Understanding the NDIS, Made Simple
Helping individuals and families confidently navigate the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Whether you’re applying for the first time, managing your plan, or seeking therapy supports, Steps2Life is here to assist you.
What is NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian Government initiative that provides funding to eligible people with permanent and significant disabilities. The scheme is designed to help participants access the supports and services they need to improve independence, build skills, participate in their community, and achieve their personal goals.
Every NDIS plan is unique and tailored to the individual’s circumstances, goals, and support needs.
Understanding the NDIS
The NDIS provides funding for a wide range of disability-related supports, including therapy services, assistive technology, capacity-building programs, community participation, and daily living assistance. These supports are intended to help participants live more independently and improve their quality of life.
Who It Supports
The NDIS supports children and adults with permanent or significant disabilities that impact their ability to participate in everyday activities. It also provides early intervention support where appropriate to improve long-term outcomes.
Funding & Access Pathways
To access NDIS funding, participants must meet specific eligibility requirements.
Age Requirements
You must be under 65 years of age when you apply for the NDIS.
Residency Requirements
You must live in Australia and be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or hold a Protected Special Category Visa.
Disability Requirements
You may be eligible if you have a permanent disability that significantly affects your ability to complete everyday activities, or if early intervention supports are likely to reduce future support needs.
NDIS Funding Types
How you choose to manage your funding determines how services are paid and administered.
Self-managed funding
You or your nominee pay providers and keep financial records. This option offers flexibility over how you arrange supports, while you monitor your budget and make sure services and claims follow your plan and NDIS rules.
Key responsibilities
- Pay providers directly
- Keep invoices and financial records
- Track spending against your plan
Plan-managed funding
A registered plan manager pays invoices and keeps financial records for the plan-managed budget. You still choose your providers. Depending on your plan and NDIS rules, plan-managed supports may be delivered by registered or unregistered providers.
What you still manage
A plan manager handles payment administration and financial records for the plan-managed budget, but you remain responsible for choosing providers, tracking your budget and checking that supports align with your plan and NDIS rules.
NDIA-managed funding
The NDIA manages financial records and pays providers directly for supports in an NDIA-managed budget. Providers must be registered for those supports. You remain responsible for choosing supports that fit your plan and monitoring how your funding is used.
How Steps2Life Can Help
Navigating the NDIS can feel overwhelming, but our experienced team is here to support you throughout your journey.
Assessments
We provide comprehensive assessments to identify strengths, challenges, and support needs, helping inform therapy recommendations and NDIS goals.
Therapy Services
Our allied health professionals deliver evidence-based therapy services tailored to individual goals, promoting independence, participation, and wellbeing.
Our Services Include:
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Pathology
- Physiotherapy
- Psychology
- Behaviour Support
- Dietetics
- Counselling
- Early Childhood Supports
Support Coordination
Steps2Life provides NDIS Support Coordination. Our support coordinators help participants understand and use their plan, connect with providers and community supports, and coordinate services around their goals. Support Coordination helps build confidence to manage supports; it is different from Plan Management, which handles invoices and funding records.
Guidance Through the
NDIS Process
Whether you’re applying for the first time, preparing for a plan review, or seeking additional supports, we can help you understand your options and navigate the process with confidence.
Frequently asked questions
The NDIA assesses applications against age, residence and disability or early-intervention requirements. Steps2Life cannot decide NDIS eligibility.
No. The NDIA considers the applicable access requirements and supporting evidence. A diagnosis by itself does not guarantee access.
Children younger than 6 with developmental concerns may be connected with early supports through the early childhood approach without becoming NDIS participants. The NDIA assesses any NDIS access application against its requirements.
A person aged 65 or older cannot make a new NDIS application. If someone is already an NDIS participant when they turn 65, they can choose to continue with NDIS supports or move to aged-care supports, but cannot use both systems at the same time. Specific arrangements may apply to First Nations participants.
No. Funding depends on the participant’s plan, the support rules and available budget. Check these and the payment/provider requirements before booking; the NDIA decides what is funded.
Book an appointment
Book a free discovery call with our team and learn how we can support you on your NDIS journey.
Key terms for understanding the NDIS
Understanding the NDIS is much easier once you know the language used in plans and meetings. Here are some of the terms families ask us about most often.
- Participant: the person with disability who has been approved for NDIS funding.
- NDIS plan: the document that sets out a participant’s goals and the funded supports approved to help them work towards those goals.
- Capacity Building supports: funding that helps a participant build skills and independence. Therapy such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and positive behaviour support is usually funded here.
- Agency-managed: the NDIA pays registered providers directly from the participant’s plan.
- Plan-managed: a plan manager pays providers on the participant’s behalf and helps track the budget.
- Self-managed: the participant or their nominee manages the funding, pays providers and keeps records.
- Support coordinator: a professional who helps participants understand their plan, connect with providers and use their funding well.
- Plan reassessment: a review of the plan, usually before it ends or when circumstances change, where therapy reports and progress updates can help show what support is needed next.
For official definitions, the latest updates and more help understanding the NDIS, visit the NDIS website, or contact Steps2Life and our team will be happy to talk you through your plan.
Using your NDIS funding for therapy at Steps2Life
Understanding the NDIS is only the first step. Once you have a plan in place, the next step is turning that funding into therapy that makes a real difference in everyday life. Here is what working with Steps2Life usually looks like.
1. A free discovery call
We start with a conversation about your goals, the supports listed in your plan and how your funding is managed. This helps us recommend the right service, practitioner and clinic for you or your child.
2. Service agreement and initial assessment
Before therapy begins, we will go through a service agreement that explains the supports we will provide, how sessions are booked and how they are claimed. Your first sessions focus on assessment, so your therapist can understand strengths, challenges and priorities and set clear, measurable goals.
3. Regular therapy and progress updates
Sessions can take place at our Parramatta, Bankstown and Kingswood clinics, with weekday and Saturday appointments available. Your therapist will share practical strategies to use at home, at school or in the community, and keep you updated on progress along the way.
4. Reports for plan reviews
When your plan is due for reassessment, we can provide progress reports that outline the goals worked on, the outcomes achieved and the supports recommended for the next plan period. Clear reports help the NDIA understand what is working and what support is still needed.
How NDIS therapy is priced
Therapy delivered under the NDIS is charged in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, which set the maximum price registered providers can charge for each support. Our team will explain how your sessions are claimed so there are no surprises. We believe understanding the NDIS should never be a barrier to getting support, so if anything in your plan is unclear, please ask.
Understanding the NDIS for children under 9
For children younger than 9, the NDIS early childhood approach offers a pathway to support through early childhood partners, who can connect families with services and help with the access process. Understanding the NDIS early on can help families act quickly, because early support often makes a meaningful difference to communication, play, motor skills and participation at home, kindy and school. If you are unsure whether your child is eligible, our team can explain the options and help you gather the information you need.
Ready to take the next step? Book an appointment online or contact our team to talk through your goals. If you are still understanding the NDIS process, our team can help you prepare for your planning meeting too.