, go to Administrative Review Tribunal.

Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) review
This is an independent review of an Australian Government administrative decision, like a decision about NDIS support. If you’re unhappy with the outcome of an internal review by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), you can ask for an Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) review. The NDIA calls this an external review.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS application or NDIS plan: when you want a review.

Advocate
This is a person who can help you say what you want for your child. They can go to meetings with or for you, and they can also help you find information and make decisions. To find an advocate in your area, contact your local community centre, local council, neighbourhood house or disability service, or use Ask Izzy – Disability Advocacy Finder.

For more information, go to NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – How an advocate can help you.

Agency-managed
See ‘NDIA-managed’ below.

C

Carer’s statement
This is a written explanation of how your child’s developmental delay or disability affects your child and family. It can describe family life with your child, your caring arrangements, and supports that have helped your child in the past or might help now. You can write a carer’s statement when you’re developing your child’s NDIS plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

Change of situation or change of details form
You can complete this form if:

There’s a change that affects your child’s needs or the supports in your child’s plan.
Your child’s details change.

For more information:

Check-in
A check-in is when your child’s early childhood partner or local area coordinator or an NDIA planner contacts you to talk about whether the supports in your child’s NDIS plan are meeting your child’s and family’s needs. They’ll also ask whether you’re having any difficulties using your child’s plan.

Check-ins typically happen at least every 12 months, although this might vary depending on your child’s needs.

You’ll always have a check-in just before an NDIS plan reassessment.

You might have check-ins at other times too. For example, your NDIS representative might check in with you if you’re using too much or too little of the funding in your child’s plan.

If a check-in shows your child’s plan isn’t meeting your child’s and family’s needs, your child’s NDIS plan might need to be reassessed.

For more information, go to NDIS – How will we check-in with you during your plan?

Child
A child is a person who is under 18 years of age.

When the NDIS refers to a child in the context of the early childhood approach, this means a person who is younger than 9 years. Early childhood partners support children – that is, people who are younger than 9 years.

Child representative
This is the person or people with parental responsibility for a child under 18. A child representative can make decisions on a child’s behalf.

For some children, a child representative might be an adult who isn’t their parent or it might be a statutory authority.

D

Developmental concerns
This is when your child is developing at a slower rate compared to other children of the same age, but they don’t fully meet the NDIS definition of developmental delay. If your child is younger than 6 years and has developmental concerns, they might be able to get support from the NDIS. An early childhood partner can tell you more.

Developmental delay
Developmental delay is when your child finds it much harder to do everyday things that other children of the same age can do. This might include dressing themselves, talking or walking. Your child might need a lot of help to do everyday things compared to children of the same age.

The NDIS formally defines developmental delay in the NDIS Act and uses this definition to make decisions about support for children.

For more information:

Disability
This is when your child has lifelong intellectual, physical, neurological, sensory, cognitive or psychosocial conditions that significantly affect their ability to do things like understanding, walking and talking.

The NDIS formally defines disability in the NDIS Act and uses this definition to make decisions about support for children.

For more information, go to NDIS – Applying to the NDIS.

E

Early childhood approach
This is an NDIS term. It’s the way the NDIS works with you to help your child get early childhood intervention. As part of this approach, an early childhood partner connects your child with supports and services that can help your child develop skills for daily activities and get better outcomes in life.

The NDIS early childhood approach is for children younger than 9 years with disability or younger than 6 years with development delay or development concerns. Within the early childhood approach, there are different criteria for getting support, depending on whether children are younger than 6 years or older than 6 years.

For more information, see The NDIS pathway: how to get NDIS support.

Early childhood intervention
This is therapies, learning activities and other community supports for your young child with developmental delay or disability. It gives your child the specialised support they need to grow, thrive, reach their full potential and participate in their communities. It also helps you support your child’s development.

Early childhood intervention is sometimes called early intervention.

For more information:

Early childhood partner
This is a local organisation, or its employee, funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to work with you and your family if you have a child younger than 9 years with disability or younger than 6 years with developmental delay or developmental concerns.

An early childhood partner can:

put you in touch with community services like playgroups and child health centres
give you practical information about how children develop
connect you with other families
help you apply to the NDIS if your child needs longer-term support
organise early supports for your child, if relevant.

