How to get started with NDIS support: contacting the NDIS
The first step to NDIS support for your child is contacting the NDIS.
Your GP or child and family health nurse or another health professional might be able to put you in touch with an NDIS contact:
- If your child is under 9 years, this will usually be an early childhood partner.
- If your child is 9 years or over, this will usually be a local area coordinator.
If there’s no early childhood partner or local area coordinator in your area, you can call the National Insurance Disability Agency (NDIA) on 1800 800 110. The NDIA is the agency that runs the NDIS. From the NDIA, you can find out about NDIS contacts in your area, or the NDIA might organise for an NDIS contact to get in touch with you.
What happens next: an NDIS meeting
Your NDIS contact will get in touch with you to organise a meeting.
This is a meeting to help you and your child find services and supports. The meeting might be face to face, by video call, or on the phone.
How to prepare for your NDIS meeting
Here are things to think about as you prepare.
It’s a good idea to write your thoughts and other information in a notebook or a computer file. This can make it easier to share the information at the meeting. It’s also good to write down your questions.
1. Your child’s strengths, interests and favourite activities
For example, ‘Piper has a great sense of humour. She loves her dog and being outdoors with her family’.
2. Your child’s participation in daily and family life
For example, ‘Piper lives with her mama (Jenny) and mum (Pam) and younger brothers (Bailey and Sal). Piper goes to the local primary school’.
3. The reasons your child needs support
For example, ’Piper has Down syndrome and needs extra help at mealtimes’.
4. Your child’s goals
For example, ‘We would like Piper to become more independent at mealtimes’.
Our article on developing NDIS goals can help you with this step.
5. Your child’s current supports and how well they’re working
These include:
- mainstream services like child and family health nurses, GPs and teaching aides
- community supports like playgroups, library services and sports clubs.
6. Your family’s situation
You can write a carer’s statement, which explains how your child’s disability, developmental concerns or developmental delay affects you and your family. You can write about your other children, your child’s carers, other people like grandparents or friends who help you and your child, and your own health, wellbeing and financial circumstances.
Preparing for your meeting with your NDIS contact is important. Preparation can help you think clearly about what support you and your child need. It can also help your NDIS contact find the right services and support for your child.
What to bring to your NDIS meeting
You should bring the following to the meeting with your NDIS contact:
- the information, notes and statements you’ve prepared
- information or reports from your child’s health professionals, therapists or teachers, if you have them
- proof of your identity and your child’s identity – for example, a passport and driver licence
- any questions you have about the process.
You might also like to bring a support person, like a family member, a friend or an advocate.
You might need more than one meeting if there’s a lot to talk about or if your NDIS contact needs you to get additional information or reports from your child’s health and other professionals.
What will happen at the NDIS meeting?
At the meeting, your NDIS contact will talk with you about your child and their interests, strengths, needs, goals and current supports.
Your NDIS contact will use this discussion to help you find and get connections, which include mainstream and community services:
- Children under 9 years will get early connections.
- Children 9 years and over will get community connections.
Your NDIS contact might also talk with you about whether your child is eligible for the NDIS.
Is your child eligible for the NDIS?
If your child needs more support than they can get from connections, they might be eligible to become an NDIS participant.
Children under 9 years
Your child might be eligible to become an NDIS participant if they’re:
- under 9 years and have a disability
- under 6 years and have developmental delay.
Children 9 years and over
Your child might be eligible to become an NDIS participant if:
- they have a disability that causes a significant impairment that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities
- their impairment is permanent or likely to be permanent.
The NDIS eligibility rules about children with developmental delay are changing on 1 January 2028. This is when Thriving Kids will be fully rolled out. Thriving Kids supports children aged 8 years and under who have developmental delay or autism with low to moderate support needs.
How to apply for NDIS support for your child
If your child is eligible and you want them to become an NDIS participant, your NDIS contact might use the information you’ve gathered to help you complete an NDIS application.
Your NDIS contact will send your child’s application to the NDIA. After the NDIA gets your child’s application, they’ll decide within 21 days. If your child is accepted into the NDIS, your child will get NDIS-funded supports through an NDIS plan.
You and your NDIS contact might need another meeting to gather more information and evidence for your child’s NDIS application. Your NDIS contact will let you know.