What is an NDIS goal and how can we utilise these to improve our service?

The NDIS is all about building capacity and improving daily living, with the funding designed to assist a participant's ability to live a more independent life. When a plan is being finalised, goals are put into place as part of the process. For example: 1) Joe wants to return to university 2) Sara wants to move out of her parents' home and into her own apartment. These goals give stakeholders and support workers something to work towards and when it's time for a funding review, they help to measure where people are at in their growth towards recovery, independence and a more fulfilled life!

Why we need to break down goals into daily activities.

I started to think a lot more about this subject after a participant said that she felt the NDIS goals were too long term - they seemed so far away and she felt they could never be accomplished, which made her feel like she was failing. At the time, she was spiralling into self doubt and depression, seeing old harmful behaviours return.

Her admission really opened my mind up to the idea of breaking down goals into smaller achievable daily tasks and activities. It needed to become more about the journey - who we might meet and what we can learn along the way! Now this is not a new topic, but for me it was a real awakening and made me think more deeply into how I can support her to the absolute best of my ability! If our participants are achieving small goals more often - it can help them build the confidence they need to reach further. The biggest part of this is GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PARTICIPANT! You will hear me bang on about this a lot! Becoming more familiar with people's interests, hopes and dreams is the key. All of these answers can give you the clues into how we can start breaking down these long term 'on paper' goals, into achievable and enjoyable daily activities.

Here's a few examples of how one goal can be broken down.

Joe wants to go back to university as he dropped out last year after a hospital stay. We will then consider some of the following questions...

• What is Joe studying at uni?

• How far into the degree is he?

• Why did he start studying this?

• What are his hopes for the future?

• What barriers might Joe need to overcome?
  

The more you know about someone, the more ideas will come to mind on how you can support them. Helping to build or rebuild someone's passion can be one of the most rewarding parts of the job! So how can we break down this goal based on what we know about Joe? Well, Joe wants to be an architect, his childhood love of bridges turned into his dream that one day he will help to create a beautiful bridge in the city.

Ideas for daily tasks and activities might be:

• First: I like to journal with participants. Writing down long term goals and imagining how that might look in the future can be a great first step into creating a plan.

• Create a timeline - where are they now and where do they want to be? Then fill in the smaller steps in between to help you get there.

• Maybe take Joe on a day trip around the city to see all the bridges, marvel in his dreams alongside him and try to see it through his eyes. Photographing everything you see along the way, maybe the images can be used for a later project.

• Take Joe to the library and borrow books on bridges from around the world. What's his favorite city for design?

• Ask him if he's able to draw his own design, one that you can then create together with cardboard and art supplies.

• Talk about uni - this can help to make him feel secure and more confident. If the idea becomes apart of your daily language - the less anxious he might feel.

• Look into what the university offers for mental health care - often there are supports in place that can assist those with a disability or mental health concerns. They may also have an app, or a 24/7 helpline that can be used when a student is feeling unsafe or struggling with study or exams.

• Take a tour around the uni, eat lunch there together, or reach out to Joe's old uni friends for a catch up coffee. Creating a safe environment is what people crave to help build confidence.
  

Bare in mind that every shift won't be about goals, some days participants just can't focus on these for whatever reason and our role is to support them as best we can, ensuring we are armed with our tool box if needed. The end goal is, of course - Joe goes back to uni, and if you're doing everything you can to support him - the rest is up to Joe!

Recording daily progress

Shift notes are one of the most important parts of a participant's progress and it helps to protect you, should you ever need written evidence of anything that might come up. Like we always say in the sector, document everything!!! The NDIS want to be able to see proof that capacity building activities are taking place. Tracking goals can be done by simply having them listed in their file and writing basic dot point notes regarding what activities or tasks were undertaken during your shift. Did your client partially achieve or fully achieve their goals? This data assists them with funding reviews and provides supporting documentation should stakeholders need information on daily progress or family members need updating.

Working towards goals is what the job is all about and if you're doing it right - you can always finish the day knowing you've done your best and participants are getting the best of you!

HOMEWORK: Grab a pen and paper - have a think about your own personal long term goals, pick one and draw it in a timeline. Where are you now? Where do you wish to be? And what smaller steps can you do inbetween to get there. Think outside the box for fun :-)

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