If your child becomes an NDIS participant, the early childhood partner will give information about your child’s needs to the NDIA, so that the NDIA can develop an NDIS plan for your child.

For more information, go to NDIS – What is an early childhood partner?

Early connections
This is an NDIS program. It’s part of the NDIS early childhood approach to supporting children with developmental delay, developmental concerns or disability.

Early connections support might include:

putting you in touch with community and other government services
giving you practical information, advice and strategies
organising early supports for your child, if relevant
helping you apply to the NDIS if your child needs longer-term support.

An early childhood partner can help you get access to this program.

For more information, go to NDIS – Early connections.

Early intervention
This is when your child gets specialised support as early as possible, including therapies, education and advice. This support builds your child’s skills and independence and reduces the effects of their disability, developmental delay or developmental concerns.

Early intervention for young children with developmental delay or disability is sometimes called early childhood intervention.

For more information:

Early supports
This is an NDIS term to describe a program you might get if your child is younger than 6 and has development concerns. An early supports program will go for a set period of time, and you’ll get it from an early childhood partner.

Early supports help your child develop skills to do everyday things like eating, dressing and going to the toilet. Early supports also help you and your family learn how to develop your child’s skills at home and in other everyday environments. For example, your early childhood partner might work with you and educators at your child’s early childhood education service to ensure your child’s inclusion.

An early childhood partner will work with you on getting early supports for your child, if appropriate.

For more information, go to NDIS – Connections with early supports.

External review
This is an independent review of an NDIA decision about NDIS support. The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) does external reviews. You can ask for an external review if you’re unhappy with the outcome of an internal review by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS application or NDIS plan: when you want a review.

G

Goals
These are the things you and your child want to work towards with NDIS help, plus other supports and services. You’ll discuss these at your child’s NDIS planning meeting.

Goals can be big or small, short term or long term, simple or complex. They can be about anything you and your child want to work towards – for example, holding a spoon by themselves or successfully transitioning to high school.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS goals: how to develop goals.

I

Internal review
If you disagree or are unhappy with an NDIA decision, you can ask the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for an internal review of that decision. For example, you can ask for an internal review if your child’s NDIS application is unsuccessful or you’re unhappy with the funding in your child’s NDIS plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS application or NDIS plan: when you want a review.

K

Key worker
This is a qualified early childhood professional who coordinates supports for your child and family. Key workers are usually experts in child development, learning and wellbeing. If you have a key worker, you’ll talk to them a lot about your child’s therapies and supports.

L

Local area coordination partner
This is a local organisation funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to work with people with disability aged between 9 and 64 years. Local area coordination partners employ local area coordinators.

For more information, go to NDIS – Local area coordination partners.

Local area coordinator
This is a person who works for a local area coordination partner. This person works with you if you have a child with disability aged 9 years or older.

A local area coordinator can help you to:

find and use relevant information
find and choose supports for your child’s NDIS plan
find community supports and activities and other government services
get in touch with other people for peer support.

A local area coordinator can also help you to:

understand the NDIS
apply to the NDIS
decide how to manage NDIS funds
prepare for plan reassessments
use the NDIS myplace portal.

If your child becomes an NDIS participant, the local area coordinator will give information about your child’s needs to the NDIA, so that an NDIA planner can develop and approve an NDIS plan for your child.

If your child isn’t eligible for an NDIS plan, a local area coordinator can help you find mainstream community supports.

For more information, go to NDIS – Local area coordination partners.

M

my NDIS contact
This is a term sometimes used by the NDIS to describe your early childhood partner or local area coordinator or your NDIA contact if you live in a remote area.

myGov
This is a secure online platform where people can access all government services in the one place. It’s run by the Australian Government.

For more information, go to myGov.

myplace
This is a secure portal for people who use the NDIS. It’s where you can see all your child’s NDIS information, including your child’s plan, service bookings and payments. It’s also where you request payment from the NDIS if you’re self-managing your child’s NDIS plan.

myplace is on the myGov website, and you need a myGov account to use it.

For more information, go to NDIS – How to use the myplace portal.

