Your Questions, Answered

  • You apply through the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency). You’ll need evidence of a permanent and significant disability, usually from a GP or specialist. The process can take time, and it helps to have someone guide you through it. If you’re not sure where to start, contact your local LAC (Local Area Coordinator) or give us a call and we can point you in the right direction.

  • NDIA-managed means the NDIA pays your providers directly — you can only use registered providers. Self-managed means you handle the money yourself — you can use any provider, registered or not. Plan-managed means a plan manager handles the payments for you — you still get choice of provider without the admin. We work with all three.

  • We provide allied health therapy (occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics) and support work, all delivered through our Integrated Outcomes Model™. That means your therapists and support workers operate as one team, not in separate silos. We also support participants with plan review preparation, transition planning, and everyday skill-building.

  • We’re based in Zetland in inner-city Sydney and provide services across the greater Sydney area. Depending on your needs, we may be able to offer flexible delivery options. Best thing to do is get in touch and we’ll let you know what’s possible.

  • We follow NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26, we do not charge over the price limits.

  • You can reach us through the contact form on our website, call us directly, or ask your support coordinator to make a referral. We try to respond within two business day. No gatekeeping, no waiting weeks for a callback

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT

  • It’s our way of making sure therapy actually gets delivered — not just planned. Your therapist, support workers, and allied health team operate as one coordinated unit with shared goals, shared communication, and shared accountability.
    Very few NDIS provider in Australia runs this therapy-led model. It’s why our outcomes are measurable and why families stop provider-hopping when they come to us.

  • With separate therapists, you’ve got an OT working on one thing, a speech pathologist on another, a psychologist on another - and none of them are talking to each other. Your support worker gets conflicting instructions or none at all.

    An integrated team means everyone is working from the same playbook, adjusting together in real time.

  • Yes. Not once a quarter. Not via an email that nobody reads. They communicate in real time, with structured handovers and live clinical guidance.

    This is what makes the Integrated Outcomes Model™ work. The support worker isn’t guessing, they’re executing a clinically designed plan with backup.

  • We’ll tell you. We specialise in adolescents, young adults, and adults with complex needs.

    If your needs sit outside that, we’d rather connect you with the right provider than stretch into something we can’t deliver well. We have a strong referral network for exactly this reason.

  • We look at why. Is it the wrong goal? The wrong approach? An undiagnosed barrier? We don’t just keep doing the same thing and hoping it works. The team reviews, adjusts, and — if needed — brings in additional expertise. Stagnation is a clinical signal, not an outcome we accept.

  • Evidence, evidence, evidence. Your provider should be giving you clear progress reports that show what’s been achieved and what still needs work.

    We prepare comprehensive documentation for every review so your case is backed by data, not just a conversation on the phone.

  • Absolutely. We work with both plan-managed and self-managed participants. We communicate directly with your plan manager and support coordinator to keep everyone aligned. Less back-and-forth for you, more coordination behind the scenes.

THE HARD STUFF

  • Usually because the therapist writes the plan, then the support worker delivering the day-to-day work doesn’t know what’s in it. The plan sits in a folder. Nobody follows up.

    At Staying Independent, the therapist and the support worker operate as one team. The plan isn’t a document - it’s a live, working strategy that everyone is accountable to.

  • It’s common, but it shouldn’t be normal.

    Most providers have therapists and support workers in completely separate silos. The therapist writes goals. The support worker does their best. Nobody checks if they match.

    Our Integrated Outcomes Model™ was built specifically to fix this. Your support worker knows the plan, has real-time guidance, and the therapist stays across what’s actually happening on the ground.

  • You’re not alone. The shift from adolescent to adult life is where a lot of participants lose momentum, familiar supports disappear, expectations change overnight, and suddenly there’s pressure to self-manage everything.

    We work with people through this transition, building independence skills, life skills, and self-advocacy so they’re actually ready for what comes next.

  • Because the system was designed around administration, not around people.

    Participants and families end up project-managing their own care, chasing providers, explaining their history over and over, and decoding jargon. We take that coordination off your plate. One team, one model, one point of contact.

  • Ask your provider to show you. If they can’t point to measurable changes — not just “they’re doing well” — that’s a red flag. We track outcomes against goals and report back in plain language. You should never have to guess whether therapy is working.

  • It usually means the provider doesn’t have the clinical skills or the team structure to manage multiple needs at once — think autism plus anxiety plus disordered eating plus sensory challenges. That’s exactly what we specialise in. Complex doesn’t mean hopeless. It means you need a team that knows how to coordinate across disciplines, not just tick boxes.

NDIS & FUNDING

  • Yes. We provide both allied health therapy (OT, speech pathology, dietetics) and support work under one roof. This means your funding works harder because your team is already coordinated — no double-up, no wasted sessions explaining context.

  • Yes, and this happens more than it should. We’ll work with what you’ve got and help prioritise where your funding will have the most impact. We can also help you prepare evidence for your next plan review to advocate for the funding you actually need.

  • That’s completely fine. Not everyone needs the full integrated model. If you just want occupational therapy, we can deliver that as a standalone service. We’ll still bring the same clinical rigour — you’ll just be accessing one part of what we offer. And if your needs change down the track, the rest of the team is already here.

  • Evidence, evidence, evidence. Your provider should be giving you clear progress reports that show what’s been achieved and what still needs work.

    We prepare comprehensive documentation for every review so your case is backed by data, not just a conversation on the phone.

  • Yes. We know that good therapeutic relationships take time to build, and if you’ve found a therapist you trust, we’re not going to ask you to leave them. Our support workers can work alongside external therapists — we just need open communication so everyone’s pulling in the same direction. The Integrated Outcomes Model™ works best when the whole team is connected, but we’ll make it work with your setup.

  • We look at why. Is it the wrong goal? The wrong approach? An undiagnosed barrier? We don’t just keep doing the same thing and hoping it works. The team reviews, adjusts, and — if needed — brings in additional expertise. Stagnation is a clinical signal, not an outcome we accept.

  • Absolutely. Plenty of our participants have a mix of providers — maybe they see a psychologist elsewhere or have a long-standing relationship with a speech pathologist. We don’t need to be your only provider. What we do need is communication. We’ll reach out, coordinate, and make sure everyone is working towards the same goals rather than in silos.

THE BASICS