THE CHALLENGE
For most young people, school provides routine, social connection, structure, and support, often all in one place. When that ends, there’s a real and well-documented gap. Suddenly families are expected to piece it all together from scratch.
For young people with complex disabilities, that transition can happen very quickly and feel very abrupt. Many families describe the same thing: weeks after graduation, their young person is home, isolated, and the skills they spent years building are starting to slip.
It’s a system gap and it’s exactly what Get Ready Together was built to address.
Australians live with disability. For many families, the post-school transition is the hardest phase of the journey.
THE GRT INITIATIVE
Get Ready Together (GRT) is a community-based program run by Together Now WA. It runs twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the White Lion Youth Centre in Ballajura. Participants spend the day in structured activities, learning real-life skills alongside their support workers, in a safe and familiar environment.
There are no mandatory employment targets, no academic pressure, and no fixed exit timelines. Employment isn’t the default goal, though for participants who want to work toward it, GRT can support that too. Participation is flexible. Progress is individual.
Tuesdays & Thursdays
8:30 am to 2:00 pm. Twice weekly, consistent routine that provides predictable structure for participants.
White Lion Youth Centre, Ballajura
Community-based, accessible, and youth-appropriate. Designed to feel inclusive rather than clinical or institutional.
Free to attend
No cost to families or participants for session fees, materials, or ASDAN programme certification. Everything is included.
Recognised on WA Statement of Student Achievement
ASDAN accredited and SCSA recognised. Learning completed through GRT can be formally recorded on a young person's official WA document.
HOW GRT WORKS
GRT doesn't replace your existing supports. It works alongside them. If your young person already has a support worker they're comfortable with, they're welcome to bring that person. If you don't have one yet, that's not a barrier. TNWA has a dedicated team of support workers specifically selected for GRT.
Sessions follow a consistent rhythm: arrivals, activities, meals, community participation. But there's no rigid schedule that can't flex. If your young person needs a slower start, a different activity, or a partial day, that's fine. The program is designed to meet people where they're at.
There are no mandatory progression milestones and no requirement to move toward employment. Participants can attend once a week or twice a week. They can step back during difficult periods and return without losing their place. This is a long-term support, not a short-term program.
The program itself is free.
No session fees, no membership costs, no charge for materials. Ingredients, craft supplies, learning booklets, and ASDAN certificates are all included. The only cost associated with GRT is the support worker, and that cost exists regardless of where your young person spends their day.
Your support worker funding doesn't change.
A support worker is something your young person needs whether they're at GRT, at home, or in the community. That funding comes from their NDIS plan and doesn't increase because they're attending GRT. If you use a TNWA support worker, charges are set at standard NDIS price limits. Nothing above that.
This is how the program stays free.
TNWA is a registered charity. When families use a TNWA support worker, any revenue beyond what covers the support worker cost is reinvested directly into running GRT: the facilitation, the programs, the venue, and the materials. The program doesn't need to charge families because it's funded through the work it's already doing.
RECOGNISED LEARNING
Many families come to GRT with the same worry: is this just social, or does it actually mean something? It means something. GRT runs on a formal partnership with ASDAN, an internationally recognised education and accreditation body used in schools, post-school programs, and community learning environments across the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
ASDAN was designed specifically for young people who don’t thrive in traditional academic settings. Learning happens through doing, not sitting exams. Skills are evidenced through activities, photographs, and practical demonstration. The kind of proof that reflects how people actually learn and grow.
In Western Australia, ASDAN is recognised by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA). That means achievements completed through GRT can be recorded on a young person’s official Statement of Student Achievement, the same document used across WA schools. The program is also endorsed by the WA Department of Education.
Within GRT, each participant works through activities tailored to their strengths, interests, and NDIS goals. Every participant starts with a module called Starting Out, focused on recognising what they’re already good at and identifying what they want to build from there. The programme has 80+ modules in total, including a dedicated sensory suite for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Achievements are recorded in a portfolio that belongs to them, not tied to any program or provider.
Evidence doesn’t mean written exams or formal tests. It can be a short video of a participant completing a task, an annotated photo, a witness statement from their support worker, a logbook entry, or a certificate. The format is chosen to match how the young person communicates and demonstrates what they know.
ASDAN MODULE OVERVIEW
GRT doesn’t run a single fixed curriculum. Programs are matched to the individual, based on their learning stage, support needs, and personal goals. Here’s what’s currently on offer.
Towards Independence
Independent living skills for everyday life, from preparing meals safely to managing daily routines. Activities selected from ASDAN's 80+ module library and tailored to each participant's goals.
Transition Challenge: Sensory
For participants with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Structured around sensory and physical engagement.
Transition Challenge: Intro & Progression
For participants with moderate to severe learning difficulties, focusing on independence and personal development.
WorkRight
For participants who have work readiness as a personal goal. Never a default. Always led by what's right for the individual.
New Horizons
Personal and social foundations, chosen based on where a young person is in their learning journey, not their age.
WHO GRT IS FOR
GRT is designed for young people aged 15 and above who have complex or profound disabilities and are transitioning from formal education into adult life. This includes young people with intellectual disability, autism, multiple disabilities, or complex support needs, where GRT is assessed as a safe and appropriate fit.
