Tips sheet 1:
Thinking about service providers
These are tips for thinking about how a service provider could
support you if you have individualised funding (funding for you
that you control).
There are some things to think about before you talk to a service
provider. There are some things to do when you talk to a service
provider.
1. Know your goals
Know what your goals are. Know what you hope will happen in
your life.
This will help you tell people what is important to you. It will help
you think about who can help you reach your goals.
2. Think about how you will reach your goals
Think about what steps you need to take to reach your goals.
Think about the support you need each day.
If you have been to the National Disability
Insurance Agency (NDIA) you can look at
what your plan says about reaching your
goals. You can take a copy of your plan with
you if you talk to a service.
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3. Who do you need to support you to reach
your goals?
You can think about the support you will need.
This support could be from family and friends. It
could be from people paid to support you.
Think about the support you will need for each
goal.
For example, maybe you want to learn to swim and to cook.
The person who would be best to teach you to swim could be
different to the person who is teaching you how to cook.
You can get ideas about the type of paid support you may
want if you click
Choosing staff Need to hyperlink to resources
4. Do you need support from a disability
service?
Lots of people do not have to use a disability service if they do
not want to. It depends on how your funding is managed
(looked after).
Some people think they will have
more control if they decide
everything about their support.
If this is what you choose you can
decide that you want to selfmanage funding from the NDIS.
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That means that funding is used by you to manage how you
are supported.
If you self-manage funding you can choose to do everything
like hire staff and do paperwork.
Or you can use a mainstream service. A mainstream service is a
service for everyone – not just people with disability.
Or you can use a disability service provider.
Or you can get support from different places.
If you think that you may self-manage your funding, this could
change the questions you ask a service. It may change what
you want them to do.
There is information about what you need to do if you selfmanage funding. Click
Self-managing funding
5. Think about what you want support to do
and what you do not
If you use a service provider for some
support you can say what you want
the service to do and what you want
to do.
Think about what you will need help
with.
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6. Can you choose any service?
How much choice you have about services depends on how
your funding is managed.
Like if you decide that the NDIS will manage your funding, you
need to use services that are registered with the NDIS. There is a
list. To see the list click
Registered service providers in NSW
If you want to use a service that is not on the list, you can talk to
them about getting added to the list.
If you self-manage funding you do not need to choose a
service from the list.
To get more information about
managing funding click
Managing Supports and NDIS funding
7. How can the service help
you reach your goals?
What a service can do to support you
may be different for each goal.
Have questions you can ask about the
goals you care about most.
Here are some examples.
1. Mary wants to move out of home. She has talked to her
Planner about the steps she will take.
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1 step is to try sleeping in different places to see where she
may want to live. She can ask how the service could help
with that.
2. John wants to get more fit and healthy. 1 step he has
decided is to join a gym and go each week. He can ask
what the service could do to help. He can ask who would
support him to do this?
3. Sally wants to sing more. 1 step she has decided is to join a
singing group. She can ask what the service could do to
make that happen.
8. What do you know about the service?
You can ask people you know about the service. You can look
up on the internet to find out what the service says about itself.
You can also ask to speak with a person with disability who has
been supported by the service.
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9. Have a list of questions
Have a list of questions that you ask each service. This will help
you check what is different about each service.
10.
Take notes
It will be hard to remember what each service says. Take some
notes so that you look at them later.
11.
Take someone with you
If you have someone with you when you meet each service
they can:
 take notes
 ask questions
 help you think about what the service says.
Make sure the person you take knows what you want them to
do.
12. How do the people at the service treat
you?
Before you choose a service to support you
it can be good to think about how they treat
you.
Are they on time? Are they polite? Do they
look at you - not the person with you? Do
they ask you questions? Do they give you a
chance to talk when you want to?
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