Discover the types of respite, short term accommodation and home services available for children with disabilities and their families, to promote independent living.
Children in the NDIS
The National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS is the primary network for the provision of support to people with disabilities in Australia. Following an eligibility check and and assessment, NDIS support can be provided to people with disabilities to enable them to manage their physical health and live independently.
An NDIS plan outlines the services required and funding is provided to cover the cost of service provision for NDIS participants.
The NDIS available to people aged between nine and 65 years. A child younger than nine may be eligible for assistance through the NDIS early childhood approach model.
NDIS early childhood approach
The early childhood approach is the model used by the NDIS to support children younger than nine and their families. The program is for children younger than six with developmental delay or children younger than nine with disability and their families to access support and services. Children are linked up with local services and supported overcome barriers in the education and health systems.
Short term accommodation and respite care
Short term accommodation or respite can be organised to give carers of young people with a disability a break. Depending on the needs and age of your child, you may be able to arrange for your child to:
enjoy a short outing to join in activities, attend a concert
participate in a community club or group activity with friends
spend an evening or weekend at disability one of the suitable respite properties, where they will be looked after during their short stay
have overnight care and support at their own home while the parents go out or take a short break or holiday
be supported to attend a school camp or excursion
Respite or a short term accommodation stay can become an important part of your child’s life, as part of their funded package of NDIS care.
Benefits of respite care
Obtaining respite care and support for your child with disabilities can have benefits for both of you. A chance to take some time out of the responsibilities of caring enables parents to relax and recharge. Evidence shows that having a little bit of help early on enables you to keep up your caring role for longer.
There are also benefits for your child. You child will also:
gain social skills
try new things
meet new people
develop new friendships
establish relationships with other trusted adults
Support for life at home
Generally, where possible, children and young people with complex needs will be supported to stay living at home with their family. Home modifications can be installed to help ensure that the home is suitable for the child.
Examples of modifications include equipment like hoists or ramps and hallways and doorways widened to accommodate a child’s electric wheelchair.
Services and health providers can also visit at home. Young adults aged over 18 years may look for longer term accommodation in a specially designed dwelling called Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). Read more about accessing SDA homes in our recent blog.
Social and community participation options
Children with disability may experience difficulties or find some activities more challenging when compared to other children their age. Children with disabilities may have challenges:
playing, walking, climbing or moving around
doing things to take care of themselves
socialising with other children, interacting with new people and participating in social activities
independently communicating their feelings, thoughts or needs
Support with daily life
You may also require some help at home. Having some help with the housework, cooking or laundry can make a big difference and can be funded in some circumstances. Receiving support with these tasks can alleviate pressure and enable you to spend more time with you child.
If your child requires assistance with dressing, bathing or toileting, you may be able to schedule regular visits from a support worker. The costs of these services are covered by the funding in your NDIS plan.
Independent living skills for children
Children and young people with intellectual disabilities can benefit from support to promote independence. For example, this might include guidance on hygiene, advice with cooking healthy meals or support to handle money and shopping. Various short courses as well as one-on-one funded support sessions are available. These skill development sessions can help increase a young person’s confidence to try new things and their capacity to care for their physical health.
Supporting children and young people to become more independent sets them up well for the future and may give them the confidence to pursue their goals. The new skills they gain can set them up well for greater independence and self determination.
Nursed Care for accommodation
Nursed Care are an NDIS accredited community service provider. We work with NDIS participants of all ages, delivering quality supports to adults, carers and children. We also manage and maintain several fully accessible NDIS properties.
We can arrange respite services, also called short term accommodation, for NDIS participants. Nursed Care properties all feature assistive technologies and fully furnished bedrooms, with an additional room for support workers for overnight stays.
Our team have all the necessary checks, clearances and training to work with children and young people in social and community participation activities. Give us a call or complete this form if you would like to arrange NDIS support, respite or short term accommodation for your child. Or, view the available properties the Accommodation page of our website.
Nursed Care for connecting children with their community
If you are the parent of a child while a disability, contact Nursed Care for cohesive services, care and support. We can help you and your family to ensure you have access to the assistance and supports you need, when you need them. Your child’s needs are paramount to our planning and service delivery.
As support coordinators, we can liaise with providers from other systems, like schools and medical professionals. We will help your child to live independently and find effective costs management strategies to make the most of their NDIS funding.
Related questions
The NDIS is for people aged between nine and 65 years. Children under nine years can access support through the early childhood approach. People aged over 65 can access support through My Aged Care. Contact the team at Nursed Care to discuss your service requirements and eligibility.
The NDIS supports people with disabilities. If a child in your care has been diagnosed with a disability, you should considered making an application to the NDIS for an assessment. Children younger than six do not need a diagnosis to get support through the early childhood approach where there are concerns about their development.
Once approved NDIS support, you can being accessing funding for services through your NDIS plan. Introducing respite at suitable properties, or short term accommodation services as soon as possible is a good idea. Accessing respite before you reach a crisis can alleviate pressure or stress your family, to enable you to keep living together for longer.
Scheduling short term accommodation stays into your daily life makes a big difference for the adults in the family, and will help your child gain new skills and make new friends.
People with autism can receive support and assistance through the NDIS. The NDIS provides support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder to help them with a range of needs, including early intervention, support services, therapies, and assistance with daily activities. It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Australia have autism.
An NDIS report found that children with development delay and disability need better access to, and more consistent provision of supports. In July 2024, the NDIS established an expert advisory group to help ensure families are accessing the supports they need and that there are good links to the the child’s school.
