Building With Strength

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Building With Strength Michelle Garland
NDIS Support Navigator and Consultant
South Coast NSW.

📢 SUE IS BACK! DON’T MISS OUT! 🙌Missed Sue in July? Here’s your second chance!We’re excited to welcome Sue, a senior NDI...
20/10/2026

📢 SUE IS BACK! DON’T MISS OUT! 🙌

Missed Sue in July? Here’s your second chance!

We’re excited to welcome Sue, a senior NDIA representative, back to the Illawarra Support Coordination Alliance for our October meeting! 💜

With so many changes happening across the NDIS, this is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the Agency, ask questions and have your voice heard.

Sue will join us via Teams to share information and discuss:

🔹 NDIS updates and future developments
🔹 Challenges being experienced across the Scheme
🔹 General questions about NDIS processes and policies
🔹 Feedback — both positive and negative — directly to the NDIA

💬 Your voice matters! Additional NDIA staff will also be listening to help capture feedback and share key concerns with the relevant areas of the Agency.

📌 Please note: Questions must be general rather than participant-specific. Respectful discussion is essential. Notes are welcome, but no recording or photography is permitted.

📅 Wednesday 28th October 2026
⏰ 1:00pm – 2:30pm
📍 Real Life Community Group
9 Old Springhill Road, Coniston NSW 2500

📩 RSVP NOW!

Email [email protected] with your name and organisation to confirm your attendance.

🤝 Whether you’re a Support Coordinator, Navigator, allied health professional or NDIS provider, we’d love to see you there!

⭐ If you missed July, make sure you’re there in October!

💜 It’s time to work together and help each other!

🌿 Monday Motivation 🌿“Small improvements create remarkable results.”Keep building, one step at a time. Every small step ...
18/10/2026

🌿 Monday Motivation 🌿

“Small improvements create remarkable results.”

Keep building, one step at a time. Every small step forward adds up to something extraordinary. Keep going—you’re closer than you think. 💚

KEEPING PARTICIPANT INFORMATION ORGANISED | Small systems make a big differenceWhen you’re supporting an NDIS participan...
14/10/2026

KEEPING PARTICIPANT INFORMATION ORGANISED | Small systems make a big difference

When you’re supporting an NDIS participant, there can be A LOT of information to keep track of.

Plans. Reports. Service agreements. Provider details. Emails. Assessments. Budget information. Meeting notes. Consent forms. Invoices. Evidence for reassessments.

And when something important happens, you don’t want to be searching through hundreds of emails trying to find that one report from six months ago.

A few simple habits can make life much easier:

🔹 Create a separate folder for each participant
🔹 Use consistent subfolders – Plans, Reports, Providers, Agreements, Budgets, Correspondence and Evidence
🔹 Give files meaningful names rather than leaving them as “Document (4)”
🔹 Include dates in file names where appropriate
🔹 Keep important contact details somewhere easy to access
🔹 Record key decisions and follow-up actions
🔹 Regularly archive outdated documents rather than deleting information you may need later
🔹 Make sure information is stored securely and only accessible to people who should have access

Good organisation isn’t just about having a tidy filing system.

It can help you respond faster, keep track of commitments, prepare for reassessments, notice when something is missing and provide better continuity of support.

And importantly, good records help protect the participant AND the person supporting them.

At Building With Strength, we believe good Support Coordination happens behind the scenes too.

Sometimes the simplest systems make the biggest difference.

Using Your Plan to Build Routine and StructureHaving an NDIS plan isn’t just about accessing supports—it’s about creatin...
12/10/2026

Using Your Plan to Build Routine and Structure

Having an NDIS plan isn’t just about accessing supports—it’s about creating a life that feels more predictable, manageable and enjoyable.

When supports are planned around your daily routine, they can reduce stress and help you achieve your goals more consistently.

That might look like:
• Having a support worker at the same time each week.
• Scheduling therapy around your energy levels.
• Planning community activities that become part of your regular routine.
• Creating morning or evening routines that promote independence.
• Using assistive technology to make everyday tasks easier.

Consistency builds confidence. Small routines often lead to greater independence, improved wellbeing and less uncertainty throughout the day.

At Building With Strength, we work with participants to look beyond the funding and focus on how their supports can fit into real life. Together, we help create practical routines that support your goals, preferences and lifestyle.

A well-planned routine isn’t about being rigid—it’s about creating a foundation that gives you the confidence to thrive.

🌿 Monday Motivation 🌿“Your impact is bigger than you realise.”Small acts of kindness create lasting ripples. Never under...
11/10/2026

🌿 Monday Motivation 🌿

“Your impact is bigger than you realise.”

Small acts of kindness create lasting ripples. Never underestimate the difference a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand can make. 💚

NDIS UPDATE | What does this actually mean?What happens if you have high support needs and the new budget reductions put...
08/10/2026

NDIS UPDATE | What does this actually mean?

What happens if you have high support needs and the new budget reductions put your supports at risk?

What’s changing?

From 1 October 2026, reductions are progressively being applied to certain Social, Economic and Community Participation and Improved Daily Living Skills supports when plans are created or reassessed.

A new plan variation pathway has been introduced specifically to protect participants with high support needs who rely on 24-hour disability support.

When does it start?

The pathway commenced 1 October 2026.

