Unfortunately, over the last six weeks or so, I have noticed a trend on social media of people complaining about Support Coordination, and it has me wondering whether Support Coordination is getting a bad name in the community.
As somebody who values the role of Support Coordination and believes that when it is done properly it enhances the participant’s life immensely, I find this kind of feedback very sad and frustrating.
What makes a Support Coordinator ‘independent’?
It is important that participants understand that if they are going to be funded for Support Coordination they have the right to research and request the provider they would like. Many organisations offer Support Coordination as part of a suite of other service offerings. These organisations often claim that they offer ‘independent Support Coordination’ however for a Support Coordinator to be truly independent their business needs to offer only one NDIS funded service – Support Coordination.
Independent Support Coordinators offer quality information and care about the connections they make with their clients. For independent Support Coordinators, bad reviews mean they no longer have a business as they don’t have other services to fall back on.
Now I am not saying that providers who offer Support Coordination as one of a multitude of services are shonky, but there are some who filter clients through to their other services just to make money. While the NDIS states that they can offer multiple services as long as they mitigate any conflict of interest, I would suggest that some of the dissatisfaction that is visible on social media at the moment has to do with agencies whose first interest is securing a service booking and not the happiness or well-being of their client.
You can be sure that an independent Support Coordinator went through the hassle of becoming a registered provider because they are passionate about what they do and the service they offer. They will offer you a personalised service and really take the time to find out what it is you wish to get out of your plan. They will work with you to reach your goals while building your capacity to function without them.
The customer is king!
However, no matter what service provider you are with if you are not completely satisfied and they aren’t interested in improving their service you can do some research and find a provider that is a better fit for you. If you are in a remote area and don’t have many options for Support Coordination consider making a complaint to the provider and if that gets you nowhere you can always escalate it to the Disability Services Commissioner in your state.
Remember you are the customer and the customer is king!
If you are looking for an independent Support Coordinator CoAbility is registered in Victoria and has a team of dedicated Support Coordinators who would love to talk to you.
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Hey Jenine, Just wondering, do independent support coordinators need to be NDIS or DHHS registered by law to perform support coordination ? or based on their experiece and ABN requirememnts they can do it independently.