The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) ran a survey asking for feedback on self-managing. They used the findings to create a new NDIS Self-Management Policy. This policy aims to help more people with a disability to self-manage.
Let's take a look at what they found out.
The main challenges
Many people gave feedback, including those who self-manage and those without experience in this area.
Participants said their biggest challenges with self-management included:
budget tracking
processing payments
finding support
knowing their rights and responsibilities
keeping records
using the NDIS app
the amount of time spent on administration
The differences between people with self-management experience and those without were clear.
7% of people who currently self-manage said they found making payments challenging.
64% of people without experience thought making payments would be difficult.
We know with the right system, training and support, people can easily manage their disability care plans.
Too much admin
A challenge the research highlighted was the admin of self-management.
Experienced self-management respondents said time was the most significant challenge
For those without experience, they thought support when they need it would be the biggest issue.
Using the right tool means you can keep all your information in one central location. Storing everything together can help the admin easier to manage. Ability8 helps to:
make self-management easier
keep track of your records
schedule care
organise payments
communicate within the app
Sharing information also means everyone understands the person with a disability's needs. You can share details with specialists, physicians, support workers, employers or schools. This knowledge can help reduce the administration required to manage care.
Lack of resources
The research showed only 10% of people self-managing received help from support coordinators. And only 13% said they got the support they needed from plan managers when self-managing in the past.
Where people sought help:
For experienced self-managers:
information sessions
video tutorials
the NDIS website
Inexperienced people thought the most help would come from mentoring and support people.
At Ability8, we want more people to feel confident using our app to manage their or their loved ones' care plans. That's why we're working with customers to create training videos. We want to help you understand how to get the most from our app.
How Ability8 can help
If you're interested in self-management, we offer a free 30-day trial for each plan type.
The NDIS self-management policy can help you if you're new to self-management. It can help you understand self-managing responsibilities. If you're interested in finding out more, contact us today. We'll show you how we can help you self-manage your NDIS plan.