How to change your support coordinator

Their role is to advise clients on what types of services are available and best suited to them. Support services include personal care, shopping assistance, domestic duties, social support, meal preparation, transportation and housing assistance - to name a few. Sounds simple enough right?

Not quite. This can be quite a complex and sometimes overwhelming task for a person to tackle on their own.

Personally, I don’t want managing my disability to be my full-time job. Having someone who knows exactly how and when to do the difficult logistical stuff is amazing.

My Support Coordinator is currently helping me to move out of home. This massive process includes researching viable places, making appointments for me to go to home open inspections, and assisting me in applying for suitable funds for the apartment as well as support workers for me to live with.

Moving out of home involves working with my therapists who play a big part in making this goal achievable.  Therapy prepares me for being able to go out by myself, push myself around, clean my teeth, have a shower, cook, operateand arrange different types of equipment.

Choosing the right Support Coordinator

It is really important that you choose the right person who is reliable, capable and efficient at providing the support you require.

Often you don’t know until you have been working together and so sometimes the Support Coordinator you choose doesn’t meet your requirements and expectations.  

This can become very stressful and frustrating and can leave you with the task of finding a new Support Coordinator. The difficult part is knowing where to find the right person for you. I would suggest you first talk to your personal contacts who have Support Coordinators to ask for a referral. If this doesn’t work out, visit the “How to find a Support Coordinator” page on NDIS website.

You can also go straight to search page to find a Support Coordinator. Achieve Australia is one of the registered providers listed as providing support coordination services to suit the complex needs of their clients. Achieve has 4skilled Support Coordinators and their magic lies in their person-centred approach and immense professionality. Find out more.  

As well as Achieve Australia, here are my next 5 top suggestions for goodsupport coordinator agencies:  

1. Mysc - “My Support Coordinator”

2. Bila Community Group

3. AbilityOptions

4. Youth Living Skills

5. Life Without Barriers

My personal tips to aid your search

To find a coordinator that is aligned with your individual needs, your first step is to clarify your NDIS goals and preferences.

Generally, you will need to seek experience and expertise in the disability sector when looking for a coordinator. This usually means the person is betterable to navigate the NDIS using a person-centered approach that values your unique input and individual choices throughout the process.

I also recommended you verify a potential Service Coordinator’s qualifications and certifications, and experience in the industry as well as their ability to understand your needs. Personal attributes such as punctuality and attention to detail are also what you should be looking for.

My own experience over the years.  

Finding a Service Coordinator to suit my needs hasn't always been a smooth ride and to date I have had 4 coordinators.

I require professionalism and that is sometimes lacking in this field. I am very clear about my goals and needs and require my coordinator to understand and support them, to advocate on my behalf, to be punctual and independent, and to see me as a person who needs help rather than a job.

Many of my previous support coordinators failed to do these things. There would be unanswered emails for weeks, supporting documentation not emailed to the NDIS planners, and mistakes in filed forms that delayed the action and communication between me and the NDIS. It’s unacceptable to wait for an answer regarding my urgent needs for more than a week. Yet, it has been a normality. I was lucky to find a coordinator who seems to be knowledgeable and professional at the same time. We have fortnightly meetings that help us stay on task.

It is not easy to find the right person! And I wish you well in your journey to find the right Support Coordinator for yourself or your loved one.

I 10/10 would recommend giving the team here at Achieve Australia a call to discuss your needs and concerns. They will recommend the best services whether those services are provided by Achieve or another service provider. They are my colleagues but honestly, they’re truly wonderful!

More information on the NDIS website

“How to find a Support Coordinator”

About Support Coordination

Finding a support coordinator  

Finding help for your NDIS Plan

What your support coordinator should do