You love them. When it comes to NDIS family support Werribee, finding the right help can make all the difference.
You know their routines.
You know which situations make them anxious, which providers have disappointed them and what has worked in the past.
You may have spent years advocating for them.
So when your adult son, daughter, sibling, spouse or other family member becomes an NDIS participant, helping with decisions can feel completely natural.
But there is an important question for families across Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes, Tarneit, Point Cook and surrounding parts of Melbourne’s west:
Are you helping the participant make decisions—or making decisions for them?
There can be a surprisingly fine line between the two.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme describes supported decision-making as providing support to people with disability so they can make decisions and remain in control of their lives. Its policy specifically recognises roles for family members, friends, carers, nominees, guardians and others who may help participants make NDIS decisions.
The objective is not to exclude families.
It is to help families support the participant’s voice.
Why Families Play Such an Important Role
The NDIS describes informal supports as assistance people receive from friends, family, carers and the community.
For many participants, those relationships are fundamental.
A parent may understand communication that strangers find difficult.
A sibling might recognise when someone is overwhelmed.
A spouse may know exactly how disability affects everyday routines.
Family members may also help with:
appointments;
provider communication;
transport;
paperwork;
understanding an NDIS plan;
remembering information;
researching services;
managing unexpected situations;
and advocating when something goes wrong.
Supporting choice and control does not mean families should suddenly disappear from these roles.
It means considering how assistance can strengthen the participant’s ability to influence decisions about their own life.
What Does Supported Decision-Making Actually Look Like?
Supported decision-making sounds technical, but it can be very practical.
Imagine an adult participant in Werribee needs a new support provider.
One approach might be:
Parent: “I’ve found a provider. I’ve booked them to start Monday.”
Another might be:
Parent: “We’ve found three providers that could potentially suit you. Would you like me to explain them, look at their websites together or arrange for you to meet them before you decide?”
The second approach still involves substantial family assistance.
But the participant has more opportunity to influence the outcome.
Supported decision-making can involve changing how information is presented, how much time somebody receives and how choices are communicated.
Don’t Assume Someone Cannot Decide Because They Communicate Differently
Decision-making ability and communication ability are not the same thing.
Someone who does not communicate through conventional speech may still have clear preferences.
A participant might communicate through:
assistive technology;
pictures;
signs or gestures;
facial expressions;
behaviour;
communication devices;
yes/no responses;
or other established communication methods.
Family members who know the participant well can be extremely valuable in helping other people understand those preferences.
But be careful about turning:
“I understand how they communicate”
into:
“Therefore I know what they would choose.”
Whenever possible, create opportunities for the participant to communicate their preference themselves.
Start With Smaller Everyday Decisions
Choice and control does not only apply to major NDIS decisions.
It can start with everyday questions.
What would you like to do today?
Which clothes would you prefer?
Would you rather go in the morning or afternoon?
Who would you like supporting you?
Would you like to continue this activity?
Would you prefer something different?
Repeated opportunities to make choices can help develop confidence and decision-making skills.
The NDIA’s Supported Decision Making Policy specifically says the process involves building the skills and knowledge of people with disability as well as their families, friends, carers, peers and professionals.
Help Make Information Easier to Understand
Sometimes somebody appears unable to make a decision because the information has been presented badly.
Consider this:
“Do you want Provider A at $X under Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation or Provider B under this alternative service arrangement?”
That may be unnecessarily complicated.
Instead, break the decision into manageable pieces.
“Would you like someone to help you go to the community centre?”
Then:
“Would you prefer a male or female worker?”
Then perhaps:
“Would you like to meet this person before deciding?”
Useful approaches may include:
pictures;
Easy Read information;
shorter sentences;
videos;
demonstrations;
visiting a location;
meeting providers;
repeating information;
or allowing additional processing time.
The goal is not simplifying someone’s life.
It is making information accessible enough for them to participate in the decision.
Give the Participant Time
Families sometimes answer questions for a participant simply because it is quicker.
A provider asks:
“What activities do you enjoy?”
There is a pause.
Mum answers:
“He loves swimming.”
Perhaps he does.
But what would have happened if everybody waited another 15 seconds?
Supporting decision-making sometimes means becoming comfortable with silence.
Give the participant enough time to process the question and respond using their preferred communication method.
Ask Providers to Speak to the Participant
This is an important practical test when meeting a new disability provider.
Does the worker speak directly to the participant?
Or do they immediately turn towards the parent?
Imagine an adult participant sitting beside their mother.
The provider asks:
“What does he like doing?”
instead of asking him.
Families can gently redirect the conversation:
“You can ask Daniel directly. He may take a little longer to answer.”
That simple sentence can completely change the interaction.
A participant-centred provider should recognise the person receiving support as central to the conversation.
What If You Think the Participant Is Making the Wrong Choice?
This is where things become more difficult.
People make choices their families disagree with every day.
Disability does not automatically remove that reality.
Suppose your adult daughter wants to try a community activity and you are worried she may struggle.
Instead of immediately saying:
“No, that’s not suitable for you,”
explore the concern.
What specifically could go wrong?
Could support reduce that risk?
Could she try it for an hour?
Could somebody accompany her initially?
Could the activity be modified?
Could she visit before committing?
Choice and safety do not always need to be opposites.
Sometimes the question is:
“How can we support this choice as safely as reasonably possible?”
