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NDIS Innovative Community Participation in Melbourne
Many participants confuse Innovative Community Participation with standard community participation support. While both help people connect with the community, they are funded differently and designed for different purposes.
What Is NDIS Innovative Community Participation?
Innovative Community Participation is a type of support that helps you build skills and connect with your community in new and creative ways. Providers offering this support might be registered under NDIS group 0116. It covers more than just having a support worker join you at your usual activities.
Since this support is quoted for each person, the funding and approval process depends on your plan and how your funding is set up. This is different from most Core Supports, which you can usually book without extra steps.
Innovative Community Participation vs Social and Community Participation
The names might sound alike, but they come from different NDIS budgets. Social and Community Participation (Core Supports) pays for a worker to help you with activities you already do. Innovative Community Participation (Capacity Building) pays for a new program built around a specific goal, and each program has its own quote instead of a set price.
| Social and Community Participation | Innovative Community Participation | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Core Supports | Capacity Building |
| Purpose | Attending an existing activity | A new program built around a goal |
| Pricing | Standard hourly rate | Individually quoted |
If you want to keep going to an activity you already like, Core Supports usually covers this. If you want to start a new program to build a certain skill or reach a goal, Innovative Community Participation is the right support.
Innovative Community Participation Activities and Examples
This support is based on your personal goals, not a fixed list. Here are some examples of programs we’ve created at Hilda Care:
- Helping someone join a local group, like a craft group or men’s shed, with a worker alongside at first and stepping back once they’re comfortable going alone
- Adjusting how an activity works so someone with sensory or physical support needs can actually take part, not just watch
- Practising a specific place, like a shopping centre or community hall, over a few sessions until someone can manage it on their own
- Building communication into an activity itself, using picture cards or a communication device, instead of a separate lesson
- Pairing someone up with a peer mentor if they’re working on things like anxiety or feeling okay in unfamiliar social settings
What these examples have in common is that each one is built around a clear goal and outcome, not just doing the same activity every week.
How Innovative Community Participation Works in Your Plan
If you don’t already have this support in your plan, it usually starts with a chat with your planner or support coordinator about what you want to achieve. It’s helpful to be specific, like joining a certain group, managing a place on your own, or building a skill you’ve found hard before. The clearer your goal, the easier it is to create a program and show the NDIA why you need it.
After you and your planner agree on a goal, a provider will create a program and a quote just for you. This can take some time, as quotes might need approval based on your funding. It’s a good idea to allow for some extra time, especially if you’re bringing it up for the first time at a plan review.
If your request isn’t approved or only gets part funding, it doesn’t have to be the end. Sometimes it’s about how clearly the goal was explained, and you can try again at your next review. In the meantime, you can still use standard community participation support under Core Supports if that suits you.
Who Can Access Innovative Community Participation
This support is useful if regular group activities haven’t worked for you, maybe because of sensory needs, communication challenges, anxiety in new places, or needing more one-on-one help at first. It’s also good for people with a clear goal that doesn’t fit into any current group or program.
You can get this support if it’s funded in your Capacity Building budget and matches a goal in your plan. It doesn’t depend on your diagnosis.
- NDIA-managed: quotes and claims are handled through the NDIS portal
- Plan-managed: your plan manager pays the provider once the quote is approved
- Self-managed: you pay the provider directly and claim the cost back from the NDIA
Our Approach to Innovative Community Participation
Setting up this support can take a little while. It’s not that the programs are complicated, but many people haven’t heard of this support before, and quotes might need extra details or clarification before funding is confirmed.
- We start with your goal, not a program template, so the activity actually connects to what you’re trying to achieve
- We provide clear information about the participant’s goals, program design and expected outcomes.
- We keep you updated while the quote is with the NDIA, rather than leaving you to chase it
- Once approved, your worker is briefed on the specific goal the program is working toward, not just the activity itself
If you’re not sure if Innovative Community Participation is right for your goals, our team can talk through your options with you.
Why Melbourne Participants Choose Hilda Care for Innovative Community Participation
It takes more effort at the start to create a program that’s truly tailored, instead of just reusing a group activity. That’s where we focus our energy.
- Registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (Provider Registration Number 4050126032)
- Programs built around your specific goal, not a fixed activity list
- Workers matched by interest and communication style, not just availability
- A dedicated coordinator who prepares your quote and follows it through approval
- Multilingual team, including English, Italian, Turkish, Filipino, Portuguese, and Macedonian
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If a standard group activity hasn’t worked for you before, get in touch with us. We can talk about whether a more tailored option might suit you better.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Innovative Community Participation?
It’s a capacity-building support that funds new, creative, or non-traditional ways to engage with the community, built around an individual’s specific goal. Because the support is individually quoted, funding requirements depend on the participant’s plan and funding arrangements.
What's the difference between Innovative Community Participation and Social and Community Participation?
Social and Community Participation, under Core Supports, funds ongoing support to attend activities you’re already doing. Innovative Community Participation, under Capacity Building, funds a new program designed around a specific goal, and requires an individually approved quote rather than a standard rate.
Does Innovative Community Participation cost more than standard community participation?
Not necessarily, but it is priced differently. Because it’s individually quoted rather than charged at a fixed hourly rate, cost depends on what the specific program involves.
How do I get Innovative Community Participation added to my plan?
This is usually raised with your planner or support coordinator at a plan review, describing the specific goal a program would work toward. If it’s approved, a provider then prepares a quote for the NDIA to approve before support begins.
Is Innovative Community Participation the same as community access support?
Not exactly. “Community access” is an older, informal term some people still use for general Core Supports community participation, a support worker helping you attend activities you already do. Innovative Community Participation is a distinct Capacity Building item, individually quoted, and built around a specific goal rather than ongoing attendance.
What activities can be included in Innovative Community Participation?
It depends on the goal. Programs can include easing into a mainstream group with support at first, adapting an activity to suit sensory or physical needs, practising a specific place like a shopping centre until it feels manageable alone, building communication into an activity, or peer mentoring around anxiety or unfamiliar social settings. The activity itself matters less than what it’s working toward.
Can I request Innovative Community Participation during my NDIS plan review?
Yes. Describe the specific goal you want the program to work toward when you meet with your planner or support coordinator. If it’s approved, a provider then puts together a quote for the program, which needs separate NDIA approval before support starts.
Who provides Innovative Community Participation support in Melbourne?
Hilda Care is a registered NDIS provider delivering Innovative Community Participation programs for participants across Melbourne, built around each person’s goal rather than a standard activity.
Discuss Your Innovative Community Participation Goals With Hilda Care
If a standard group program hasn’t been the right fit, or you’re not sure if your goal qualifies for this support, tell us what you want to achieve. We’ll help you figure out if Innovative Community Participation is the right choice for you.