What are NDIS goals?
A goal is something you wish to accomplish. Or according to google dictionary, “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” The NDIS (national disability insurance scheme) and other supports and services may be able to help you to achieve your goals successfully.
Developed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), an independent statutory agency, NDIS is an insurance program for people with disabilities. As part of the NDIS funding, participants with significant and permanent disabilities are provided with the support they need to live more independent lives so they can work towards achieving their goals more effectively.
Put simply, NDIS goals are a list of things that NDIS participants want to pursue that their NDIS plan and funding can help achieve.
Setting goals is an important part of the NDIS planning process in helping develop your plan, this happens during an NDIS planning meeting. There are three budget types that are available for you to receive support:
- Core Supports budget
- Capacity Building Supports budget
- Capital Supports budget
To read more about what the NDIS funds you can check out our previous blog post.
Why are NDIS goals important?
A defined goal allows you to identify what you want from any undertaking. NDIS planning is no different. Taking time to identify your goals is essential to your NDIS plan. This is because setting meaningful NDIS goals will help you take reasonable steps towards achieving them.
How to set good NDIS goals?
The NDIS website has fantastic question prompts encouraging NDIS participants to think about their goals. For example, on the NDIS page ‘How do you identify right goals?’ some of the following questions are provided:
- When you think of yourself as being happy and living a good life, what comes into your mind? What do you see? Does anything need to change so that you can have that life?
- What is not working well in your life now? What needs to happen to change this? How do you think we could improve the situation?
- What do you see your life looking like by Christmas time or your next birthday? What would be different from now.
These are just three examples of a whole page of questions available to help you think about NDIS goals. These questions encourage participants to consider their personal needs because the more personal and relatable the goals, the more likely a participant will be to stick to them.
Another important aspect of setting a good goal is considering how it fits into your current life. Is it something you can gradually build on? Is there some flexibility with implementation?
Often the goals can come under ‘the eight life domains’, which we will get into shortly. This will help identify which goals may be short-term and which will be long-term.
The most important aspect of setting the best goals is that they make you FEEL good! Therefore, the goals that you choose to focus on should excite, motivate and energise you.
The eight life domains
The NDIS uses a set of outcomes to measure participant achievement of goals and the program’s overall performance. The framework encompasses a total of eight outcome domains. These domains allow participants to reflect on their goals in different life areas. This will help NDIS planners identify where supports are already accessible and where support is still needed.
The eight life domain outcomes set by the NDIS are as follows:
- Choice and control
- Daily living
- Relationships
- Home
- Health and wellbeing
- Lifelong learning
- Work
- Social, community and civic participation
Within each of the eight life domain areas, there are possible goals to be set.
Examples of NDIS goals and how to achieve them
Every person will have different goals, and daily activities will look different for each NDIS participant, and that’s why personal goals are so important. NDIS plan funding is an individualised process; working with a support coordinator, you can help identify what these goals look like for you.
Some examples of NDIS goals may include the following:
- Obtaining and/or keeping employment
- Improved health and wellbeing
- Strengthening relationships, social skills and social activities
- Increased community involvement
- A greater sense of independence in daily life
- Developing a new skill
- Improving daily money management skills
- Developing new friendships
- Gaining the confidence to travel alone
- Improved mobility
Once you have decided on which goals are important to you, it’s time to implement some strategies. Each goal will often have several strategies you can implement to move forward. Some may be immediately accessible, while others might be a goal for 12 months down the line.
Let’s break down a few examples to understand what strategies might look like.
Goal example: I would like to improve my relationship with my family
Strategy examples:
- The support staff will be able to step in to relieve family members from the carer position to allow for more quality time during social activities.
- I would like to have the opportunity to be assisted in learning about social skills and maintaining healthy relationships.
Goal example: I would like to improve my health
Strategy examples:
- I would like staff to support my ability to attend exercise programs, whether this is a gym, a sports team or exercise classes.
- I would like to see a dietician.
- I would like help to cook healthy meals within my home.
- I would like to see a personal trainer.
Who should be involved in developing NDIS goals
Although putting together your NDIS goals should include personal goals, that doesn’t mean it has to be an isolating process. You can turn to your friends, family, service providers, local area coordinator, and support coordinator to help finalise your NDIS goals.
How MyIntegra can help you with your NDIS goals
Once you’ve set the right goals and got your NDIS Plan and funding approved, MyIntegra can help you have a better NDIS experience and are working towards achieving your goals by ensuring you get the most out of your plan.
MyIntegra is a registered provider of plan management and support coordination services with years of experience and expertise in the NDIS.
Our Plan Management service can help you manage funding in your NDIS plan, pay your providers and provide tracking and reporting on usage and our Support Coordination service can help you find and organise the best supports for your needs.
Regardless of what stage you are at with the NDIS, MyIntegra can help you understand your plan and what you need to help you achieve your goals — reach out to our friendly team at 1800 696 347 for Plan Management or 1300 937 187 for Support Coordination or sign up online. Contact us today if you’re ready to take the next step with your NDIS goals!
