A

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
This organisation does independent reviews of Australian Government administrative decisions, including decisions about NDIS support.

For more information, go to Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) case conference
When you ask for an independent review of an NDIS decision, you have an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) case conference. This is a meeting between you, the AAT and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The aim is to help you and the NDIA agree.

For more information, see NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) hearing
When you ask for an independent review of an NDIS decision, you have an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) case conference and then a conciliation. If you still don’t agree after the case conference and the conciliation, you have an AAT hearing. At this hearing, you and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) can both give information to the AAT. An AAT member then decides on your case.

For more information, see NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) review
This is an independent review of an Australian Government administrative decision, like a decision about NDIS support. You can ask for an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) review if you’re unhappy with the outcome of an internal review by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The first step in an AAT review is usually an AAT case conference.

For more information, see NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review.

Advocate
This is a person who can help you say what you want for your child. They can go to meetings with or for you, and they can help you find information and make decisions. For more information, go to NDIS - Disability advocacy.

To find an advocate in your area, contact your local community centre, local council, neighbourhood house or disability service, or use the Disability Advocacy Finder.

Agency-managed (also called NDIA-managed)
This is when the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) manages your child’s NDIS funding for you. You can choose from a range of registered NDIS providers. The NDIA pays the NDIS providers for you and keeps track of your spending. NDIA-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

C

Carer’s statement
This is a written explanation of how your child’s disability or developmental delay affects your child and family. It can describe family life with your child, your caring arrangements and supports that have helped your child in the past or might help now. You can write a carer’s statement when you’re developing your child’s NDIS plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

Change of circumstances form
You need to complete this form if there’s a change that affects your child’s needs or the supports in your child’s plan.

For more information:

Conciliation
When you ask for an independent review of an NDIS decision, the first step is an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) case conference. If you don’t agree at the case conference, the next step is conciliation. It’s a meeting where an AAT member helps you and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) agree.

For more information, see NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review.

D

Developmental concerns
This is when your child is slower to reach milestones than other children of the same age, but your child doesn’t fully meet the NDIS’s definition of developmental delay. If your child has developmental concerns, they might still be able to get support from the NDIS. An early childhood partner can tell you more.

Developmental delay
This is when your child younger than 6 years is slower to reach milestones than other children of the same age, and this significantly affects your child’s ability to do everyday things like dressing themselves, talking or walking.

The NDIS formally defines developmental delay in the NDIS Act and uses this definition to make decisions about support for children.

For more information:

Disability
This is when your child has difficulty doing things like understanding, walking and talking because of an intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive or psychosocial impairment.

E

Early childhood approach
This is the overall way the NDIS works with you to help your child get early intervention. As part of this approach, an early childhood partner connects your child with supports and services to help your child develop skills for daily activities and better outcomes in life.

This approach is for all children younger than 7 years with developmental delay, developmental concerns or disability.

For more information:

Early childhood partner
This is an organisation or professional who works with you if you have a child younger than 7 years with developmental delay, developmental concerns or disability. An early childhood partner helps you to find and use community supports and services. They can also help you to request access to the NDIS if your child needs longer-term supports. If your child is younger than 6 years, the early childhood partner can organise early supports for your child.

If your child becomes an NDIS participant, the early childhood partner will help you to develop an NDIS plan. They can help you:

  • develop goals for your child’s plan
  • find and choose supports for your child’s plan
  • decide how to manage NDIS funds
  • use the NDIS myplace portal.

You don’t have to pay for an early childhood partner.

For more information, go to NDIS – Connecting with an early childhood partner.

Early connections
This program connects your child with support for their development. You get access to this program through an early childhood partner.

The Early connections program is for all children aged under 7 years with developmental delay, developmental concerns or disability, although children don’t need a diagnosis to get this program. It’s part of the NDIS early childhood approach.

For more information, go to NDIS – Early connections.

Early intervention
This is specialised support for your child with disability, autism, developmental delay or other additional needs. Early intervention should happen as soon as possible after your child’s needs are identified. It might include therapies, education and other supports.

For more information, see Early intervention for children with disability, autism or other additional needs.

Early supports
These are therapies and strategies that help your child develop skills to do everyday things like eating, dressing, going to the toilet and so on. Early supports also help you and your family learn how to develop your child’s skills at home and in other everyday environments. You get early supports through an early childhood partner.

Early supports are for children younger than 6 years with developmental concerns. Early supports are part of the NDIS’s Early connections program.

For more information, go to NDIS – Connections with early supports.

G

Goals
These are the things you and your child want to work towards with support from the NDIS and other services. You’ll discuss these at your child’s NDIS planning meeting.

For more information, see Your child's NDIS goals: how to develop goals.

