Support connection
A starting point for understanding a plan and making connections with services and the community.
Understanding your options · Level 3
When support needs
a specialist approach.
Some situations need more than service introductions. Specialist support coordination helps address complex barriers and bring a support network together around a workable plan.
Understand the specialist pathway first
- Level 3 coordination is a specialist pathway for complex support circumstances.
- Clarify relevant expertise, provider responsibilities and the proposed scope.
- Discuss fit and availability before sharing records or making a referral.
Before a specialist discussion
Open the preparation questionsDescribe the barrier
Explain what makes support difficult to use.
Check the fit
Ask about expertise, scope and responsibilities.
Agree the next step
Confirm consent and a suitable way to share information.
Compare the three coordination levelsSee the different purposes of Levels 1, 2 and 3.
Three levels.
Different purposes.
The level included in a participant’s plan depends on their circumstances. A higher number is not a promise of a better fit for everyone.
Support coordination
Help organising a mix of supports while building the skills and confidence to direct everyday life.
Specialist support coordination
A specialist approach when complex circumstances create significant barriers to using a plan and keeping services consistent.
What specialist coordination can involveBarriers, transitions, shared planning and continuity.
Make complexity
easier to work through.
Specialist coordination focuses on the connections, risks and responsibilities around a person. The participant remains involved in decisions.
Understand the barriers
Identify what is preventing access to supports, which issues need attention first and who has the right expertise to help.
Agree a shared approach
Where needed, develop a service plan with clear roles, communication and a review process across the support network.
Plan for disruption
Discuss foreseeable gaps, warning signs, backup contacts and actions if a service or informal support arrangement breaks down.
Connect across services
With consent, involve relevant disability, community and mainstream services. Each service retains responsibility for its own decisions and work.
Keep checking the fit
Review what has changed, whether agreed actions happened and where gaps remain. Record the person’s own view of progress.
Build lasting confidence
Agree what the person and their network want to manage themselves, and review the coordination needed as circumstances change.
Coordination around
difficult transitions.
A hospital discharge, uncertainty about housing or several services working separately can raise questions about continuity. These are reasons to discuss the situation with the responsible providers and your NDIS contact, rather than assume a particular level of funding.
Begin with the practical problem: what support is missing, what is at risk, who is already involved and what needs to happen next. Your treating team remains responsible for clinical decisions; housing, health and other services have their own responsibilities.
Specialist coordination can support planning around a crisis. It is not an emergency response or a substitute for treatment. If there is immediate danger, call 000.
Questions for a first discussionSix prompts to clarify needs and responsibilities.
Six questions for
a useful first discussion.
Use these prompts with your NDIS contact, coordinator or prospective lead provider. Keep sensitive documents out of an initial website enquiry.
What needs to be steadier?
Which parts of everyday support are unreliable, missing or difficult to access?
Who is responsible today?
Who makes each decision, and which contact can act if something changes?
What would a shared plan cover?
What information, responsibilities, backup arrangements and review dates need agreement?
What experience is relevant?
What qualifications, experience, supervision and current capacity fit this situation?
How will the work be arranged?
Who contracts with the participant, what is funded and how are subcontractors overseen?
How will we know it helps?
What would meaningful progress look like to the participant, and when will everyone review it?
Check the proposed service arrangementScope, expertise, consent and practical next steps.
Discuss the scope
before making a referral.
Compas Care Coordination’s delivery model is based on agreed provider arrangements. This page explains the specialist pathway; it does not confirm Level 3 availability or registered-provider status for Compas Care Coordination.
For a provider discussion, start with the type of coordination and the proposed arrangement, without participant records. Relevant experience, responsibilities, checks, funding and capacity must be confirmed before any engagement.
Information for providers and referrers →Start with the right questions.
A short, non-sensitive enquiry helps us clarify the appropriate next conversation.