If a budget reduction has been applied to your plan, you need to request this high-support-needs variation within 90 days of your plan being approved.

Who does it affect?

To qualify for this particular pathway, you must:

🔹 have a combined budget of $215,030 or more across Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation; and

🔹 receive 24-hour funded NDIS supports for needs arising directly from the impairments for which you access the NDIS.

24-hour support can include individual or shared supports and overnight assistance.

What does this mean in practice?

If the new budget reduction means you no longer have enough funding to safely maintain your 24-hour disability supports, you can ask the NDIA to vary your plan.

If the NDIA agrees, it may increase your Home and Living or Assistance with Daily Living funding so you can continue receiving the 24-hour supports you need.

Importantly, the additional funding cannot be more than the amount that was reduced from your plan.

What should you do?

If you receive 24-hour disability support and a new or reassessed plan has had one of these budget reductions applied:

✔️ Check whether you meet the high-support-needs criteria
✔️ Look at whether the reduction affects your ability to maintain your 24-hour supports safely
✔️ Don’t miss the 90-day window to request the variation if you need it.

This pathway is separate from the usual ability to request a plan change where there has been a significant change in your circumstances or functional capacity.

NDIS reform is complicated. We’ll keep breaking down the changes, one at a time.

PREVENTING BURNOUT | Before it startsBurnout doesn’t usually happen overnight.It builds slowly.Taking on one more thing....
07/10/2026

PREVENTING BURNOUT | Before it starts

Burnout doesn’t usually happen overnight.

It builds slowly.

Taking on one more thing.
Saying yes when you really don’t have capacity.
Skipping breaks because there’s too much to do.
Being constantly available.
Putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own.

And in the disability and NDIS space, that can become very easy to normalise.

Whether you’re a participant, carer, support worker, provider or Support Coordinator, preventing burnout isn’t just about taking a holiday when you’re already exhausted.

It’s about recognising the signs earlier.

💜 Protect your boundaries
💜 Be realistic about your capacity
💜 Schedule downtime before you desperately need it
💜 Ask for help and delegate where you can
💜 Remember that not everything has to be done today
💜 Make room for things that have absolutely nothing to do with the NDIS

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is protect your capacity to keep going.

At Building With Strength, we believe sustainable support matters — for the people receiving support AND the people providing it.

Burnout prevention starts before burnout does.

🎉 Celebrating 1 Year of Beacon of Hope Project! 🩷✨What an incredible milestone! 🥳Today we came together to celebrate Bea...
07/10/2026

🎉 Celebrating 1 Year of Beacon of Hope Project! 🩷✨

What an incredible milestone! 🥳

Today we came together to celebrate Beacon of Hope Project’s (BOHP) 1st Birthday and Annual General Meeting (AGM) — marking one year of connection, advocacy, community and working towards meaningful change.

We were privileged to hear from our wonderful guest speakers, Richard Denniss, Jessie Smithers and Dr Karen Williams, who contributed their knowledge, insights and perspectives to such a meaningful occasion.

A huge congratulations to everyone involved in bringing Beacon of Hope Project to life and supporting its journey throughout its first year.

Here’s to celebrating how far BOHP has come, the connections made along the way and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead!

Congratulations Sammy
Happy 1st Birthday, Beacon of Hope Project! 🎂💓

🚨 NDIS Support Determinations have startedFrom 1 October 2026, new Support Determinations are being progressively applie...
06/10/2026

🚨 NDIS Support Determinations have started

From 1 October 2026, new Support Determinations are being progressively applied to some NDIS plans.

The two major reductions are:

🔻 Social, Economic & Community Participation – 50% reduction
🔻 Improved Daily Living Skills – 10% reduction

This doesn’t mean everyone’s existing funding was automatically reduced on 1 October. The changes are being phased in through new plans, reassessments and renewals.

Some supports are excluded from these reductions, including certain employment, high-intensity, complex behaviour, disability-related health and technology supports.

Importantly, the Support Determination reduction itself is not a reviewable decision, although there are pathways available in certain circumstances.

This is a significant change, so understanding when the determination applies and what parts of your funding are affected is important.

Beacon of Hope Project turns one.Less then year ago, this was just an idea - born out of everything I lived through, and...
06/10/2026

Beacon of Hope Project turns one.
Less then year ago, this was just an idea - born out of everything I lived through, and everything I wished had existed for me when I needed it most.
Now it's a peer-led organisation, a community of women, and a movement that keeps growing.
On Tuesday 7th October at Wests Illawarra, we're celebrating our first birthday, marking our unofficial launch, and holding our very first AGM.
From 11:30am, there'll be a peer-led craft station, a service mini-expo with local partners, our Inclusive Markets vendors, and an info station
where we're headed next.
We'll also be hosting a panel on the value of lived experience in women's support, with MP Anna Watson, Dr K Williams and BOHP Peer Worker and researcher Jessie Smithers.
At 2:00pm, our first AGM begins.
This day is for everyone who's believed in what we're building - vendors, volunteers, partners, and the women we walk alongside every day.
Turning pain into purpose isn't a solo project. It takes a community.
This is a community event, register your interest via the QR code or on our website's events page so we can ensure we organise sufficient catering.
Myself and the team would love to see you there

Address

Kiama Downs, NSW
2533

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm
Sunday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+61414837752

Website

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