10 Steps to Excellent NDIS Therapy Reports
Crafting accurate and comprehensive therapy reports is vital in the NDIS landscape. These documents not only guide the support provided to participants but also ensure they receive the necessary funding and services to achieve their goals.
VALID’s comprehensive guide, 10 Steps to Excellent NDIS Therapy Reports, is a fantastic resource designed to help allied health professionals create top-notch reports that meet NDIS requirements.
In addition to helping allied health professionals, it can also be used as an information source for NDIS participants, families, Local Area Coordinators, and Support Coordinators when they are commissioning therapy reports, or to determine whether a report is of a high standard.
The 10 Steps to Excellent NDIS Therapy Reports
- Understand that the NDIS is Different: Recognise the unique framework of the NDIS and how it differs from other support systems. This foundational understanding sets the stage for creating effective reports.
- Start with Plain Language: Use clear, simple language to make the report accessible to everyone, including participants, their families, and NDIS planners.
- Provide Evidence for Everything: Back up all claims with solid evidence. This might include assessments, therapy progress notes, or feedback from other support providers.
- Make Clear, Strong Recommendations: Ensure your recommendations are direct and actionable, outlining the specific supports needed and how they will benefit the participant.
- Understand ‘Reasonable & Necessary’: Familiarise yourself with the NDIS criteria for reasonable and necessary supports. This is crucial for aligning your report with what the NDIS can fund.
- Explicitly Respond to the Reasonable & Necessary Criteria: Address how each recommended support meets these criteria, making it clear why the support is essential.
- Therapies Must Achieve Outcomes: Focus on how the recommended therapies will help the participant achieve their goals and improve their quality of life.
- Stay Within Scope: Stick to your area of expertise and ensure the supports you recommend are within the scope of the participant’s NDIS plan.
- Focus on Readability: Format the report to be easily readable, using headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs to convey information clearly.
- Be Appeal Ready: Prepare the report as though it might be scrutinised in an appeal. This means ensuring it is thorough, well-evidenced, and compliant with NDIS guidelines.
The Role of Reasonable and Necessary Supports
When requesting new plans, it’s important to understand that reports must demonstrate that additional supports fall within the NDIS’s reasonable and necessary guidelines. These supports should be:
- Related to the participant’s disability: The support must directly address needs arising from the participant’s disability.
- Excluding day-to-day living costs: Regular expenses, like groceries, not linked to disability support needs, are not covered.
- Value for money: The supports should be cost-effective, offering significant benefits relative to their cost.
- Effective and beneficial: The supports must have a high likelihood of success for the participant.
- Complementary to other supports: Consideration must be given to supports provided by other government services, family, carers, and the community.
To learn more, head to the reasonable and necessary supports page on the NDIS website.
At Devoted Supports, we’re committed to helping you through the entire NDIS process. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
