Carer

A family member, friend or other person who provides unpaid care and support to someone with disability.

What it means

A carer is a family member, friend, partner, neighbour or other person who provides unpaid care and support to someone living with disability. This might include help with everyday tasks, personal care, getting to appointments, managing health needs, or simply providing emotional support and company.

Carers are different from paid support workers. A support worker is employed and paid to provide services, often through a person's NDIS plan. A carer gives their time freely, usually because of a personal relationship with the person they support. In NDIS language, the everyday help that carers, family and friends provide is often called an informal support.

In practice

The NDIS recognises the important role carers and informal supports play in a participant's life. When a participant's plan is being developed, the NDIS looks at the whole picture, including the support already provided by family and friends. Funded supports are meant to work alongside this help, not replace it.

It is also important to know that carers can access support in their own right. There are separate carer support services outside the NDIS, such as counselling, respite, peer groups and financial assistance, designed to help carers look after their own wellbeing. Looking after yourself as a carer is not selfish. It helps you keep supporting the person you care for over the long term.

A real example

For example, Priya cares for her adult son, who has an intellectual disability. She helps him cook, manage his medication and get to his weekly activities, without being paid. During his NDIS planning meeting, the planner recognised Priya's role as an informal support and included funded supports that gave her regular breaks, so she could rest and keep caring over the long term.

Carer — FAQs

What is the difference between a carer and a support worker?
A carer provides unpaid care, usually because of a personal relationship such as being a family member, partner or friend. A support worker is employed and paid to provide services, often funded through an NDIS plan. Both can support the same person, but only the support worker is paid for the role.
Can a family member be paid as a support worker under the NDIS?
In most cases the NDIS does not pay family members to provide support, as this help is usually treated as informal support. There are limited exceptional circumstances where it may be considered. If you think your situation is unusual, it is best to raise it directly with the NDIS or your plan manager.
Does the NDIS provide support for carers themselves?
The NDIS focuses on the participant, not the carer directly. However, a participant's plan can include supports like respite that give carers a break. Carers can also access separate carer support services outside the NDIS, including counselling, peer support and practical help, which are designed specifically for their wellbeing.
What are informal supports in an NDIS plan?
Informal supports are the unpaid help a participant receives from family, friends, carers and their community. The NDIS considers these supports when building a plan, so that funded supports work alongside them. Informal supports are valued, but the NDIS should not assume a carer can provide unlimited help without any funded assistance.
Where can carers go for help and a break?
Carers can look for support through carer-specific services that sit outside the NDIS, such as counselling, peer groups, respite and financial assistance. A participant's NDIS plan may also fund supports that give the carer regular breaks. Speaking with a support coordinator or local carer organisation is a good starting point.

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Official NDIS sources

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