My 10 Top Tips to Nail Your NDIS Reports
Big truths ahead cause I #toughlove you.....
When it comes to the NDIS, evidence is king.
NDIS planners make decisions based on solid proof not just vibes.
And what makes good evidence? You don’t need to be a lawyer, but having a basic understanding of the law and scientific method will give you a huge advantage, especially if you haven’t approached this world with a lot of strategy yet.
The NDIS isn’t perfect (and spoiler alert: it probably never will be), so learning to utilise the system effectively rather than crossing fingers and hoping for the best is the responsibility of anyone writing documents that will be used in an NDIS context.
Oxford Dictionary defines ‘evidence’ as “the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.”
Therefore opinion is not fact. And opinion is not evidence.
Hearsay is also not much use either. More on that later.
The NDIA state on their website:
‘What is considered good evidence of disability’?
Providing good evidence of disability will help us to make a decision about your eligibility for the NDIS. Good evidence is:
recent
completed by a treating health professional who is relevant to your primary disability
confirms your primary disability
confirms the impacts of your disability on the different areas of your life
describes previous treatments and outcomes
describes future treatment options and expected outcomes of those treatments.
Primary disability refers to the impairment that has the greatest impacts most on your daily life.”
But that is just scratching the surface of what it means to build a case that provides robust and fit for purpose evidence to secure your child a suitable NDIS plan and budget. Strategy is key, but sometimes its the little mistakes that trip families up during plan reviews.
I’ve done the deep dive into NDIA Practice Guides, Operational Guidelines, and internal documents (thanks, Freedom of Information laws), so you don’t have to.
And I’ve also been mentored by some of the best in the biz.
Based on that here I’m going to break down my ten top tips for children in the NDIS (and their parents, carers and therapy team) to get robust and compelling NDIS reports.
One: Who is writing the report?
Let’s start with the basics! More than once I’ve read an NDIS report that is signed off by someone who completely forgets to write what their qualifications are.
So in the eyes of the NDIA ‘🧐🧐🧐 who the hell is this person to make a professional recommendation when they have not proven they have any qualifications or registrations in any relevant field’?
If the author of the report doesn’t clearly state their qualifications (and if they can their AHPRA / Provider Number, which peak body/ies they are registered with) then why would anyone pay any attention to what they have to say?
This is especially important if the therapy in question is something less regulated like ‘play therapy’ or ‘equine therapy’. A person who owns a horse is not an Equine Therapist. A Psychologist or Occupational Therapist who incorporates horses into their practice might be. But when they write their report, what matters is their degree / qualification and registration. This is what makes them qualified to make recommendations in an allied health context.
Want the planner reading to take your therapist seriously?
Here’s what not to do: