One of the most important things that NDIS participants need to do is set goals. Goal setting is designed to give participants the opportunity to express what they would like to do and what they want their future to look like. Although they are not directly linked to NDIS funding, they are an important part of creating a plan for how you might use your funding to help you.

What Are Goals?

Goals can be anything that you want to accomplish with the help of your NDIS plan and funding. They help you to develop your NDIS plan and also provide the NDIS with valuable information about who you are and what you want. Your NDIS goals should outline how you want to fulfil your physical, social, or independent needs. Your goals could include things such as being able to travel on your own, improving your social connections, living independently, or finding a job.

They can be short-term goals or they can be goals that might take you longer, perhaps years, to achieve. Short-term goals are intended to be achieved in a year or less, medium-term goals in two or three years, and long-term goals across a longer period of time.

How Do Goals Benefit NDIS Participants?

NDIS goals are important for multiple reasons. The NDIS says that goals help them to get to know you and the things that are important to you. When creating your plan, your local area coordinator or Support Coordinator will talk to you about what your life looks like, who is in it, and where you live.

Goals also help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, how you can use your strengths and how you can improve. Goals might help to motivate you to try new things, as well as build the confidence and skills that you need to do so. They can also give you something to work towards, allowing you to measure your progress.

Do Goals Affect NDIS Funding?

The goals that you set in your NDIS plan aren't directly linked to your funding. There's no requirement that you receive funding for NDIS services to help you meet your goals or pay for NDIS carers or disability care services. However, the funding and support that you get from NDIS can help you to overcome any barriers that might be preventing you from reaching your goals. NDIS considers whether your funded supports help you to pursue and achieve your goals when they are deciding whether your plan should be approved.

Setting NDIS Goals

Setting goals is a key part of creating your NDIS plan. You can get help from various people to set your goals, including friends and family, as well as NDIS registered providers, plan developers, and local area coordinators. But how can you set good goals that help you to develop a plan that's right for you?

There are some things you can consider if you want to set goals that are useful for you.

• Focus on outcomes – set goals that are focussed on particular outcomes that you want to achieve and that can be measured

• Set flexible goals – making your goals flexible means you can be flexible with the ways that you use your NDIS funding to meet them

• Build skills, capacity, and independence – think about how your goals can help you to build your capacity to do different things and become more independent in the future

• Personal – choose personal goals that help you to achieve the things you want from your future

Try to make your goals specific and measurable, as well as setting a time within which you want to achieve them. Think about what you want to achieve, how you will know if you have achieved it (or if you're on the way), and when you want to achieve it. For example, perhaps you want to go shopping by yourself within the next year. Make sure your goals are important to you too. Although other people might offer you advice about which goals you should set, the most important thing is that they meet your needs.

There are various people who can help you to achieve your goals too. NDIS service providers and carers might be able to provide you with the assistance that you need to start working towards your goals. Your NDIS funding can help you to access the support that you need to achieve your goals too. Reviewing your plan in the future is an option if you ever want to add any goals too.