Navigating The Ndis

An online series bought to you by Belongside Families

This series will empower you to make informed choices, overcome any challenges and help you make the most of your plan to support your child’s development.

Series Overview

Session 1: Preparing for the NDIS Meeting

Learn valuable tips from a knowledgeable Support Coordinator and experienced parent. The session covers organising reports, assessments, quotes, information that parents can prepare, goal-setting and supports that can assist you in the preparation process.

Catch-up on the recording

Session 2: What to Expect in the NDIS Planning Meeting

Hear from an Early Childhood Partner and experienced parent. They’ll provide helpful guidance on effectively preparing for the day of your NDIS meeting, what to expect during the meeting, who should attend and equipping you with strategies for after it’s over.

Catch-up on the recording

Session 3: Understanding Your Plan

Gain important insights from a plan manager who delves into topics such as understanding the different plan budgets, assistive technology and consumables, using the ‘Can I buy it?’ checklist, and key functions of the portal and NDIS App.

Catch-up on the recording

Session 4: Using and Managing Your Child’s NDIS Plan

Hear from two experienced parents who will share their insights on determining the appropriate supports for working towards goals, managing budgets and record-keeping, running out of funds and exploring creative approaches to maximise your child's funding.

Catch-up on the recoding

Session 5: What To Do if You’re Not Happy With the Plan

Hear from two parents whose circumstances changed significantly or who did not receive enough funding to meet their child’s needs. They share their experiences of requesting a review of their child’s plan, navigating through the review process and the steps they took to ensure a more favourable outcome.

Catch-up on the recording

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Don’t worry, we’re not here to overload your inbox. What you’ll get from us will be inspiring stories, details of upcoming events, helpful resources and other opportunities to be part of our community. From our family to yours, every fortnight or so.

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To connect, celebrate and learn with parents and carers on their own beautiful journeys. Ours is a safe space where you can come to ask advice and share experiences on anything from your child's diagnosis to navigating the NDIS.

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There’s more than one way to say “I love you.”⁠
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It shows up in tight hugs.⁠
A face that lights up when you walk into the room.⁠
A flap, a giggle, a sound of pure joy.⁠
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For lots of families, “I love you” doesn’t always come out as words.⁠
But it still comes through, loud and clear.⁠
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For @breepennie son Dax, it’s full-body joy and happy sounds that fill the room.⁠
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How does your child say “I love you” without using words?⁠
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We’d love to hear. 🧡
This one’s for the parent who wonders if they’re doing enough.⁠
Who questions every decision.⁠
Who carries the guilt of not doing more.⁠
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When you're raising a child with disability, those thoughts are so often on your mind.⁠
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In our Good Life series, we spoke to young people with disability about what made the biggest difference in their lives.⁠
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And there was one thing we heard time and time again:⁠
“My parents”⁠
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They talked about support. They talked about sacrifice. They talked about you.⁠
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So on those days when you question whether you are doing enough…⁠
This is your reminder: you already are.
✨ Meet Belinda: Peer Support Facilitator at Belongside Families ✨ ⁠
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Belinda is an experienced community advocate with more than nine years of supporting individuals with disability and their families. ⁠
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Previously she served as Manager for Community Groups at Autism Community Network, where she led peer programs, facilitated inclusive events and supported families in accessing vital services. Later, she worked with Zen Tea Lounge Foundation, where she delivered programs and initiatives focused on self-advocacy, multicultural inclusion, and empowering women to gain employment, while also championing the rights of adults with disabilities to access meaningful and inclusive job opportunities. ⁠
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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 It was her own family’s journey that motivated Belinda to shift her career towards the disability/not-for-profit space to help give back to the community. She aims to help as many families as possible. ⁠
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💁‍♀️ In the role of Peer Support Facilitator at Belongside Families, Belinda is currently facilitating events for families in Western Sydney. ⁠
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🐈 A fun fact about Belinda is that she owns a cat and a canary. ⁠
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✈ Outside of work, Belinda likes to travel overseas, and enjoys walking, gardening and cooking. ⁠
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🧡 Belinda hopes that her work helps families feel less alone and more connected to a community that truly understands and supports them. ⁠
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 . . . . . . . . . . .⁠
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Everyone on our team is raising a child with disability, delay, or autism. That lived experience is at the heart of everything we do — and it’s what makes Belongside Families different. ⁠
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#BelongsideFamilies #WalkingAlongside #FamiliesSupportingFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #BelongsideFamiliesTeam
Last chance! Register by midnight tomorrow to get the full series⁠
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In Beyond the Diagnosis we brought together parents and professionals for four powerful sessions that spoke honestly about the emotional and practical realities of raising a child with disability.⁠
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We’re so grateful to the incredible speakers who shared their lived experience, deep insight, and practical strategies:⁠
Parent and writer @melanie.dimmitt , Helen Poulos from @askcounselling , psychologist Mitchell Woods, Professor Helen Bourke-Taylor from Healthy Mothers Healthy Families, and parents Kelly Reid, Pam Rogers, Sarah Elsleiman from @belongsidefamilies and Atilio Brito from @dads.speak 
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If you missed any of the sessions, there’s still time to register:⁠
✨ Reimagining your parenting role⁠
✨ Dealing with family and friends⁠
✨ When the load gets heavy⁠
✨ Finding you again⁠
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🎥 Sign-up by midnight tomorrow Tues 24 June and we’ll email you the full series to watch in your own time:⁠
https://events.humanitix.com/conversationsrecordings
From 1 July 2025, changes to NDIS travel funding will reduce the travel rate for allied health professionals and limit how much travel time can be claimed. ⁠
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We’ve heard from families who are worried this means therapists may no longer be able to travel to their homes, preschools, schools, or community settings. ⁠
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Belongside Families is very concerned about this change. ⁠
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It is best practice for therapists to see children in everyday spaces. We also know that for many children and families, it’s not possible to attend clinic-based services. ⁠
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We are working with our partners from the Child and Disability Alliance (CAFDA) to raise our concerns to the NDIS. To do this, we are asking for your help. ⁠
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Please take a moment to share how this change could impact your family: https://bit.ly/HaveYourSayNDISTravel⁠
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And please share this post to help other families have their say.
It's time to clear up a few things about daycare and preschool when it comes to children with disability, delays, and autism. ⁠
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There are a lot of myths out there. Things like: ⁠
🤔 Children need to be toilet trained before they start ⁠
🤔 Educators can’t support your child without a diagnosis ⁠
🤔 Therapy is more important than early learning ⁠
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Kristy from Belongside Families is sorting the fact from fiction, so you can feel more confident about navigating your child’s early learning experience. ⁠
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And if you want to know more about how you can partner with educators at daycare or preschool, and advocate for your child in simple everyday ways join our free interactive workshop. ⁠
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Supporting Your Child in Early Learning ⁠
📅 Mon, 23 June, 7:30pm (AEST / NSW Time) ⁠
🔗 Register via Linkin.bio
Here's Bree from Belongsife Families, captured in her natural habitat: laptop open, getting ready to jump online to facilitate, important files on hand, and her son Dax providing some very thorough "quality control" of her filing system. 😅⁠
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This is the behind-the-scenes reality of the work we do. Every single person on the Belongside Families team is walking this path alongside the families we support - raising children with disability, navigating the same systems, celebrating every small win and managing the juggle. This lived experience is exactly why our free programs are built around what families actually need.⁠
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Behind every workshop, every peer group, every resource, and every bit of support we offer, there are real families just like yours walking the journey too.