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Needs assessment


Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for educational use only. Please consult your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

What is a needs assessment?

If your child has a long-term disability, a needs assessment is the first step towards getting the support or services your child and family requires. A needs assessment is a process of determining your child’s strengths, needs and goals and identifying the services required to support your child to be as independent as possible.
 

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Who carries out needs assessments?

Assessments are carried out by NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination) Services. These are organisations contracted by the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards, on behalf of the New Zealand Government, to assess the needs of, and co-ordinate support for, people with disabilities.
 
For information about how to contact a NASC service, see Where to go for more information below. Look under NASC (Needs Assessment Co-ordination Service) Services.
 

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Who is able to get a needs assessment?

NASC services work to specific guidelines about who is eligible to use their services. For example, if your child’s disability is the result of an accident, you will need to deal directly with ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) rather than NASC services.
 
You can discuss whether your child is eligible for a needs assessment with your local NASC service, your health professional or social worker.
 
See the Frequently Asked Questions about Needs Assessment Services Co-ordination at the Ministry of Health's website, including:

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How do you arrange a needs assessment?

Your doctor or other health professional, disability support group or community organisation, can refer your child to a NASC service. You can also contact a NASC service directly, without a referral from your doctor. You may be asked to provide supporting documentation from a medical practitioner/specialist.
 

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What happens when you request a needs assessment?

Once you’ve requested a needs assessment, a needs assessment facilitator will make an appointment to come and see you. The facilitator’s role is to listen to you, help identify whether your child and family are receiving enough support, where more support is needed and priorities for receiving further help.
 
You and your facilitator should be partners in the assessment process. You are the expert on your child’s needs. Your knowledge and experience of your child and their disability, and your cultural and personal beliefs, should be respected in this process.
 
You should be asked where and when you would like the needs assessment to take place. In most cases, the assessment will be done in your home, unless you prefer another location. An appointment should be made for a time that suits you and your child.
 
You should be asked about who you would like to attend the assessment. You may take a support person such as an advocate, family member/whanau/aiga and/or a friend(s).
 

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What happens once the assessment is complete?

All the information from your child’s assessment will be put together in an assessment report. You will receive a copy. Following the assessment, your needs assessment facilitator will pass on all relevant information to a service co-ordinator. Your particular NASC (depending on the area you live in) may have one person undertaking both the needs assessment and service co-ordination tasks. They will tell you how it works. The service co-ordinator’s role is to assist you to co-ordinate your own resources if you wish, tell you what other support might be available and what Government funded support your family can be considered for. He or she will help you to access and co-ordinate these services.
 

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What if you disagree with the assessment?

You may have the assessment reviewed if you feel it did not accurately identify your child’s needs. Your NASC service will have a process for managing requests for reviews of its decisions. You can request a review if you are not satisfied with the outcome of any part of the NASC process.
 
If you are unhappy with your NASC service, you can make a complaint. Ask your NASC service about its complaints process and advice on how to make a complaint.
 
You may withdraw from the assessment process at any time but this may affect your eligibility for disability services.
 

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What should you expect from your NASC service?

  • NASC services are expected to work with you in a timely fashion. There should be clear communication about this
  • the needs assessment process and the report belong to you and your child. The parent and / or 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
  • the needs assessment and service co-ordinator roles are separate and they are both important. If you do not feel comfortable with the NASC service professionals who assess and co-ordinate services for your family, don’t be afraid to say this and to ask for someone else
  • you may 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 co-ordinator who is Maori, and for you to be able to communicate in Te Reo Maori
  • 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
  • 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 are able to help your child and with which particular tasks
  • during the service co-ordination process, you can 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
  • 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
  • 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 are responsible to their funders to ensure that the supports they allocate are consistent and are shared as equitably as possible so that they are similar across the country for similar needs

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Where to go for more information

Carers New Zealand
A national charitable trust which provides information, advocacy and support to family, whanau and aiga caregivers.
PO Box 133
Mangonui, Far North 0442
New Zealand
Phone: 64 9 406 0412
Email: info@carers.net.nz
 
Disability Funding Info website
Provides information about Ministry of Health funding for people with disability related needs. Includes information on specialised equipment and housing modifications including eligibility, how to apply, what is funded and how the funding process works. The Disability Funding Information website is maintained by Enable New Zealand. Call Enable free on 0800 171 981.
Website: http://www.disabilityfunding.co.nz/
 
Enable New Zealand
A multi service organisation assisting disabled people and their families. Call free on 0800 171 981.
 
NASC fact sheet (Ministry of Health, NZ)Ministry of Health (New Zealand)
The Ministry's website provides access to:
You can also:
  • call Disability Support Services at the Ministry of Health on 0800 DSD MOH (0800 373 664)
 
NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination) Services
Your health care professional should be able to provide you with the contact details of a NASC service appropriate for your child. You can also:
  • check a listing of NASC services at the Ministry of Health website
  • contact a disability information service which will also be able to help you find your local NASC. The New Zealand Federation of Disability Information Centres (NZFDIC) has several member organisations throughout New Zealand. You can contact them free on 0800 NZFDIC (0800 693 342) or check their website
  • check the NZ NASCA website for contact details of a NASC service in your region or to request information. NZ NASCA (Needs Assessment Service Co-ordination Association) is the national association for NASC managers and other senior NASC team members within the disability and health sectors
New Zealand Federation of Disability Information Centres
There is an Information Pack available from the New Zealand Federation of Disability Information Centres (NZFDIC). Call free on 0800 NZFDIC (0800 693 342) or visit their website to find out how you can get your copy. The Information Pack contains  a flowchart diagram available showing you the pathway to get Ministry of Health funded disability support services and how to apply through NASC.
 
NZORD (New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders)
The NZORD website is a useful source of information and contacts and has information on health care and support which discusses some of the resources available in the health and disability sector in New Zealand.
Website: http://www.nzord.org.nz/
 
Parent to Parent
Through a network of regional groups and trained volunteer support parents, Parent to Parent provides information and emotional support to families who have a child with a disability, special need or health impairment.
Website: http://www.parent2parent.org.nz/
 
Support groups
See support groups A-Z on this website and look under disabilities.
 
Weka
Weka is New Zealand's disability information web site, for disabled people, their families, whanau and caregivers, health professionals and disability information providers.
 

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Acknowledgements

Carers NZ logoThis fact sheet has been produced by the Paediatric Society of New Zealand in collaboration with Carers New Zealand.
 
 
 
It has been developed with the assistance of the Disability Services Directorate of the Ministry of Health and NASCA (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination Association).
 
Thanks to Maureen Anderson and Robyn O’Neill for permission to reproduce some of the content from their booklet “Waikato specialist services for special kids: A directory for carers of children with special needs”. Hamilton Printing Works 2005.
 

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Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 30/07/2010

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2010


The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz 		Starship Foundation
http://www.starship.org.nz