About The National Assistance Card

The National Assistance Card

The National Assistance Card includes key information about the cardholder, their brain injury related difficulties and ways they can be assisted.

The National Assistance Card can be used in any emergency or everyday situation where a cardholder needs assistance or support.

The National Assistance Card can:

• reduce the need for cardholders to continually explain the effects of their brain injury;
• give people with brain injury greater independence;
• assist people to feel more confident in everyday social situations; and
• provide peace of mind for families and carers.

Who is the Card for?

The Card will be available to all people in Australia living with brain injury.  

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the National Assistance Card will be available to all Australians living with disability and/or health conditions.

Every National Assistance Card is personalised.

The Card includes the cardholder's:

• first and last name;
• photo;
• date of birth; and
• brain injury related areas of difficulty (for example, speech, memory, fatigue, balance).

The Card also includes:

• A QR Code which links to additional written or video information;
• The name and phone number of the cardholder's nominated contact person;
• The Police Assistance Line phone number.

A QR code is a ‘Quick Response’ code that, when scanned with a mobile phone, allows the user to quickly access information online.

Cardholders have the option of adding additional information to their QR code about the impacts of the their brain injury, other disability or health condition and/or how people in the community can assist them.

The QR code information can be written or it can be via a video that a person makes of themselves, or of a nominated person talking on their behalf.

Important

• The National Assistance Card explains the impacts of a cardholder's brain injury, it does not make a cardholder exempt from the law.
• The National Assistance Card is a community service, not a legal document.

Background of the National Assistance Card

The National Assistance Card Service is owned by the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania.

The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (BIAT) has provided an acquired brain injury (ABI) Identification (ID) Card Program for Tasmanians living with brain injury for over 20 years.

The Australian Government Department of Social Services has provided funding to the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania for a Project to expand its ABI ID Card Program nationally.

The Project is the National Assistance Card Service.

The Project will:

• rebadge the Tasmanian ABI ID Card as a National Assistance Card;
• make the National Assistance Card available to all people in Australia living with brain injury;
• develop a purpose-built online system for people to apply for a National Assistance Card; and
• trial the option of including a QR code on the National Assistance Card that links to more information about the impacts of the person’s brain injury, disability or health condition, and/or how people in the community can assist them.

The Project will also work with people with brain injury, other disabilities and health conditions to develop:

• resources that help educate cardholders on how to use their National Assistance Card; and
• resources to educate the community about the National Assistance Card.

The National Assistance Card will also create greater awareness of brain injury and other disabilities and health conditions in the community.