Making connections

When you ask us about disability supports, we will connect you with an NDIS partner. If you are over 9 you will connect with an NDIS local area coordinator and for children younger than 9 you will be connected to an early childhood NDIS partner.

NDIS local area coordinators and early childhood partners can help all people with disability, including NDIS participants, their families and carers to find the supports you need to be more independent and do more of the things you enjoy in your local area.

Your NDIS partner will help you connect with supports in your community even if you are not eligible for the NDIS. 

Being involved in your community can:

• Improve your wellbeing.
• Keep you connected to people and places in your area.
• Connect you to supports in your community.
• Help you to do what is important to you.

These supports, known as mainstream and community supports, are not funded by the NDIS and generally available to everyone.  

Mainstream supports are the supports from other government funded services, like health, mental health and education.

Community supports are supports you can get through community organisations, like peer-to-peer and community-based groups, religious groups, and services from local councils.

When you first meet with an NDIS partner, they will ask for documents that prove your identity.

Your NDIS partner will also ask to check your identity documents if you are a child representative, nominee, or authorised representative.

Checking your identity is one of the ways that we protect your privacy, by making sure we only discuss your information with the right people.

Your NDIS partner can work with you to make community connections. Community connections are all about helping you find the supports you need in your local community.

Community connections are available to people with disability aged 9 to 64 years and living in Australia regardless of their citizenship or visa status.

The support you get through community connections will be different depending on your needs.

Community connections can include things like:

• Help to access information.
• How to access mainstream and community supports, or peer groups.
• If you’re eligible, help to apply to the NDIS. 

Community connections generally occur over one or two meetings. For some people it may be a regular conversation they have with their NDIS partner. There is no limit to the number of times you can contact your NDIS partner.

If you make connections to community and mainstream supports, you may not need long term support funded by the NDIS.

Your NDIS partner can work with you to help find early connections for your child if they are:

• Younger than 6 and have developmental delays or concerns.
• Younger than 9 and have a disability.

You can watch the below video to learn more about making connections and applying to the NDIS.

Learn more about the next step in the NDIS participant journey.

To learn more about how the NDIS can help you and connecting with disability supports in your area, you can read our factsheets on:

• how the NDIS can help
• community connections
• early connections.