Case example
Julie asks for funding for continence supports for her 5-year-old daughter Ashleigh. Ashleigh has a developmental delay. Ashleigh’s continence needs are well above what is typical for other children her age.
Would we fund this?
Yes, assistive products to manage incontinence are considered NDIS supports. We would typically fund continence supports for participants five years or older who regularly experience incontinence, day or night.
Why would we fund this?
We fund NDIS supports. NDIS laws determine what we can and can’t fund. Things we can fund are called NDIS supports. You can use the funding in your plan to buy NDIS supports if they’re related to your disability and are in-line with your plan.
The cost for Ashleigh’s continence supports is likely to meet the reasonable and necessary criteria.
We suggest Ashleigh’s plan includes funding for a continence assessment as well as continence products.
This means Julie can get expert help to:
- explore any medical cause for the incontinence
- support her with toileting strategies
- advise her on products.
Australian families typically toilet train their young children, and pay for nappies, pull-ups, wipes and mattress protectors. It’s not unusual for typically developing children to use nappies at times up until age 5.
Most children are toilet trained by 5 years old, with some still wetting the bed. This means that children 5 and older who still need continence supports due to disability related support needs are likely to meet the reasonable and necessary criteria.
This funding usually covers:
- a continence assessment from a clinical nurse
- everyday items such as nappies, disposal wipes and mattress protectors.
It may also include:
- access to additional support from professionals to help parents with toileting strategies
- assistive technology support.
To work out whether a support is reasonable and necessary for your child, we look at the information you give us against the reasonable and necessary criteria.
What else might we fund?
We may fund continence supports for children younger than 5 if their disability-related medical condition means they need:
- more expensive continence support or have higher care needs than children of a similar age
- disposable urinary catheters. Please refer to Continence Consumable Guide (DOCX 180KB) .
Case Example
Kirra is 5 years old and has been diagnosed with autism. Her family has been helping her increase her self-care skills. While she is starting to show some toileting awareness, she still needs pull-up nappies through the day and night.
Kirra’s mother Kylie sends us a report from Kirra’s occupational therapist. The report has the evidence we need to fund a continence nurse for Kirra. We fund three hours of support for a continence nurse to:
- undertake a continence assessment
- support the family with strategies to help Kirra with self-care.
We also include funding, based on Kirra’s age and current level of functioning, to cover:
- five pull-up nappies a day
- one pull up nappy a night
- mattress protectors
- continence aids, such as bags and wipes.
Kirra and her mother attend a continence clinic for the continence assessment with a nurse. The nurse assesses Kirra and gives her mother advice on strategies to help Kirra develop better self-care with toileting.
Kirra and her mother also work with an occupational therapist who helps them incorporate strategies into daily routines. We fund this through the allocated capacity building budget in Kirra’s plan.
To work out whether we can provide NDIS funding for continence supports we consider the information and recommendation from Kirra’s mother against the reasonable and necessary criteria.
We consider if the support is an NDIS support that relates to Kirra’s disability.
We also consider if the support will be, or is likely, to be effective and beneficial for Kirra, and reflects current good practice.
For example, there is evidence that Kirra’s needs are substantially greater than other children her age. The continence assessment will provide more evidence of Kirra’s progress and future support needs.
We decide to fund continence consumables for Kirra. We recommend Kirra’s family buy the consumables month-by-month. This means they get the right amount and pull-up nappy size doesn’t change.
For more information, refer to: