Do you know about the Key Worker Role?

A keyworker is a primary point of contact for the child and family to refer to. They explore the needs of the child and the family and look to develop, and coordinate, the most appropriate supports that are individually suited to your child’s and your family’s needs.

They are utilised within the Early Childhood Early Intervention framework.

They are usually a qualified early childhood professional who is trained to take on a broader, more integrated support role and are utilised within the Early Childhood Early Intervention framework.

They work as part of a transdisciplinary team, building a strong, trust-based relationship with you and your family. They draw on the expertise of others and ensure that communication is clear between all professionals working with the child.

What are the benefits of the keyworker model?

  • Reduced confusion for families—one consistent person instead of many.

  • Family-centred, holistic and efficient support.

  • Better integration of strategies across environments and domains.

  • Improved child outcomes through consistency and everyday learning opportunities.

What roles and responsibilities does/can a keyworker take on?

The beauty if this model is that you can tailor the keyworker role to best suit your need. Below are some of the types of supports that you may like to use a keyworker for.

Relationship Building

  • Acts as the family’s main support person.

  • Builds a trusting, consistent relationship with the family.

  • Provides emotional support and guidance.

Delivering Support Across Domains

  • Delivers direct intervention and coaching across developmental areas (not limited to their own discipline).

  • Uses a transdisciplinary approach—drawing on knowledge and strategies from across the team.

Goal Setting

  • Works collaboratively with the family to identify goals that are meaningful to them.

  • Helps prioritise areas of need using family routines and the child's natural environments.

Capacity Building Supports

  • Focuses on empowering the family and other caregivers.

  • Supports families to use strategies in daily routines and community settings.

Service Coordination

  • Coordinates access to relevant supports (e.g., therapists, early childhood educators).

  • Brings in other specialists as needed (e.g., speech therapist for communication goals).

Advocacy and Transition to School

  • Assists families to navigate the NDIS and mainstream services.

  • Helps with transitions to preschool, school, or other services

How Do I Access a Keyworker?

NDIS Clients

NDIS Plan or Self Managed

If your child has an NDIS plan in the Early Childhood Early Intervention space (0-9years) you can make a request, through your Northcott plan manager, to have the key worker role added to your child’s NDIS plan.

Funding for keyworker services may come from NDIS plans, often under “capacity building supports”.

Agency Managed

Key workers are often found as a part of the early childhood partner teams when you access your NDIS funds through the ‘agency managed’ option.

Private Paying Clients

Your child may not currently have NDIS. You can employ a keyworker to support you to navigate the process of applying NDIS.

Life is busy and the logistics of organising appointments, assessments, finding quality therapists, implementing therapy strategies in the home and communicating all this to everyone involved can be exhausting! A keyworker takes on this burden, so you are communicating and coordinating with just one person.

Let’s Work Together

Interested in connecting so that we can work together to get the most out of your child’s supports?

I have supported numerous families to apply for, access and get the most out of their NDIS plans, and I would love to help you too!

Click the link below to get in touch via our connect page.