I'm a parent managing my adult child's NDIS plan and I'm exhausted

Key information:

• Many parents take on informal “plan admin” duties for their adult children, long after they’ve stopped being legal guardians.
• Plan management can remove a lot of the ‘grind’ of NDIS plan financial admin without removing your involvement.
• Looking after your own wellbeing, and pacing yourself for the long run, is just as important as looking after your child's plan.

If you’re a parent of an adult child who is a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant, you have likely been dealing with budgeting, invoices, and organising supports since your child was first approved. While ownership of the plan changes at 18, many parents remain (with their child’s consent) the de facto plan admins.

Many parents prefer to remain involved to ensure their child is getting the support they need. But that level of admin and responsibility can be very draining, even when it’s for someone you love. Being exhausted is a normal reaction to a very real workload; with carer burnout being so common, it’s important to look out for yourself as well. Think of it like a marathon – what can be done to sustain a good pace in the long run?

Related: From Childhood to Adulthood: Does NDIS Funding Shift at 18?

How NDIS supports can lighten the load

Your child’s NDIS plan is designed to help them live their best, most independent life. There are supports within the NDIS system that can remove common points of friction for carers and loved ones, making their life easier – and yours, too. This includes things like:

1. Short Term Accommodation: Eligible participants can receive funding for short stays away from home, which gives you a break where you can take some time for yourself and reset.
2. Support Coordination: If your child has this funding approved, a support coordinator can help with time-consuming tasks like finding, accessing and managing the services and supports they need.
3. Plan Management: If you have been managing the financial admin of your child’s NDIS plan, a plan manager can take the everyday burden off your shoulders.

All supports will need to be approved as being ‘reasonable and necessary’ for the NDIS participant holding the plan.

Related: NDIS Plan Manager vs Support Coordinator Explained

How a plan manager can help, without taking over

Supports like short-term respite can help you get much-needed breaks from caring responsibilities. Other supports, like plan management, can help with that daily grind of admin so your valuable time and energy isn’t all spent on paperwork.

If your child’s plan is currently self-managed, you’re likely spending a lot of time and energy just keeping across all the admin. Invoices, claims, records – plus, keeping up with the NDIS system as changes roll out that could impact your child’s funding or the supports they access.

Engaging a plan manager can help you by removing these pain points. If you have their consent, you can still see your child’s claims, plan and budgets whenever you need to; you just won’t have to handle all the admin.

What changes when working with a plan manager

A plan manager handles:

• Budget tracking
• Invoices
• Claims and follow ups
• Record keeping

And on top of that, they can help catch any non-compliance before the claim goes to the NDIA for processing. For example, NDSP runs our own thorough checks on every invoice before it gets submitted to the portal: If something is not consistent with your child’s plan as written (even if it’s just an error), we can catch it before it goes further and risks being a bigger problem.

Related: What is NDIS Plan Management (and is it right for me?)

What stays the same

Your child still makes their own decisions about supports and providers, which you can help with or handle on their behalf if they are unable to do so. You and your family can stay involved. And, you don’t have to give up any existing supports in your child’s plan for plan management to be funded. Plan management is funded from its own category, and doesn’t pull from other areas of your child’s budget.

A plan manager works alongside your child’s existing support network. Think of them as another person on the team, not a replacement for anyone. Your child’s right to choice and control remains the same; it’s only the administrative burden that gets handed over to a plan manager.

Related: What is Choice and Control under the NDIS?

Is it worth asking for NDIS plan management funding?

To add plan management to your adult child’s plan, you’ll need to request it from the NDIS. You can do this at any time, not just when their plan is renewing. If you’re looking into plan management and trying to decide whether it’s the right call for you and your family, consider the following:

1. Roughly how many hours a week go into tracking budgets, invoices and claims for your child's plan?
2. Has this admin grown over time, rather than easing off?
3. Do you find yourself doing plan admin late at night or in gaps between other things, because there's no other time for it?
4. Are you regularly chasing providers for invoices, or chasing the NDIA about claims that haven't gone through?
5. If your workload stayed the same for another five years, would that feel manageable?
6. Is plan admin taking time away from things you'd rather be doing, whether that's with your child, your family, or yourself?

Plan management isn’t a fix-all solution for pain points in the NDIS, but it can help immensely by freeing up your focus for other parts of your child’s life (and your own life). If you’re feeling tired or overwhelmed by the financial administration of your child’s plan, it could be the right solution for you.

NDSP makes plan management one less thing to worry about

As one of Australia’s most trusted plan managers, NDSP empowers participants and their families with expert plan management advice and support. Whether it’s helping coordinate service agreements, ensuring accurate provider invoices and prompt payment from the NDIA, or the everyday administration of record keeping and budget tracking - we take it off your hands, but not out of your control.

We believe in transparency and accessibility. You can find helpful resources about the NDIS in our free online participant toolbox, thoughtful advice on our blog, and our team is only ever a call away if you would prefer to speak to someone directly (free call 1800 63 63 77 from Monday to Friday, 8.30AM to 5.30PM ACT). Participants and their nominees also have access to an easy-read dashboard through our Nappa portal – at any time of the day, on any device.

New to the NDIS, or looking for a plan management provider to help with your child’s plan? Why not get in touch with NDSP today to find out more about how our approach works for you and your family.