An NDIS Planning Meeting: How to Prepare as a Family

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cuppa, and let’s take a deep breath. If you have an NDIS planning meeting coming up, it is completely normal to feel a little bit overwhelmed. There is a lot of terminology thrown around, and it can sometimes feel like you are preparing for a school exam rather than a conversation about your family’s life.

At Hold Hands Services, we are a registered core-supports provider working with families across Western Sydney. We do not manage plans or act as a support coordinator, but we see how planning conversations shape day-to-day support in people’s homes and communities.

This guide is for participants, carers, and support coordinators helping families prepare. The aim is simple: sit down at your kitchen table, organise your thoughts, and walk into your NDIS planning meeting feeling calmer and clearer.

What Usually Happens at an NDIS Planning Meeting?

An NDIS planning meeting is usually a structured conversation between the participant (often with family or a carer) and an NDIS representative — often a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or an NDIA planner. You talk about life, goals, disability-related barriers, and the supports that may help.

That is different from day-to-day chats with a support worker about times and routines. The planning meeting is about the bigger picture: what you need funded so those supports can happen.

Meetings can be face-to-face (for example around Parramatta or Penrith), by phone, or by video. Formats change over time, so check official NDIA guidance and your invitation for how yours will run.

Who Often Attends the Meeting?

You do not have to go through this alone. In fact, most people find it incredibly helpful to bring someone with them. Here is a look at who usually sits around the table:

• The Participant: The person whose plan it is. The meeting should always centre on their voice, choices, and lifestyle.
• Family Members or Carers: Parents, partners, or close relatives who help support the participant daily. They can provide vital context and advocate for the family’s overall situation.
• A Support Person: This could be a trusted friend, a professional advocate, or a support coordinator if you have one. They can take notes, help you remember what you wanted to say, and provide emotional support.
• The Planner or LAC: The representative who asks the questions and records the information to build the plan.

If you are a support coordinator referring a family in Western Sydney to us for core supports, you might be helping them prepare these notes or even attending the meeting alongside them to ensure all their professional evidence is presented clearly.

What to Gather Beforehand: Your Kitchen-Table Toolkit

The secret to a calmer NDIS planning meeting is having your paperwork and thoughts organised before the day. A simple folder or notebook is enough. Here is what we usually recommend gathering:

1. Evidence of Disability and Support Needs

This is the foundation of your meeting. The NDIA needs professional, written evidence of how the participant’s disability impacts their daily life. Gather recent reports, letters, or assessments from:

• General Practitioners (GPs)
• Occupational Therapists (OTs)
• Speech Pathologists or Physiotherapists
• Psychologists or Paediatricians

Make sure these reports focus on what the participant cannot do without support, rather than just listing their diagnoses.

2. Notes on What is Working and What is Not

Take a week or two before the meeting to write down a daily diary of your routine.

• What is working well? Perhaps having a support worker help with morning routines has made getting ready for school or work much smoother.
• What is not working? Maybe weekends are incredibly isolating, or the primary carer is feeling burnt out because there is no support on Sunday afternoons.
• If you are preparing for a plan reassessment rather than your very first plan, you might also find our NDIS plan review checklist helpful to keep things organised.

3. Current Supports and Services

Make a list of all the support currently being received, both paid (like therapists or core support workers) and unpaid (like family members, friends, or local community groups). Before you go into a new meeting, it is a good idea to spend some time understanding your NDIS plan as it currently stands, so you can clearly explain what supports are already in place and what needs to continue.

Talking About Goals in Everyday Language

One of the most important parts of the NDIS planning meeting is discussing your goals. The NDIS funds supports that directly relate to the goals written in the plan.

Sometimes, people feel pressured to write these goals in highly clinical or “NDIS-friendly” language. But the truth is, goals are much more powerful when they are written in your own everyday, kitchen-table words.

Think about what a good, ordinary life looks like for you in Western Sydney. Everyday wording usually lands better than clinical phrasing:

• Instead of “Increase community integration by 20%,” try “I want to join a weekly art group in Blacktown so I can make local friends.”
• Instead of “Improve physical stamina,” try “I want to walk along the Nepean River in Penrith with my family on weekends without getting too tired.”
• Instead of “Develop independent travel capacity,” try “I want to learn how to safely catch the bus from Parramatta to the shops.”

Local examples make it easier for a planner to see what practical core supports might help. For more structure tips, see our guide on NDIS plan goals.

A Couple of Phrases You May Hear

You will likely hear “reasonable and necessary” and “choice and control” in the meeting. In plain English, reasonable and necessary is about whether a support usually relates to disability needs, goals, and value for money — we explain that calmly in our reasonable and necessary guide. Choice and control is about deciding how plan funding is used and which providers you work with once the plan is in place — more in our choice and control guide. You do not need to memorise policy language; everyday examples from home and community life are usually what help most.

A Calm NDIS Planning Meeting Checklist

To help you stay organised on the day, here is a simple, stress-free checklist you can print out or write down in your notebook:

• Confirm the meeting details: Double-check the date, time, and whether it is face-to-face, online, or over the phone.
• Charge your phone or laptop: If the meeting is digital, make sure your device is fully charged and you have a quiet space with a stable internet connection.
• Print your documents: Have physical copies of your therapist reports, GP letters, and your daily diary ready to hand over or refer to.
• Pack a notebook and pen: You will want to write down the name of the planner, their contact details, and any notes during the conversation.
• Bring a support person: Confirm who is coming with you and make sure they know their role (e.g., “I want you to take notes while I talk,” or “Please remind me to talk about transport supports if I forget”).

Practical Questions to Ask Your Planner or LAC

Remember, the planning meeting is a two-way street. It is not just about them interviewing you—it is also your opportunity to ask questions so you know exactly what happens next. Here are a few practical questions you might want to write down in your notebook to ask during the meeting:

1. “How will my NDIS plan be managed?” (You can usually choose between Self-Managed, Plan-Managed, or NDIA-Managed. Ask them to explain the differences if you are unsure).
2. “What is the expected timeframe for my plan to be approved and finalised?”
3. “Who do I contact if I realise we forgot to mention something important today?”
4. “How do I access my plan once it is ready? Will it be mailed to me, or do I need to log into the myplace portal?”
5. “When will this plan be scheduled for a routine reassessment or review?”

After the Meeting: Putting Supports into Action

Once your plan is approved, day-to-day support is where the plan becomes real. Hold Hands Services is a registered NDIS core-supports provider helping families across Western Sydney — including Blacktown, Penrith, Parramatta, Liverpool, and Campbelltown — with practical help at home and in the community. You can also browse our NDIS services in Western Sydney and core supports overview.

Our hours are Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and Saturday to Sunday 9am–4pm. Support is planned, not an around-the-clock roster.

If you have questions about core supports, or you are a support coordinator referring a participant in Western Sydney, we would love a calm chat.

• Phone: 0423 652 846
• Email: info@holdhandservices.com.au
• ABN: 69 644 535 722
• Online: Contact Hold Hands Services

This article is general information only, not legal or NDIS advice. Always check your own plan documents and official NDIA guidance.