There are three Support Budgets that can be found in NDIS Plans. Today we're reviewing the Capacity Building Budget.
Following on from previous blogs, "NDIS Plan Funded Supports: Introduction" and "NDIS Plan Funded Supports: Core Supports Budget", we're diving further into one of the three Supports Budgets: Capacity Building Budget.
The Capacity Building Budget includes supports that enable you to build your independence and skills. Unlike your Core Supports Budget, Capacity Building Budgets cannot be moved from one support category to another, and funding can only be used to purchase approved individual supports that fall within this category.
Within the Capacity Building Budget, you may find one, some or all of the following categories:
- Support Coordination
- Improved Living Arrangements
- Increased Social Community Participation
- Finding & Keeping a Job
- Improved Relationships
- Improved Health and Wellbeing
- Improved Learning
- Improved Life Choices
- Improved Daily Living Skills
Let's take a look at each of these categories below.
Support Coordination
This category provides for assistance to help you use your NDIS Plan. Typical things this covers includes:
- Level 1 - support provider connections including introductions to support providers and other support required to engage services
- Level 2 - coordination of all your supports
- Level 3 - specialist support coordination for when more complex situations require a higher level of support coordination
- Psychosocial recovery coaching including increased supports during episodic periods for people living with psychosocial disability
- Capacity building and training in Plan and Financial Management by a Support Coordinator to develop your skills for the self-management of future NDIS Plans
Improved Living Arrangements
This category provides for assistance to help you with your accommodation. Typical things this covers includes:
- Assistance with finding accommodation
- Assistance with your obligations as a tenant
Increased Social Community Participation
This category provides for the development of your skills that allow you to participate in community, social and recreational activities. Typical things this covers includes:
- Life transition planning including mentoring, peer-support and individual skills development
- Innovative community participation to offer you new and innovative services
- Skills development and training such as using public transport and developing skills for community participation
Get Your Guide to Your NDIS Plan Funded Supports!
Finding & Keeping a Job
This category provides for employment-related support, training and assessments that help you find and keep a job. Typical things this covers includes:
- Employment-related assessment and counselling
- Support to obtain employment
- Support to help you retain employment
- School-leaver employment supports to help you transition from school to employment
Improved Relationships
This category provides for support to help you develop positive behaviours and interact with others. Typical things this covers includes:
- Specialist behavioural intervention support
- Behaviour management plans including training in behaviour management strategies
- Individual social skills development
Improved Health & Wellbeing
This category provides for exercise and diet advice that will assist you manage the impact of your disability. Typical things this covers includes:
- Dietitian consultation and diet plan development
- Exercise physiology
- Personal training
Improved Learning
This category provides for additional training, advice and assistance for further education. Typical things this covers includes:
- Assistance with arrangements and orientation to help you transition through school to further education
- Skills advice and training
Improved Life Choices
This category provides for assistance to help you use your NDIS Plan. Typical things this covers includes:
- Capacity building and training in Plan and financial management by a Plan Manager
- Plan management and financial capacity building
- Plan management, which is the financial administration of your NDIS Plan including payments to service providers and maintaining records
- Training to help you better manage your own NDIS Plan finances
- Set-up costs that go towards the once-off fee (per NDIS Plan) for setting up the financial management arrangement
Improved Daily Living Skills
This category provides for supports that help increase your skills, independence and community participation. Typical things this covers includes:
- Psychology
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- Other therapy
- Allied Health Therapy Assistant
- Support by a nurse
- Assistance with decision-making, daily planning and budgeting
- Individual skill development and training including the use of public transport
- Training for carers or parents
- Counselling
- Community engagement assistance
- Specialised driver training
- Selection and/or manufacture of customised or wearable technology such as prosthetic or orthotics
- A coordinated multidisciplinary team made up of various professionals and services that meet the needs of those with complex care needs
- Community nursing care for continence aid
- Dietitian consultation and diet plan development
- Exercise physiology
- Audiologist hearing services
What About The Other Support Budgets?
You're probably wondering about the other Support Budgets: "Core Supports Budget" and "Capital Supports Budget":
* What do they cover? *
* How flexible are they? *
* How can I make the most out of my NDIS Plan's funded supports? *
We've covered "Core Supports Budget" in a previous blog and will cover "Capital Supports Budget" in an upcoming blog. However, if you can't wait and want immediate access to that information - or all the information in the one place - we've answered all these questions in this document: 
which you can get a copy of by clicking on the 
or clicking on the image below.
