14/03/2025 NDIS Support Catalogue Guide for Participants | My Mobile Plan Manager
Joining the NDIS gives you access to many resources. These resources can help you reach your goals and live your life as you want.
But how do you find out what supports are available? How do you know which ones you can use your funding for? This is where the NDIS Support Catalogue is helpful.
What is the NDIS Support Catalogue?
The NDIS Support Catalogue is like a detailed menu of all the different supports and services that can be funded through your NDIS plan.
Think of it as a big shopping list of possibilities. The support catalogue is like a restaurant menu. It has different sections. These sections include categories for support, just as appetisers, main courses, and desserts.
How is the NDIS Support Catalogue Organised?
The catalogue is structured into support categories, which are grouped under broader support purposes. Let’s break this down:
Support Purposes
These are the most diverse groupings and represent the main areas of life where you might need support:
- Core Supports: These are essential supports that help with everyday activities, personal care, and participation in the community.
- Capital Supports: These include one-time purchases such as assistive technologies, equipment, and home or vehicle modifications.
- Capacity Building Supports: These supports help you build your independence and skills.
Support Categories
Within each support purpose, there are more specific categories. For example:
- Under Core Supports, you’ll find categories like:
- Assistance with Daily Life
- Transport
- Consumables
- Assistance with Social and Community Participation
- Under Capital Supports, you’ll find:
- Assistive Technology
- Home Modifications
- Under Capacity Building Supports, you’ll find categories like:
- Support Coordination
- Improved Living Arrangements
- Increased Social and Community Participation
- Finding and Keeping a Job
- Improved Health and Wellbeing
- Improved Learning
- Improved Relationships
- Improved Daily Living
Understanding Support Items
Within each category, you’ll find specific support items. Each support item has:
- A unique reference number (like a product code)
- A name describing the support
- A detailed description of what the support includes
- A price (either a fixed price or a price limit)
- Information about whether the price is negotiable
- Details about where, when, and how the support can be delivered
How to Explore the Catalogue
Let’s imagine you want to find support to help you with cleaning your home:
- You would look under the Core Supports purpose
- Then go to the Assistance with Daily Life category
- There, you might find support items like “Assistance with household tasks” or “House and/or yard maintenance.”
Important Features to Understand
Price Limits
Many supports in the catalogue have price limits. This means providers cannot charge more than the set amount for each support.
Some supports are marked as “quotable.” This means providers can set their prices, and you will need to get quotes.
Support Purpose Categories and Flexibility
Your NDIS plan allocates funds to various support categories. Understanding the flexibility of these categories is important.
- Core Supports: You generally have the flexibility to use your funding across all core support categories.
- Capital Supports: This funding is usually allocated for specific items and has limited flexibility.
- Capacity Building Supports: Each category in capacity building has its funding allocation, with some flexibility between certain categories.
Practical Example: Using the Catalogue
Let’s say your NDIS plan includes a goal of getting more involved in your community.
Looking at the catalogue, you might find these relevant supports:
- Under Core Supports: “Group Activities in the Community” or “Individual Skills Development and Training”
- Under Capacity Building: “Individual Skills Development And Training” or “Community Participation Activities”
Each of these would show a description, price limit, and other details to help you decide which one best meets your needs.
Tips for Using the Support Catalogue
- Connect supports to your goals:
Always link the supports you choose to the goals in your NDIS plan.
- Ask for help if needed:
Your support coordinator (if you have one) or local area coordinator can help you understand which supports match your goals.
- Check for updates:
The NDIS updates the support catalogue regularly, usually at the start of each financial year (July 1). New supports might be added, or prices may change.
- Understand what’s “reasonable and necessary”:
Even if a support is listed in the catalogue, it needs to be considered “reasonable and necessary” for you specifically to be funded.
- Keep your plan in mind:
Remember that you can only access supports that are consistent with your approved NDIS plan.
Where to Access the Catalogue
The NDIS Support Catalogue is available on the NDIS website. You can download it as a PDF or Excel file. The Excel version can be helpful, as you can search for specific words or filter by categories.
Final Thoughts
The NDIS Support Catalogue may seem complicated at first. But you don’t need to know every item. Focus on the support categories that match your goals and needs.
Think of it like a toolbox. You only need the tools that help you build what you want. As your needs and goals change, you can explore different parts of the catalogue.
Remember, your NDIS journey is unique and with the help of My Mobile Plan Manager as well as support catalogue is a resource to help you use your funding. It can help you achieve your goals and live the life you want.