Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about funding, therapy, appointments or getting started? We’re here to make things clearer.
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NDIS & Funding
Everything you need to know about NDIS funding, eligibility and service costs.
What is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the Australian Government scheme that funds supports for people with permanent and significant disability. People need to apply before they turn 65. The NDIS helps eligible people build skills, take part in everyday life and work towards their goals. Children younger than 9 with developmental concerns can also get help through the NDIS early childhood approach.
What is the NDIA?
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the government agency that runs the NDIS. The NDIA decides who can access the NDIS, approves NDIS plans and manages funding. It works with local partners, such as early childhood partners and local area coordinators, who help participants and families in their community.
What is an NDIS plan?
An NDIS plan sets out a participant’s goals and the funding they have for supports. Funding is approved for supports that are reasonable and necessary, such as therapy to build skills. Plans are reviewed over time, and a plan reassessment can happen when needs or circumstances change.
Can I manage my own NDIS funding?
Yes. You can choose to self-manage your funding, use a plan manager, or have the NDIA manage it. If you’re self-managed, you pay us and claim from the NDIS. If you’re plan-managed, we invoice your plan manager. If you’re NDIA-managed, we claim directly from the NDIS. Your plan can also use a mix of these, and Reverence supports all three.
What do support coordinators do to help with an NDIS plan?
A support coordinator helps you understand your NDIS plan and connect with the right providers. They can help you find and book services, set up service agreements, solve problems and make the most of your funding. Support coordination is only available if it is funded in your NDIS plan.
What Reverence services can I access under the NDIS?
NDIS participants can use their plan for our therapy and early intervention services. These include Occupational Therapy, speech therapy, Positive Behaviour Support, Paediatric Physiotherapy, ABA and ESDM Therapy, our ECI Program, group programs and therapy assistant sessions. Therapy is usually funded through capacity building supports, and behaviour support may be funded as specialist behaviour support.
What are Reverence's NDIS costs and prices?
Our prices follow the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and you’ll know the cost before anything starts. Costs depend on the service, session length and any travel. Use our Service Cost Calculator for an estimate, and everything is set out in your service agreement.
Are you a registered NDIS provider?
Yes, Reverence Community Care is a registered NDIS provider. This means we meet the NDIS Practice Standards and are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Do you charge for travel to home, kinder or school visits?
Travel may be charged in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements. We’ll always explain any travel costs and include them in your service agreement before sessions start. The Service Cost Calculator includes travel in its estimates.
What is a service agreement?
A service agreement is a written agreement between you and Reverence that sets out what supports we’ll provide, how often, and how much they cost. It also covers cancellations and how to give feedback. We’ll go through it with you before therapy begins, so there are no surprises.
My child doesn't have an NDIS plan. Can you still help?
Yes. We can support children and families privately, without an NDIS plan. Medicare rebates may be available for some psychology assessments, depending on the assessment needed and whether the psychologist is a Medicare-approved provider. If your child is younger than 9 and you have concerns about their development, we can also explain the NDIS early childhood approach.
Does Medicare cover the cost?
Medicare rebates may be available for some psychology assessments. This depends on the assessment needed and whether the psychologist is a Medicare-approved provider. Rebates usually cover part of the fee, not all of it. For our other services, we welcome private (fee-paying) clients.
Can you help with reports for an NDIS plan reassessment?
Yes. Our therapists provide progress reports showing your child’s goals, progress and support needs, and our occupational therapists can complete Functional Capacity Assessments. Let us know your plan end date early so reports are ready in time.
thinking About Therapy
Learn about our therapy services, assessments and how we support children and families.
How do I know if my child needs therapy?
If you have a feeling something isn’t quite right, that’s reason enough to ask. You might notice your child isn’t talking as much as other children their age, finds everyday tasks like dressing or eating hard, has frequent meltdowns, or struggles to play with others. You don’t need to be sure before you call. An initial family consultation is a relaxed chat to work out whether therapy could help.
Do we need a diagnosis or a referral to start?
No, you don’t need a diagnosis or a GP referral, and families can refer themselves. Many children we support don’t have a diagnosis. Simply fill in our Referral Form yourself, or a GP, paediatrician or support coordinator can complete it for you. Nothing else is needed.
Who do you work with?
We support people of all ages, from infants and toddlers to adults and seniors, along with their families. We work with children and adults with developmental delay, autism, sensory differences, speech and language needs, emotional and behaviour needs, and social skills goals, including NDIS participants.
What services do you offer?
We offer a range of allied health and early intervention services under one roof.
• Occupational Therapy: building everyday skills like self-care, play, fine motor skills and regulation.
• Speech therapy: support for talking, understanding, social communication and feeding.
• Positive Behaviour Support: understanding behaviours of concern and building positive strategies.
• ECI Program: early childhood intervention for young children and their families.
• ABA Therapy and ESDM Therapy: structured and play-based approaches for autistic children.
• Paediatric Physiotherapy: movement, strength, balance and coordination.
• Group programs: learning and practising skills alongside other children.
• OT & Speech Assistant: extra practice of therapy goals, guided by your therapist.
