Quick Answer Box
Q: What is NDIS Capacity Building?
A: NDIS Capacity Building refers to a set of capacity building supports in an NDIS plan that fund therapy, training, and programs to help people developing skills, increase independence, and participate in the community. These support categories include daily living skill development, support coordination, employment supports, social and community participation, and more. Funding is allocated to a specific category and is generally a fixed amount that cannot be moved to other categories.
Introduction: Why Capacity Building Supports Matter
The National Disability Insurance Scheme invests in more than day-to-day assistance. It funds capacity building so participants can maintain progress, participate more, and gain control over their daily life. Capacity building supports may involve working with a support worker who assists with skill development, community participation, or daily living tasks. Unlike Core Supports that help with immediate tasks, capacity building funding focuses on development, training, and long-term outcomes like confidence, education, and employment.
What Is NDIS Capacity Building?
NDIS Capacity Building is a group of capacity building support categories inside your NDIS plan. Funding is set aside as a capacity building budget to build skills for independence and community participation. These supports can include therapy, support coordination, and programs that target health and wellbeing, relationships, learning, and work.
👉 Learn more: NDIS Capacity Building supports
How Capacity Building Differs From Core and Capital
- Core Supports help with daily life and everyday tasks like personal care and cleaning.
- Capital Supports pay for assistive technology and home modifications.
- Capacity Building funds services that build ability and resilience over time, such as therapy, coaching, or support coordination.
This separation keeps the financial aspects clear and ensures funds are used in the most appropriate place to meet goals.
Capacity Building Support Categories Explained
Each of the following sits in its own category and is usually a fixed budget with defined line items. In most cases, funds cannot be moved from one category to another.
1) Improved Daily Living
Focuses on therapy assessment and skill building to improve independence in daily life. May include occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychology, and exercise physiology that build social skills, routines, and confidence with daily activities. A support worker can also assist with daily living skills, routines, and building independence as part of this support category.
2) Improved Health and Wellbeing
Supports health goals through diet advice, personal training, or tailored exercise programs that promote well being. Your allied health team helps you develop positive behaviours around healthy habits and maintenance.
3) Improved Life Choices
Covers a plan manager who handles invoices and tracks funding. This helps you and your support coordinator focus on the plan’s outcomes while the plan manager looks after the financial aspects.
4) Improved Relationships (CB Relationships)
Funds behaviour support, behaviour management strategies, and a behaviour management plan to help people develop positive behaviours, strengthen relationships, and participate safely at home and in the community. Often referred to as CB Relationships.
5) Improved Learning
Supports further education, study mentoring, and learning study skills or study skills so participants can access school, TAFE, university, or other lifelong learning pathways.
6) Finding and Keeping a Job
Employment-focused training, workplace readiness, job coaching, and supports to engage with employers and secure a job that fits goals and strengths. Builds confidence in the workplace.
7) Improved Social and Community Participation
Funds programs, recreational activities, and groups that build social skills, increase civic participation, and create increased social connections. Often called social and community participation or independence and community participation.
A support worker can help participants access community programs, join groups, and build social connections.
8) Improved Living Arrangements
Help with understanding housing options, tenancy obligations, and planning a move to the appropriate place to live. Works alongside home modifications or housing supports funded elsewhere.
Compare categories: Using your plan – Core, Capital and Capacity Building
Who Can Access Capacity Building Funding?
Your NDIS planner considers your goals, reports, and any complex support needs. Evidence from allied health, such as therapy assessment reports, helps justify the capacity building funding you request. A support coordinator can help gather evidence and ensure the request is aligned to the supports you need.
Planning info: NDIS planning meeting
What Can Be Included: Practical Examples
- Occupational therapy to build routines for cooking, cleaning, and managing daily life
- Speech therapy to build communication skills and social skills
- Exercise physiology and personal training for health and wellbeing goals
- Behaviour support to implement a behaviour management plan and promote positive behaviours
- Further education supports and learning study skills to help with coursework
- Support coordination to connect you with the right services and manage accessing programs
- Community participation through clubs, recreational activities, and volunteering to grow confidence and civic participation
- A support worker to assist with daily living tasks, community participation, or accessing tailored support options.
- Exploring more alternative therapies, such as equine therapy or other alternative therapies, where evidence shows benefit and it is reasonable and necessary under the NDIS criteria
Note: Some options require robust evidence and must fit the NDIS reasonable and necessary rules. Your support coordinator or plan manager can assist with the process.
Fixed Amounts and Financial Aspects
Your capacity building budget is usually a fixed amount with separate line items for each specific category. It cannot generally be used for daily life expenses, utility bills, or items outside the approved supports. Work with your plan manager to track spending and stay on top of financial aspects across the plan period.
