Our staff are very experienced, all coordination staff have more than 3 years’ experience and many have more than 10 years’ experience working in Disability and Child and Family Services. We match direct support staff to your needs. We choose staff for their skills and experience, but also for their positive values and attitudes. But in the end it is your choice, we will work to find the support staff that you want.

Extended Families is very family focus and see that supporting parents and carers is the best way to support the child or young person with a disability and the whole family.  We facilitate carer specific groups, link people to resources and work to ensure carer needs are met, alongside the direct support of the person with a disability.

Most of the services we provide now rely on NDIS funding however if you live in the Southern Region, you may be eligible to receive HACC funded services including the Volunteer Match program, peer groups and social events.

With the flexibility of NDIS, Extended Families has developed a range of new individual and group programs focused on community participation and support, skill development and peer friendship support. We also provide Support Coordination to help you manage, implement and make the most of your NDIS Plan as well as Plan Management.

We also apply for other funding grants and run a range of youth peer support and carer respite services.

Talk to us and let us know what you want and we will do everything we can to make it a reality. Our strength is in our responsiveness and creativity.

Through support coordination you will have a decided coordinator who will guide you through the process of what is needed and formalise a support plan.

They will help identifying and setting goals and attend the plan review meeting in which funds are allocated through NDIS. Your support coordinator will also help with engaging different supports within the community, government and other support services all of which are aimed at achieving the goals set out in the plan and building capacity in the individuals and connecting you to providers that are best suited.

Goals are things you want to achieve with support from the NDIS and other supports and services. Your goals might include becoming more independent, getting or keeping a job, learning new skills, enrolling in education, becoming more active in your community, or improving your relationships and making friends. You should try to make your goals as specific as possible. At Extended Families we will work with you to help ensure that the NDIS funding will assist in meeting these goals and provide guidance and support through the process.

Service Coordination is identified as a separate category of support outside of other services that can be funded in a plan. If you require support coordination it will be allocated in your plan and the funding available for this will only be available for support coordination.

You can register by completing an online registration form, or email intake@extendedfamilies.org.au or phone 9355 8848 and speak to our intake worker.

For people who do not yet have an NDIS plan, there is no cost to register to receive services from Extended Families, although specific programs may have activity costs associated with them. Funding is currently provided through block grants from DHHS. For people who have a NDIS plan all services (apart from our Family Fun Days) will need to be funded from your NDIS plan.

If there are specific activity costs associated with a program, you can pay online or over the phone by credit card, or by direct bank transfer. For services as part of NDIS or ISP, we will enter into a service agreement and submit invoiced to appropriate holder of the funds.

Extended Families is committed to providing a safe and quality service to every person who accesses supports through us. We do this by having clear policies and procedures in place that describe what we do and how we do it, and by regularly reviewing our service and making changes when we learn that something is not working or could be improved.   

One of those processes is our feedback and complaints process, which encourages all service users to come to us if they would like to acknowledge things we are doing well, or to let us know about things we are not doing well. 

There are a few ways you can provide feedback or make a complaint: 

• Phoning or emailing Extended Families Quality Manager on 0438 752 126, or email
• Phoning or emailing Extended Families CEO on 0425 706 170 or email 
• Completing this form

Foundations of the feedback and complaints process at Extended Families: 

• All feedback will be well received and acknowledged 
• Positive feedback will be shared with staff and programs to celebrate any good work or success  
• We are committed to the prompt and fair investigation and resolution of all complaints or grievances  
• We will respond to your complaint within 48 hours  
• Complaints will be treated seriously and in a confidential and sensitive manner and will not impact on your service provision  
• You can make a complaint without fear of reprisal  
• Complaints will be used to inform supervision and improve Extended Families processes to provide a better service for all 

If you would like assistance to complete this form, or if you require an interpreter or advocate to support you throughout this process, please contact Extended Families Quality Manager (details above).

Should you feel that the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction or at any stage of the complaints process you can make an external complaint to:  

The NDIS Commission (For NDIS Participants) 
If the Participant / Participant’s representative is not satisfied or does not want to talk to this person, the Participant / Participant’s representative can contact the NDIS Commission by:  

• Phoning: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.  
• National Relay Service and ask for 1800 035 544.  
• Completing a complaint contact form.  

The Disability Services Commissioner (For state-funded service users) 

• Online form
• Phone: 1800 677 342 

A full copy of the Complaints Policy and process is available on request.

The NDIS plan is based on goals.  Our programs help people achieve goals for increased social and community participation, social skill development, developing recreational interests, developing friendships and more. You will have funding available to help you reach your goals and can purchase existing and new supports from Extended Families.  Talk to us further to help you specifically ensure your needs are met.

If you have a volunteer match (or want to have one), make sure it is included in your plan.

The NDIS may not understand this particular service. We can provide you with further information to help that process.

No, programs and services are available to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria and for whom to service is targeted.  As an Incorporated Association, membership refers to membership of the association, which is open to anyone who supports the purposes of the Association and pays an annual membership fee.

Whilst our volunteer Match program was traditionally for children and young people up to 17 years, if you have an NDIS plan or individual support package we are now able to cater for young people with a disability up to 30 years of age.

Families have the right to leave our programs at any time should circumstances, goals or needs change.   We endeavour to work with each family and volunteer (if relevant) to ensure the farewells are done in a planned way and all parties can be prepared for the change. 

Families are welcome to re-join our service/programs at any time and we are always here to assist if your needs and goals.

We support families across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria,  Australia. 

People living with a disability and those who love and care for them, are some of the most isolated in our community.  Extended Families Australia exists to challenge that - We believe that having joy in your life and being a part of your community is for everyone.