• Telehealth Therapy: secure video sessions from home.
Do you offer the specific service my child needs?
Most likely, yes. Our services include Occupational Therapy, speech therapy, Positive Behaviour Support, Paediatric Physiotherapy, ABA and ESDM Therapy, our ECI Program and group programs. If you’re looking for something specific, such as feeding therapy, handwriting support or social skills groups, just ask.
If what you need falls outside our scope, we’ll let you know straight away and, where possible, refer you to a trusted provider in our network.
Can my child see more than one therapist?
Yes. Many children see more than one of our therapists, such as a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. Having your child’s therapists under one roof means they can share goals and strategies, so everyone is working in the same direction. Each therapy is set out in your service agreement and, for NDIS participants, funded from your NDIS plan.
Do you provide assessments?
Yes, our clinicians provide a range of assessments to understand your child’s strengths and needs. You’ll receive clear feedback and, where needed, a written report you can share with your child’s doctor, school or the NDIS. Assessments may include:
• Speech pathology: speech sound, language (understanding and expression), fluency (stuttering), social communication, literacy, AAC (alternative communication) and feeding and mealtime assessments.
• Occupational therapy: Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs) for the NDIS, sensory processing, fine and gross motor skills, handwriting, daily living skills, school readiness, and assistive technology and home modification assessments.
• Psychology: cognitive and learning assessments, autism assessments, ADHD assessments, adaptive behaviour assessments, and emotional and behavioural assessments.
• Positive Behaviour Support: functional behaviour assessments, which form the basis of a behaviour support plan.
• Paediatric physiotherapy: motor development, balance and coordination, and mobility and equipment assessments.
What's the difference between ABA, ESDM and Positive Behaviour Support?
They are three different approaches, and we’ll help you work out which suits your child. ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) breaks skills into small steps and teaches them with lots of practice and encouragement. ESDM (Early Start Denver Model) is a play-based early intervention for young autistic children, built into everyday play and routines. Positive Behaviour Support focuses on understanding why behaviours of concern happen and improving quality of life for the person and family.
What is the ECI Program?
Our Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Program supports young children with developmental delay or disability, and their families, as early as possible. Therapists work with you in everyday routines and play to build your child’s communication, movement, play and independence. It can work alongside the NDIS early childhood approach.
What is an OT & Speech Assistant?
An allied health assistant (AHA) helps your child practise their therapy goals between sessions, under the guidance of their therapist. Your therapist sets the goals and plan, and the assistant delivers practice sessions. This can mean more practice for your child and can make your NDIS funding go further.
Getting Started
Find out how to begin therapy with Revcare, what to expect and how to prepare for your first appointment.
How do we get started?
Getting started takes four simple steps.
1. Initial Family Consultation: we get to know your family, your concerns and your goals.
2. Tailored Therapy Planning: we create a plan that fits your child and your routines.
3. Milestone Mapping: we set clear goals so everyone can see progress.
4. Therapy in Action: sessions begin in clinic, at home or via telehealth.
Can my support coordinator, GP or paediatrician refer us?
Yes. Support coordinators, local area coordinators, early childhood partners, GPs and paediatricians can all refer using our Referral Form. Please include any recent reports and the relevant parts of the NDIS plan if you have one.
Is there a waitlist?
It depends on the service you need, and some services are available straight away. In most cases, we can book your initial consultation within the first two weeks, depending on availability and how quickly onboarding is completed. We’ll always tell you honestly how soon we can start and which locations or delivery options have the earliest availability.
What should we bring to the first appointment?
Bring anything that helps us understand your child. This includes any reports from doctors, therapists, kinder or school, the relevant pages of your NDIS plan (if you have one), a list of your main concerns and goals, and a favourite toy or snack to help your child feel comfortable.
What happens at the first session?
The first session is about getting to know your child and family. Your therapist will chat with you about your concerns, play with your child and observe their skills. For young children it looks a lot like play. You’ll leave with a clear idea of the next steps.
Your Sessions
Find answers about appointment times, clinic locations, home visits, telehealth and therapy sessions.
Where are you located, and where do sessions happen?
Wherever works best for your child. We have clinics at 238A Main St, Bacchus Marsh and 313/111 Overton Road, Williams Landing. We also offer home visits and telehealth, and our Williams Landing team can visit your child’s kinder or school.
How long are sessions, and how often?
A standard session includes 45 minutes of therapy, 5 minutes of feedback with you and 10 minutes for your clinician’s notes. How often your child attends depends on their goals, your routines and your funding. Your therapist will recommend a plan and review it with you regularly.
Do you offer appointments after school?
Yes, many of our clinicians have after-school appointments available. Let us know which days suit you, and we’ll check our clinicians’ diaries for the service you need.
Is there an extra charge for Saturday or Sunday appointments?
No. If a clinician has weekend availability, there’s no additional cost. Rates for therapy funded under capacity building supports or specialist behaviour support stay the same on Saturdays and Sundays.
Can my child have back-to-back appointments?
Yes. Many of our families have back-to-back sessions with two of our clinicians. We offer this wherever possible for any client who needs it. It can save you an extra trip and helps your child’s therapists share ideas.
