Intake: NDIS and children with a disability and/or complex medical needs

NDIS plan, complex needs, disability, risk assessment

1705

This procedure should be used by intake practitioners when additional information is required to formulate a risk assessment for a child with a disability and/or complex medical needs, based on the alleged protective concerns raised by a reporter.
Document ID number 1705, version 5, 20 November 2025

Introduction

Disability and complex medical needs can significantly increase a child’s vulnerability. When risk of harm issues are evident, thorough consultation and information sharing with all specialist disability and/or medical services involved with a child is required. This includes NDIS funded supports where the child has, or may require, a NDIS plan.

See procedure Case management: NDIS and children with a disability and/or complex medical needs and the Practice guidelines for The Orange Door, Integrated Family Services, Child Protection and Out-of-Home Care for further information about working with children with a disability who require NDIS supports.

There are Disability Practice Advice teams (DPAs) in each division who can provide Disability and NDIS advice to support child protection and related staffing teams to:

understand and navigate the NDIS system and the disability sector
support practice in relation to working with children with a disability; and
maximise the disability supports and NDIS outcomes for the children with a disability who encounter the Child Protection system.

Tip Sheets are available on the Working with Children and Young People with a Disability SharePoint Site which is only accessible to departmental staff.

Practitioners can access more information on the Child Protection Learning Hub.

Procedure

Case practitioner tasks

Intake

Where the concerns relate to a child with complex medical needs

Gather information from all relevant hospital staff (where applicable) and other medical and allied health professionals about the identified risk factors and parental capacity to meet the child’s safety, health and wellbeing needs where the report relates to a child with complex medical needs.

Where the concerns relate to a child with a disability, consider:

the child’s daily needs and care requirements including any complex behaviours
the extent to which the parents understand the specific care needs of the child
the extent to which parental intellectual disability or cognitive impairment, family violence, substance misuse or mental illness impact on the parents ability to meet the child’s daily needs and care requirements.
parental ability to prioritise all of the child’s daily needs and care requirements
pattern and history in relation to previous reports
to what extent services (including medical services and schools) are working with the child/family, sharing information and coordinating supports
can the child with a disability or complex health need communicate their experience

Establish if there is a NDIS plan and what disability supports are funded

Where a NDIS plan is in place, and information is available about the funded NDIS supports being accessed by the family, including any support coordination services, contact these service providers directly to obtain information about the child’s disability/complex medical needs and engagement with services to inform the risk assessment.

Support coordination is a funded NDIS service that provides NDIS participants with more intensive support to implement NDIS plans. Support Coordinators will be able to access information about a parent or child’s NDIS plan, including what services are being accessed and how frequently.

If unable to establish if the child has a NDIS plan, or where a NDIS plan is place and you do not have access to information about funded NDIS supports (including whether a Support Coordinator is funded), complete a NDIS Information Request Form. The NDIS Information Request Form can be used to seek information from the NDIS where it is not possible to gain the consent of the participant or their representative. Part 4E of the form must refer to why this information from the NDIA is required to formulate a risk assessment for a child.
When completing the form include information about:
- Why consent cannot be obtained; advise that Child Protection Intake do not make contact with the child, parents or other relatives during the intake phase for the purpose of gathering information to assess the risk to the child.
- Why the NDIS registered providers working with the family are not known and therefore cannot be contacted directly for information.
- Specific details about what information is required from the NDIA, this may include:
  - copies of the NDIS plan or a medical or disability assessment.
  - the names of current and past funded supports.
  - current funding allocation and how frequently it is being utilised.
Note that due to various options for plan management, the NDIA may not have records of all service providers.
Once the NDIS funded supports have been confirmed, consult with the service providers (including the NDIS Support Coordinator if one is funded in the NDIS plan) and any other identified medical professionals and allied health professionals about the child’s disability/complex medical needs, engagement with services and their views about the reported protective concerns.
Reflect the child’s unique characteristics, complexities and vulnerabilities within the relevant child factor EICs in the SAFER intake risk assessment.
Detail any relevant aspects of parental capacity to meet the child’s needs and to keep them safe from harm within the relevant EICs of the risk assessment. Ensure these are considered within the analysis and judgements to inform decision making.
Record information about the child’s disability/complex medical needs in CRIS. For more information on recording disability and/or complex medical needs, see the Recording Disability and Complex Medical Needs Information CRIS Guide.
If the reporter is a parent with a child who has a NDIS plan and is requesting respite or a care placement due to their child’s or another child’s disability needs, and no other protective concerns are identified, seek a consultation with a DPA to explore relevant options. Once you have provided advice, classify the report as Wellbeing Advice Only and, in consultation with Team Manager, progress the case to closure.

After hours disability crisis response for children who are NDIS participants

Where a child is a NDIS participant and a disability-related crisis occurs outside of business hours (5pm-9am weekdays, weekends and public holidays), After Hours Service (AHS) can contact the NDIS After Hours Crisis Response Service. Further information is available from the AHS NDIS After Hours Crisis Response Service advice.

Where a NDIS plan does not exist

Contact any known disability and/or medical services, as well as any other known relevant service for information (e.g educational services) about the child’s disability and/or complex medical needs, engagement with services and their views about the reported concerns where more information about the reported protective concerns is required to formulate a risk assessment.
Where the reporter is requesting access to the NDIS for their child or another child, provide them with the contact details of the Local Area Coordinator (children aged 7 – 18) or local Early Childhood Partner (children aged 0 – 6) to enable referral where required.

Local Area Coordinators (children aged 7 – 18), and local Early Childhood Partners (children aged 0 – 6) are local NDIS services that support people access the NDIS and help NDIS participants develop and implement their NDIS plans. Contact information for all Local Area Coordinators and Early Childhood Partners in Victoria can be found at the NDIS website

Record information about the child’s disability/complex medical needs in CRIS. See the Recording Disability and Complex Medical Needs Information CRIS Guide for more information.

Unborn children with identified disability or complex medical needs:

Refer to the Unborn child report procedure if the report is about a mother who will likely give birth to a child with complex medical needs and/or disability and may encounter difficulties providing the requisite level of care to that child.

Related procedures and resources