For Support Coordinators, OTs, schools and transition services
Young adult independence support, in one niche
- Who we support
- Young adults roughly 18-25 in Western & South-Western Sydney, self-managed or plan-managed.
- The problem we work on
- Adult-life goals exist; consistent real-world capability does not yet. Practice is the missing part.
- How we differ
- Targets written as observable capabilities, graded assistance, and progress described in plan-review terms.
- How to refer
- A short form: your details, participant first name, age band, suburb, funding type and broad goals.
Participant fit
Who is appropriate to refer
Good fit indicators
- Aged approximately 18-25, transitioning into adult life
- Capacity-building or core supports directed at daily living, community participation, education or employment
- Goals that can be expressed as observable everyday capabilities
- Benefits from 1:1 practice in real settings rather than group programs
- Currently requires prompting, modelling, guidance or graded assistance for some tasks
- Able to engage in repeated practice over time
- Self-managed or plan-managed
Who may not be a fit
- Primary need is therapeutic, clinical or specialist behaviour support
- Requires supported independent living or 24-hour support - we are not registered for this
- Requires high-intensity daily personal care or clinical care tasks
- Support needs exceed what our workers can safely and competently deliver
- The young adult does not want this type of support at this time
- NDIA-managed plans, which we cannot currently invoice
We will tell you when a referral is outside our capability rather than accepting it and managing the risk later.
Mechanism
The STEP Method, in operational terms
Snapshot
A structured starting point: participant priorities, current capability, existing supports, communication preferences, opportunities for greater participation.
Target
One capability, one setting, written so change is observable, with the current expected level of assistance stated.
Experience
Repeated practice in the real environment, with assistance graded across demonstrate / guide / prompt / standby / self-directed.
Progress
Reviewed against the target: initiation, participation, assistance required, confidence, consistency, problem-solving, help-seeking, generalisation.
The Snapshot is a service planning step. It is not a Functional Capacity Assessment, a clinical assessment or a diagnostic instrument, and it should not be relied on as one.
Scope
What Waymaker practises with participants
- Daily routines and organisation
- Getting ready for a commitment
- Public transport and route practice
- Responding when a plan changes
- Shopping and comparing options
- Money handling and everyday decisions
- Meal planning and preparation
- Appointments and self-organisation
- Communication in their preferred mode
- Self-advocacy and asking for help
- Community participation by choice
- Work and study routines
Communication with you
Set up at the outset with the participant's agreement: what is shared, how often and with whom. Where consented, you can receive practical progress information suitable for a plan review — assistance required, initiation, consistency, problem-solving and help-seeking, in plain language.
What we do not provide
No therapy, clinical services or specialist behaviour support. No SIL or 24-hour support. No clinical or functional capacity assessments. Where those are needed, they remain with the appropriate practitioners and we work alongside them.
Process
The referral process
1. Referral
You submit the short form. Minimal information: enough for contact and preliminary fit.
2. Fit review
We assess against the criteria above, including whether the support sits within our workers’ capability.
3. Independence Call
A conversation with the participant and, where they want it, family - goals, context, preferences.
4. Outcome
Either a Snapshot and worker matching, or a clear explanation of why we are not the right fit.
We deliberately do not publish a turnaround-time promise we have not confirmed operationally. Ask on the call and you will get a specific answer for that referral.
Practicalities
Funding types and service areas
Funding
- Self-managed — supported
- Plan-managed — supported
- NDIA-managed — not currently able to invoice
Waymaker Pathways is not a registered NDIS provider and works with self-managed and plan-managed participants. Whether a support can be funded depends on the participant’s own plan and circumstances.
Service areas
- Western SydneyBlacktown, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Penrith, Seven Hills, St Marys
- South-Western SydneyFairfield, Liverpool, Cabramatta, Smithfield, Bankstown, Campbelltown
Travel outside these areas is considered case by case — ask before assuming.
Refer, or check fit first
Both are useful. We would rather answer a fit question than receive a referral that was never going to work.
Parent or family member
Six areas, about four minutes, a capability profile and up to three suggested priorities.
Take the Independence ScorecardSupport Coordinator or professional
Minimal referral details up front. We review fit and come back to you either way.
Refer a young adultReady to talk it through
A short Independence Call about goals, fit and how practice would actually work.
Discuss your goals