A host is the organisation that helps you to manage your Individualised Funding on an ongoing basis. They are the go between for you and the government who provide the funding.
Your IF Host does a number of things to support you including:
- helping you understand IF
- helping you learn how to organise, set up and manage your supports
- administering payments for the support services
- helping you manage your responsibilities – this includes reporting back to them on the support hours you have used, so that they can be paid for
- advising you if something that you want to purchase meets the Purchasing Guidance.
Your IF Host must also check that the service is working well and report back to Disability Support Services about it.
Depending on your level of confidence to manage your IF, you may also want your IF Host to be responsible for recruiting, training and paying your support workers and possibly managing the legal aspects of your service. Some IF Hosts will be able to do this for an extra fee they set and you pay.
IF is all about flexibility and support that works for you so when you talk to your Host organisation, make sure you talk to them about how they can support you. You are under no obligation to use them for all their services.
Choosing a Host
There are a variety of hosts that you can use. Each person has different requirements and priorities, and hosts have a variety of services and charges. It is a good idea to research the hosts before choosing. To find a host that works for you – use this handy guide from Flying Kites.
Remember, you can change IF hosts at any point by contacting your NASC and asking them to reassign your IF to a new host.