The Role of Support Coordination
Support coordination helps you navigate providers, understand support categories, and schedule services. A support coordinator can:
- Map your goals to the correct capacity building support categories
- Link you to support workers, therapists, and recreational activities
- Prepare for plan review, including outcomes and next steps
- Troubleshoot barriers to accessing services and engage the right teams
What support coordination does: NDIS – Support coordination
Plan Management: Making the Most of Your Funding
Plan management is a vital part of making your NDIS plan work for you, especially when it comes to capacity building supports. By taking an active role in managing your capacity building budget, you can ensure your funding is used strategically to help you develop skills, boost independence, and increase your participation in the community.
A key step in effective plan management is working closely with your support coordinator. They can help you understand your capacity building funding, identify the most relevant support categories for your goals, and connect you with services that match your needs—whether that’s behaviour management strategies, further education, or social and community participation programs.
Managing the financial aspects of your NDIS plan can feel overwhelming, but a plan manager can make this process much easier. Your plan manager handles budgeting, pays service providers, and keeps detailed records, so you can focus on your goals and maintain control over your funding. With their support, you can make informed decisions about how to allocate your capacity building supports and ensure you’re getting the most value from your plan.
Tailoring Supports and Exploring Options
To maximise your capacity building funding, it’s important to understand the different support categories available. These include CB Relationships, CB Health and Wellbeing, CB Lifelong Learning, and CB Daily Activity, each designed to address specific needs such as developing skills, improving health and wellbeing, and increasing social and community participation. By knowing what each category offers, you can tailor your supports to your unique goals.
When choosing support services, look for providers with experience and a strong approach to capacity building. Consider exploring alternative therapies like equine therapy, music therapy, or art therapy, which can be powerful tools for improving wellbeing and independence. These options can complement traditional supports and help you participate more fully in community life.
Assistive Technology’s Role
Assistive technology is another important part of plan management. Devices such as communication aids, wheelchairs, or daily living equipment can break down barriers and support your independence and community participation. Investing in the right assistive technology can make a significant difference in your ability to access education, employment, and social activities.
Throughout your NDIS journey, your support coordinator and plan manager are there to assist you in accessing the right services and technology, navigating the NDIS system, and managing the financial aspects of your plan. By staying informed about your support categories, funding options, and available providers, you can make empowered choices and achieve greater independence.
Summary
In summary, effective plan management is essential for making the most of your capacity building supports and achieving your goals for independence and community participation. By working with a support coordinator and plan manager, understanding your support categories, and investing in assistive technology and quality services, you can unlock the full potential of your NDIS funding and live a more independent, fulfilling life.
Capacity Building vs Assistive Technology and Home Mods
If you need assistive technology or home modifications, these are usually funded under Capital Supports, not Capacity Building. Capacity Building may fund training to use the technology or coaching to bed-in new routines, while Capital pays for the device or modification itself.
Capital supports overview: NDIS – Capital Supports
Building Independence Through Community Participation
Programs under social and community participation can help you participate in groups, join clubs, volunteer, or try structured recreational activities. These supports grow confidence, promote wellbeing, and create routine. Many participants report increased social connections and better relationships as they engage more.
A support worker can help participants engage in community activities and build confidence.
Education, Work, and Lifelong Learning
Capacity Building strengthens education and employment outcomes. From study skills tutoring to resume training and interview practice, supports are designed to improve access to school, TAFE, or a job. This is part of lifelong learning, so gains continue beyond the plan period.
Mental Health and Positive Behaviour Support
If mental health or behaviour is a focus, Capacity Building can assist through behaviour support, counselling, or therapy that helps people develop positive behaviours. A structured behaviour management plan supports safety, improved relationships, and meaningful community participation.
How to Make the Most of Your Capacity Building Budget
- Clarify goals at planning to match funding with outcomes.
- Work with a support coordinator to connect with the right services.
- Use a plan manager to track your fixed budgets and line items.
- Record outcomes from therapies and groups to support your next review.
- Ask for advice on building daily routines, health habits, and social networks.
- Trial programs in an appropriate place and adjust if they are not the right fit.
Real Stories of Progress
- Daily life skills: With occupational therapy and coaching, Priya learned weekly meal planning, cooking, and kitchen safety. She now manages dinners with minimal assistance.
- Community and confidence: Dylan joined a local art group under social and community participation and now volunteers at weekend exhibitions, building confidence and friends.
- Work pathway: Mia completed short training funded under Finding and Keeping a Job and now works two shifts a week at a café, with ongoing coaching to maintain her role.
What Capacity Building Does Not Cover
It does not pay for utility bills, rent, general leisure costs, or one-off purchases that sit in Capital. It also does not replace support workers who assist with Core tasks. Think of Capacity Building as investment in development and capacity rather than day-to-day service delivery.
Conclusion: A Pathway to Independence and Community
NDIS Capacity Building is about unlocking independence and community participation. With targeted capacity building funding, a clear capacity building budget, and the guidance of a support coordinator and plan manager, participants can build skills, improve wellbeing, and reach goals in study, employment, relationships, and daily life.
At Re.Connect Support Services, we help you map goals to the right support categories, connect with quality providers, and track outcomes so your next plan is even stronger.
Start here: NDIS Capacity Building supports
Find providers: NDIS Provider Register
