NDIS Basics: A Simple Guide to Support Requests

1) Spot the need: goals, outcomes, and the support gap

Before you request support, start with your goals. Your goals should describe what you want to achieve in your everyday life, such as greater independence, better health and wellbeing, improved social participation, or building skills to manage tasks at home or in the community. In NDIS terms, this means your plan is linked to outcomes—the specific changes you expect from receiving supports.

Next, identify what life looks like right now compared with what you want. This helps you name the support gap. A support gap is the difference between your needs and what can be achieved with the supports already in place (like informal supports from family/carers, mainstream services, or what you can reasonably manage yourself). For example: if you can’t safely travel to appointments due to mobility or cognitive changes, the gap may be transport support or assistance with planning and daily routines.

When you write your support request, try to use outcome-focused language: what will be different, how often, and what barriers will be addressed. If you are using plan management, you may also need to check how funding is applied and whether provider invoices go through your plan manager, such as MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au). It’s also smart to compare providers: My Care Finders can help you look at options and see who can deliver supports in a way that matches your goals and preferences.

Key takeaway: Your best support request clearly connects your goal to an outcome, then explains the support gap—what’s missing and what support you need to close it.

• Use your goals as the “why”.
• Use outcomes as the “what will improve”.
• Use the support gap as the “what support is needed”.