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What the words actually mean
Support arrangements come wrapped in language that assumes you already know it. These are short, honest explanations, not a substitute for advice about your own situation.
- Service agreement
- The written arrangement between you and a provider. It says what support you get, when, from whom, what it costs and how to change or end it. It is not a lock-in. It exists so both sides can point to the same page.
- Self-managed funding
- You hold the funding and pay providers yourself. It gives you the widest choice of providers and the most administration. You keep records and invoices.
- Plan-managed funding
- A plan manager pays your invoices for you and keeps track of the budget. You still choose your providers, and you still make the decisions.
- NDIA-managed funding
- The agency pays providers directly. Providers must be NDIS registered for you to use this funding with them.
- Support categories
- Plans group funding into categories such as core supports and capacity building. Which category a support is claimed against affects what can be funded, so we set it out in your agreement.
- Plan review
- A scheduled conversation with the agency about whether the plan still fits. What is recorded during the year is what you have to draw on, which is why notes matter.
- Advocate
- An independent person who supports you to say what you want, especially in meetings. Advocacy services are separate from providers, and using one is always your call.
- Restrictive practice
- Anything that limits a person's rights or freedom of movement. It is tightly regulated, must be authorised, and should never be an informal arrangement between a provider and a family.
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