Support Coordinators need Information

How much information do you need to share with your Support Coordinator?

There are a few key pieces of information that they need to know if they are to serve you well.

We had a couple of weird experiences over the last two weeks with potential clients and information sharing. On both occasions, we were contacted and asked to meet as they needed a Support Coordinator and they wanted to work with an Independent provider.

Our process with new and potential clients is to collect enough information to allow us to put together a basic Service Agreement which we send out prior to our initial meeting so that they have enough time to read over it and think about any questions they would like to ask, before signing it. On both occasions, the person refused to give us any more info than their name and where they would like to meet.

That in itself is not the weird part, although it is a little out of the ordinary. We just went with the flow knowing that everyone is different.

The weird part was once they decided they wanted to work with us (after the initial meeting), they still refused to offer any more information, would not allow us to see their plan and would not give us their NDIS number. one of them also refused to sign the service agreement, asking “why can’t you just do what I say without knowing all of my info and without me signing an agreement?”

Now I understand that the info we ask for is confidential and should be treated as such, but as a provider offering Support Coordination, there are a few pieces of information that are imperative for us to collect:

What information do we need?

Name

This is required for obvious reasons. It is also important that we have the same name that the NDIS has on record as the use this as one of their identifiers if we ever need to call them on the client's behalf. We will also need the name of any Guardian or Nominee if there is one.

Address

This is required so that the Support Coordinators not only know where to meet you but also where to send the Services that will assist you to reach your goals.

Date of Birth

This information is another of the identifiers that the NDIS hotline ask for when Support Coordinators ring to ask a question related to a clients plan, funding, review or other NDIS matter. If we don't have this the call centre will not discuss a client with us. It can bring things to a screeching halt!

NDIS Number

This is another one of those pesky identifiers that we require when talking to the call centre, using the portal or booking another service provider to work with our client.

Contact Details

We need a clients contact details including their best telephone number and email address so that we can contact them when required, but also so that other providers can contact them to make arrangements for delivering supports. This is sort of imperative.

Disability or Primary Diagnosis

This can be a touchy subject. We know a lot of people don't like discussing what their disability is, but the fact is it helps a Support Coordinator understand how they are going to provide their support as well as get a broad understanding of the kinds of services they should consider engaging for a client.

NDIS Plan

This is the Holy Grail! A Support Coordinator MUST have access to the client's plan. It has vital information that will assist them to do their job, including the Start and Review Dates, the Funding Categories and the Budgets. How can a Support Coordinator break a plan down and help the client to understand it and their budget if they don't are not given a copy of it?

Supports

Having an understanding of the people and services that are already providing support to a client, as well as whether they are satisfied with that support/service allows a Support Coordinator to understand where to go next. Is a change of provider required? Should a new therapist be contacted? What is next on the list?

Goals

A Support Coordinator needs to have a good understanding of the goals listed in a plan, to be able to break down the budget in a way that will allow movement towards meeting those goals. Without an understanding of the goals, it is pretty much like shooting in the dark...pretty hard to hit the target!

Access Requirements

Providing appropriate support and engaging appropriate services means that a Support Coordinator needs to have a pretty good understanding of their client. This includes their access requirements, preferences, interpreter requirements, as well as general likes and dislikes. Without a proper understanding of the person, it is difficult to get things right.

We are an organisation of Independent Support Coordinators

We understand our role as set out by NDIS. We are required to operate within the NDIS guidelines including the Guide to Suitability and the Terms of Business. To do this we need to follow certain standards and these include understanding how to deliver a quality service to our clients.

We also understand that everybody is different, and people have different tolerance and acceptance levels when it comes to sharing personal information. This is why we are happy to work with potential clients and help them understand what it is we do, why we need the information and what we will do with it once we have it. If a person is still adamant that they do not want to disclose enough for us to work with them, then I am afraid we will politely decline to work with that person and will recommend they seek service elsewhere.

Not having enough information about a client can have significant consequences for both the person and our organisation. It could lead to incorrect or inappropriate services being engaged which could result in wasted time and funding. It could also result in services providing workers who are not properly trained for the client’s requirements. This could have dire consequences for the client or worker. These examples would equate to wasting the time and effort of those service providers which in turn could damage CoAbility’s reputation as a quality Support Coordination provider. There is also the fact that some of this information is used for billing for our services, whether it be sending an invoice to the client or their Financial Intermediary or claiming for our services on the portal. If we do not get paid for the service we deliver our business will quickly go under.

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Support Coordinators need Information