NDIS offers support to children in Sydney’s northern beaches
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was introduced to Northern Sydney on July 1 2016, so the Kids First team in Brookvale has developed a series of fast fact sheets to help families navigate this new program.
We hope you find our 4 part NDIS series helpful!
Many families who have children with disabilities may be familiar with the Helping Children with Autism and Better Start for Children with Disability programs that provide early intervention funding for children aged under 7.
The good news is that the NDIS an insurance-based scheme, so now every Australian can be secure in the knowledge that if they (or a member of their family) acquires a disability, support will be available throughout that person’s life.
What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme?
The NDIS is a single, national scheme that funds ‘reasonable and necessary’ support to help people with disability reach goals throughout life.
The NDIS:
- recognises that people have different needs and goals
- gives people choice about the support they need to live the life they want
- works with people individually
- is available for Australians aged 0 to 65
Is your child eligible NDIS funding?
For some families, it hasn’t been easy to work out if their child (or young person) is eligible for the NDIS.
If your child is aged under 6, he or she does not need a diagnosis of a disability to benefit from the NDIS, however your child must be:
- an Australian citizen, or
- a permanent resident, or
- a person who holds a Protected Special Category Visa
- be living in an area where the NDIS is operating
- be at risk of having a developmental delay or disability
Children aged 7 and over
Slightly different rules apply to children who are aged 7 or older.
To be eligible for the NDIS, your child aged 7+ must:
- have a permanent and significant disability or developmental delay that affects his or her ability to take part in everyday activities
- meet the citizenship, residency or visa conditions listed above
- live in an area where the NDIS is operating
Need more information?
The NDIS is a huge topic, so we’ve broken it down into four ‘bit sized chunks’ for you!
Want to know how you can get NDIS funding for your child? Read part two of this helpful series when you click on the link below
The NDIS Checklist here could help you to determine if your child is eligible for NDIS support.
NDIS at Kids First
Kids First’s highly qualified team of speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and teachers has many years’ experience supporting children with disabilities.
We’ve been accredited Helping Children with Autism providers since 2009 and Better Start for Children with Disability providers since 2011.
Kids First has years of experience supporting children with self-managed or plan managed NDIS funding.
We can help your child meet his or her goals with professional, evidence-based therapy and support services.
Simply give Kids First Children’s Servcies a call on 9938 5419 to chat about how we can help your child make the most of his or her NDIS funding.
