Enabling You Supports

03/02/2026

I know there had been a few nervous families who were waiting to see how Thriving Kids would be implemented.
Whilst the details are still not explicitly clear, key take aways are that Thriving Kids will start rolling out in October 2026, and will be fully operational by January 2028,
Secondly, at this stage, children with "significant permanent disability" — including developmental delay or autism — will remain eligible for the NDIS. Those on the scheme before 2028 will stay on it, subject to usual reassessment criteria.

We await further information

The federal government has released the model for its Thriving Kids program, aimed at setting up services and supports run by states and territories outside the NDIS.

26/01/2026

This is great advice from The Growing Space.

It is becoming more common that when the NDIS calls you to ‘check in’, that it’s actually a plan review or a plan reassessment.

I would recommend for you to arrange for the NDIS to call you back when you have a support person (support coordinator, disability advocate, or trusted supports) with you.

That phone call can directly impact your plan funding and supports

📞 Have you been getting “No Caller ID” calls from (maybe) the NDIS?
🙁 Unexpected calls can be confusing and upsetting for many people.

🫴 If the NDIS is calling for a check-in, and you are not ready to speak to them, you have the right to:

1️⃣⏰ Ask for the call to be changed to a time that suits you

2️⃣🤝 Have a trusted person or support join the call

3️⃣💬 If it is a reassessment (ask!) you can ask for it to be face-to-face, over the phone or online

⚠ Even if someone says they’re from the NDIS, it’s still important to make sure!

🔍 Always double-check who’s calling.

🔒 Keep personal information private unless you are 100% sure who you are talking to.

📧 You can always ask the NDIS to email you instead or call the NDIS on their official number 1800 800 110 if you are still unsure.

✅ Stay safe, stay informed and remember it’s okay to question and double-check!

Pic desc: A hand holding a phone. The phone screen shows an incoming call from a "No Caller ID". There is a green answer button to slide to answer.

20/01/2026

These stickers have been placed on my doorframe at the office.
I’m not sure who stuck them there, but they are adorable, and brought a smile to my face 🪷
So thank you 🙏🫶

12/01/2026

Wet weather = in office supports today 🌧️

Danika brought one of her young people into the office where they decorated bucket hats for the next time they go to the park.
They also painted, coloured in, wrote on the chalk board, and played games with cardboard, all designed to enhance his fine motor skills.

10/01/2026

This is a great summary by The Growing Space of an article in The Saturday Paper, reviewing recent changes made by the NDIS.

If you have had a plan review/reassessment since May 2025 and received less funding for supports, you are not alone.
According to the article approximately one-third of people who have been reviewed have received approximately 22.5% less funding.

Please take the time to have a read 🪷

🧾 Big Cuts to a third of NDIS Plans
This is an easy version of a newspaper story "One third of reassessed NDIS plans see cuts to funding" by Rick Morton in today's Saturday Paper

📝 Changes to Disability Support Plans

👥 Many people in the National Disability Insurance Scheme had their support cut.
📅 This started in May last year.
📉 About 1 in 3 people less money in their NDIS plans.
📊 On average, people lost 22.5 (about a quarter) percent of their support dollars.
📜 This happened because of new rules called funding periods.
💰 People now get their money in parts, not all at once.
⚖️ This means less money and less choice for people.

🔎 How the New Rules Work

🏛️ In 2024, a new law was made.
🗣️ People were told funding periods would only be used for high-risk cases.
🔁 But now, almost all new and changed plans use funding periods.
📈 Since May last year, 104,964 people got this new plan.
🆕 33,750 of these people were new to the scheme.
✂️ 21,056 people had their money cut.
📣 The agency says almost 50,000 people got more money.
💸 Some of the plans with more got it because of inflation.

🤔 Why the Changes Happened

💼 The government wants to save money.
🚫 They want to stop fraud and waste.
💵 They hope to save billions of dollars in 10 years.
⚙️ New laws in 2024 gave the agency more power.
🧾 One new law lets the agency cut support without a new check or reassessment.
⚠️ Some people worry this could hurt people.

🧪 New Assessments and Tools

🗓️ From July, everyone will need a Support Needs Assessment.
🎓 This is a set of questions made by the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies.
🧩 It is called I-CAN version 6.
💻 The answers go into a computer program.
🧮 The computer decides the new plan funding dollars.
🩺 People cannot use reports from their own doctors.
⏱️ The agency says this saves time and money.
⚖️ But some people say it is not fair.

🧭 Appealing Decisions

🔄 Right now, people can ask for a review if they do not like their plan funding.
⚖️ They can also go to a special place called the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) to ask.
🏆 Many people win more support this way.
🚫 But the agency often does not follow the ART's orders.
🔁 From July, people can only get another assessment with the same tool.
🔒 This makes it hard to change a funding decision.

⏭️ More Changes Coming

📉 The government wants to slow down the cost of the NDIS.
📈 They want costs to only grow by 5 or 6 percent each year.
👶 They are moving some children with mild autism to a new program called Thriving Kids.
🚀 This program starts in July.
🚪 Fewer children will join the main scheme after July 2027.
🔍 The agency is checking more people to see if they can stay in the scheme.
⚖️ About half of these checks end with people not being in the NDIS anymore.