Independence Doesn’t Mean Doing Everything Alone
Families sometimes hear “independence” and assume it means withdrawing assistance.
It does not.
A person can be highly dependent on physical support while exercising significant control over how that support is provided.
For example, someone may need another person to prepare meals but still choose:
what they eat;
when they eat;
who assists them;
how assistance is provided;
and whether they want to learn parts of the task themselves.
Independence can involve greater agency, not simply fewer support hours.
Current NDIA therapy guidance says capacity-building therapy can help improve skills and independence with everyday activities, including communication, personal care, mobility, relationships, problem-solving, decision-making and community living.
Families Can Sometimes Receive Training Too
An interesting aspect of current NDIS guidance is that eligible disability-related therapy support can sometimes involve training informal supporters.
The NDIA says it may fund training for informal supports so they can help participants with everyday activities, maintenance supports and building independence.
Its example involves an occupational therapist teaching family members how to safely use a participant’s support equipment.
Whether something can be funded will depend on the participant’s circumstances, plan and current NDIS rules.
But the principle is valuable:
sometimes supporting the people around the participant can improve the participant’s support.
When Is a Nominee Different?
A nominee has a specific role under NDIS legislation.
Being somebody’s parent, spouse or sibling does not automatically make you their NDIS nominee.
Current NDIA guidance says representative decision-making through a nominee is intended as a last resort where a participant cannot, or does not want to, make their own NDIS decisions even with support.
The NDIA says it only appoints a nominee when it is not possible to support the participant to make their own decisions or when the participant chooses not to make those decisions.
So there is an important distinction between:
supporting a decision
and
making a decision on somebody’s behalf.
Seven Signs You May Be Unintentionally Taking Over
Families can ask themselves whether they regularly:
- answer questions before the participant has time to respond;
- choose providers without involving the participant;
- organise activities based mainly on what is convenient for the family;
- reject ideas without exploring whether risks can be managed;
- talk about the participant while they are sitting in the room;
- assume communication difficulties mean the person has no preference; or
- continue making decisions the participant could increasingly make with appropriate support.
None of these automatically means someone is a bad carer.
Often they develop because families have spent years needing to advocate quickly and strongly.
The useful question is:
“Could I change how I help?”
What Good Disability Support Should Look Like
A good support relationship should not unnecessarily compete with the participant’s family.
Nor should a provider automatically defer every decision to family members.
The participant should remain central.
Where appropriate, providers, families, allied health professionals, Support Coordinators and other supporters can work together to understand:
the participant’s goals;
communication preferences;
support needs;
strengths;
risks;
family circumstances;
and areas where greater independence may be possible.
Current NDIA discussions about informal supports also recognise that decisions need to consider the individual circumstances of families rather than relying on assumptions about what families “should” provide.
A Practical Family Checklist
Before making an NDIS-related decision with an adult family member, ask:
Have we asked the participant what they want?
Has the information been presented in a way they can understand?
Have we allowed enough time?
Could pictures, Easy Read information or another communication method help?
Are we supporting the person’s preference—or replacing it with ours?
If we are worried about risk, have we explored ways to manage it?
Could the participant make more of this decision with appropriate support?
That final question is particularly useful.
Supported decision-making is not necessarily about expecting somebody to make every decision independently tomorrow.
It is about creating opportunities for them to have as much control as possible.
Talk to BHA Disability Services
If you are an NDIS participant, parent, family member, carer, Support Coordinator, plan manager, allied health professional or referral partner exploring relevant disability support in Werribee or Melbourne’s western suburbs, BHA Disability Services welcomes enquiries.
Tell BHA Disability Services about the participant’s goals, preferences, communication style, existing supports and disability-related needs.
BHA Disability Services can explain the services it actually provides and discuss whether those services may be appropriate for the participant’s circumstances and NDIS plan.
Families can be some of the strongest advocates a person with disability will ever have. The aim isn’t to advocate less—it is to help ensure the participant’s own voice remains part of the decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is supported decision-making in the NDIS?
The NDIA describes supported decision-making as providing support to people with disability so they can make decisions and remain in control of their lives. It can involve participants, families, carers, friends, peers and professionals.
Can parents help an adult child manage their NDIS plan?
Families can play an important informal-support role, including helping someone understand information and communicate preferences. However, an adult participant’s choices should remain central wherever they can make decisions with appropriate support.
Is a parent automatically an NDIS nominee?
No. A nominee is a specific representative decision-making arrangement under the NDIS. Current NDIA guidance describes appointing a nominee as a last-resort approach where the participant cannot or does not want to make NDIS decisions even with support.
Can the NDIS fund training for family carers?
In some circumstances. Current NDIA therapy guidance says training for informal supporters may be funded where appropriate so they can help the participant with everyday activities, maintenance supports or building independence. Whether funding is available depends on the participant’s individual circumstances and plan.
Does participant choice mean families cannot raise safety concerns?
No. Families can provide valuable information about safety and risk. Supporting choice can involve exploring how risks might be reduced rather than automatically preventing an activity.
What are informal supports under the NDIS?
The NDIA describes informal supports as help and support participants receive from friends, family, carers and the community.
For current official guidance, see the NDIS Supported Decision Making Policy, NDIS information about supported decision-making resources and NDIS guidance on help with NDIS decisions and nominees.
