It all starts with a goal
If you have a NDIS plan you know that, as part of the NDIS planning process your local area coordinator will ask you what your goals are. But just because you already have a NDIS plan, doesn’t mean that you never have to think about setting goals again. Life changes, NDIS plans change, and so will your goals.
Goals are things that you would like to pursue and hopefully achieve. Goals should always be personal and unique to you (for reasons we will discuss later).
So why does your LAC want to know more about your goals?
Firstly, having an idea of what you want to achieve helps the LAC understand more about you.
But more importantly, you might need some support from the NDIS or funding for other supports and services to achieve your goals.
As a caveat, we should mention that setting a goal in your plan does not guarantee that the NDIA will provide funding so you can achieve it. And the size of your goal doesn’t impact on your funding either (a large goals doesn’t increase the funding you will be allocated in your plan).
The funding in your plan is provided to support you in overcoming any barriers related to your disability that may be preventing you from achieving your goals.
But what makes a good goal?
The goal focuses on what you want to achieve, not how you will get there. NDIS goals should be focused on what you are going to achieve, so try to avoid goals like “to see a physiotherapist” or “to try hydrotherapy” and try “I would like to maintain and improve my mobility”.
The goal is broad enough to provide you with some funding flexibility. Specific goals can limit which categories you can take funding from and how you can use that funding. It is more beneficial to create a broad goal, especially because you will have the NDIS plan for over 12 months and your interests may change over this period of time. For example, goals like “I would like to be physically active” gives you lots more options than “I would like to try a dance class”.
The goal is realistic and achievable. Goals are meant to be reached! It’s important to be realistic when you are setting your goals and to consider whether or not they will be achievable for you. This is particularly important because having goals that are attainable will boost your motivation to work towards achieving them.
The goal is unique and tailored to you. Goals are personal, they should reflect who you are as an individual and focus on things that are valuable and meaningful to you.
When it comes to deciding on goals, we recommend setting aside some time to think about yourself, what you enjoy, and what you’d like to improve on and achieve. Some of the goals you decide on might be easy and straightforward to achieve, and others might be more long-term – it’s good to have a mixture of both.
If you are finding it tricky to identify some goals, it may be helpful to involve a trusted friend or family member to help.
If you are looking for more resources, check out some of these webpages from the NDIS:
https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/creating-your-plan/setting-goals
https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/creating-your-plan/setting-goals/how-do-you-identify-goals