🔮 What Happens Next

🧱 The government is still making new rules.
❓ People do not know all the details yet.
😟 Some people worry about losing support.
🧑‍⚖️ Lawyers and advocates say many changes are happening fast.
💬 The government says these changes will save money.

⚠️ Make it Easy can make mistakes. Check important info

📘 Hard words:

• 👤 participant - A person who takes part in something.
• 🔁 reassessed - Checked again.
• 📦 support packages - Help plans with money and services.
• 💬 controversial - Causing disagreement.
• 📜 legislation - A law or set of laws.
• 🧍 vulnerable - Easily hurt or at risk.
• 🕵️‍♂️ provider fraud - When a helper cheats for money.
• 📈 indexation - Changing money for price rises.
• 💸 inflation - When prices go up.
• 📝 mandate - To make something required.
• 🚨 sanction - A rule to punish bad actions.
• 🗣️ advocate - A person who speaks up for others.
• 🗒️ memorandum - A short written note.
• 📄 provision - A rule or part of a law.
• ✏️ amendments - Changes to a law or rule.
• ✅ mandatory - Must be done.
• 🧪 assessment - A test or check.
• 🤖 algorithm - A set of steps for a computer.
• ⚖️ inequity - Not fair.
• 🏛️ tribunal - A special court.
• ✔️ substantive - Important or real.
• 🧩 elaborate - To give more details.
• 🚫 disregarded - Did not follow.
• 🤝 yield - To give in or agree.
• 🚀 initiated - Started.
• 📄 provision - A rule or part of a law.
• 📌 obligation - Something you must do.
• 🧱 framework - A set of rules or ideas.
• 💬 consultation - A meeting to talk about something.
• 🧾 exposure draft - A first version of a rule.
• 💰 fiscal - About money or budgets.
• 🐢 moderate - To slow down or control.
• 💡 initiative - A new plan or action.
• 🎯 eligibility - If you can get something.
• ❌ revoke - To take away.
• 🏛️ parliamentary - About the government.
• 🧭 mainstream - The usual or normal way.
• 📊 evaluation - A check to see how something works.
• ⬇️ nadir - The lowest point.

✨ EasySnap with Make it easy! www.MakeItEasy.com.au

pic desc: a screenshot of the article described above with a headshot on Minister Mark Butler.

19/12/2025

We’ve tightened registration requirements for Plan Management providers. During the registration audit and assessment process, these providers must now be able to prove that all relevant staff have appropriate qualifications, professional body memberships, and NDIS worker screening checks. This also applies to registration renewals.

Plan Managers help NDIS participants manage their plan funding by monitoring plan budgets, managing NDIS claims, paying providers and keeping track of how much funding is left on a plan, so it’s vital they have the right skills, experience and qualifications for the job.

For information about accepted qualifications and professional memberships, see the link to the guide in the comments.

10/12/2025

Two things concern me that haven’t been highlighted in this post,

- the plans may be ‘approved’ by humans, but I’ve also read that they are computer generated and unable to be edited by humans

- they are removing the appeals process, so if we don’t like the plan, we have to go back for an I-CAN assessment

The I-CAN assessment is about what a person CAN do, which is fabulous, but as we know a person with a disability sometimes believes they CAN do something very well, but in comparison too??…..

I feel this may give an unrealistic ‘snapshot’ of a participant.

Interesting times ahead.

For Your Information -

The I-CAN stands for The Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs.

It is a holistic support needs assessment tool designed for people with a disability aged 16 years and above.

The I-CAN was developed by the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS).

The I-CAN is conceptually based on the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and maps a person’s support needs to 12 domains.

Mobility
Domestic Life
Self Care
Community, Social & Civic Life
Communication
Learning & Applying Knowledge
General Tasks and Demands
Life Long Learning
Interpersonal Interactions & Relationships
Behaviours of Concern
Mental & Emotional Health
Physical Health
Each domain is then broken into four sub-domains, for example Mobility includes:

Transfers & Positioning
Carrying, Moving & Handling Objects
Walking & Moving
Transport

The I-CAN is designed to be used flexibly, capturing the most relevant support needs for the purpose of the assessment and for an individual’s circumstances. Information is only entered into the relevant domains.

Information is entered using person centred, strengths-based language, in “I-CAN statements.” The I-CAN statement is a critical component of this type of assessment, describing what the person can do, and with what support.

I-CAN statements are then “scored” in terms of the frequency of support and the type of support provided in each domain.

03/12/2025

It was a really enjoyable morning celebrating International Day of People with Disability down at Memorial Park. The weather was kind to us, and we had a good number of attendees 🥳🎊

03/12/2025

Lil is Santa 🫶

02/12/2025

Today is the 3rd of December, or more importantly it’s International Day of People with Disability!

Today aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society.

The United Nations has announced this years theme as,
Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress.

Did You Know?
It’s estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability.
This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us.

We are doing a walk up Mary Street at 10am this morning, meeting at the rotunda, if you’d like to be a part of the celebration 🥳

25/11/2025

🎊 GIVE AWAY TIME 🎊

Someone’s loss is your gain!!

Due to a change of plans, I have 3 spare tickets to the nearly sold out ALL ABILITIES BALL, which is on THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, 6pm-11pm, at Gunabul Homestead.

Message me if you’d like them 🥳

🕺💃🪩