I

Internal review
You can ask the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for an internal review if your child’s application for NDIS support is unsuccessful or you’re unhappy with the supports and services that have been funded in your child’s NDIS plan.

For more information, see NDIS access requests and plans: when you want a review.

K

Key worker
This is a qualified professional who coordinates supports for your child and family. Key workers are usually experts in child development, learning and wellbeing. If you have a key worker, you’ll talk to them a lot about your child’s therapies and supports.

L

Local area coordinator (LAC)
This is a local community organisation that works with you if you have a child aged 7 years or older with disability. A LAC helps you find and use supports, services and activities in your community, as well as other government services. A LAC can help you:

  • understand the NDIS
  • create an NDIS plan for your child
  • develop goals for your child’s plan
  • find and choose supports for your child’s plan
  • decide how to manage NDIS funds
  • prepare for plan reviews
  • use the NDIS myplace portal.

If your child isn’t eligible for an NDIS plan, a LAC can help you find mainstream community supports.

LACs work in partnership with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Long-term NDIS goals
Long-term NDIS goals are goals you have for your child’s future, like successfully transitioning to high school, getting a job or doing further education. You’ll discuss long-term goals at your child’s NDIS planning meeting.

Long-term goals are part of the NDIS planning process for children older than 7 years.

For more information, see Your child's NDIS goals: how to develop goals.

M

myGov
This is a secure online platform where people can access all government services in the one place. It’s run by the Australian Government.

For more information, go to myGov.

myplace
This is a secure portal for people who use the NDIS. It’s where you can see all your child’s NDIS information, including your child’s plan, service bookings and payments. It’s also where you request payment from the NDIS if you’re self-managing your child’s NDIS plan.

myplace is on the myGov website, and you need a myGov account to use it.

For more information, go to NDIS – How to use the myplace portal.

N

National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the independent Australian Government agency that runs the NDIS.

For more information, go to NDIS – National Disability Insurance Agency.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
This is Australia’s national scheme for helping people with disability work towards individual goals and live the life they want. The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary supports for children with disability or developmental delay and adults with disability.

For more information:

National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act)
This is the law that outlines the rules and guidelines for the NDIS. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) uses the NDIS Act to make decisions about access and reasonable and necessary supports for your child.

For more information, go to Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation – National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013.

NDIA-managed (also called Agency-managed)
This is when the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) manages your child’s NDIS funding for you. You can choose from a range of registered NDIS providers. The NDIA pays the NDIS providers for you and keeps track of your spending. NDIA-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

NDIA planner
This is an NDIA employee who works with you to create an NDIS plan for your child. They can help you to:

  • develop goals for your child’s plan
  • find and choose supports for your child’s plan
  • decide how to manage NDIS funds
  • use the NDIS myplace portal.

An NDIA planner might also be able to approve your child’s plan.

NDIA planners work with children of all ages.

NDIS access request
This is an application to join the NDIS. You can apply by either:

For more information:

NDIS Code of Conduct
This is a set of rules about how NDIS providers and workers should treat NDIS participants like your child. These rules ensure that NDIS providers offer good-quality, respectful and safe services.

For more information, see:

NDIS funding
This is the total amount you can spend on services and supports for the duration of your child’s plan, usually 12 months.

For more information:

NDIS plan
An NDIS plan is an agreement between you and your child and the NDIS. It describes the:

  • supports and services in your child’s life
  • goals you want your child to work towards
  • funding that has been allocated in your child’s plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

NDIS planning meeting
This is a meeting to develop your child’s NDIS plan with your child’s early childhood partner, local area coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner. After the meeting, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) must approve your child’s plan and then your child can start using it.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

NDIS Practice Standards
These are rules about how registered NDIS providers must work with NDIS participants so that participants get good-quality, respectful and safe services.

For more information:

NDIS provider
This is an organisation or person who supplies services to NDIS participants like your child. For example, they might supply early intervention services, allied health services, community health services and playgroups. You might work with one NDIS provider or many.

NDIS providers can be registered or unregistered. This affects who can use them, but it shouldn’t affect the quality of the service you get from them.

For more information:

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
This is an Australian Government agency that makes sure that NDIS providers work according to NDIS rules and requirements. It can take action against registered or unregistered NDIS providers or workers who aren’t treating NDIS participants the way that the NDIS Code of Conduct says they should.

For more information:

NDIS worker screening check
This is a check on people who work or want to work with people with disability. It makes sure that these people are safe to work with people with disability. It includes checks on background and employment history.

For more information, go to NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – NDIS worker screening check.

O

Ombudsman
This is an independent person who investigates complaints. You can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s office about problems with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and NDIS local area coordinators, early childhood partners and planners.

For more information, go to Commonwealth Ombudsman.

