Functional Capacity Assessments in Green Valley
Mobile, evidence-based functional capacity assessments for NDIS participants across Green Valley and the surrounding suburbs of the Liverpool LGA. Our AHPRA-registered occupational therapists assess adults and children at home, and write reports the NDIS can rely on.
When does someone in Green Valley need an FCA?
A functional capacity assessment (FCA) is an occupational therapy assessment of how a person manages everyday activities, and what supports would help them be more independent. Green Valley sits inside the Liverpool LGA, minutes from our main service area, so we can usually get an assessor to you without a long wait.
- ✓ You are applying for the NDIS, or a plan review is due
- ✓ You need evidence of how a disability affects daily life at home, at school and in the community
- ✓ A support coordinator, planner, paediatrician, GP or allied health professional has asked for one
- ✓ You are seeking therapy, equipment, home modifications or support worker hours
- ✓ You are heading to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) and need evidence that stands on its own
The areas we assess, at home and at school
We assess across the areas of daily life that shape independence. For a child that means school, play and self-care as well as the home; for an adult it means the whole day, from getting up to getting out.
Self-care and hygiene
Washing, dressing, teeth, toileting and hair, and how much of it an adult is still doing for the person.
Movement and transfers
Moving around the home, stairs, getting in and out of the car, and safety when nobody is watching closely.
Home and daily tasks
Meals, tidying, laundry and shopping, and which of these could be learned with the right teaching.
School, transport and activities
Getting to school, therapy and activities, coping in busy places, and joining in with other people.
Attention and planning
Attention, memory, sequencing a task, and shifting from one activity to the next.
Talking, listening and safety
Making yourself understood, following instructions, and awareness of danger at home and on the road.
How we build the picture across more than one visit
A single appointment shows one hour of a person’s life. We build the picture from several angles so the report reflects the ordinary week, not the best hour of it.
Your goals come first
For a child we ask the parents and, where we can, the child. A goal like a calmer morning is far more useful to assess against than a general request for more support.
At home, where life happens
We assess in the house, across the routines that are actually difficult: getting dressed, eating a meal, settling at night. A clinic room tells you how someone copes in a clinic room.
Beyond the front door
Where it is relevant we look at getting to school, coping in a shopping centre and managing around other children, because a difficulty that only shows up outside the home is still a difficulty.
Family, carers and school
With your consent we speak with the people who see the person in different settings. For a child that often includes the classroom teacher or learning support officer, whose account can differ usefully from what happens at home.
Reading the existing evidence
We go through the paediatrician or specialist reports, discharge summaries and previous allied health assessments, so we are adding to the record rather than repeating it.
Age-appropriate standardised tools
For children that usually means the Vineland-3, the ABAS-3 or the Pedi-CAT, which compare against age-based norms. For adults, the WHODAS 2.0, the COPM or the Lawton IADL Scale. The tool is chosen to fit the person.
Everything in a single report
The observations, the accounts from home and school and the standardised scores are written up together, so the pattern is visible instead of scattered across three documents.
Read our full assessment methodology, including the evidence standard every recommendation is written to.
Why Green Valley families choose us
Green Valley sits inside the Liverpool LGA, minutes from our main service area. Here is what that means in practice.
More than a single snapshot
We gather evidence from the home, from the people around the person and from the existing reports, and we say plainly where those sources line up and where they do not.
Local to Green Valley
Green Valley, Hinchinbrook, Busby, Heckenberg, Sadleir, Ashcroft, Cartwright, Miller and Bonnyrigg are all in our core service area, so travel is short and appointments are easier to schedule.
NDIS-ready reporting
Written against the reasonable and necessary criteria, in language a parent can read, usually within 2 to 3 weeks depending on complexity.
Families and multi-generational homes
Many households here share care between several people. We assess the real arrangement rather than assuming a single carer, and we record where family support is already carrying the load.
Children and adults
Our AHPRA-registered occupational therapists work across the lifespan, with age-appropriate tools rather than a one-size assessment.
We work with your team
With your consent we coordinate with your support coordinator, GP, paediatrician and school, so everyone is working from the same picture.
What the report covers
For children, the report also covers how the child manages at school and in play, and what changes at home would make the biggest difference.
Background and history
A clear picture of the situation, the history and what the family is managing day to day.
Tool scores in context
Results from the standardised tools used, with age-based comparison where the assessment is for a child.
Ratings by functional area
A rating for each area assessed, so a reader can see at a glance where the difficulty is concentrated.
Risks and barriers
The barriers and risks, including the ones being absorbed by family members without anyone counting them.
Recommended supports
Therapy, equipment, home modifications or support hours, each tied to the specific difficulty it addresses.
Aligned to NDIS criteria
Findings set against the reasonable and necessary criteria, ready for a planner to work from.