N

National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the independent Australian Government agency that runs the NDIS.

For more information, go to NDIS – National Disability Insurance Agency.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
This is Australia’s national scheme for funding reasonable and necessary supports for children with disability, developmental delay or developmental concerns and adults with disability. NDIS support helps people work towards individual goals and gives them choice about the support they need to live the life they want.

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

For more information:

National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act)
This is the law that outlines the rules and guidelines for the NDIS. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) uses the NDIS Act to make decisions about access and reasonable and necessary supports for your child.

For more information, go to Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation – National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013.

NDIA-managed
This is when the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) manages your child’s NDIS funding for you. You can use services from a range of registered NDIS providers. The NDIA pays the registered providers for you and keeps track of your spending. NDIA-managed is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

NDIA planner
This is an NDIA employee who works with you to create an NDIS plan for your child. An NDIA planner will also approve your child’s plan.

NDIA planners work with children of all ages.

NDIS application
This is an application to join the NDIS. You can apply by either:

calling the NDIS on 1800 800 110
contacting an early childhood partner if your child is younger than 9 years
contacting a local area coordination partner if your child is 9 years or older
filling out an NDIS Access Request Form (PDF: 573kb).

For more information:

NDIS Code of Conduct
This is a set of rules about how NDIS providers and workers should treat NDIS participants like your child. These rules ensure that all NDIS providers offer good-quality, respectful and safe services.

For more information:

NDIS funding
This is the total amount you can spend on services and supports for the duration of your child’s plan, usually 12-24 months.

For more information:

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

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

For more information:

NDIS planning booklet
See ‘Planning booklet’ below.

NDIS planning conversation
See ‘Planning conversation’ below.

NDIS planning meeting
See ‘Planning meeting’ below.

NDIS plan reassessment
See ‘Plan reassessment (CEO initiated and participant requested) below.

NDIS Practice Standards
These are rules about how registered NDIS providers must work with NDIS participants so that participants get good-quality, respectful and safe services.

For more information:

NDIS provider
See ‘Provider’ below.

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
This is an Australian Government agency that makes sure that NDIS providers work according to NDIS rules and requirements. It can take action against registered or unregistered NDIS providers or workers who aren’t treating NDIS participants in the way that the NDIS Code of Conduct says they should.

For more information:

NDIS worker screening check
This is a check on people who work or want to work with people with disability. It makes sure that these people are safe to work with people with disability. It includes checks on background and employment history.

For more information, go to NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – NDIS worker screening check.

O

Ombudsman
This is an independent person who investigates complaints. You can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s office about problems with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and local area coordination partners, early childhood partners and NDIA planners.

For more information, go to Commonwealth Ombudsman.

P

Permanent and significant disability
This is a disability that’s likely to be lifelong and that substantially affects your child’s ability to do everyday things and take part in their community. There are some conditions that come and go. The NDIS might consider these to be permanent too.

Plan
See ‘NDIS plan’ above.

Plan manager
This is a person whom you employ and pay to help you manage the funding in your child’s NDIS plan. You can use funding in your child’s plan to employ a plan manager.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

Plan-managed
This is when you employ and pay someone to help you manage the funding in your child’s NDIS plan. You can use funding in your child’s plan to do this.

This way of managing your child’s funds can increase the amount of choice you have with NDIS providers for your child. Plan-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

Planning booklet
This booklet from the NDIS helps you prepare for your planning conversation. It gets you thinking about your child’s interests, disability or development delay, your child’s current supports, and the supports you and your child might need in the future. It’s a good idea to bring the booklet to the NDIS planning conversation.

For more information, go to NDIS – Creating your NDIS plan booklet (PDF: 680kb).

Planning conversation
This is a meeting or meetings with your child’s early childhood partner, local area coordinator or NDIA planner to get information about your child to use in creating your child’s NDIS plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

Planning meeting
This is a meeting with an NDIA planner to discuss your child’s draft plan and make changes if necessary. After the planning meeting, the NDIA planner will approve your child’s plan and then your child can start using it.

For more information, go to NDIS – Preparing for your planning meeting.

