Funding for community participation

Many autistic people use the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for funding assistance with community participation, which can be overwhelming to navigate at first. 

An important first step is to familiarise yourself with the support budgets available so you or your loved one can make the most of the support on offer.

The NDIS emphasises personal choice and control, which has broadened support options for young autistic adults in the years since it began. Choice and control help participants build life skills, participate in their communities, and work towards independent living in adulthood. Before the NDIS, these supports were centrally funded and known as ‘community participation’ or ‘day programs’. Now, each participant can tailor their funding to their individual goals, leading to a greater variety of programs and personal choices.

There are three primary support budgets: Core Supports budget, Capacity Building budget, and Capital Supports budget. Each budget has a different purpose and different rules regarding funding.

Core Supports budget

The Core Supports budget is the most flexible type of NDIS funding. It includes four categories of support that funding can be allocated to: 

1. Assistance with daily life: This includes support with everyday personal activities, household tasks, and assistance in shared living arrangements.
2. Transport: This provides funding for travel related to education, employment, and community participation, helping participants get around more independently.
3. Consumables: This covers everyday items, such as continence products or low-cost assistive technology and equipment, to improve independence and/or mobility.
4. Assistance with social and community participation: This funds activities that help participants engage in social and community events, such as a support worker, to assist in participating in social and community activities.

One of the advantages of the Core Supports budget is its flexibility. Funds allocated to one support category can often be used to purchase support from another. However, there are exceptions where funds are designated for a specific purpose only. These exceptions include compensation payments, Specialised Disability Accommodation (SDA) for those who need specialist housing, in-kind government pre-paid supports, and items stated as exceptions in your NDIS plan, such as assistance in a shared living arrangement.

Capacity Building budgets

The Capacity Building budget is designed to help participants build skills and capabilities to achieve their goals. Unlike the Core Supports budget, Capacity Building budget funds are allocated to specific categories and cannot be transferred between categories. This budget includes eight sub-categories: 

1. Choice and control: Training in planning and managing your NDIS plan.
2. Daily activity: Funding for therapy and professional support to build a participant’s capacity to complete day-to-day activities.
3. Employment: Funding to help find and keep a job.
4. Health and wellbeing: Funding for therapies, activities and support for health and wellbeing.
5. Home living: Funding to find and remain in appropriate accommodation.
6. Lifelong learning: Support for transitioning from school to further education.
7. Relationships: Support to build skills for maintaining relationships and addressing behaviours of concern. 
8. Social and community participation: Support with skills-based learning to develop independence in the community. This could include classes, coaching, mentoring or peer support in areas like learning to use public transport. 

Additionally, the Capacity Building budget may include Support Coordination, which helps you or your loved ones coordinate and action supports in your plan.

Capital Supports budget

The Capital Supports budget is a designated portion of NDIS funding to cover large, one-off purchases that would not be considered everyday living expenses. This budget is not flexible; the funds allocated for it must be used for specific purposes and cannot be redirected to other types of support or services. 

The Capital Supports budget is divided into two main categories:

1. Assistive technology: devices and equipment that help individuals with disabilities perform tasks they might otherwise find challenging, such as mobility aids, communication devices, personal care equipment, vision and hearing aids or environmental control units.
2. Home modifications: changes made to a participant's home to ensure it is safe and accessible, such as installing handrails, widening doorways (for wheelchair users), modifying bathrooms, lowering kitchen benches and installing stair lifts.

Group, centre-based and community-based activities

NDIS participants can choose from various activities and support models. These activities fall into two categories: group and centre-based activities and community-based activities.

Group and centre-based activities typically involve small groups run from a service provider’s centre. They may include community outings and local activities like grocery shopping. 

Community-based activities are personalised and take place within the community, such as joining social groups or attending camps, with the support of a service provider. The self-managed model allows individuals to employ their own care workers to assist with recreational, educational, and sporting activities.

Other funding options

In addition to the NDIS, there are other state and federal funding options available to support autistic individuals. These include the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and various Centrelink payments.

Disability Support Pension (DSP)

The Disability Support Pension (DSP) provides financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to a permanent physical, intellectual, or psychiatric condition. You must meet medical and non-medical requirements to qualify for the DSP. Additionally, if applicable, you must meet the Program of Support rules, and your condition must prevent you from working at least 15 hours a week for the next two years. If you meet these criteria, you may be eligible for DSP, which you can learn more about .

Centrelink payments for individuals over 16

Centrelink offers various payments for individuals over 16: 

• Youth Allowance: financial assistance for young people who are studying, training, or looking for work.
• Youth Disability Supplement: additional financial support for areas covered by the Youth Allowance for young people with a disability
• JobSeeker Payment: financial support for individuals who are unemployed and looking for work.