Making connections

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can help connect you to other supports in the community.

This page explains how we can connect you to those supports.

The NDIS can offer support to all people with disability.

You can get support even if you are not a participant.

Participants are people with disability who take part in the NDIS.

We can connect you with an NDIS partner.

NDIS partners are people who help others find and use services.

Your NDIS partner could be a local area coordinator.

A local area coordinator is someone who helps people with disability find and use supports.

If the person who needs support is under 9 years old, your NDIS partner will be an early childhood partner.

An early childhood partner is someone who supports children with disability and their families.

Your NDIS partner can help you:

• find supports in your community
• take part in your community
• do more of the things you enjoy.

You do not need to take part in the NDIS to get support from an NDIS partner.

NDIS partners can help you connect with mainstream supports.

Mainstream supports are from other parts of the government.

For example, health and education services.

NDIS partners can also help you connect with community supports.

For example:

• sports clubs 
• groups who share the same experience as you.

These types of support are not a part of the NDIS.

You do not have to have a disability to use them.

If you are between 9 and 64 years old, an NDIS partner can connect you to:

• information in your community
• supports in your community.

We call this community connections.

Community connections can support you to:

• take part in your community
• do things that are important to you.

Everybody needs different supports from their community connections.

You might get support to:

• find information about services
• find mainstream and community supports
• apply to get support from the NDIS.

You will have a meeting with your NDIS partner to make your community connections.

You might only need 1 or 2 meetings with your NDIS partner.

Some people have regular meetings with their NDIS partner.

You can talk to them about community supports as many times as you need.

Your NDIS partner might ask you about:

• what support you get at home
• what other supports you might get
• what your goals are.

They will also ask about what kind of supports you are looking for.

The NDIS can also help children with disability connect with:

• mainstream supports
• community supports.

We call these early connections.

You can get early connections for children:

• with a disability under 9 years old 

• with developmental delay or concerns under 6 years old.

When a child has developmental delay or concerns, it means they do not grow or develop in the same time as other children of the same age.

This means they might need extra help to do everyday things.

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

When you prove who you are, you share your identity.

These identity documents:

• show who you are
• have your personal information on them.

Confirming your identity helps protect your privacy.

Privacy means we must keep your information:

• private 
• safe.

It helps makes sure we only talk about your information with the right people.

Your NDIS partner will also need to confirm the identity documents of anyone who can make decisions for you.

For example:

• a child representative – an adult who makes decisions about the NDIS for a child

• a nominee – someone you choose to make decisions or do things for you.

For more information, you can read our factsheet about community connections.

You can also find out more in our video on making connections and applying to the NDIS.