NDIS Early Childhood Approach
What is the NDIS Early Childhood Approach?
The Early Childhood Approach is a core program within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) designed to help children under the age of nine with disability and developmental delay to get the support they need.
The Government enlists organisations known as NDIS Partners in the Community (PiTC) to provide this program across Australia. They are funded to offer a range of supports that are free to those who need them, delivered by experts in child development with extensive experience in education and allied health.
Organisations like Lifestart are contracted to be the sole Partner delivering the service in a particular region. This means the organisation supporting you will be determined by where you live. Lifestart is the NDIS Partner in the Community in many areas across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra Shoalhaven and Central Coast of NSW.
Local Government Areas (LGAs) where Lifestart is the NDIS partner
| Bayside | Georges River | Penrith | Sutherland Shire |
| Blue Mountains | Hawkesbury | Randwick | Sydney |
| Burwood | Inner West | Shellharbour | Waverley |
| Canada Bay | Kiama | Shoalhaven | Wollongong |
| Central Coast | Lithgow | Strathfield | Wollahra |
What supports does Lifestart deliver?
There are several types of support that Lifestart delivers or assists children and families with as part of the Early Childhood Approach. These are all free services that are funded by the NDIS. Based on your individual needs and circumstances, you may receive one or a combination of the following supports.
Early Connections
To begin with, every family will receive support through the Early Connections service. This connects parents and carers with a range of quality services in their community that can help their child reach meaningful goals.
Our team will firstly work with you to understand your child’s strengths and needs. They may do this through observing them in their home or daily environment, completing developmental screenings, or talking to the key people in their life (such as parents and teachers). They may also take into consideration any existing reports or letters relevant to the child’s situation, such as school reports, medical or allied health reports (however, these are not required). Please note that our early childhood specialists do not undertake any diagnostic assessments.
Based on the information you provide, you will then be connected to a range of quality resources and supports in the community that help your child and family reach identified goals. These may include health care services, local community organisations, family support services, supported playgroups, appropriate Government services or advocacy support services.
If your child is under six years of age and it is determined that they require additional support, you may also be eligible for the Early Supports service.
Early Supports
This is another free service provided by NDIS Partners in the Community. It focuses on building your confidence and capacity to support your child’s development so they can reach their full potential.
Based on the outcomes of the previous developmental screening, our early childhood specialists will create a tailored plan in partnership with you. We recognise the importance of the understanding you have of your child and will develop a plan to support your family’s journey and priorities. We’ll then work with you to identify and achieve meaningful goals for your child that promote their development.
Supports work best when undertaken in a child’s natural environment alongside the people they share that environment with. This is why, as well as the opportunity to use our on-site facilities, we work with children and their people in their homes, schools and communities.
The nature of this support will vary based on your child and family’s needs. It may include group support sessions with other families in similar situations or one-on-one educational sessions where we’ll help you feel confident in supporting your child’s development.
If your child has an eligible disability diagnosis or a substantial developmental delay which meets the legislated NDIS requirements, we can also help you apply for an NDIS funded plan.
Applying for an NDIS Plan
Partners in the Community, like Lifestart, also support families to complete and submit applications for NDIS-funded plans. The specialists working with you will assess what documentation and information are needed to apply. They’ll collate the information you’ve previously provided to us and gather anything else needed to apply for an NDIS plan.
Please note that eligibility criteria to access the scheme are set by the NDIS. Alongside assessment criteria that will determine eligibility for disability supports, early intervention supports, or both, this includes a requirement for Australian residency. For more details on NDIS eligibility, visit the NDIS website.
What happens once Lifestart submits my application for an NDIS funded plan?
- The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will assess the application.
- If your application is deemed to be eligible, you may be contacted for a detailed discussion to determine the funding amount and use.
- The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) then approves and finalises your NDIS plan.
- We’ll help you understand the Plan and how you may wish to utilise its funding to get the best outcome for your child.
Contact Us
If you do not have an NDIS plan, the easiest way to have someone get in touch with you about getting support through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach is to lodge your referral using our web intake form. Our Customer Experience Team can be contacted on 1800 953 390 with the option to leave a voicemail. However, due to demand on our phone systems, we would advise lodging a referral by using the web intake form, as this is the quickest way to get you started. The form will provide important initial information that will allow our team to commence intake.
If your child has an NDIS plan and you have already been allocated an Early Childhood Coordinator, you should contact the Coordinator directly. The contact details would have been provided to you in your initial correspondence.
