Functional Capacity Assessments for Children
A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is a comprehensive assessment which is requested by NDIS planners or support coordinators to provide understanding of how your child is able to participate across their everyday life and outline the types of support they require.
Lily has extensive experience in completing Functional Capacity Assessments for children and NDIS participants, and is able to work with families and children across Oakleigh South and Melbourne’s south-east, as well as completing some aspects via telehealth. Each FCA is tailored to the child’s age, developmental stage, strengths, support needs, routines and everyday environments, and will meet the requirements for what NDIA require in a functional capacity assessment.
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment?
A Functional Capacity Assessment explores how a child manages the activities they need and want to do across home, school, kindergarten and community settings.
It considers more than a diagnosis or an isolated skill. The assessment looks at how the child’s disability or developmental needs affect their participation in everyday life, including:
What the child can do independently
What they can do with prompting, supervision or physical assistance
Which environments or strategies support their participation
Where barriers are affecting everyday activities
What formal and informal support is currently being provided
Whether current support arrangements remain suitable
Opportunities to build skills, participation and independence
Recommendations for future supports and services
The FCA refers to the overall assessment process. The FCA report is the detailed written document prepared from the information gathered.
The NDIS describes an FCA as an official assessment of a person’s ability to complete daily tasks across their everyday environments.
What areas does an FCA consider?
The NDIS considers functional capacity across six main areas. For children, these areas are interpreted in an age-appropriate way and compared with what would ordinarily be expected for the child’s developmental stage.
Communication
How the child understands information, expresses their needs, participates in conversations and communicates across different environments.
Learning
How the child takes in information, remembers instructions, learns new skills and applies those skills during everyday activities.
Mobility
How the child moves around home, school and community environments, including gross motor coordination, balance, physical access and the use of any mobility support.
Self-care
Participation in dressing, toileting, bathing, personal hygiene, eating, drinking, sleep routines and other personal-care activities.
Self-management
Age-appropriate planning, organisation, decision-making, problem-solving, emotional regulation and managing everyday routines.
Social interaction
How the child participates in play, friendships, family activities, group situations and interactions with children and adults.
An occupational therapy FCA may also consider how sensory processing, fine motor skills, executive functioning, emotional regulation, communication differences and environmental demands affect the child across these functional areas.
When might an FCA be useful?
A Functional Capacity Assessment may be helpful when:
A child’s circumstances or support needs have changed
Existing reports no longer reflect the child’s current functioning
There appears to be a mismatch between the child’s needs and their current supports
A family is preparing for an NDIS plan reassessment
Additional evidence is needed to explain the impact of the child’s disability in everyday life
The child requires support across several different areas or environments
A support coordinator or other professional needs a comprehensive overview of functional needs
The family needs clearer recommendations about future supports
Current informal support arrangements may no longer be sustainable
Not every child or NDIS participant will require a full FCA. Other reports, letters and supporting evidence may sometimes provide sufficient information.
Where a participant’s disability-related support needs have changed, the NDIS may request assessments, reports or other evidence from treating professionals as part of a plan reassessment.
Lily can review the reason for referral and help determine whether a full FCA, a progress report or another type of occupational therapy report is likely to be the most suitable option.
How is an FCA different from an NDIS progress report?
A therapy progress report generally focuses on:
The therapy that has been provided
Progress towards particular goals
Strategies that have been trialled
Ongoing therapy needs
Recommendations within that therapist’s area of involvement
A Functional Capacity Assessment is broader.
It considers the child’s overall functioning across everyday life, rather than focusing only on progress within one area of therapy. It may include information about:
Home and family routines
School or kindergarten participation
Community access
Current therapy and disability supports
Parent and carer assistance
Environmental barriers
Mainstream services
Safety and supervision
The sustainability of current support arrangements
An FCA may therefore involve more consultation, assessment and report-writing time than a standard progress report.
What does the FCA process involve?
The exact process will depend on the child and the reason for referral.
1. Initial enquiry and intake
Lily will gather information about the child, the reason for the FCA, current concerns, existing supports and any relevant NDIS deadlines.
2. Document review
Relevant documents may include:
The child’s current NDIS plan
Previous occupational therapy reports
Reports from speech pathologists, psychologists, physiotherapists or other professionals
School or kindergarten information
Medical and developmental reports
Previous assessment results
3. Parent or carer consultation
A detailed consultation helps Lily understand the child’s history, strengths, daily routines, current support needs and the assistance being provided by family members and others.
4. Assessment tools and questionnaires
Parents, carers, educators or other people may be asked to complete questionnaires.
Lily may also use standardised or structured assessment tools where they are clinically appropriate. These tools can provide additional information about the child’s functional abilities and support needs.
5. Observation of the child
Lily will usually need to observe or assess the child directly.
Depending on the referral, this may occur:
At home
At school or kindergarten
In a community setting
During a direct occupational therapy appointment
Across more than one setting
Observing the child in an everyday environment can help identify supports and barriers that may not be visible during a single appointment.
6. Liaison with other people
With appropriate consent, Lily may speak with educators, therapists, support workers, support coordinators or other professionals involved in the child’s care.
7. Analysis and report writing
Lily will review the information gathered, score any assessments, apply clinical reasoning and prepare the written FCA report.
8. Final report and discussion
The completed report is provided to the family or nominated contact. Lily can also discuss the findings, answer questions and explain the recommendations.
How long does an FCA take?
The time required depends on:
The complexity of the child’s support needs
The number of functional areas being assessed
The environments that need to be considered
The assessment tools required
The number of reports and documents to review
Whether consultation with other professionals is needed
The level of detail required in the report
As a general guide, Lily’s comprehensive FCA service may require approximately 8 to 15 hours of work in total. This can include intake, assessment, observation, consultation, document review, scoring, clinical analysis and report writing.
The final timeframe and expected cost will be discussed before the assessment proceeds. If additional work becomes necessary, Lily will discuss this with the family or nominated contact.
The number of pages in the report will depend on the child’s circumstances and the information required. The report will be as detailed as necessary without adding information purely to increase its length.
Enquire about a Functional Capacity Assessment
Lily provides paediatric Functional Capacity Assessments in Oakleigh South and across Melbourne’s south-east.
Families, carers, support coordinators and other professionals are welcome to submit an enquiry.
Please include:
The child’s age and suburb
The reason the FCA is being requested
Current NDIS funding arrangements
Relevant diagnoses or developmental information
Current services and supports
Existing reports
Any upcoming plan reassessment or submission deadline
Lily will review the information and contact you to discuss whether an FCA is appropriate, the likely assessment process, availability and expected fees.
You can also book in a free 15 minute consult to find out if an FCA is required for your child and/or if Lily is the right clinician for you to complete your FCA.