Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Is a social worker an allied health professional who can deliver capacity building supports through my NDIS plan?
Yes! Social workers are one of the larger allied health professional s in Australia. Social workers are university qualified health professionals who complete an undergrad or graduate course in Social Work. A social worker must be eligible for full membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Will the NDIS accept a social work assessment?
The NDIS recognise Social Workers have specific skills in the area of psychosocial disability and accept Social Work functional capacity assessments. Social Workers should work with an Occupational Therapist if the participant also has physical support and assistive technology needs.
Can Social Workers provide capacity building supports in the NDIS?
Yes! 15_621_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training – Social Worker; this is the line item used by the NDIS. The NDIS price guide identifies a social worker as a person who is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers. The funding used for a Social Worker is currently through the Capacity Building IDL budget.
Can Social Workers provide therapy and counselling services?
Yes! Social Workers receive training in psychology and counselling in their studies. Once working in the field, Social Workers can continue to develop and acquire skills in psychological interventions and counselling.
Why would I use a Social Worker?
Often participants are having needs met in coordination, their physical and assistive technology needs met but there may be barriers to the participant achieving their goals. It may be the person needs some assistance to identify and work on this problem or their system may need help to support the participant to achieve their goals. This complexity can be overlooked and people can often feel stuck, as though nothing is changing. Social Workers are skills in understanding the person in their environment and identifying ways to build the person and their networks capacity to overcome barriers.
Is counselling a mental health treatment strategy or a capacity building exercise, delivered by a Social Worker?
Within the NDIS framework, Social Work therapy and use of counselling is used to build capacity not to treat a mental health presentation. For instance, a young person with an intellectual disability may find social situations challenging and it might result in feeling stressed and isolated. Social Work counselling and therapy would work on building skills in emotional regulation and interpersonal skills, perhaps through the use of counselling, to assist the participant to achieve their long term goals.