How the report is used in an NDIS plan
Whether the assessment is for a child starting school supports or an adult heading into a plan review, this is where a well-evidenced FCA earns its place.
- ✓ Access requests: shows how the disability affects everyday functioning, with examples rather than labels
- ✓ Plan reviews: justifies the supports being asked for, and shows what has changed since the last plan
- ✓ External review (ART): puts independent, tested evidence in front of the Administrative Review Tribunal
- ✓ The right mix of supports: shows where therapy, equipment and support hours each belong
- ✓ Early support for children: sets out what a child can do now, so progress can be measured against something real
What a functional capacity assessment looks like for a child
Assessing a child is not a shorter version of assessing an adult. Here is what changes.
We assess children where they are most themselves, which is at home and, with your consent, at school. A child in an unfamiliar clinic room will often perform either much better or much worse than they do in ordinary life, and a plan built on that hour will not fit the other hundred and sixty-seven.
The comparison point is different too. For an adult we usually describe function against what they could do before, or against what the task requires. For a child, the question is how they compare with other children of the same age, which is why we use tools such as the Vineland-3, the ABAS-3 and the Pedi-CAT rather than relying on description alone.
We also record what the family is doing to hold things together. In many households here, a parent or an older sibling has quietly reorganised their day around a child’s routine. That effort is real support, and if it is not written down, a plan can be built on the assumption that it will simply continue for free.
What an assessment looks like in practice
A worked example, from the first phone call to the finished report.
A paediatric assessment for a child with autism, Green Valley
This is a worked example, written to show how we would approach an assessment of this kind. It does not describe a real person or a real assessment. Funding outcomes depend on individual circumstances and are decided by the funder.
The situation
Consider a family in Green Valley asking for a functional capacity assessment for their nine-year-old, who has autism and significant attention difficulties. The plan review is due, and the previous plan was built largely on a paediatrician’s letter. The parents want evidence that reflects how mornings, mealtimes and school drop-off actually go.
What we would do
We would start with the parents’ goals, commonly a calmer morning routine and safe independence in the local area. We would assess at home across two visits, watching how the child manages dressing, teeth brushing and a meal, and where sensory sensitivity and difficulty shifting between tasks turn a five-minute job into forty minutes. We would pay particular attention to what the parents are doing to hold the routine together, because that unpaid work is often invisible in a plan.
With the family’s consent we would speak with the classroom teacher and the learning support officer about how the same difficulties show up at school, and we would review the paediatrician’s report and any previous speech pathology assessment. We would use the Vineland-3 and the Pedi-CAT so the findings sit against age-based norms rather than impressions, which matters when the question is whether a nine-year-old’s difficulties are outside the usual range.
What the report would set out
A typical morning described minute by minute, the standardised scores set alongside it, and each recommendation linked to the specific difficulty it addresses. Because the evidence comes from home, school and validated tools, a planner can see the pattern rather than take one adult’s word for it.
What it costs, and how it is funded
A functional capacity assessment in Green Valley is charged by the hour, at the NDIS occupational therapy price of $193.99 per hour in 2026-27, based on the time the assessment and report take. See how OT is priced for a full breakdown.
| Funding type | What it means |
|---|---|
| NDIS – plan-managed | Your plan manager pays our invoices from your plan. The most common option. |
| NDIS – self-managed | You manage and pay invoices directly from your plan funding. |
| Home Care Package (Levels 1–4) | Occupational therapy for older adults, funded through your package provider. |
| CHSP | Entry-level aged care support, subject to eligibility. |
| Medicare | Up to five allied health sessions a year with a GP care plan (a gap may apply). |
| Private | Pay directly, no referral required. |
For NDIS participants, an FCA is generally funded from the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living budget, depending on your plan. Funding is not guaranteed, so check with your support coordinator or planner.
Functional capacity assessments across Green Valley and South West Sydney
We are a mobile service and come to you throughout Green Valley (2168) and the surrounding suburbs, including Hinchinbrook, Busby, Heckenberg, Sadleir, Ashcroft, Cartwright, Miller, Bonnyrigg, Hoxton Park and Prestons.
Functional capacity assessments in Green Valley: your questions
Do you offer NDIS occupational therapy in Green Valley?
Can you complete a functional capacity assessment for a child?
Do you come to me in Green Valley?
Which suburbs around Green Valley do you cover?
How many visits will it take, and when do we get the report?
Will you speak to my child’s school?
Can the assessment be paid for from an NDIS plan?
Do I need a referral?
Request a functional capacity assessment in Green Valley
Send a referral or an enquiry below, or call 1300 316 664. Parents can contact us directly, without a referral.
A local team that comes to your door
Talk to our mobile OT team about an assessment for yourself or your child in Green Valley. No obligation.
Make a referral or call 1300 316 664