In-Home Support Services

AboutIn-Home Support

About

In-Home Support

In-Home Support is funded under the Core Supports budget.This support service through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is designed to help participants live more independently and safely in their own homes.

Highlights of the In-Home Support Service

Support workers can assist with a wide range of tasks inside your home:

Personal Care: Showering, dressing, grooming, toileting, and oral hygiene.

Domestic Help: Cleaning, laundry, dishwashing, and basic home maintenance.

Meal Support: Grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking nutritious meals.

Health & Meds: Reminders to take medication or help with disability-related health tasks (like catheter care).

Capacity Building: “Shadowing” you while you learn to do a task yourself, like using the washing machine or cooking a new recipe.

Who can benefit from In-Home Support?

People with Physical Disabilities

If you have limited mobility or physical strength, in-home support can be life-changing. For example, people with spinal cord injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), or those who use wheelchairs.

The Benefit: You get assistance with “transfers”, like getting in and out of bed, showering, dressing, and modified meal preparation.

People with Intellectual or Cognitive Disabilities

For those who can physically perform tasks but struggle with planning and memory to get them done. People with Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI).

The Benefit: A support worker provides reminders to take meds or brush teeth and helps with complex tasks like managing a budget, following a recipe, or organising a weekly schedule.

People with Psychosocial Disabilities

Severe mental health conditions can make managing life feel overwhelming or impossible, during difficult periods. People living with severe depression, anxiety, Schizophrenia, or Bipolar Disorder.

The Benefit: Support workers offer motivation and assistance to maintain a clean living environment, ensure nutrition is prioritised, and help establish a stable morning or evening routine.

People with Sensory Disabilities

Loss of sight or hearing can make navigating a standard home or performing certain household tasks risky. People who are visually impaired, have low vision, or are hearing impaired.

The Benefit: Help with reading mails/labels, identifying expiry dates on food, or setting up assistive technology at home.

What you need to get started

To receive In-Home Support service, you must first be an eligible NDIS participant, and then the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Agency – NDIA) must assess In-Home Support as a necessary support for you.

If you have more questions and need help to understand this better, do drop us a message.

NDIS Eligibility for In-Home Support

Here is what you need to know regarding the eligibility criteria for In-Home Support.

The Functional Impact Test

The NDIS doesn’t fund based on your medical diagnosis, but on how that diagnosis affects your ability to function at home. You must demonstrate that your disability significantly reduces your functional capacity in one or more of these areas:

Self-Care: Difficulty with showering, dressing, eating, or toileting.

Self-Management: Difficulty organising your day, managing your health/meds, or keeping your home safe and clean.

Mobility: Difficulty moving around your home or getting in and out of bed.

The Reasonable and Necessary Checklist

Before adding in-home hours to your plan, the NDIA asks these six questions:

Disability-Related: Is the support specifically needed because of your disability? (e.g., They won’t pay for a cleaner if you are just busy, but they will if you cannot physically mop due to your condition).

Goal-Directed: Does this help you achieve a goal in your plan (e.g., “I want to live more independently”)?

Value for Money: Is the cost of the support reasonable compared to the benefits?

Effective & Beneficial: Is there evidence that this support actually helps you?

Informal Support Check: Is it reasonable to expect a family member, partner, or friend to do this for you? The NDIS will fund a worker if the task is too much for your family or if you are an adult striving for independence.

Mainstream Match: Is this support better provided by another system (like the Health system or Aged Care)?

Required Evidence

You will typically need:

An Occupational Therapist (OT) Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA): This is the gold standard. The OT visits your home and writes a detailed report explaining exactly what you can and cannot do.

Roster of Care (for high needs): If you need 24/7 care or SIL, you’ll need a document showing a 24-hour breakdown of exactly what a worker does for you every hour.

Medical Reports: Letters from specialists (Neurologists, Psychiatrists, etc.) confirming the permanence of your support needs.

A person with an NDIS plan will generally be able to access funding through the NDIS for transport assistance, if they cannot use public transport without substantial difficulty due to their disability.

Depending on the NDIS transport budgets, Lifest HealthCare can provide transport options to align with your NDIS goals.

Type of Participant