The NDIS is how the Australian Government provides support to Australians with disability, their families and carers. It is administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIA makes decisions about whether someone is eligible to become an NDIS participant and, if so, how much funding they will receive. Eligibility is focused on lifelong, functional impairment.
The NDIS does not fund services that are reasonable and necessary for children to participate in education. These remain the responsibility of the Department of Education (the department).
For an Easy English version of the NDIS and your child's school, download: The NDIS and your child at school (PDF, 561KB).
For more information, visit the NDIS website (opens in a new window) or call 1800 800 110.
Accessing the NDIS
Local area coordinators or for children under 9, early childhood partners support people wanting to apply for the NDIS.
NDIS partners can help families learn about and access the supports available in their community and through the NDIS.
For more information, see Apply to the NDIS or call 1800 800 110.
NDIS supports for children younger than 9
The NDIS supports children younger than 6 with developmental delay and children younger than 9 with disability to access supports through the early childhood approach.
Children younger than 6 with developmental delay do not need a diagnosis.
The NDIS supports best practice and helps children and their family to build their capacity and be part of their community. The NDIS funds early childhood partners to help you to find the right supports and services for your child.
Find out more about the early childhood approach.
NDIS supports for children aged 9 and over
The NDIS supports children older than 9 through local area coordinator partners.
Local area coordinators will work with you to understand your child’s needs and connect you to mainstream and community supports in your area. They can also help you see if the NDIS is right for your child.
Find a local area coordinator partner in your community.
To find early childhood and local area coordinator partners in your area, visit: Offices and contacts in your area on the NDIS website or phone 1800 800 110.
NDIS Navigators
NDIS Navigators work in Victorian government specialist schools to help parents/carers of students enrolled in those schools to get the most out of the supports available for their child.
NDIS Navigators provide free and direct support to help parents and carers to:
- navigate and understand the NDIS
- connect with the local area coordinator or early childhood partner
- apply for and access NDIS funded supports for their child
- understand activities like a plan reassessment
- find out how to raise issues about their child’s plan or with a provider through appropriate channels.
Find out more information, visit NDIS Navigators or contact the NDIS & Strategic Projects Unit at ndisnavigators@education.vic.gov.au
Providing information on your child's disability
When you apply for the NDIS you will need to provide information about your child's disability or their need for early intervention. Your child's school may be able to help with this by providing existing documentation that may include:
- application for a Disability Inclusion Profile
- Individual Education Plans
- reports from allied health practitioners or Student Support Services.
Schools can only provide existing information, they cannot arrange new assessments or reports.
You do not have to tell the school that your child is an NDIS participant or ask for copies of supporting information if you do not want to.
Support in schools for students with disability or developmental delay
Schools are responsible for supports for your child's learning at school, including:
- teaching, learning assistants and other supports such as Auslan interpreters
- general support, resources and training for teachers, tutors and other staff
- therapy delivered in schools for education or training purposes, such as allied health practitioners
- aids and equipment to make the curriculum accessible, such as modified computer hardware, software and Braille textbooks
- school building modifications such as ramps, lifts and hearing loops
- transport for educational or training activities such as excursions, field trips and sporting carnivals.
If your child is an NDIS participant this will not affect any support they get at school for their education.
Supports that are the responsibility of the NDIS
The NDIS is responsible for support your child gets for their disability to help with their daily lives, for example:
- equipment that needs to be transported for use at school such as a wheelchair or personal communication devices
- therapies a family and school have agreed may be delivered during school time but are not for educational purposes
- specialised training of teachers and other staff about the specific personal support needs of a student with a disability
- personal care in school
- transport to and from school and specialist transition supports to and from school to further education, training or employment.
The NDIS will not pay for school costs that are not related to your child's disability, for example:
- school uniforms
- course fees.
Personal care in schools (PCIS) and student transport through the Students with Disabilities Transport Program (SDTP) are in scope of the NDIS and currently delivered in kind by the department.
Personal care in schools
Your child may need personal care assistance at school to support their activities of daily living. This may include help with:
- toileting
- eating and drinking
- dressing
- moving around
- complex health or medical support.
Personal care is currently delivered by school staff. The department will continue to work with the Australian Government to agree future arrangements. Schools will continue to employ and allocate staff with responsibilities for providing personal care.
If your child is an NDIS participant and gets personal care it will be in their NDIS plan. When you see ‘personal care in school’ support in your child’s NDIS plan, it’s only there to show that you get the service. You do not need to use your NDIS funds to pay for this service, and you can’t manage it yourself.
You do not need to pay anyone for your child's personal care at school and you cannot use the money in your child's plan for a different personal carer.
Students and their parents/carers should continue to be consulted regarding personal care supports through the Student Support Group.
Parents/carers may also recommend applicants for Education Support positions to be considered for employment under merit and equity principles.
Students with Disabilities Transport Program
Student transport for eligible Victorian government school students is currently delivered in-kind by the department through the Students with Disabilities Transport Program (SDTP).
If your child gets support under the SDTP and is an NDIS participant, school transport will appear in their plan as an in-kind item. When you see student transport in your child's NDIS plan, it's only there to show that you get the service.
You do not need to pay anyone for this service, and you cannot use the money for a different transport provider.
To access the department’s student transport support, all students must meet the SDTP eligibility criteria. If an NDIS participant does not meet these criteria, parents and carers will need to talk to the National Disability Insurance Agency about options to get to and from school.
The department will continue to fund and provide the program and will work with the Australian Government to agree future arrangements.
For more information, refer to the Students with Disability Transport Program.
Other supports
School leaver employment supports
The NDIS funds a range of post-school supports to help young people with disability to move from school into employment or other options, for example:
- social and community participation
- building life and work skills
- mobility or communication technology
- finding and maintaining a job.
Find out more information on School leaver employment supports.
NDIS funded therapy and schools
You may want an NDIS therapist to work with your child while they are at school, for example to:
- observe your child in the classroom or in the school environment
- attend a student support group meeting, to monitor and tailor the support they provide to your child
- deliver your child's therapy at school in person or virtually.
The department encourages schools to allow NDIS funded therapy sessions to occur on school grounds where possible.
The principal will decide if it's safe and practical for your child to have NDIS therapy at school. They'll consider:
- your child's individual circumstances
- whether having NDIS therapy at school will affect your child's learning
- the safety of all students
- where NDIS therapy can take place.
To request NDIS therapy to occur on school grounds, you will need to:
- discuss your request with the principal
- complete a consent form
- ask your child’s NDIS provider to complete a request form.
The principal will decide whether to approve your request and will let you know their decision.
If approved, the principal will invite you to a meeting to discuss practical arrangements. This will include you, the school and your child's NDIS provider.
Your child’s therapist will also need to sign relevant forms and work agreements with the school. These agreements apply to anyone carrying out private business on school grounds.
You will be responsible for letting your child's therapist know:
- the agreed times and conditions for therapy
- occasions when therapy cannot take place. This may be because your child is absent or other school activities are taking place.
You will also be responsible for letting the school know:
- if your child stops getting therapy or you change therapy providers
- how therapy is going.
There are guidelines to assist principals in responding to your request. These guidelines are available on the department’s Policy and Advisory Library.
Updated