One Plan Meeting Checklist for South Australian Parents

Walking into a One Plan meeting unprepared is like walking into a negotiation without knowing your position. The school team has attended hundreds of these. They have standard language, standard goals, and a standard amount of time allocated to your child's plan. Your job is to show up with your own agenda — specific, documented, and impossible to dismiss.

Here's what to do before, during, and after your SA One Plan meeting.

Before the Meeting

Request the meeting in writing if you haven't been invited

If the annual review is overdue or circumstances have changed, don't wait. Email the inclusion coordinator: "I am writing to request a review of [child's name]'s One Plan at your earliest convenience. I have concerns I'd like to raise regarding [briefly describe the issue] and would like to schedule a meeting within the next two weeks."

Gather your documents

Bring:

• A copy of the current (or most recent) One Plan — printed or on your phone. Schools don't always bring the document to the meeting.
• Any allied health reports received since the last review — speech pathology, OT, psychology, paediatric, or NDIS behaviour support reports
• Your own observation notes — a brief summary of how your child is functioning at home and what you're seeing in terms of school stress, sleep, anxiety, or wellbeing
• Previous meeting notes — any emails or notes from previous discussions with the school
• A list of agreed actions from the previous meeting — did the school follow through on what was promised?

Write down your goals for this meeting

What specifically do you want to achieve? Common parent goals include:

• Adding a new goal related to a recently identified need (e.g., executive function support following an ADHD diagnosis)
• Increasing SSO support hours or specifying the SSO's role more precisely
• Adding assessment accommodations (extended time, separate room)
• Adding a behaviour support plan element
• Requesting a referral to the Department's Student Support Services
• Escalating NCCD categorisation

If you walk in without a list, the school's agenda becomes your agenda.

Know your "Perspectives" contribution

The One Plan has a Perspectives screen that should capture your view of your child — their strengths, their challenges, what's important to the family, and what goals you have for them. Prepare two or three sentences for each area. If the school has pre-written this section before the meeting, check whether it reflects your actual perspective or a school-framed version of it.

Consider bringing a support person

You are entitled to bring a partner, family member, or disability advocate. If the meeting involves difficult decisions — a proposed change of placement, a discussion of exclusion, a significant reduction in support — bring someone with you. DACSSA (Disability Advocacy and Complaints Service of SA) can attend meetings as your advocate.

During the Meeting

Open by stating your agenda

Don't wait for the school to direct the conversation. At the start: "I have a few specific things I'd like to make sure we cover today — I've written them down. Can we make sure we get to all of them before we close the meeting?"

Insist on specific, measurable goals

When the school writes or proposes goals, listen for vagueness. If you hear:

• "Will improve literacy skills" — ask: "By the end of which term? By how much, measured how?"
• "Will receive SSO support" — ask: "How many hours per day? During which sessions? What specific role will the SSO play?"
• "Will be monitored" — ask: "Who monitors, how often, and what data will be collected?"

Push every goal through the SMART lens: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. If the school says "that's too detailed," point to the DSE 2005's requirement that adjustments be reviewable and that you be able to assess whether they've been implemented.

Ask about NCCD categorisation

Ask the inclusion coordinator what NCCD level your child is currently categorised at. Ask how that was determined and whether recent allied health reports have been factored in. If you believe the categorisation doesn't reflect your child's actual needs, say so — and provide the clinical evidence.

Ask about IESP funding

Ask whether the school has applied (or intends to apply) for IESP funding for higher-tier support. For students at Substantial or Extensive NCCD level, individual applications are still required. If no application has been made, ask why and when one will be submitted.

Document agreements in the Notes section

Before the meeting closes, ask that the following be recorded in the Notes / Agreed Actions screen:

• Each agreed action
• Who is responsible for it
• The timeframe for completion
• The date of the next review

If anything is said verbally but not recorded, follow up in writing by email the same day: "Thank you for today's meeting. As agreed, I understand that [summary of agreements]. Please let me know if I've missed anything or misunderstood any of the points."

Raise concerns about implementation of the current plan

If adjustments from the previous One Plan haven't been implemented, say so directly: "The current plan includes [specific adjustment], but my understanding is that this hasn't been consistently happening. Can we discuss what the barrier has been and how we document accountability for the next period?"

After the Meeting

Review the updated One Plan

Ask for a copy of the updated One Plan — either printed or as a PDF export — within one week of the meeting. Review it against the notes you took during the meeting. If anything agreed verbally doesn't appear in the document, email the inclusion coordinator immediately.

File everything

Keep a folder (physical or digital) with:

• The updated One Plan
• Your pre-meeting notes
• Any email correspondence before and after the meeting
• Any clinical reports discussed

This is your evidence base if things go wrong and you need to escalate.

Follow up on agreed actions

Set a reminder in your calendar to check on agreed actions two weeks after the meeting. If an SSO schedule change was agreed and it hasn't happened, email the inclusion coordinator to follow up. Don't assume — check.

Request a mid-year check-in

You're not limited to the annual review. Request a brief check-in meeting at the midpoint of the year to review progress on goals. Frame it as collaborative: "I'd like to touch base at the end of Term 2 to see how the goals are tracking before the formal annual review."

If you want a concise, printable version of this checklist — along with goal-writing templates and scripts for difficult meeting moments — the South Australia Disability Support Blueprint has everything in one place, designed for parents who need to act quickly.

The Quick Checklist Summary

Before:

• [ ] Request meeting in writing (if not already scheduled)
• [ ] Gather current One Plan, allied health reports, your observation notes
• [ ] Write down your specific goals for the meeting
• [ ] Prepare your Perspectives contribution
• [ ] Arrange a support person if needed

During:

• [ ] State your agenda at the start
• [ ] Challenge vague goals — ask for specific, measurable versions
• [ ] Ask about NCCD categorisation and IESP funding status
• [ ] Ask about implementation of the current plan
• [ ] Ensure Notes / Agreed Actions captures every agreement with names and deadlines

After:

• [ ] Request updated One Plan within one week
• [ ] Review document against your meeting notes
• [ ] Send a follow-up email confirming key agreements
• [ ] File all documents
• [ ] Set calendar reminders for follow-up actions
• [ ] Request a mid-year check-in

The Bottom Line

One Plan meetings feel formal and institutional, but they are negotiating sessions. The school team has finite time and resources; you are the expert on your child and the advocate for their legal entitlements. Preparation — written goals, current documentation, specific questions — shifts the power balance. The parents who get the best outcomes are the ones who arrive knowing exactly what they want to leave with.

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