How do we think about risks when we create your plan?

You have the right to decide what you do each day and to make your own life choices. For all of us, our choices come with some risks. We all make our own choices about how much risk we want to take in our lives. You should also be able to choose how much risk you want to take when you make your life choices.

We’ll work with you to understand areas of risk in your life and things that may increase risk of harm to you. This includes being aware of your individual situation, the transitions in your life and recognising your own experience.

We’ll help you think about supports that help you live your life the way you want to. We balance your right to take reasonable risks in pursuing your goals, with your safety and the safety of other people.

 There might be risks to your personal safety, your personal finances, or your NDIS funding. 

For example:

  • there might be risks to your family or friends’ health if they keep supporting you when they get older
  • there could be risks if you’re socially isolated
  • you rely only on providers for support
  • there could be risks of physical injury to you or the people who support you.

Some of these risks might affect:

  • the NDIS supports in your plan
  • who manages your NDIS funding, or
  • how we include the funding in your plan.

We’ll support you to make your own choices wherever possible. But we can’t fund NDIS supports that are likely to risk harming you or someone else. 

When we create your plan, we’ll talk with you about how we can help you reduce risks. There are a few things we could do to reduce risk and make sure your plan meets your needs.

For example, we could:

  • check in with you regularly about how your plan is meeting your disability support needs and if you need any changes
  • connect you with mainstream services related to health or education
  • fund NDIS supports to help you build your support network, for example to help you make friends or build relationships in your community
  • include NDIS supports to help build your skills so you can manage the funding in your plan
  • include shorter funding periods in your plan
  • consider how we apply funding components amounts in your plan
  • help you understand if any providers are using restrictive practices. Providers using restrictive practices need to be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and follow the requirements of registration for this support
  • let you know about how you can make a complaint about your service providers
  • tell you how to ask for a review of a decision we have made.

What can you expect from us when we create your plan?

We’ll create a plan that will: 

  • be personalised and guided by you
  • respect the role of family, carers and other people who are important to you
  • consider the support your friends and family provide, and the support services available to everyone in the community
  • respect your right to have control over your life and make your own choices
  • help you participate in the community, and help you study or find and keep a job, if you want to
  • focus on choice and flexibility when it comes to your goals, needs and your supports
  • build the capacity of families, carers, and your community to support you, where appropriate
  • support you to manage any risks that may have been identified in discussions with you.

We’ll start making your plan within 21 days after you become an NDIS participant. 

You can ask us to change your plan at any time. You’ll need to give us supporting information about why you’d like us to change your plan when you ask for this.

Learn more about what you can expect from us and what we consider when we create your plan in our Participant Service Charter .

You can also read about the principles we follow to create your plan.

This page current as of
4 December 2024
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