21 September 2020
Support Coordination & Plan Management – How to know the Difference?
NDIS provides wonderful supports for NDIS participants and Support Coordination and Plan Management are both services that help participants get their plans up and running but both do so in very different ways. As these 2 supports are always put together it can be confusing to understand exactly what each does.
At LotUs Assist we are experienced providers of both Support Coordination and Plan Management so let us take you through the differences of each service, so you have a clear understanding of what you need for your plan.
SUPPORT COORDINATION – What is it?
Support Coordination is a service that assists you in setting your goals and then supports you by finding and connecting you with service providers who best suit for your needs and your plan.
Support Coordination does NOT assist you in managing any of the financial aspects of your NDIS plan. Their focus is linking you to the right services and monitoring your plan and budget to ensure you get the most from it.
If you have Support Coordination and choose LotUs Assist, we will:
- Partner with you on your NDIS journey to help you understand the details of your NDIS plan
- Link you to the most suitable service providers
- Advise and guide you throughout your NDIS journey
- Assist you in tracking the progress of your plan
- Ensure you are prepared for your review meeting
Find out more about Support Coordination here
PLAN MANAGEMENT – What is it?
Plan Management takes care of the financial side of your NDIS plan. This includes getting your service providers invoices paid, claiming from the NDIS portal and providing you with a monthly statement. The statements are provided to you so that you can easily track how much of each budget you've spent and how much you have left.
It’s important to know, Plan Management does NOT mean your whole NDIS plan will be managed. A Plan Manager will only help you manage the financial side of your NDIS plan.
Plan Managers won't help you find the right service providers - that is Support Coordination. In addition, Plan Managers are NOT responsible for ensuring you stay on budget, that is YOUR responsibility.
If you choose LotUs Assist as your Plan Manager, we will provide
- Super-fast payments to service providers – 3-4 business days
- An experienced Plan Manager focussed on your plan and available to you for any questions or support you
may need
- Access to our App allowing you to track all your budgets in real time
- Ability to approve invoices via our App
Find out more about Plan Management here
HOW IS SUPPORT COORDINATION AND PLAN MANAGEMENT FUNDED IN YOUR PLAN?
Support Coordination and Plan Management are fully funded by the NDIS. To get access to Plan Management though it is something you need to ask for. The NDIS can’t refuse you and you don’t need a reason to want it but you do need to make sure that you ask for it so it can be included in your plan.
On the other hand, not everyone is entitled to Support Coordination. Funding for Support Coordination is assessed on a case by case and is generally provided to those participants with no supports and/or very complex needs.
As Support Coordination and Plan Management are very different they are funded under different categories.
If you’d like to get some more information on the benefits of Plan Management and Support Coordination why not say Hello we’d love to have a chat with you 02 4033 2003 or leave your details here and we will get in touch with you.
What others are saying
“Before I started talking to Helen I was in a very dark place, I had no motivation to do anything, I was constantly putting myself down and doubting myself in every way possible. Helen has helped me in so many ways.
Assisted in making my doctors appointments, helping me with my strategies when I started to feel down again and making sure I was on track with my mental health care plan while still being there for me every step of the way. She has been an incredible support to get me to better myself and be in a much happier place.
I do not know where I would be today if it wasn’t for Helen’s constant help and support over the last year! I am so grateful to have had Helen by my side and I could not be more thankful for everything she has done for me.”
Ally Letheby
Thank you to you and your company for such prompt payment with invoices its muchly appreciated and I look forward to working with you guys moving forward.
Clinton Graham
I’m sending you this email to highly commend your staff member, Jayne Cumberland.
I’ve worked with Jayne with a participant at Coomba Park. Jayne is hands on, very passionate about trying to achieve good outcomes for participants. Jayne talks to participants in a very non judgmental, supportive manner and participants feel at ease very quick. She is generally very interested in their welfare.
Jayne is also very supportive to support staff too. I know first hand.
She's a great asset to your company.
Fiona Stewart
I just want to praise Jayne for how extremely hard she has worked and for everything she and Lotus Assist have done to get all my supports in place. After previous experiences with Support Coordinators nothing has compared to the support and work Jayne has done for me, and I absolutely love her to pieces. I just cannot believe how lucky I am.
Jeni Ryan
“I am a Social Worker and started working with Helen In 2017. She was my Team Leader and I was employed as a Support Facilitator. Helen taught me all about the National Disability Scheme (NDIS) and the role of Support Coordination. Helen was an excellent supervisor who showed great compassion for people with any type of needs for their wellbeing. I am privileged to have worked with her.”
Krinent Singh
Having worked with Nicole for many years I cannot recommend her highly enough. She continually strives to provide impeccable customer service. She prides herself on supporting the community and delivers prompt and professional solutions to anything she is faced with. Her attention to detail and productivity is second to none. Nicole goes out of her way to make things as easy and stress free as possible for others. Her empathetic outlook sees her providing a service that is professional, simple and fast, time and time again. There is no one I would trust more.
Nikki Cassar
“Helen is the benchmark that all Support Coordinators should aspire to. Over the many years I have known her, Helen has continually demonstrated an outstanding and unwavering empathy, respect and dedication to her clients and those most vulnerable within the community, through her work and in her capacity as a volunteer.
Her extensive experience and contribution within the industry spanning pre-NDIS, NDIS start-up, NDIS test site through to the present day cement Helen as a leading industry expert.
Helen’s experience coupled with her vast network of allied health professionals and not for profit organisations guarantees Helen is best placed to share YOUR journey with YOUR best interests at heart.”
Peter Rose
LotUs Assist acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also acknowledge all people with a lived experience of mental illness, their families and carers.
LotUs Assist is committed to embracing diversity and inclusion in all we do and all services provided to our community. We welcome all people and these interactions and experiences drive us forward every day irrespective of ethnicity, gender, age, faith, identity, sexual orientation and gender identity or disability.