Assessing your support needs
When is a needs assessment required?
Specialist disability services are there to provide a higher level of support to people who have more complex needs. Some examples of specialist disability services include:
- accommodation support
- respite services
- early intervention services
- multidisciplinary services
If you have support needs that require specialist services, a Disability Services intake officer may refer you for an assessment.
The purpose of the assessment is to confirm:
- you have a disability (under the Disability Services Act 2006)
- that you need help because of your disability
- the type of help or support you may need.
In some cases, you may be referred to a specialist disability service before you have an assessment, for example, if:
- it is an emergency situation
- support is available that provides a long term benefit if accessed immediately (for example, early intervention services for a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder).
What happens at a needs assessment?
The needs assessment is a meeting with you, your carer or support person, and an assessor from Disability Services. Assessors are specially trained to talk to you about your situation, your support needs and your goals.
At the meeting, the assessor will:
- collect your eligibility documents
- talk to you about your goals and what’s important to you, and
- gather information about your needs and what support you already receive.
The assessor will ask you and your carer (or support person) questions about what you can do yourself and what you need help with. They will take notes so that all the important information is recorded.
During the meeting the assessor will follow a standard assessment process, so the needs assessment is the same wherever you are in Queensland.
The assessment meeting will usually happen at your local service centre, but can happen somewhere else if necessary, for example, if you are in hospital.
Assessment meetings usually take between 45 minutes and 2 hours.
After the assessment
After your assessment meeting, the assessor will review all the information you and your carer have provided, in order to:
- make a decision about your eligibility
- recommend the type and amount of specialist disability services you require
- prioritise you for access to any specialist services that will assist you.
The assessor will phone you to talk to you about the outcome of your assessment and answer any questions you may have.
If you are eligible under the Disability Services Act 2006, the assessor will refer you to a Disability Services support linker. The support linker will contact you to arrange a meeting to discuss the support options available. The support linker is specially trained to identify supports that meet your needs, and will work with you to access them.
If you are not eligible, the assessor will provide you with referrals to other organisations that may be able to help.
