How Does the NDIS Support Carers and Families?
Understanding the supports available for informal carers under the NDIS
Carers and families play an essential role in supporting people living with disability. Whether it’s a parent caring for a child, a partner supporting their loved one, or an extended family member helping day-to-day, carers often provide physical, emotional, and social support that significantly improves quality of life.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) recognises the importance of these informal supports and provides assistance to ensure carers stay healthy, informed, and supported in their caring role. This article explains how the NDIS supports carers and families through respite, training, counselling, and more.
What Is the Role of Carers Under the NDIS?
The NDIS is built on the idea that informal support networks—such as family and close friends—remain central to a participant’s wellbeing. However, the NDIS also aims to reduce pressure on carers by offering supports that:
- Maintain the health and wellbeing of carers
- Help carers balance personal, work, and family commitments
- Provide breaks through respite services
- Help families understand disability, behaviour, and support strategies
- Improve long-term sustainability of the caring arrangement
NDIS Supports Available for Carers and Families
The NDIS does not provide direct funding to carers, but it does fund supports for the participant that ease the burden on carers and strengthen the entire care network.
Below are the key ways the NDIS supports carers and families.
1. Respite Support (Short-Term Accommodation)
Carers often need temporary breaks to rest, travel, focus on health needs, or manage personal commitments. Respite—funded under Short-Term Accommodation (STA)—gives participants a safe place to stay with proper support, allowing carers to recharge.
Respite may include:
- Overnight stays
- Support in a shared or group setting
- Activities and community access
- Personal care and supervision
This support promotes healthier caregiving relationships and prevents burnout.
2. Support Workers to Reduce Caregiver Burden
NDIS funding for support workers helps participants with:
- Personal care (bathing, grooming, dressing)
- Transportation
- Meal preparation
- Social and community access
- Household tasks
This reduces reliance on family members and gives carers more balance and flexibility.
3. Training and Skill-Building for Families
The NDIS can fund training for family members to help them better understand the participant’s needs. This is especially helpful for families supporting a participant with:
- Autism
- Mental health challenges
- Cognitive or intellectual disabilities
- Behaviours of concern
Training may include:
- Behaviour management strategies
- Communication methods (e.g., Auslan, AAC)
- Safe lifting or mobility support
- Understanding sensory needs
These programs strengthen confidence, safety, and long-term sustainability.
4. Family Counselling and Emotional Support
Caring can be emotionally challenging. The NDIS may fund:
- Therapeutic supports
- Family counselling
- Psychology sessions
- Capacity-building programs
This is especially valuable for carers who experience stress, anxiety, compassion fatigue, or relationship strain connected to their caring role.
5. Support Coordination to Assist Families
A Support Coordinator helps participants and carers:
- Understand and implement the NDIS plan
- Find and connect with service providers
- Navigate complex systems
- Build informal and community supports
- Prepare for plan reassessment
Support Coordination removes pressure from families by ensuring services run smoothly and the participant gets the most out of their plan.
6. Supports for Siblings and Young Carers
Young carers may also be impacted by disability within the family. While the NDIS does not directly fund them, the participant’s plan may include supports that:
- Reduce the caregiving burden on siblings
- Provide behavioural supports to create a calmer home environment
- Support the participant to be more independent
This helps restore balance within the family unit.
Why Supporting Carers Is Essential
Caring can be rewarding, but without support, it may lead to:
- Stress and burnout
- Relationship strain
- Loss of employment or income
- Declining physical or mental health
The NDIS ensures that carers are supported so they can continue providing safe, sustainable care without sacrificing their own wellbeing.
How Carers and Families Can Access These Supports
Carers can access support by:
- Discussing needs at NDIS planning or review meetings
- Highlighting the level of informal support provided
- Requesting respite or additional supports for sustainability
- Speaking with a Support Coordinator
- Providing evidence from health professionals
The more accurate and clear the carer’s situation is, the easier it is for the NDIS to fund appropriate supports.
The NDIS isn’t only about supporting participants—it’s about supporting the entire care network. Through respite, training, counselling, and formal disability supports, carers can maintain their health, independence, and quality of life.
When carers are supported, everyone thrives.