Plan reassessment (CEO initiated)
A plan reassessment is a review of your child’s NDIS plan by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

A CEO-initiated plan reassessment is when the NDIA does a regular review of your child’s NDIS plan. This might happen if:

Your child’s plan is approaching the reassessment date.
The NDIA thinks your child’s disability-related support needs have changed.
Your family’s situation has changed.

During your child’s plan reassessment, you’ll work with an early childhood partner, local area coordinator or NDIA planner to make sure that your child’s plan is meeting their needs. As a result of a plan reassessment, your child might get a new plan. The new plan might have the same supports as their old plan, or it might have new and different supports.

For more information:

Plan reassessment (participant requested)
A plan reassessment is a review of your child’s NDIS plan by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

A participant-requested plan reassessment is when you ask for a review of your child’s NDIS plan because you think your child’s situation has changed so much that their NDIS plan no longer meets their needs.

If your child’s plan is reassessed, the plan might change or your child might get a new plan.

You can ask the NDIA to reassess your child’s plan at any time.

For more information:

Plan variation
This is when a part of your child’s NDIS plan is changed. For example, your child’s plan can be changed to:

fix small mistakes
change reassessment dates
change how your child’s plan is managed
change your child’s goals.

The NDIA can vary your child’s plan if you ask them to or if the NDIA thinks it’s needed.

For more information, go to NDIS – What do we mean by changing your plan?

Provider
This is an organisation or person who supplies services and supports to NDIS participants like your child. They might supply early intervention services, allied health services, community health services, playgroups and so on. You might work with one NDIS provider or many.

NDIS providers can be registered or unregistered. This affects who can use them, but it shouldn’t affect the quality of the service you get from them.

For more information:

R

Reasonable and necessary supports
The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary supports for children with disability or developmental delay and adults with disability.

To be considered reasonable and necessary, a support must be:

related to your child’s disability or developmental delay
value for money
likely to work and benefit your child
based on evidence.

When the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) assesses what’s reasonable and necessary for your child, it will also look at the support your child already gets from friends, family, community services, schools, health services and so on.

For more information, see The NDIS: reasonable and necessary supports.

Recovery coach
This is a person who has mental health knowledge. If your child has psychosocial support needs and an NDIS plan, their plan can include funding for a recovery coach. A recovery coach can work with your child to help them get support from mental health services and from the NDIS.

A recovery coach might also be called a psychosocial recovery coach.

For more information, see NDIS – Psychosocial disability.

S

Self-managed
This is when you manage your child’s NDIS funding yourself, including paying NDIS providers directly. This way of managing your child’s funds means you can use both registered and unregistered NDIS providers. It gives you flexibility in choosing providers to meet your child’s needs. Self-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information:

Service agreement
This is a contract between an NDIS participant and an NDIS provider. The service agreement says what the provider will do for the participant, how they’ll do it and what it will cost.

For more information, go to NDIS – Service agreements.

Specialist support coordinator
This is a professional who helps you understand, find and use supports for your child’s NDIS plan. NDIS specialist support coordinators work with children who have complex needs and need more support than early childhood partners, local area coordinators or NDIA planners can provide. You can find registered specialist support coordination providers on the myplace portal.

For more information, go to NDIS – Support coordination.

Support budgets
This is the funding that you can spend on services and supports during your child’s plan. There are 3 NDIS support budgets, which fund different kinds of supports:

Core supports – this budget funds supports that help your child with everyday activities and current needs.
Capacity building supports – this budget funds supports that help your child build their independence and skills.
Capital supports – this budget funds supports like assistive technology, equipment, home or vehicle modifications, and one-off purchases.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS support budgets: how they work.

Support coordinator
This is a professional who helps you understand, find and use supports for your child’s NDIS plan. NDIS support coordinators work with children who need more support than early childhood partners, local area coordinators or NDIA planners can provide. You can find registered support coordination providers on the myplace portal.

For more information, go to NDIS – Support coordination.

Supports
These are therapies, programs, aids, equipment and so on that help your child to:

become more independent
take part in social and community activities
look after their health and wellbeing.

For supports to be funded by the NDIS, they must be reasonable and necessary.

For more information, see The NDIS: reasonable and necessary supports.