We know NDIS plan reviews can be a tedious and complex task for Support Coordinators and self-managed participants.
Of course, we all want the best for our participants, and a well-crafted, NDIS-preferred assessment from a mental health expert will greatly improve acceptability by NDIS, and maximise access to funding and targeted assistance.
Most people will be familiar with the Functional Capacity Assessment – an assessment used to assist in securing the right level of funding for NDIS participants. This assessment typically identifies an individual’s disability and how that impacts their functional capacity. What this does not always provide however, is an ongoing measure of the impact this disability has on an individual’s ability to perform specific tasks, such as cooking daily meals or taking care of a small child.
This is where Shrink & Co.’s Functional Impact Assessment can help.
So what is Shrink & Co.’s Functional Impact Assessment?
As stated above, there is a significant difference between a Functional Capacity and a Functional Impact Assessment.
A Functional Capacity Assessment is a comprehensive assessment that identifies the key reasons for reduced function in any domain and its impact (or potential impact) on the participant’s functional capacity. This informs what types of interventions or supports the participant needs on a broad level.
A Functional Impact Assessment already takes into account the reasons for the reduced function and is a quick and simple method of objectively and consistently measuring the impact of the reduced function and it’s consequences on their daily life. This informs the effect of any interventions or supports on the functional outcomes in their life. Simply put, it is an objective way to take a snapshot in time and measure progress as evidence to NDIS of the need for ongoing (or additional) funding for required supports.
Since our Functional Impact Assessment measures more than just an individual’s functional capacity, our assessment can further benefit participants in a number of ways.
- By providing NDIS exactly what they need to see, using the assessment tools that they prefer.
- By allowing NDIS, the participant and their stakeholders to visualise the impact of the participant’s disability on their current functional status.
- By objectively measuring the effect of interventions or supports in improving the participant’s functional capacity.
- By potentially unlocking additional NDIS funding towards the participant’s NDIS plan.
So how does a Functional Impact Assessment help the participant?
Firstly, Functional Impact Assessments are very useful to present to NDIS plan reviews.
In addition to the above benefits, a Functional Impact Assessment is fast, inexpensive, and repeatable.
Our Functional Impact Assessments are highly-valued assessments that come with a list of recommendations to support the advocacy of additional supports for the participants. And since it has the potential to unlock additional NDIS funding for participants based on current measures, we recommend Functional Impact Assessments be performed annually, preferably within 3 months of the participants’ next NDIS plan review.
Why should I use Shrink & Co.’s Functional Impact Assessment?
Shrink & Co. use NDIS-preferred assessment tools to measure psychosocial impact. This maximises an assessment’s utility for, and acceptability by NDIS.
This includes the Vineland-3, Health of Nations Outcome Score (HoNOS) and Life Skill Profile (LSP-16).
Further benefits of the Functional Impact Assessment include:
- 2-weeks turnaround time
- NDIS-preferred assessment and format
- Includes advocacy and recommendations of supports for NDIS plan reviews
- Potential to unlock additional NDIS funding in participants’ plans
- Can be done in-person or remotely
- Low-cost, high-value
- Quality-assured with our multidisciplinary team of Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists and Mental Health Occupational Therapists
If you are a Support Coordinator or Carer who finds NDIS plan reviews tedious, complex and overwhelming, then please reach out to us here at Shrink & Co. for fast turnaround, highly-effective assessment and support.