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A Needs Assessment is a thorough examination of the person, their abilities and their need for support to live as near to normal a life in the community.

The Needs Assessment will look at all aspects of a person’s life -

• their physical needs.
• their health and medical needs.
• their spiritual and emotional support. needs.
• their cultural needs.
• their behavioural support needs.
• their need for education.
• their need for meaningful work.
• their recreation and leisure needs.
• their transport issues.
• their accommodation needs.
• their support networks (including family contacts).

Why would you want one for your child?

In order to obtain special benefits to cater for your child’s disability you must prove your child’s need. A Needs Assessment is the only proof acceptable to the Health Funding Authority which supplies the money for these benefits.

If your child or adult family member needs help with personal care, household assistance, respite care or special equipment then you will need to go through a Needs Assessment to show the level of need and therefore the level of funding required.

Who does a Needs Assessment?

The Government has contracts with many private businesses across New Zealand to carry out Needs Assessments. If you want to know which group has the contract in your area either contact your local Hospital Health Service or e-mail Rescare at: rescarenz@paradise.net.nz and we will give you the information from the list we currently hold.

How do the Needs Assessors get the information?

Each Needs Assesor must complete an assessment form which all Needs Assessors must work to. This means that there is more likely to be a consistent assessment for every disabled person and anomolies of some people being funded while others missed out will be reduced.

There are two types of needs assessment - inital and comprehensive. An initial assessment is completed with input from client, client's family or support people and the assessor. A comprehensive assessment involves the assessor asking for reports from the specialists or professionals involved with the person with the disability.

The Assessor will ask for reports from each of the groups or people who currently have contact with your disabled child or family member. They will ask each person to gauge what the person is capable of and what they need in order to reach their optimum development or happiness.

Can I be involved in my child’s Needs Assessment?

Most definitely. Parents of even adult children should be included in a Needs Assessment because they hold significant knowledge about their child’s preferences, their indications of happiness and discomfort, and what they can or cannot tolerate. Siblings can also be included if the disabled person chooses or they play a significant role in the person’s life.

Welfare Guardians should be automatically included in the discussions about the person’s welfare. Welfare Guardianship bestows legal rights to ensure that you are included in any decision-making about the life od ADULT with an intellectual disability. If you want to know more about this legal responsibility go to Welfare Guardianship.

How will I know what other people say about my child?

You should be given a copy of the DRAFT Needs Assessment to read before signing it. This will have a copy of the reports from other people or groups who work with your child. If you disagree with anything in the report you can ask either that it be changed or you can write your objection to what has been said and insist that it be appended to the final Needs Assessment report.

Why is it important to have it so accurate?

If a child/adult requires residential care (and they have an intellectual disability) a Support Needs Checklist (SNC) score will be allocated to the person. The SNC score places them on a disability ‘scale’ from A to C. The score dictates the amount of funding that can be used to purchase the services they need.

For instance - a person with severe challenging behaviour may end up with the same C score as a medically-fragile person with a high level of need because both require either a number of staff to care for them each day or well-trained staff who cost more to hire.

Is this the same as the Individual Education Programme Assessment?

No. The assessments you were involved in when your child attended school were to find out what was needed in the school to make sure your child could be educated to reach their best potential. They dictated what level of funding the Education system would provide.

A Needs Assessment aims to assist those with disabilities to live a quality, independent lifestyle outside of school. The professional facilitator will assess the person's needs, and find and co-ordinate all the services that may be required to meet those needs. It most useful if one is done prior to leaving school so there can be a seamless introduction to work or adult daycare, and behaviour training and support can be continued.

How long with it take?

There is often a delay between the time you apply for a Needs Assessment and the time when it can be done, so look ahead and start the process a few months before a major change in your child’s life.

The actual process of the assessment can vary depending on how much material has to be collected and whether you or others feel the report fairly reflects your child’s needs. You can ask that your child be examined by another health professional, or you can request that a proper diagnosis be done on your child if you feel significant factors have been overlooked.

Here are some addresses you might need to contact in order to get expert advice about your child’s needs.

What will happen after a Needs Assessment?

The report will be registered with the relevant Government department depending on the benefit your child qualifies for. A Service Coordinator will be appointed and appropriate ways of meeting your child’s needs will be identified by the Coordinator.

What does a Service Coordinator do?

Your Service Coordinator is responsible for making sure your child receives the best possible services to meet their identified needs.

That could include -

• finding respite care (time spent away from home with another carer).
• finding household assistance (cleaning or caring for your child in your home).
• finding appropriate day care or supported work options.
• supporting you if you have a complaint about a service.
• helping you change services to a more appropriate one.

The Service Coordinator will probably work with you to make sure the services identified WILL meet the needs of your child or adult family member. Your child is part of a whole family and so services must support the dynamics of the family and not add further burdens to it.

Your Service Coordinator will know a great deal about the possible services available in the community and how to access them. They may recommend a service that doesn’t have a vacancy, but you could use another service while you wait for a vacancy to come up. Your Service Coordinator can help you negotiate the best options for your child.

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