About Participate Australia

Participate Australia has been supporting people with disabilities since 1983, previously as Family Resource and Networks Support Incorporated (FRANS). In March 2017 our organisation undertook a transfer to a company limited by guarantee under the new name, Participate Australia.

We believe that ‘participation’ is fundamental to a contemporary discourse about disability. It appears 26 times in one way or another in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which seeks to achieve full participation in society of people living with disability. We are committed to playing our part in supporting people with disabilities to achieve this goal.

Participate Australia makes a difference in the lives of people with disabilities by respecting their dignity, autonomy, freedom of choice and independence, and by supporting the achievement of their goals.

Purpose of Role

Through an in-depth understanding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and of the purpose of support coordination, the Support Coordinator is responsible for supporting participants, their family, and carers in identifying and connecting with appropriate providers of supports with a view to overcoming barriers, developing skills, and achieving the objectives of their NDIS Plan.

Responsibilities

• Assist the participant to develop their knowledge, experience and connections with the community and broader systems of support.
• Work together with the participant to assist their understanding of their plan funding and its purpose. The Support Coordinator will understand the participant’s confidence and skills, and helps the participant identify what they what they want from services. Will develop and design support solutions to meet participant outcomes.
• Assist the participant to identify and consider support options and link the participant to the broader systems of supports. Where practical, creates a supports and action plan to facilitate the participant to implement their plan.
• Assistance to resolve points of crisis and developing capacity and resilience in the participant’s network.
• Coach the participant through challenges that may arise. Helps the participant prepare for review and report on achieved participant outcomes.
• Provide supports and information to participants and their carers on the evolving environment of the NDIS and support them in understanding the NDIS and navigating its systems.
• Research and identify relevant providers and other stakeholders to meet identified needs and build strong working relationships.
• Prepare required reports for internal and external purposes.
• Complete all associated administrative work as per agreed schedules, to ensure timely lodgement of claims/invoices.

Responsibilities – General

• Represent Participate Australia in a professional and positive manner.
• Adhere to Participate Australia Policies and Procedures and the Code of Conduct.
• Demonstrate a flexible and team-based work ethic.
• Attend meetings, training and professional development as required, and to keep skills current to meet the growing demands placed upon the organisation.
• Perform other duties as delegated and consistent with the position.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Experience working within the disability sector, ideally in an NDIS environment, or lived experience of disability, or supporting people with disability.
• Ability to read and understand support plans or develop a support plan where it is missing.
• Ability to research autonomously and experience in information gathering and networking.
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of the MS Office suite and demonstrated administration skills.
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining accurate, professionally appropriate, and current records and written reports.
• Understanding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
• Understanding of National Standards for Disability Services, and contemporary approaches to disability.
• Understanding of budgeting and financial management skills.
• Ability to relate complex matters in an intelligible way to people from all walks of life and of all abilities good written and verbal communication skills.
• High-level of organisational, time management and planning skills strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong liaison and interpersonal skills, including active listening, diplomacy, conflict resolution, patience, empathy and ability to work in stressful situations.
• Initiative and willingness to learn in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Ability to think creatively, be self-motivated, work unsupervised and in a multidisciplinary team experience in working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
• Strong organisation and communication skills, ability to provide information in accessible form.
• Solid report writing skills.
• Current NSW driver’s license, own motor vehicle and willingness to use it on an ongoing basis.