It’s not about what diagnosis they have. It’s about whether GRT is the right environment for them. If you’re not sure, just call us. We’d rather have the conversation than have someone assume they’re not eligible.
Starting before the formal exit can actually help with continuity, particularly for young people who find abrupt changes difficult. If you’re in Years 9 to 12 and starting to think about what comes next, it’s worth getting in touch now rather than waiting.
For many participants, the focus is entirely on daily living, independence, and community connection. For those who do have work readiness as a personal goal, GRT can support that too, at their own pace.
A TYPICAL SESSION
The program runs twice a week at the White Lion Youth Centre in Ballajura, a community-based youth space run by Kids First Australia, designed to feel inclusive and age-appropriate rather than clinical or institutional. Sessions are structured like a working day: arrivals, group activities, skill-building tasks, meals, and community participation. The routine is consistent, which matters a lot for young people who thrive on predictability.
Activities are drawn from the ASDAN framework and adapted to the individual. Some participants might focus on cooking and daily living skills. Others might work on communication, budgeting, or exploring community spaces, including visiting the local library, Swan Active Ballajura, nearby shops, or practising public transport. Every session combines structured learning with real-world practice. All materials are provided, including ingredients for cooking activities, craft supplies, learning booklets, and ASDAN certificates.
At 2:00 pm, participants can choose to stay on and join the Youth Centre’s afternoon drop-in activities hosted by Kids First Australia. These involve a broader group of young people from the community, not just GRT participants, and offer a lower-key, inclusive environment to socialise and connect. Attendance is entirely optional, and support workers remain on hand.
Tuesday & Thursday
FOR REFERRERS
If you’re looking for a stable, long-term option to refer young people into after school, something structured, free to access, and reliably engaging, GRT was built for exactly that gap. It’s not a temporary program. It’s designed as a long-term participation environment, which is the kind of consistent option that’s hard to find.
Referrals can come from families, schools, support coordinators, allied health professionals, or other providers. They can also be self-referred.
Download the Referrer Handbook here or call us directly on (08) 6556 8870. We’re happy to talk it through before any formal referral.
GRT is free to attend and supports capacity building, social participation, and daily living goals, aligning directly with common NDIS plan objectives. It also creates a practical opportunity to consolidate services: therapists can deliver supports on-site during GRT sessions, and because the travel component is shared across the group rather than billed individually, this can meaningfully reduce costs for participants. Learning completed through GRT also reinforces capacity building goals outside of session days, during existing support time.
GRT is designed to complement transition planning for students who are not on ATAR or standard VET pathways. It’s endorsed by the WA Department of Education and outcomes are recorded through SCSA, the same framework schools use. Early referrals are encouraged: families and young people benefit most when GRT is introduced before school exit, not after. A conversation now means continuity later, rather than a gap.
Whether you’re a parent, a support coordinator, or a school, we’re happy to talk before anything formal happens. No forms, no commitment. Just a conversation about whether GRT might be the right fit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes. All participants attend with a support worker, but not having one yet isn’t a barrier. TNWA has a dedicated team of support workers specifically selected for GRT and if you’re already working with someone your young person is comfortable with, they’re welcome to attend with that person instead.
Attendance is flexible and guided by your young person’s energy, health, and family circumstances. There’s no rigid requirement to attend every session. That said, GRT does ask for a commitment to set days and start and finish times, and late cancellations may incur a charge to cover support costs. Every situation is looked at individually, so if something comes up, just let our team know.
It’s never the default, and there’s no pressure toward it. For many participants, GRT is entirely focused on daily living, independence, and community participation. That’s exactly where it should be. For participants who do have work readiness as a personal goal, GRT can include programs that build toward that at their own pace. It’s always guided by what’s right for the individual.
GRT supports young people with intellectual disability, autism, multiple disabilities, and complex support needs, where the program is assessed as appropriate and safe. Eligibility is based on individual need, not diagnosis alone.
Start by getting in touch, by phone, email, or kick start the process by filling out an online referral form. We’ll have a conversation to understand your young person’s needs and walk you through the intake process from there.
ASDAN is an internationally recognised education and accreditation body designed for learners who don’t thrive in traditional academic settings. Learning happens through real-life activities, not exams. In WA, ASDAN is recognised by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), which means achievements through GRT can be recorded on a young person’s official Statement of Student Achievement. The program is also endorsed by the WA Department of Education.
Nothing. All materials are provided, including ingredients for cooking activities, craft supplies, learning booklets, and ASDAN certificates. These are all covered as part of the program.
Yes. Starting before formal school exit can actually support continuity, particularly for young people who find abrupt changes difficult. If you’re approaching the end of school and want to plan ahead, it’s worth getting in touch now. Special circumstances may also be considered for young people slightly outside the standard age range.
Yes. Therapies such as occupational therapy, speech pathology, psychology, and behaviour support can be delivered on-site within GRT sessions. Because the travel component is shared across the group rather than charged individually, this can also reduce costs. Support coordinators should ensure on-site therapy is aligned with the young person’s NDIS plan and approved for this setting.
