The following community and government partners provide services and supports to our students and their families.
What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new way of providing community linking and individualised supports for people with permanent and significant disability, their families and carers.
The NDIS provides people with disability, their family and carers with information and referrals to existing support services in the community and offers a whole-of-life approach, investing in people with disability early to improve their outcomes later in life.
Under the NDIS a range of support services are provided by non-government organisations. Families can choose who provides their child’s support and where they would like the supports delivered.
In the ACT, the NDIS works with two organisations to support people with disability to engage with the NDIS these include:
- EACH (the Early Childhood Early Intervention Partner for families with children aged 0 – 6) and;
- Feros Care (the local Area Coordinator Partner for people with disability aged 7 years and over).
Both organisations offer a wide range of support services for families in determining best supports for your child and when required, will help families in requesting access to the NDIS.
More information about the NDIS and support organisations can be found here:
- NDIS Insurance Scheme Website
- National Disability Insurance Agency:
1800 800 110 (general enquires) or (02) 6269 9800 (ACT Site). - Feros Care
P: 1300 090 256 - EACH
P: 1300 00 3224
What Supports Related to Education Will the Scheme Fund?
Individuals and families sometimes have a role in funding education-related supports, such as purchasing school uniforms, paying school fees and excursion fees. The Scheme will not cover these cost.
However, some participants in the NDIS may be attending school and require additional support as a result of their disability. The NDIS will fund supports that enable participants to attend school education, where these supports are required by the participant, to engage in a range of school community activities. Supports funded by the NDIS include:
- assistance with self-care at school related to the participant’s disability;
- specialist transport required because of the participants disability;
- equipment that is transportable such as a wheelchair, personal communication device or hearing aid;
- specialised or intensive support to transition between schools, or from school to post-school options.
The NDIS and School Education
The NDIS does not impact on the schools’ legislative obligations to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. ACT Education engages in a range of practices that support schools in assisting students with disability in their educational attainment, including inclusive teaching and educational resources.
These practices include:
- employing teachers, learning assistance, facilitating access to educational resources;
- learning-specific aids and equipment such as computers and text books;
- making reasonable adjustments to the school curriculum to enable access by students with disability;
- reasonable adjustments to school buildings, such as installing ramps, and fixed or non-transportable equipment such as hoist;
- transporting students for school activities such as excursions and;
- day-to-day supervision of students while undertaking school activities including addressing behavioural issued while participating in school.
The Provision of Personal Care in Schools
If a student receives personal care support at school, it is important they are an NDIS participant. Personal care support at school is in-scope for the NDIS and the cost of this will appear in a student’s NDIS plan. However the NDIS does not transfer funding for this support to either the family or to the school. Personal care support is considered an in-kind support provided to the NDIS by the ACT Government. It is recognition of the cost of support already provided and forms part of the ACT Government’s contribution to the scheme
School Leaver Employment Support (SLES)
School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) is an early intervention approach to employment for Year 12 school leavers with disability. The aim is to provide eligible NDIS participants with a supported pathway from school into employment.
Students wanting to access SLES will also need to meet the access requirements of the NDIS to become an NDIS participant.
More information about the SLES initiative can be found here:
- NDIS Insurance Scheme Website
- National Disability Insurance Agency
For General Enquires please phone: 1800 800 110 or (02) 6269 9800 (ACT Site).
For further information about the Special Needs Transport program, please refer to the Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate website.