About the project

Do you know if your family member with intellectual disability is eligible for funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)? You can support your family member to use NDIS funding to live independently, including to move out of home.

Applying to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or supporting your family member to change their goals in an existing plan can take longer than you think.

They may need to do things like a functional capacity assessment. This assessment helps determine the amount of funding and types of support a person can get to achieve their goals.

Do this sooner rather than later.

Even if your family member is already on the NDIS, a change in living arrangements might require a change in funding and support.

You can contact the NDIA, the Local Area Coordinator, or support coordinator to start this process.

Remember, there are also other housing options available to your family member.

You might want to consider public or community housing. In Australia, state governments manage and fund public housing. Community housing is run by not-for-profit organisations.

The Federal Government also has initiatives like the 5% home deposit scheme to help eligible people buy a house.

Talk to your family member with intellectual disability about what they want for their future. You might want to think about the kind of housing your family member prefers, as well as their lifestyle goals. For example, do they want to live with others or live alone with paid support?

Some people might know what they want. Others might be less clear. Talking about it is a good way to start working through this.

You might also want to consider talking about what limitations there may be around funding and housing availability.

It is a good idea to talk about the things your family member will be responsible for once they move out too, like household chores and budgeting.

You might want to discuss the things they feel confident doing and what they’re worried about. Support them to start building the skills they want.

Some skills might be easier to build, like doing the laundry. Others may take a little longer, like organising appointments.

Your family member might be eligible for NDIS funding to help with this, these are called Home and Living supports.

It might be helpful to consider how other family members can be involved in the support of your family member with intellectual disability when they are planning for and moving out of home.

Ask your family member with intellectual disability if they would like other family members to be involved in supporting them make the move.

It is a good idea to have conversations about this sooner rather than later so you can plan with all family members’ needs and preferences in mind.

This might also be a good time to consider creating a Circle of Support or Microboard, if your family member does not already have one.

A Circle of Support or Microboard can support your family member with intellectual disability to plan for and move out of home, including with initial discussions.

A Circle of Support is made up of the people in your family member’s life that they consider important. The Circle can meet as often as is needed.

A Microboard is like a Circle of Support but the people in a Microboard will also form as an incorporated association.

Your family member might have friends or other peers who have moved or who are thinking of moving. They can be a good source of support too.

There are also peer support groups that your family member can join to help them through this and other transitions.

You can break down the move into small steps that you and your family member with intellectual disability can take together. For example, you may be able to get funding for short-term respite through the NDIS so your family member can spend a short time away from home.

Ask your family member what kind of transition steps they would like to take. They might like to start preparing family dinner one night a week.

Some people may need a longer transition, others a shorter one.

Remember, just because you have gotten this far, it does not mean you need to go ahead with the move. You and your family member might want to take a break from planning or you might have changed your minds about moving out. This is okay and can be part of the process.

Your family member with intellectual disability might settle in quickly to their new home.

If they don’t and they need a bit longer, this is quite understandable!

You may consider other ways to help them settle in, like making sure there is a spare bed for them to use if they need some time at home again.

They may need more support in some areas and less in others. Being flexible with changes in support will allow you and your family member to get the help you need.

Your family member might move again, or they may return home for a while. This doesn’t mean the move has failed. It can be part of a growing understanding of what they need and want. The lessons you have learnt from the first move can help when planning the next move.

When your family member with intellectual disability moves out of home, they might need paid support to help meet their daily needs with things like household tasks – this is often called formal support (for example support workers, and/or house managers).

It can take time to find the right formal support. Don’t feel pressured to accept formal support that you and your family member are not happy with.

Your family member’s support coordinator can help them to find the right formal support. Other families and NDIS participants might also be able to recommend formal supports.

It can take time to get used to having new and more formal support.

It might help to meet formal supports before your family member moves, so they can get to know you and your family member. You can support your family member to share any concerns or tips about the support they want and need.

There are advocacy services that can support you and your family member communicate with formal services.

You can also provide feedback or raise a complaint about formal services through the NDIA.

There might be a few things you need to put in place for the longer term.

You might want to consider how your family member with intellectual disability moving out of home impacts their finances and your estate and succession planning.

This may have implications for other family members as well.

It can be helpful to get professional advice for this step.

When you do this will depend on your circumstances.

You might also revisit your longer-term plans a number of times as yours and your family members’ circumstances change.