As an Advocate for families who are either accessing the NDIS for the first time or preparing for a review (scheduled review, Change of circumstances review or external review – the AAT) I really enjoy getting to know the families and their needs well. To then be able to help them provide that narrative to the NDIS Delegate to be successful is even more rewarding.
If you are accessing the NDIS for the first time, this can be just as daunting as preparing for your planning meeting. Often the steps which you needs to go through are not clearly documented and most people find the NDIS website confusing at best.
By getting support from Footprints Advocacy, you are prepared and know what evidence you need to provide and to whom and when.
If your child has a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and they are diagnosed with Level 1 or 2, you will automatically be accepted into the NDIS. However, if you only have a diagnosis and no other supporting evidence, then your child is likely to only achieve a basic entry level NDIS Plan. For some children and their families, this is enough support for weekly speech and OT. Parents are happy with this level of therapy, however as they travel on their therapy journey, parents start asking questions about the level of therapy, the functional outcomes and is their child accessing the best evidence based therapy available?
Its often at this point that the parent recognises that they need help. Not just for their child, but also for themselves as they must advocate for their child.
Footprints Advocacy have a number of packages designed to support families in not just accessing the NDIS, but also in preparing for reviews all the way through to the AAT process.
The Starter Package is best for parents and carers who are just starting out on their NDIS journey and are looking for an entry level support – but more support than what the NDIS provides to families. The bespoke Footprints Advocacy webinars take you through the process, the evidence you need to produce and why and you also have access to the full NDIS Planning Workbook which has been created especially for accessing the NDIS through the ECEI approach under ASD or Developmental Delay. Our clients love this package as they say; ‘Before I found Footprints Advocacy, I had no idea what I was doing. Accessing the NDIS is harder than applying for a credit card.’
“My son accessed the NDIS with the help of Footprints Advocacy. I had heard horrible stories about failure and I was terribly worried that this would be me too. Thanks to Footprints Advocacy, I was able to prepare all the evidence I needed not just to access the NDIS, but prepare for my first planning meeting’.
The Standard Package is designed for parents who’s children have already been accessing some therapy supports and have therapy reports. This package can be