P

Permanent disability
This is a disability that’s likely to be lifelong.

Plan
A plan is an agreement between you and your child and the NDIS. It describes the:

  • supports and services in your child’s life
  • goals you want your child to work towards
  • funding that has been allocated in your child’s plan.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

Plan manager
This is a person whom you employ and pay to help you manage your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

Plan-managed
This is when you employ and pay someone to help you manage the funding in your child’s NDIS plan. This way of managing your child’s funds can increase the amount of choice you have with NDIS providers for your child. Plan-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS funds: options for managing them.

Plan review (agency initiated)
This is a regular review of your child’s NDIS plan to check that the funding for services and supports in the plan are still:

  • meeting your child's needs
  • helping your child work towards their goals.

The NDIS will let you know when your child’s plan review date will be.

For more information, go to NDIS – When do we decide to review your plan (agency-initiated plan review)?

Plan review (participant requested)
This is when you ask for a review of your child’s NDIS plan. For example, you might ask for a plan review in situations like these:

  • Your child’s situation has changed so much so their plan no longer meets their needs.
  • You want to change how the funding in your child’s plan is managed.

For more information, go to NDIS – What if you want your plan reviewed (participant-requested plan review)?

Planning booklet
This booklet from the NDIS helps you prepare for your NDIS planning meeting. It gets you thinking about your child’s interests, their disability or development delay, their current supports, and supports you and your child might need. It’s a good idea to bring the booklet to the planning meeting.

For more information, go to NDIS – Planning booklet (PDF: 680kb).

Planning meeting
This is a meeting to develop your child’s NDIS plan with your child’s early childhood partner, local area coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner. After the meeting, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) must approve your child’s plan and then your child can start using it.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS plan: developing and getting a plan.

Provider
This is an organisation or person who supplies services and supports to NDIS participants like your child. They might supply early intervention services, allied health services, community health services and playgroups. You might work with one NDIS provider or many.

NDIS providers can be registered or unregistered. This affects who can use them, but it shouldn’t affect the quality of the service you get from them.

For more information:

R

Reasonable and necessary supports
The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary supports for children with disability or developmental delay and adults with disability.

To be considered reasonable and necessary, a support must be:

  • related to your child’s disability
  • value for money
  • likely to work and benefit your child
  • based on evidence.

For more information, see The NDIS: reasonable and necessary supports.

S

Self-managed
This is when you manage your child’s NDIS funding yourself, including paying NDIS providers directly. This way of managing your child’s funds means you can use both registered and unregistered NDIS providers. It gives you flexibility in choosing NDIS providers to meet your child’s needs. Self-managing is 1 of 3 options for managing your child’s NDIS funds.

For more information, see:

Service agreement
This is a contract between an NDIS participant and an NDIS provider. The service agreement says what the provider will do for the participant, how they’ll do it and what it will cost.

For more information, go to NDIS – Service agreements.

Short-term NDIS goals
Short-term goals are goals you want your child to work towards during their NDIS plan. They’re often very specific. For example, a short-term goal might be for your child to hold a spoon by themselves. You’ll discuss short-term goals at your child’s NDIS planning meeting.

Short-term goals are part of the NDIS planning process for children older than 7 years.

For more information, see Your child's NDIS goals: how to develop goals.

Significant disability
This is a disability that substantially limits a person’s ability to do everyday activities.

Specialist support coordinator
This is a professional who gives your child extra support to work towards the goals in their NDIS plan. Specialist support coordinators work with children who have complex needs and might have difficulty getting the support they need. You can find registered specialist support coordination providers on the myplace portal.

For more information, go to NDIS – Support coordination.

Support budgets
This is the funding that you can spend on services and supports during your child’s plan. There are 3 NDIS support budgets, which fund different kinds of supports:

  • Core supports budget – this budget funds supports that help your child with everyday activities and current needs.
  • Capacity building supports budgets – this budget funds supports that help your child build their independence and skills.
  • Capital supports budgets – this budget funds supports like assistive technology, equipment, home or vehicle modifications, and one-off purchases.

For more information, see Your child’s NDIS support budgets: how they work.

Support coordinator
This is a professional who helps you understand, find and use supports for your child’s NDIS plan. NDIS support coordinators work with children who need more support than early childhood partners, local area coordinators (LACs) or NDIA planners can provide. You can find registered support coordination providers on the myplace portal.

For more information, go to NDIS – Support coordination.

Supports
These are therapies, programs, aids, equipment and so on that help your child to:

  • become more independent
  • take part in social and community activities
  • look after their health and wellbeing.

For supports to be funded by the NDIS, they must be reasonable and necessary.

For more information, see The NDIS: reasonable and necessary supports.

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