Information for Service Providers

The National Assistance Card is a personalised card to assist people with disability and health conditions in the community.  

The Card can be used in everyday or emergency situations where a cardholder needs assistance or support.  

The National Assistance Card can:

• help cardholders communicate their unique areas of difficulty and the assistance they may need
• give cardholders greater independence
• assist cardholders to feel more confident in everyday social situations
• provide peace of mind for families and carers
• enhance community understanding of disability and health conditions
• support positive community interaction with cardholders.

Disability

The National Assistance Card is available to all people in Australia living with brain injury.

In Tasmania the Card is being trialled with the autistic community.

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the National Assistance Card will be available to all people in Australia with disability and health conditions.

Please note: As part of your application, you must provide a supporting document from a medical or allied health professional that verifies any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.

Age

There are no age restrictions for applying for the National Assistance Card.

The Card is available to children and adults.

You can read more about who is eligible to apply for a Card here.

If you have already started an application but not submitted it yet, please log in to your application to complete it.

How to log in to your application

• Visit the application portal here
• Click ‘Start’
• Click ‘Existing’
• Enter your details (make sure you enter the same information you used to start your application)
• First Name
• Surname
• Phone number (no spaces)
• Email address
• Tick ‘I am not a robot’
• Click ‘Next’
• Complete the verification code screen
• A 6 digit code will be sent to your email or phone (you can choose which)
• Enter the code and click verify

This opens your application.

Please complete and submit your application.

If you cannot log in to your application, please contact us.

If you have submitted your application, your application is under review and you cannot log back in.

Please contact us if you would like to make any changes to your submitted application or have any questions.

The National Assistance Card includes a cardholder's:

• first and last name
• photo
• date of birth
• nominated contact person's name and phone number
  (A cardholder can choose if this person is contacted).

Also printed on the Card:

• up to five areas of difficulty chosen by the cardholder
  (for example: communication, fatigue, memory, processing information)
• a QR code providing access to additional information (written or personalised video) that the cardholder has chosen to include
• the Police Assistance Line phone number.

To ensure the success of the National Assistance Card as a community service it is important the cardholder’s disability and/or health condition has been professionally verified.

As part of the application, you must provide a supporting document to verify any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.  

The documents must be from a medical or allied health professional and need to include your name and disability or health condition diagnosis. The documents do not need to go into detail.

We accept letters, reports, and certificates from the following professionals:

• General practitioner (GP)
• Medical specialist (for example, neurologist)
• Clinical neuropsychologist or psychologist
• Allied health practitioner (for example a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist).

A scan or photo of the document can be uploaded directly to the application, or you can email or post the document to the National Assistance Card Service.

Please know that:

• Your personal data is protected by the National Assistance Card Service in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Your supporting document is only accessed by the National Assistance Card team to assess your application eligibility.

Police have many different roles in our community including:

• Preventing anti-social behaviour;
• Dealing with community safety concerns;
• Attending accidents;
• Investigating crime;
• Dealing with drug and alcohol affected people; and
• Attending critical incidents and emergencies.

They also undertake many other tasks such as:

• Building positive relationships with community groups and members;
• Visiting schools and interacting with students;
• Attending community events; and 
• Talking to and assisting vulnerable members of the community.

The National Assistance Card Service is working with Police in all States and Territories to ensure they are aware of, and informed about, the National Assistance Card. 

We are trialling a data sharing agreement with Tasmania Police where National Assistance Card cardholders will have a flag added to a personal identity record in their State or Territory Police database.

In Tasmania, this means that, should Police be contacted for any reason regarding a cardholder, they will be able to access cardholder information prior to attending the call-out.  Because Police will know in advance how a cardholder’s disability or health condition impacts them, what supports they may require, and who their nominated contact person is (should this be required), they will be able to provide an informed and considered response. 

We hope to put similar data sharing agreements in place with police in other states and territories soon.

Please Note:

• The only information provided to Police will be your: name, date of birth, address, areas of difficulty, QR code additional information and your contact person’s name and phone number.
• Your supporting documentation will not be provided to Police.‍
• ‍Police in each State and Territory will sign an agreement with the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (owners of the National Assistance Card Service) that they will only use National Assistance Card information provided to them if it is reasonably necessary for their work.
• Police will only use information provided to them if it is reasonably necessary for their work.
• If you decide you no longer want your National Assistance Card, your information on the Police information system will be deactivated and will not be able to be viewed by police (note: deactivated NOT deleted).

You can also show Police and/or other emergency services (ambulance, fire) your Card should you need assistance.

• Read the Card.
• Ask the cardholder how you can assist them.
• Use clear, concise language
  (not loud and slow).
• Be friendly and respectful.
• Scan the QR code, if requested or required, to find out more information.
• Call the cardholder’s nominated contact person, if requested or required.
• Assist the cardholder to access emergency support if requested or required, for example: ambulance or police.

Your understanding and assistance is appreciated.

You can download the National Community Assistance Guide here and the Tasmanian Community Assistance Guide here.

You can return the Card to:‍

National Assistance Card Service
PO Box 4580
Bathurst Street Post Office
Hobart TAS 7000

Or contact us here for more information.

Brain injury is defined as any damage or injury to the brain, occurring after birth, resulting in ongoing impairments. (The definition also includes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder which is brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth).

Common causes of brain injury include motor vehicle crashes, assaults, sporting accidents, stroke, lack of oxygen to the brain, brain tumours and degenerative neurological conditions.

The ongoing impairments a person may have could be physical, cognitive, emotional and/or behavioural.

Many of the effects of brain injury are not visible; this doesn’t make the impacts any less real.

Every brain injury is different.

• Autism is a neurological and development condition that occurs when the brain develops differently.
• Autism affects the way people sense, communicate, behave and interact with the world.
• While there are some common autistic traits, people experience autism in different ways.
• All, some, or none of a person's autistic traits may be obvious to others or only noticeable in difficult settings.

If you have a question about the National Assistance Card – please fill in our Contact Form; a member of the National Assistance Card Team will respond to your question.

You can complete the Contact Form here.