Priority level and linking to support
Priority level
After your assessment, your assessor reviews all the information that you and your carer provided, in order to:
- make a decision about your eligibility
- recommend the types and amounts of specialist disability services that will meet your needs
- prioritise you for access to any specialist services that will assist you.
Four factors are used to decide your priority:
- Stability—whether your current support arrangements are likely to continue
- Benefit—how much a value a particular service will be in helping you achieve your goals
- Fit—whether a service matches your needs
- Wait time—this time starts from the date of your assessment
Linking you to support
Who is a support linker and when do I see one?
If you are eligible under the Disability Services Act 2006 and you have been prioritised for an available service, an assessor will refer you to a support linker. A support linker works with you to
- develop a plan for accessing supports that will meet your needs
- provide information about support in your local community
- link you with service providers who can provide support
- assist you to develop skills to plan and identify future supports.
Support linking meetings
A support linking meeting is a meeting with you, your carer or support person, and a support linker from Disability Services. Support linkers are specially trained to understand the disability support options in your area and help you and your family or carer plan to make the best use of what’s available.
The support linker will speak with you about the recommendations made in your assessment, and confirm your goals and support preferences. They will then discuss what options are available to help you meet your goals and how you can explore those options.
The support linking meeting will usually happen at your local service centre, but can happen somewhere else if necessary.
Support linking meetings usually take 1–2 hours, and there may be a need to have more than one meeting.
If you need ongoing assistance to coordinate your supports or stay connected to your services, a case manager may work with you.
After the support linking meeting
After the support linking meeting is finished, the support linker uses all the information and ideas discussed to create a support plan specifically for you. Your plan includes the services and supports you plan to access, and keeps a record of needs you have, that may not have been met. You will receive a planning summary which includes:
- a list of the types of services recommended at your assessment
- the amount of each service you need
- a record of the actions arising from the meeting and any commitments made at the meeting
The planning summary may also include information about, or referrals to, other services.
