What You Should Expect From Your Needs Assessment & Service Coordination Service

What should I expect from my Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) service?

Timely services and clear communication

Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) services are expected to work with you in a timely fashion. There should be clear communication about this.

The needs assessment process and report belong to you and your child

The needs assessment process and the report belong to you and your child. The parent/caregiver of a child with a disability must agree with what is written in the report. If you disagree with what is written, you can request changes or request a new assessment.

You should feel comfortable with your NASC service professionals

The needs assessment and service coordinator roles are separate and they are both important. If you do not feel comfortable with the NASC service professionals who assess and coordinate services for your family, don't be afraid to say this and to ask for someone else.

You can request a needs assessment facilitator who has skill and experience in working with children or young people.

You may request a needs assessment facilitator or service coordinator who is Māori, and for you to be able to communicate in te Reo Māori.

You may request an interpreter for your assessment if English is not your main language. NASC agencies will try to organise this though it may not be possible to access interpreter services for all languages in all areas of New Zealand.

Your NASC service will consider your needs, as carer

The family carer's needs will be taken into account in the assessment process. The assessment report must accurately and fully say to what extent you can help your child and with which particular tasks.

During the service coordination process, you should be involved in deciding which services might be best.

Your ability to do physically stressful care tasks, such as lifting wheelchairs, may put you at risk of injury. Your physical strengths and needs must be taken into account during assessment for disability equipment such as wheelchairs, and for renovations to make your home spaces disability friendly. The assessment facilitator can only identify a need for further assessment by the appropriate health professional. They will make that referral with your consent.

Your NASC service will consider the needs of your other children

If there are other children in the family, their needs will also be taken into account in the assessment process. Encourage the children to participate in assessments and to talk about how caring and disability affect them. Needs assessment facilitators are trained to identify ways to help children providing care and support for a child with a disability.

Your child's information is confidential

The confidentiality of your child's information is protected under the Privacy Act 1993 and Health Information Privacy Code 1994. Information will be shared only with treatment providers and others providing care for your child, including, where necessary, your child's school. The information may also be used for administrative purposes such as confirming your child's eligibility for publicly funded treatment. If you are unhappy about information being disclosed to a treatment/care provider or the school, please notify your NASC service immediately. Information about your child will not be disclosed to any other individual or agency without your consent. In rare cases, such as an emergency, the law requires or authorises disclosure.

NASC services should be consistent and similar throughout New Zealand

NASC services are responsible to their funders to ensure that the supports they allocate are consistent and shared as equitably as possible so that they are similar across the country for similar needs.