What is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new way of providing support for people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS is managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
The NDIS is rolling out progressively across Queensland between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2019. 
Visit www.qld.gov.au/ndis to see when the NDIS will become available in your area.
NDIS Implementation
The Queensland Government is working closely with the Commonwealth Government and the NDIA to ensure a smooth transition to the NDIS in each location.
As the NDIS is implemented, new processes and relationships are being established between the NDIA and Queensland Government services like health, child protection, education, transport, justice and housing.
Benefits of the NDIS for children and young people
The NDIS takes a flexible, individualised approach that invests in children and young people with disability early to improve their outcomes later in life.
It provides certainty for children and young people who become participants in the scheme that they’ll have access to support to meet their changing needs and goals over a lifetime.
The NDIS model of self-direction empowers participants and their families and carers by enabling choice and control over how, when and where their disability supports and services are delivered.
Access to the NDIS for children in foster/kinship care
In general, accessing the NDIS involves:
1.	Gathering eligibility evidence and making an Access Request
2.	Working with an NDIA planner or NDIS Partner to develop a Participant Plan.
Children and young people who are already receiving support from Disability Services will usually be able to transition to the NDIS without an Access Request. 
The role of the child’s representative
The NDIS Act 2013 requires that participants under 18 be represented by a parent or guardian*.
When the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services has guardianship through a short or long term child protection order, the Department will be the representative.
Where the Department has custody of the child but not guardianship, the child’s parent or guardian is the representative and the Department will work with and support them through all stages of the process. 
When an order grants long-term guardianship to another suitable person until the child turns 18, that person will be the child’s representative. 
Being the child’s representative involves:
•	providing consent for the child or young person to become a participant in the NDIS;
•	coordinating collection of eligibility evidence to support the NDIS Access Request;
•	acting as the contact point for the child or young person for the NDIS;
•	making decisions about the planning process, including who takes part.
Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) for children aged 0-6
The NDIA has engaged Partner organisations to work with children aged 0-6 as part of their Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach. 
An Early Childhood Partner is the first point of contact with the NDIS for children aged 0-6 with emerging disability or developmental delay. 
The Early Childhood Partner may:
•	make connections for the child with relevant services in their area, like their community health centre or a local playgroup
•	provide short-term early-intervention therapy support
•	help request NDIS access and develop the Participant Plan for the child if longer-term support is needed.
Foster/kinship carer involvement
Whichever person or entity is the child’s representative with the NDIS, foster and kinship carers are key contributors when it comes to developing, implementing and monitoring their NDIS plan.
Foster and kinship carers are best placed to provide important information about the child’s strengths, interests, goals and required disability supports.  
During development of the plan, the child’s representative can request funding for support coordination. The support coordinator will help with choosing and connecting with mainstream, community and NDIS-registered support services. 
The Department is committed to a partnership approach with foster and kinship carers in relation to the NDIS and in all aspects of a child’s care.
Involvement of a Recognised Entity
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, the Recognised Entity will be consulted about NDIS access, and may also be involved in NDIS planning and sourcing of providers.
What supports will the NDIS fund?
The NDIS will fund reasonable and necessary supports that are specific to a child’s disability or developmental delay and additional to the needs of children of similar ages in similar out of home care arrangements.
Reasonable and necessary support may include:
•	skills and capacity building
•	supports to enable sustainable caring arrangements (e.g.: vacation care)
•	therapy and behaviour support
•	aids and equipment, including mobility equipment and consumables
•	home modifications and transport
•	disability specific and carer parenting training programs
•	support coordination.
Where the Department is the child’s guardian, disability services for the child must be delivered by NDIS-registered providers. 
If a child is not eligible for the NDIS, the Department will continue to meet their disability support needs.
Carer payments and allowances
The Department is responsible for meeting the needs of children in out-of-home care and helping foster and kinship carers cover the day- to-day costs of the children they care for.
There will be no change to the fortnightly carers allowance or high support needs carers allowance as a result of the NDIS.
The complex support needs allowance will be individually reviewed and adjusted accordingly if disability support costs previously covered by the allowance are included in the child’s NDIS plan and are no longer being paid by the carer.
More information
•	www.qld.gov.au/ndis
•	www.ndis.gov.au
Newsletters
•	Subscribe to the NDIS e-newsletter at https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/subscribe.html 
•	Subscribe to the Queensland NDIS e-blast at www.communities.qld.gov.au/ndis 
Social media
•	Twitter: @disabilityqld and @NDIS
•	Facebook.com/NDISAUS