Community reintegration · Sydney North Shore

Community reintegration on the North Shore.

Steps back into study, work and ordinary life after time in hospital, in crisis, or out of circulation, at a pace that works, with someone who does not rush it.

Call 0421 959 006 Request a call back

Answered Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm.

Sydney Harbour seen from Bradleys Head in Mosman, with a yacht under sail and the Harbour Bridge and Opera House on the far shore

Free, no obligation

Tell us what you need and we’ll ring you back.

Or call 0421 959 006 now. Referring someone? Use the full referral form.

  • Registered NDIS provider
  • Local to the North Shore
  • Meet your worker first
  • Help before you have a plan

Community reintegration

Going back is harder than people expect

Coming out of a long hospital stay, a mental health crisis or a stretch of isolation, the hard part is rarely the big goal. It is the first bus, the first appointment made without help, the first week where the routine holds. We work on those, in that order.

Call 0421 959 006

Two men who use wheelchairs working behind the counter of a café

What’s included

  • Rebuilding a daily routine that survives a bad week
  • Travel training, the bus, the train, the trip to Chatswood or the city
  • Getting back to study or work, including talking to the school, TAFE or employer
  • Re-establishing social contact at a pace you set
  • Working alongside your clinicians, not around them
  • Practical skills, budgeting, cooking, appointments, paperwork

How it works

Getting started

01

Start from where you actually are

Not where a plan says you should be. An honest baseline makes everything after it work.

02

Pick one thing

A single, specific, achievable first step. Momentum matters more than ambition here.

03

Build the routine

Repetition with support, until it holds on its own.

04

Step the support back

The goal is needing us less. We will say so when we think you are ready.

Our patch

We know these streets, because we work on them

Between the hospital precinct, the station and the bush tracks at Lane Cove, the North Shore isn’t one place. Support that works in Crows Nest doesn’t automatically work in Wahroonga.

Families under the Moreton Bay fig on the lawn at Balmoral Beach, Mosman, looking across the harbour to Middle Head

Balmoral Beach, Mosman

The flat concrete promenade along the Esplanade at Balmoral on a clear winter morning

The Esplanade, Balmoral

The picnic shelters at Bobbin Head with Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park bushland rising behind them

Bobbin Head, Ku-ring-gai Chase

The view north from West Head lookout over Pittwater and Barrenjoey headland

West Head lookout

Photographs: Balmoral Beach by Jeremy (CC BY 2.0) · The Esplanade by Junekingsyd · Bobbin Head by Schomynv · West Head by Travelstine · hero, Bradleys Head, by Mina20h, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.

Meet & greet

Meet your support worker before you decide

Nobody should have to pick a provider off a website. Come and meet the person who’d be turning up. Have a coffee. Ask the awkward questions. If it isn’t a fit we’ll find someone else, and it costs you nothing either way.

A support worker and a young man in a wheelchair talking on a park bench

Who this is for

Ring us if any of these sound like you

  • You are coming out of a long hospital admission
  • You have been out of study or work and want a way back
  • Isolation has become the default and you want to change it
  • You have Capacity Building funding for daily living or social participation

Who you’ll be dealing with

Small team. Same faces.

You won’t get a different worker every fortnight, and you won’t be handed to whoever is free. The person you meet is the person who turns up.

[Name]

Director

One line, in their words — why they started this.

[Name]

Support coordinator

One line — what they help people sort out.

[Name]

Support worker

One line — the part of the job they actually like.

[Name]

NDIS Navigator

One line — what they wish more people knew about the NDIS.

Where we work

Areas we serve

Our office is at 11/82–86 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065. We work across these local government areas. Pick yours to see the suburbs. Can’t find it? Ring us anyway and we’ll tell you straight away whether we cover you.

  • North Sydney
  • Crows Nest
  • St Leonards
  • Cammeray
  • Neutral Bay
  • Cremorne
  • Kirribilli
  • Milsons Point
  • McMahons Point
  • Waverton
  • Wollstonecraft
  • Lavender Bay

Call 0421 959 006 Don’t see your suburb? Ring us, we most likely still cover it.

Common questions

Reintegration

How is this different from community access?

Community access is about getting out and enjoying it. Reintegration is goal-directed , there is something specific you are working back towards, and the support is designed to reduce over time.

Do you work with my psychologist or treating team?

Yes, with your consent. Working against a clinical plan helps nobody, and most of the progress here comes from everyone pulling the same direction.

What if I have a setback?

You will, and that is planned for. Setbacks are part of this work, not evidence it is failing. We adjust the pace rather than the destination.

Which funding pays for it?

Usually Capacity Building, Increased Social and Community Participation, or Improved Daily Living. Read us your plan and we will tell you what you have.

Is this the same as a psychosocial recovery coach?

It overlaps heavily. If your plan funds Capacity Building, Support Coordination (Recovery Coach), that is the line item this work is usually delivered under. If you have been told to look for a “recovery coach”, you are in the right place.

Do I need a diagnosis?

You need an NDIS plan with the relevant funding in it. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis in hand or explain your history before anyone will talk to you.

Can I have this and a support coordinator?

Generally the NDIA funds one or the other, because a recovery coach does the coordination as part of the role. If you are unsure which you have, read us the plan.

What happens if I go into hospital or into crisis?

We stay engaged rather than closing the file. That means liaising with your treating team, being part of discharge planning, and picking things back up at the right pace when you are ready. We are not a crisis service, in an emergency call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

How soon can we start, and is there a waitlist?

Ring and we will tell you the real position that week rather than putting you on a list. If we cannot start soon enough to be useful, we will say so and name someone who can.

Do you take self-managed and plan-managed participants?

Yes. Self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA-managed. If you’re not sure which you are, tell us and we can work it out from your plan.

How soon can support start?

It depends on the support and the hours you need. Call and we’ll give you a straight answer on availability rather than putting you on a list.

Can I meet the support worker before we start?

Yes, and we’d encourage it. Meet whoever would be supporting you before anything is signed. If the fit isn’t right, we find someone else.

What if I’m not on the NDIS yet?

That’s exactly what our NDIS Navigators do. Eligibility, evidence, the Access Request, all before you have any funding.

Are you a registered NDIS provider?

Yes, Thrive Ability Services is a registered NDIS provider.

I’m a support coordinator. How do I refer someone?

Use the referral form or call 0421 959 006. We’ll come back to you on capacity and likely start dates.

Also on the North Shore

Our other services

Support coordination Support at home Community access Respite Everything we do

Talk to someone on the North Shore

One call, no obligation, no sales pitch. If we’re not the right people for you, we’ll say so, and tell you who might be.

Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm · 11/82–86 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065

Call 0421 959 006 Request a call back
Get directions