5 tips on how to develop great NDIS goals
It’s a great idea to do some thinking around what you want to achieve before your planning meeting comes around. Here are some tips on how to develop NDIS goals.
![IMAGE: A young person who uses a wheelchair is sitting outside in the sun looking to camera with their phone in their hand](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3vhx6zppsh8h5.cloudfront.net%2F5-Tips-for-goal-setting.png&w=3840&q=75)
If goal setting isn’t something you’re used to, this aspect of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) planning can be a challenge.
Don’t worry, your NDIS planner will support you though this process. However, it’s a great idea to do some thinking around what you want to achieve before your planning meeting comes around. Here are some tips on how to develop NDIS goals.
1. Firstly, understand why goals are so important in the NDIS
Goal setting is important to get right, because a NDIS plan is based on goals, and supports will only be funded if they will help you meet these goals.
Therefore it’s a good idea to be prepared for your goals discussion at your NDIS planning meeting. It’s also important to contact the NDIS after you get your NDIS plan, if the goals that are in your NDIS plan don’t look right for you.
2. Think about major parts of your life when developing your goals
Think about what you’d like your life to look like in a years’ time? Would you like to have moved out of your family home? Would you like to be volunteering, working in an office, or do you want to be a DJ? Do you want to take an overseas holiday?
So your goals might be:
- to build my life skills
- to build my employment skills, or
- to build my social skills.
3. Be specific
Try to be specific about exactly what your goals are, and what support you think you might need to achieve these goals. For example:
This year, I want to learn how to use public transport by myself so I can go to visit my friends without the help of my parents.
Breaking this goal down, you can see it includes quite specific pieces of information on what a person wants to achieve:
- When – this year
- What and how – learn how to catch public transport (the train, bus, tram) by myself
- Where – to visit my friends
- Why – so I can go to see my friends without the help of my parents
- Who – me and my friends. The parents are also a ‘who’ as achieving this goal will mean less reliance on their transport support.
4. But…don’t be too specific!
Goals will ideally be broad enough that you can make changes throughout the course of the plan, to use other types of services that would help achieve the goal. Here’s an example:
If you think your son would benefit from attending an autism support group to help with his social skills and give him opportunity to interact with his peers, the goal could be worded as “opportunity for social and community participation”, rather than specifically being about attendance at the autism group.
This way the goal is broad enough so that if your son attends the autism group and dislikes it, or doesn’t want to attend it in the first place; their goal could still be achieved by your son going to other activities, or therapies. Perhaps getting support to participate in a sporting activity would help him to achieve his goal.
5.Don’t forget to think about both your long and short-term goals
When you’re preparing for your NDIS planning meeting, think about both your long-term and short-term goals. Your long-term goal might be to get a job, but perhaps to achieve it you will first need to focus on shorter-term goals of improving your communication skills or learning to travel on public transport independently. These short-term goals could help you to achieve your long-term goal.
What support can you get with your goals?
Yooralla can support you with developing and achieving your NDIS goals in many ways, including:
- working with you (and/or your carer) one-on-one to explore and document your goals, your life and support needs; so you are prepared before your NDIS planning meeting
- with comprehensive NDIS information guides and workbooks
- delivering the supports in your NDIS plan
- helping you to understand what you’ve been funded for in your NDIS plan, and how you can use your funds to help you achieve your goals.
![IMAGE: A person with disability and a support person are looking at a digital tablet and making plans together](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3vhx6zppsh8h5.cloudfront.net%2F3-tips-for-Goal-setting265x175.png&w=640&q=75)
Ready to start developing your goals?
Yooralla can help you understand the NDIS and support you at every stage of your NDIS journey. Request a service or speak to our Yooralla Connect team with any questions you may have for yourself or the person you care for.