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Self Management

Self Management gives you the choice to match supports to your own goals.

What does it mean?

  • Managing your own NDIS plan comes with some benefits; more choice in what supports you purchase, greater flexibility in what providers you can use and the staff you employ, controlling your own funding and budget and negotiating prices or “shopping around” to find cheaper alternatives
  • Self-management is a way that your NDIS Plan is managed. You need to ask for this at your NDIS planning meeting

​​How can plan navigators help Self-Management work for you?

People who are self-managing can purchase support from us to help them implement their plan. Some of the types of support we can offer are;

  • Employ us as your Support Coordinator  – yes that’s right, as a self-manager you can purchase Support Coordination services and no you do not have to have Support Coordination funded in your NDIS plan
  • Helping you understand the Individual Living Option (I.L.O) process and help develop your I.L.O quote
  • Help you become an Employer of your staff and help you understand how your self-managed funds can be used to do this
  • Recruitment- we can help you with finding your support workers, help with interviews, checking references and credentials
  • A tailored service to meet your own personal situation. We are here to listen to your needs and we will work with you to make your plan work for you

What do you need to consider with self-Management?

  • You do have extra responsibilities as a self-manager then that of a person who has an agency managed or a plan managed NDIS plan. See our ‘Helpful Resource’ page and check out the book called NDIS guide to Self-Management as this book lists out your responsibilities
  • There is greater flexibility to be creative in how your funds can be used to find the right roles and supports to help you implementing your plan
  • You will need to learn about what a MyGov account is so you can access the NDIS Myplace portal

handy websites and resources

  • ​Plan Navigators have a ‘Helpful Resource’ page that has links to the NDIS website page for self-managers and NDIS Booklet 3- using your plan
  • WA Individualised Services have a great range of online services and also will give you advise if you get stuck. We recommend you have a look at their “Be a boss” section of their website if you are interested in hiring your own staff http://waindividualisedservices.org.au/

​We have also heard great things about the peer-to-peer network in WA and while it’s not specifically for self-managers, a lot of the members do self-manage and they are happy to share their experience and hear yours:

Liz’s Story

Liz's transition to becoming a Self-Manager was an easy one. She was frustrated with her NDIS agency-managed plan as she was only allowed to use NDIS-registered service providers. This limited her in really being able to access the right supports and services. She required flexibility and responsive service delivery to achieve her goals.

Liz was supported by Plan Navigators to request from the NDIS that her next plan be part self-managed and part agency-managed. Liz begun self-managing her core funds. She worked with her Support Coordinator at Plan Navigators to learn how to use the NDIS MyPlace portal, make claims and pay her own invoices.

After self-managing part of her plan, Liz soon realised she lacked real choice and control in other parts that were still agency managed, like her Improved Daily Living budget. She was frustrated by how little control she had over how the therapy provider was using her funds. So when it came time for her NDIS plan review, Liz opted to self-manage her whole plan.

Liz found it made a big difference to be in control of her budget and keep track of where and on what her funding is spent. Self-managing allowed Liz to access different therapy services that met her specific needs. She found it empowering to be able to keep her chosen providers accountable for how her funds were being used. They couldn't just bill against her funding for providing a service without her approval.

Liz discovered that having the right support to learn how to take on some of the responsibilities makes it much easier to transition from an agency-managed plan to a self-managed one. Liz’s next goal is to take the brave step towards directly engaging her own support staff.

 

 

 

 

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