NASCA provides leadership, assistance and peer support to NASC agencies throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The National Assessment Services Co-ordination Association (NASCA) is the national association for Needs Assessment Services Co-ordination (NASC) agency managers and other senior NASC team members within the disability and health sectors.

We are a not for profit incorporated society whose purpose is to further the interests of needs assessment and service coordination in the disability, personal health, mental health and other sectors in New Zealand.

Our mission statement is “to provide national strategic leadership, promoting growth and service excellence”

What is a NASC?

NASC services are contracted by the Ministry of Health or District Health Boards to serve:

• people with disabilities,
• people with mental health issues,
• older people needing age-related support.

NASCs may specialise in only one of these areas, so each part of New Zealand may have several NASC services. There are 15 younger peoples NASCs and 21 older peoples NASCs based throughout New Zealand. NASCs are generally required to do three things:

1. Facilitate needs assessment
2. Service planning and co-ordination
3. Resource allocation within a defined budget.

Help from a NASC

A NASC is obliged to establish if each person meets criteria to be eligible – they will talk to you about this. They will work with you and your family/whanau to find out your abilities, resources, goals and needs, and then help you to identify which of these needs are the most important. The NASC will then work with you to plan what supports or services are available to help meet your goals and needs. This includes ‘natural supports' (family, whanau, aiga, community services, etc).

The NASC then identifies with you:

• which services or supports you are eligible for,
• which of the supports and services are funded.

The NASC then facilitates the commencement of these services and supports. If funded services are needed these services are delivered by contracted providers. These services could include help in the home (such as housework), help with personal cares (such as showering), respite care, support for independent living, and many others. The NASC service will keep in touch yearly, or you can contact them at any stage if your needs change.

See the map to find your local NASC service

Membership

NASCA welcomes new members.

Each NASC 'contract' held by an organisation enables one Principal membership of NASCA. This enables attendance and voting rights at quarterly meetings, the potential to be on the NASCA Executive and the opportunity to represent the NASCA viewpoint on committees, advisory groups and projects. Any na/sc organisation may have any number of Associate memberships which enables attendance at the quarterly meetings and to receive any relevant information throughout the year. Membership fees are set annually.

See our membership page for more information