The NDIS can fund supports that help people build the skills they need for everyday life. This is often called Improved Daily Living or Capacity Building Daily Activity in an NDIS plan.
This funding sits under the NDIS Capacity Building budget. Capacity Building supports are about building a person’s skills, confidence and independence over time. They are different from day to day supports that help someone with tasks right now.
Improved Daily Living funding can be used for assessment, therapy, training and practical strategies that support someone to do more of the things that matter to them.
For some people, this might mean learning new skills. For others, it might mean keeping the skills they already have, finding safer ways to do daily tasks, or getting the right advice so their support team knows how to work with them well.
Improved Daily Living funding may be used to access allied health and other professional supports, depending on their goals and what’s included in their plan.
This may include:
Used well, this funding can help a person build independence, communicate their choices, take part in everyday life, and reduce the risk of things going wrong.
For a person with complex needs, Improved Daily Living funding can be essential. It can help make sure the person has the right assessments, therapy and support strategies in place.
This may include support to communicate pain, discomfort or choices. It may include safe ways to eat and drink, move around, manage sensory needs, understand routines, or take part in relationships and community life.
It can also help the people around them understand what quality support looks like in practice. This is important because people with complex needs may rely on others to notice changes, communicate in accessible ways, and respond early when something is not right.
Reducing Improved Daily Living funding can have a serious impact, especially for someone with complex needs.
It may mean fewer therapy sessions, delayed assessments, less training for support teams, or fewer opportunities to build and maintain important skills. Over time, this can affect someone’s independence, confidence, health, safety and quality of life.
For example, without the right communication support, a person may find it harder to express what they want, what they need, or when something is wrong. Without the right therapy input, a small change in mobility, swallowing, behaviour or daily routine may become a much bigger risk.
When funding is reduced, the impact is not just a smaller budget line in a plan. It can mean a person has less access to the supports to be understood, make choices, stay safe and take part in life.
Quality support takes time, skill and the right professional input. For people with complex needs, this is not optional. It is part of making sure support is safe, respectful and centred on the person.
Improved Daily Living funding helps make this possible. It supports people to build skills, maintain abilities, reduce risks and be active in their own lives.
When this funding is cut or does not match a person’s needs, people can lose more than therapy hours. They can lose opportunities, independence, connection and choice.
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