Consent and the NDIS

For people with disability, it can often feel as though your life is an open book – with everyone from family members and friends through to service providers and government agencies reading the pages and forming opinions on your story.

And although it’s sometimes necessary for people to access information to assist them in supporting you, when your life’s laid bare for others, it can feel more than a little intrusive.

That’s where your rights come in.

If you’re a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), before anyone can see information about you, your plan, or your funding – or make decisions on your behalf – they need your consent. And if you’re 18 years or older, it’s up to you whether or not you grant it.

Consent for the NDIA to share your information

As the independent statutory agency responsible for implementing the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) exists to support the delivery of better outcomes for Australians with permanent and significant disability.

That means the NDIA is focused on participants – and on safeguarding you and your rights – so the Agency’s staff won’t share any of your information, unless you approve it.

There are several reasons why you might decide to let the NDIA share your information, for example:

• to provide your family with information about your plan and how you can use your funding
• so someone else can receive the letters the Agency sends to you
• to speak with your health professionals
• to let your plan manager, support coordinator or recovery coach see the parts of your plan they support you with

Consent for a third party to act on your behalf

Some people need a little extra support when it comes to navigating the NDIS – so, if you agree, the NDIA can talk to someone you trust and help them to do things on your behalf.

That doesn’t mean someone else will be making choices about your life, but with your consent they can support you to make decisions or do things like:

• ask for changes to be made to your plan
• update the contact information or bank account details the NDIA has on file for you
• share information about you, if it helps with things you need

How do I give consent?

If having someone on hand to help you make decisions sounds like something you’d like, or if you want to let the NDIA share your information with others so they can better support you, all you need to do is say ‘yes’!

Well, it’s a little more than that – but not much.

A good place to start is by looking at the NDIS website. You can find the information about consents here. There’s lots of fact sheets, Easy Read documents and resources in braille.

Once you’ve found the information you need – and if you decide to go ahead – providing consent is a quick and simple process, and there’s a few options for getting everything in place. You can:

• use an NDIS consent form
• give your consent over the phone by calling the NDIA on 1800 800 110
• provide consent to the NDIA in writing
• tell the NDIA during a plan meeting, plan implementation meeting or check in that you want to give consent
• give consent in another way – the way you want to communicate

You can also manage your consents in the ‘my NDIS’ portal. To find out more, click here.

And, if you ever need to remind yourself who you’ve given consent to, just contact the NDIA. The Agency keeps a record of everyone you’ve given consent to, along with details of the consent you’ve given them, and when it starts and ends.

It’s important to know that giving consent is different to appointing a nominee or a child representative. You can find out more about nominees here and child representatives here – or you might like to read our article about nominees.

A final word

Don’t forget, if you’ve provided consent for the NDIA to share your information or for a third party to act on your behalf, you can change your mind at any time.

To do that, just choose one of the same options you selected from when you gave your permission in the first place.

Oh… and if you’re a client of ours and you want us to share your information or discuss your plan with someone else (like a family member or support coordinator), we’ll need your consent too. Just give us a call on 1800 592 405 from 8am-5.30pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, and we’ll help you out.