Do you do home visits?
Yes, we visit homes within about 30 km of our Bacchus Marsh and Williams Landing clinics. For one-off assessments, our clinicians may travel further, depending on their availability. We also offer telehealth appointments. Travel may be charged in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, and this is explained in your service agreement.
Can a therapist observe my child at kinder, childcare or school?
Yes, our therapists can visit to observe your child in their learning environment. Observations help us see how your child plays, learns and gets along with others. An observation is charged at the same rate as a therapy session, plus travel, which you can estimate with our Service Cost Calculator. We’ll need permission from the kinder, childcare centre or school first.
Does telehealth really work for children?
Yes, for many children and families it works very well. Telehealth sessions use secure video and are often focused on coaching parents to use strategies in everyday routines, which is where progress happens. It also saves travel time. Your therapist will let you know if your child’s goals are better suited to face-to-face sessions.
Can parents and carers join sessions?
Yes, and we encourage it. You know your child best, and you’re with them every day. Being part of sessions means you can keep practising strategies at home.
Do you offer group programs?
Yes. We run group programs for a range of ages, from young children through to adults. Groups give participants a fun, supportive space to build skills like communication, play, social skills and emotional regulation alongside others. Contact us to find out which groups are running this term.
What is your cancellation policy, and are there charges?
Please let us know as early as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule, so we can offer the time to another family. For our cancellation policy, notice period and any fees, please refer to your service agreement.
Ongoing Support
Learn how we track therapy progress, welcome feedback and protect your family’s information.
How will we know therapy is working?
Through Milestone Mapping, you’ll see clear goals and regular updates on progress. Your therapist will review goals with you, celebrate wins, and adjust the plan as your child grows. You’ll also receive progress reports when needed for your NDIS plan.
How can I give feedback or make a complaint?
We welcome all feedback, positive or negative. Talk to your therapist, call 03 7037 0981 or email info@revcare.com.au. If you’re not satisfied with how we handle a complaint, you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544.
How is my family's information kept private?
Your information is kept confidential and stored securely. We only share information with your consent, or when required by law.
ASSESSMENTS
Learn about the assessments available at Revcare, what to expect during an assessment, report timelines and funding options.
What types of assessments do you offer?
We offer a wide range of assessments across our allied health team, depending on your needs and the referral question:
• Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA): functional abilities, support needs and independence
• Occupational Therapy Assessment: functional skills, daily living, sensory needs and the home or school environment
• Sensory Assessment: how a person processes and responds to sensory information
• Home Modification Assessment: accessibility, safety and recommendations for changes to the home
• Assistive Technology Assessment: equipment or technology needs, with recommendations where appropriate
• Driving Assessment: a specialist driving-related assessment through the appropriate pathway
• Speech and Language Assessment: communication, language, speech and related functional needs
• Swallowing Assessment: swallowing concerns, assessed by a qualified speech pathologist
• Psychological Assessment: psychological functioning, cognition or other concerns
• Cognitive Assessment: thinking, learning and problem-solving abilities
• Developmental Assessment: a child’s developmental skills
• Behaviour Support Assessment: behaviours, contributing factors and support needs
• Behaviour Support Plan (BSP): a plan developed by an appropriately qualified and authorised practitioner
• Physiotherapy Assessment: mobility, strength, movement, physical function and rehabilitation needs
• Standardised outcome measures: tools that measure progress in areas such as function, participation and communication
Each assessment is completed by an appropriately qualified clinician, and the tools used depend on the discipline and your needs.
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA)?
An FCA looks at how a person’s disability affects their everyday life, including their functional abilities, support needs and level of independence. It’s usually completed by an occupational therapist or another appropriately qualified clinician. The detailed report explains what support is needed and why, so it’s often used as evidence for NDIS access or a plan reassessment. Because it’s so detailed, an FCA report typically takes 15 to 20 hours to complete.
What happens during an assessment?
Assessments are relaxed, and for children they often feel a lot like play. Your clinician will talk with you about your concerns and history, observe skills, and use activities, standardised tools or questionnaires suited to the assessment. Afterwards, they’ll explain the results and recommend the next steps.
How long does an assessment take, and when will I get the report?
It depends on the type of assessment. Some take a single session, while more detailed assessments may be spread across more than one appointment. Report writing also takes time: a Functional Capacity Assessment report, for example, typically takes 15 to 20 hours to complete. All costs, including report writing, are explained in your service agreement before the assessment starts.
Are assessments covered by the NDIS or Medicare?
For NDIS participants, assessments are usually funded through capacity building supports in the NDIS plan. For private clients, Medicare rebates may be available for some psychology assessments, depending on the assessment needed and whether the psychologist is a Medicare-approved provider. Rebates usually cover part of the fee, not all of it.
Helpful Resources
Explore useful information and tools to help you make informed decisions about your care.
NDIS & Pricing
Understand NDIS funding, plan management and service pricing.
Service Cost Calculator
Get an estimated cost for therapy services, including applicable travel.
Our Services
Discover our therapy and early intervention services.
Referral Form
Take the first step towards receiving support from Revcare.