Overview
Support Coordinators are often the bridge between participants and the wide range of service providers involved in delivering supports, from community-based programs and mainstream government services to providers funded through the NDIS. This means that effective communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are essential skills for success in the role.
A particularly important aspect of Support Coordination is working closely with allied health professionals. These clinicians deliver vital therapeutic and clinical services that directly influence participant outcomes. While many allied health professionals are familiar with the NDIS and its unique processes, some may still need guidance in understanding the system’s nuances — including the expectations of the NDIA, the participant, and the Support Coordinator’s role.
By taking a proactive approach to collaboration, Support Coordinators can help bridge these gaps in understanding, fostering stronger partnerships with clinicians and ultimately achieving better outcomes for participants.
Clinician Reports
It is not the Support Coordinator’s role to instruct clinicians on the content of their reports. However, Support Coordinators often provide valuable input by explaining NDIS rules, offering insight into funding trends, and clarifying expectations based on ongoing interactions with the NDIA and Partners in the Community.
While Support Coordinators may not possess clinical qualifications to critique a clinician’s assessment, they do play a crucial role in managing expectations, assisting clinicians and participants to understand what the NDIA is likely to fund, based on their understanding of the NDIS reasonable and necessary decision-making criteria.
Whilst most Support Coordinators, and indeed clinicians, are aware of the finer details of what sits within the “ins” and “outs” list of supports the NDIS will fund, we are still seeing recommendations for supports or items that sit firmly on the “outs” list with only a tenuous link at best between the item recommended by the clinician and the functional impact of the participant’s disability.
For example, a clinician recommended a kayak for a participant with ASD, citing its calming effect as an adaptive device. While well-intentioned, such recommendations highlight the importance of providing clear guidance. In that instance, the Support Coordinator responded by providing updated NDIS guidelines to both the clinician and the participant.
In other cases, such as where reductions in daily living supports are proposed under the misconception that community mental health services can replace NDIS-funded supports, a more detailed, collaborative response is required. Support Coordinators and clinicians need to work collaboratively to outline a participant’s daily support needs, demonstrate the limits of community services, and explain how NDIS-funded supports specifically address the disability-related functional impact for a participant.
These collaborative efforts often go beyond writing strong clinical reports. They involve advocacy, persistence, and an understanding that even the best-written reports can be misinterpreted. Many hope that tools such as the I-CAN needs assessment will help bridge these ongoing gaps in the NDIA’s understanding of complex participant needs.
The Importance of Readable Clinical Reports
Clear and concise reporting is a shared responsibility. Support Coordinators frequently work with clinicians to ensure their reports are not only clinically accurate but also accessible to readers who may not have an allied health background.
NDIS planners and LACs often come from non-clinical disciplines. Reports that rely heavily on medical jargon can obscure the participant’s story and the functional impact of their disability. Instead, reports should be written in plain language, clearly outlining how the disability affects daily life, what risks are present, and what supports or equipment are needed to address those functional impacts effectively.
For instance, the phrase:
“Participant has a kyphotic lumbar spine and compensatory thoracic lordosis.”
Could be rewritten as:
“The participant has an abnormal curvature of the spine, causing significant pain and limiting their ability to stand, sit, or walk for extended periods.”
Such clarity ensures that decision-makers can immediately grasp the real-world implications of the participant’s condition.
Given the pressure on the NDIS due to plan reassessment backlogs, concise and well-structured reports are more important than ever. Key observations and recommendations should appear within the first and last pages, ideally within a maximum 12–18 page report, depending on complexity. The most effective reports use minimal technical language and frame clinical observations within plain English narratives that clearly link to functional outcomes and disability-related needs.
Useful Links
Leveraging Technology and Community
Support Coordination Software assists Support Coordinators to manage these complex processes. With organised folders for plans and reports, the software helps Support Coordinators to consistently store and retrieve critical documents quickly and efficiently.
Beyond technology, being part of a professional community enhances best practice and connections. Support Coordination Software subscribers gain access to regular Masterclasses and a Community of Practice that explore emerging NDIS developments and provide practical strategies for achieving best-practice outcomes in a constantly shifting environment.
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