What do a psychologist, a dietician and a social worker have in common?  Well according to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), they are more or less the same thing.

Our trio are among the 14 professions banded together by the NDIA under the banner, ‘Therapeutic Supports’ (for bureaucratic purposes, you understand).

Therapeutic Supports is one of 36 registration groups, into which all service-providers are divided by the NDIS.

This disparate cluster of 7,000-plus healthcare specialists accounts for half of all the (14,000+) service-providers registered with the scheme.

When it comes to navigating NDIS registration, many are confused to find themselves with such unlikely bedfellows in the Therapeutic Supports registration group.

So what does, for instance, an orthoptist have in common with an art therapist?

The NDIS defines Therapeutic Supports service-providers as being qualified professionals who assist ‘participants’ (people with a disability - PwD) with their functional skills.

From the NDIS’ Provider Registration Guide to Suitability: “Therapeutic supports are provided to assist participants aged from 7 years to apply their functional skills to improve participation and independence in daily, practical activities in areas such as language and communication, personal care, mobility and movement, interpersonal interactions and community living.”

Another common factor between Therapeutic Supports providers is that they are more likely than other registration groups to travel to the participant, in order to render their service.

Between them they can claim nine different service items listed on the NDIS Price Guide.

The guide has specific regulations around how much travel cost Therapeutic Supports can claim.

Centro FREE goes some way to deciphering the whole NDIS registration group matrix, in terms of where each profession fits into it.

Centro FREE has a simple ‘7 Steps to Registration’ guide, which walks would-be registrants through the whole process. Apart from directing them to the correct registration group, it lines up all the necessary forms and documentation to access online.

An added layer of complexity is that the vast majority (over 90%) of providers offer services in more than one registration group.

They’ll only need to make one application, listing each group they want to be registered in, but may be required to supply additional documentation and face further compliance obligations – depending on whether their service-types are considered high or low risk.  It’s an exacting process and, considering the nature of the participants, probably necessarily so.

Here at Centro ASSIST, we let the service-providers focus on their work in our communities and not on administration. Find out more.

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