Referrals
Medicare
As a Better Access Mental Health endorsed occupational therapist OT Inspire can assist to provide services to clients under Medicare. Medicare rebates are available for therapy by registered occupational therapists under the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiate. Eligible individuals can receive up to 10 individual sessions in a calendar year. Your referring doctor (GP, Paediatrician, Psychiatrist) will assess your progress after the first 6 sessions.
NDIS
OT Inspire are also registered to provide services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for Therapeutic Supports.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can provide you or your loved one with a lifetime of government funded extra support. As a registered provider, the OT Inspire team can provide support to participants, empower them and assist in achieving their goals.
Please note clients can self-refer through our referral page or via email at any time.
We understand the NDIS can be a new process for a lot of families. Here is some helpful information we have picked up along the way!
3 different ways you can have your NDIS funds managed:
Agency (NDIA) Managed; the organisation puts the claims through and manages the funding that you allocate to them
Plan Managed; the organisation sends invoice to a plan manager to pay. This is an additional service that is added to your plan (and is different to a support coordinator!)
Self Managed; the organisation sends invoices to the family who then claims the money from NDIS to pay the organisation.
FAQs
Do I have to give you a copy of my NDIS plan?
No, you can choose not to share your NDIS plan with us if you would prefer. We will however require some information for claiming purposes and your goals so we can ensure we are effectively meeting your needs.
What details are needed from my NDIS plan to commence services?
NDIS number
Date of birth
Plan start and end date
Amount of funding to be allocated to OT Inspire and which line item it will come under
You can share your plan with us by logging into the NDIS portal and giving us permission. If you don’t want to share the plan, make sure that this is saved as your preferred option in the portal. Or you can send it to use via email or give to the therapist in your next session.
What is required for OT Services?
Therapeutic Supports: This is the therapy amount in your plan and may be able to be used for individual sessions, groups, therapy intensive camps, therapy assistant sessions, and functional assessments. Chat to your support coordinator for individualised support!
What if you are accessing multiple services?
If you have multiple providers accessing money from the same item number then you will need to make sure that the service agreement with the other provider and their service booking has left money in the portal for each provider to be able to book. Support coordinators can also help with this!
If you want to change funding options- you will need to speak to your previous provider to amend any previous service bookings. Remember NDIS promotes choice and control– so you can decide who will best suit your therapeutic needs.
Help! I’m feeling overwhelmed!
Like anything new, when starting out with NDIS it can all get a bit overwhelming! We are always here to help.
Give us a call to see if we can help you understand your plan and where funding can come out of for therapy sessions or groups
For new families it may be worth seeing if you can get Support Coordination built into your plan as they can help you navigate your plan, especially when you have multiple services or providers involved.
Give NDIS a call 1800 800 110 or visit the website https://www.ndis.gov.au. This is also the contact details for any complaints or queries.
Contact an advocacy service to help you navigate
Plan Reviews & Planning Meetings
If you require any changes to your plan or are accessing your initial plan- you will be required to meet with an NDIS Planner (this is different to a support coordinator!)
It can be very beneficial to go into your planning meeting prepared. This includes knowing what goals you want yourself or your child to achieve for the year, what services you would like, and costings. If you are unsure, we can put together a summary quote which outlines the services that you would like included in your plan, what headings they come under and why attending would be of benefit for your child to meet their goals.
How can I use my funding?
At OT Inspire we offer a range of programs, groups and camps as well as individual assessment or therapy sessions.
It’s great to discuss ways to utilise your funding with your support coordinator to get the maximum for your child’s goals.
Assessment.
Assessments can include Functional OT Assessments for plan review, SIL Assessments and SDA Assessments.
Individual Therapy.
This can be within the home, clinic, school community. Often we work across all environments to help us to gain a sense of self-regulation.
The focus may be on regulation or behaviours at school and in the community-so therapy sessions may just include these environments.
It may include training for support workers or therapy assistants.
Some families may prefer sessions with our therapy assistants to help practice strategies in between therapist sessions. These can be a great option for community based goals, expanding the child’s relationships caregivers, or when funding options are limited.
Group Therapy.
This includes sessions with other children- group sessions are fantastic for working on life skills and social skills simultaneously.
This can include our group program and/or camps.
Group sessions are with other kids- they can also help us to have fun and make friends!
A bit of everything!
At OT Inspire- we want you or your child to get the most out of your funding, we are always available to discuss how to best use your funding to help reach your goals. This can include parent workshops, groups, camps, teacher consultations and therapy!
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
- Walt Disney