Donations from individuals are directed to child and family recreational activities, volunteer recruitment and training, and to overcome barriers for peoples meaningful participation in the community. Funds are directed to these areas where they are not covered by the current government funding or the NDIS and we are reliant on external funding and donations.

This ensures that all children and young people with a disability have access to opportunities to develop skills, gain new interests, develop new friends and feel a part of the community and that more people can enjoy the special relationship with a volunteer.

Yes you can choose for your financial support to be directed to a specific event, activity or program.  From time to time we seek funds to enable specific projects, you can choose to contribute to these via Become a Sponsor..

Membership is another simple way of showing support and being involved. If you are an individual who would like to be involved, membership is $15 per annum. As a member you will be eligible to vote in the Extended Families Association and you will receive regular updates on the organisation via our quarterly newsletter and annual report and be invited to occasional member events.  

While there are no vacancies currently on the COM we would love to hear from you.  Please let us know how you would like to be involved. 

We are currently seeking corporate partners and event sponsors who can assist us to continue our work and develop new responses to identified need. Please contact us and let us know in what capacity you would like to provide support – eg program sponsor, corporate partner, collaboration to expand our fundraising or programs.

We would love to hear from you and discuss how we can build your profile in the community as a company that is committed to creating an inclusive Victoria. 

To be eligible for NDIS the person with the disability needs to meet the following requirements:

• have a permanent and significant disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities

• be aged less than 65 when they first access the scheme

• be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen who holds a Protected Special Category Visa

Being a Melbourne metro wide service, Extended Families now has valuable experience supporting people in the North East Melbourne area (NEMA), the first Melbourne area where NDIS rolled out. We have an experienced team of Support Coordinators and are sharing our experience and learning to help people make the most of your NDIS Plan and the opportunity it presents. 

We can also provide one on one support to help explore and prepare NDIS goals, support needs and gather evidence. Further information about this is available at the group sessions or contact us if you have an urgent need for support.

Extended Families supports children, young people and families to promote wellbeing, facilitate community connection and social inclusion and help people reach their goals. Our vision of a community where children and young people with a disability experience full community inclusion and participation and their families are strong, resilient and connected in their community is consistent with the direction of the NDIS.

As NDIS is introduced we will transition our services to the NDIS, with small modifications as needed.  We expect our current and new programs will be able to be accessed through individualised NDIS funding. Some programs may fit better with non individualised NDIS support through 'Information, Linkages and Capacity Building' (ILC) and we will continue to explore how we can access this to ensure continued service access.

Extended Families anticipates that some families may not be eligible for NDIS individualised packages and will work hard to ensure continued service though advocacy for continued government funding, exploring NDIS support through ILC.

Yes to continue the Volunteer match, it will need to be purchased as part of your NDIS plan.  The current Government funding we have for the service is not expected to continue once NDIS is in place.  Your NDIS plan will outline participant goals, your volunteer match service is one way to help participants achieve their goals.  The volunteer match program helps achieve goals of social and community participation.  

The relevant NDIS support item is Life transition planning including mentoring, peer support and individual skill development (09_006_0106_6_3) or it can also be managed under Core Supports - Assistance to access community, social and rec activities - individual if needed.

Please talk to your Extended Families Coordinator to obtain our detailed information sheet about the Volunteer Match Service under NDIS and to confirm the number of hours of volunteer coordination you will need.

Make an access request directly to the NDIS via ndis.gov.au or email nationalaccesssteam@ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110

Make an access request directly to the NDIS via ndis.gov.au or email nationalaccesssteam@ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110

As part of preparations for the implementation of the NDIS throughout the North East Melbourne Area from 1 July 2016, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is making contact via phone calls with prospective participants who are either currently on the Disability Support Register or in an existing DHHS programme such as Shared Supported Accommodation.

The contact from the NDIA is to ascertain a participant’s eligibility for the NDIS and seek their consent to enter the NDIS. The NDIA are also gathering some key information such as the person’s home address and their CRN number from Centrelink. At no stage however will be the NDIA be seeking people’s bank account details. Following this initial contact, the NDIA will be in touch again to start the development of the participant’s first plan to enter the NDIS. 

We support children and young adults with a disability and their families from Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. 

We have experienced staff in with the following qualifications:

• Disability Support Workers
• Welfare Workers
• Social Workers
• Community Development Workers
• Special Education Teachers

Our staff generally have more than 3 years’ experience and many have more than 10 years’ experience working in Disability and Child and Family Services. 

Quality at Extended Families involves providing person centered, accessible and safe services for children and young people with a disability and their families. We do this through continuously improving our services and through:

•  careful and thorough staff and volunteer selection
• well-developed policies, practices and systems
• being open and transparent and valuing feedback
• being compliant with the standards that govern us 

Extended Families is compliant with the Human Services Standards, the National Disability Standards and the Common Community Care Standards as well as meeting in principle the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement. Our external quality and standards audits are conducted by HDAA.

We are a child safe organisation, accredited by the Department of Health & Human Services Victoria. We a registered Disability Service as legislated under the Disability Act 2006 and a registered NDIS service provider. NDIS provider registration number 57244261

During the initial intake and assessment, we collect information from you to enable us to offer the right programs/services that address your needs.  The information we ask for includes your contact details and information about your child or young person, as well as your needs.

We are committed to confidentiality and take care to protect any information about your family.  At times we forward non-identifying data to the Department of Health and Human Services.  Personal information collected is not shared with any person or service without your consent unless we are legally required to provide information or we believe there is a threat to someone’s safety or welfare.

You have the right to request access to your information and ask for it to be corrected if necessary. For more information on our privacy policy please ask your Coordinator for a copy or view or download a copy.

An overarching principle of the Disability Act 2006 is that people with a disability have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Victorian’s.  Extended Families policies and practices reflect the rights of people with a disability.