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Get Ready Together

After high school ends, what comes next?

Get Ready Together is a free daytime program for young people with profound and complex disabilities, designed to keep them engaged, learning, and supported through the transition into adult life.

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Free to attend Based in Ballajura ASDAN Certified WA Dept of Education endorsed ACNC Registered Charity
The Get Ready Together (GRT) logo, with a teal arc above the wordmark "Get Ready Together" and three stylised human figure shapes in purple, teal, and coral.

THE CHALLENGE

If you've been worrying about what happens after Year 12, you're not alone.

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.

1 in 5

Australians live with disability. For many families, the post-school transition is the hardest phase of the journey.

THE GRT INITIATIVE

The structure they had at school and the freedom to grow beyond it.

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.

When

Tuesdays & Thursdays

8:30 am to 2:00 pm. Twice weekly, consistent routine that provides predictable structure for participants.

Where

White Lion Youth Centre, Ballajura

Community-based, accessible, and youth-appropriate. Designed to feel inclusive rather than clinical or institutional.

Cost

Free to Attend

No cost to families or participants for session fees, materials, or ASDAN programme certification. Everything is included.

Accreditation

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.

RECOGNISED LEARNING

Participation is nationally recognised.

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.

The ASDAN logo, featuring a multi-coloured spherical swirl of overlapping rounded segments in purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, and blue, alongside the ASDAN wordmark in dark grey.

HOW GRT WORKS

Here's what participation looks like:

Your young person attends with a support worker.

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.

The day is structured, but flexible.

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's no fixed timeline or endpoint.

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.

Here's how it stays free:

Session cost

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.

NDIS funding

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.

How it stays free

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.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS WORK ON

The current modules on offer at GRT.

GRT doesn’t follow a fixed curriculum. Instead, modules are matched to each learner based on their stage, support needs, and personal goals. GRT delivers modules from the Towards Independence course, which is designed for students in Years 10–12 and adults aged 18+ with complex needs. Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when we add additional modules to GRT.

Starting Out

Starting Out is the first module every learner completes. It's a person-centred starting point that builds independent living, personal, and work-related skills for learners with special educational needs.

  • Personal Profiling
  • Skill Assessment
  • Goal Setting
  • Personal Profiling. Learners and tutors work together to map likes, dislikes, communication methods, and support networks.
  • Skill Assessment. Sets a baseline across communication, numeracy, independent living, and work-related skills.
  • Goal Setting. Tutors and learners use the Module Plan to set small, specific goals for the road ahead.

Creativity

  • Person-Centred Learning
  • Skill Development
  • Person-Centred Learning. The program is shaped around each learner's abilities and interests, so they can engage with the arts in a way that feels meaningful.
  • Skill Development. While exploring visual arts, performance, or crafting, learners also build core life skills like communication, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Developing Numeracy Skills: Sensory

This module focuses on practical, hands-on numeracy — not abstract concepts. Topics usually include:

  • Money Management
  • Measurement
  • Time
  • Shape & Space
  • Handling Data
  • Money Management. Recognising coins, budgeting, and making everyday purchases.
  • Measurement. Reading scales, weighing ingredients, and checking temperatures.
  • Time. Reading the clock, using calendars, and following daily routines.
  • Shape & Space. Spotting shapes and patterns, sorting, and understanding where things sit in space.
  • Handling Data. Counting objects, reading simple charts, and recording basic scores.

Engaging With The World Around Me: Objects

  • Core Objectives
  • Person-Centred Approach
  • Core Objectives. Learners explore the textures, shapes, and uses of everyday items, building familiarity and confidence in their surroundings.
  • Person-Centred Approach. Welcomes learners who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — such as signing, pictures, or digital devices — to express their choices and feelings.

Looking Smart: Sensory

  • Sensory Exploration
  • Personal Presentation
  • Sensory Exploration. Learners experience, identify, and show preferences for different fabrics, colours, textures, and grooming products.
  • Personal Presentation. Helps learners notice and understand their appearance, hair, clothes, nails, using sensory input and visual aids like mirrors or photos.

Meal Preparation & Cooking: Sensory

  • Sensory Engagement
  • Levels of Support
  • Sensory Engagement. Learners take part in cooking and meal prep through taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight.
  • Levels of Support. Tailored support levels (such as Sensory Experience) mean learners can be involved even when they can't physically carry out the cooking tasks.

EVIDENCE & ASSESSMENT

How learning gets recorded.

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. Not the other way around. Modules can be completed using different levels of support so that everyone can pass. 

ASDAN Support Levels

  • No Help

    The learner completes the activity independently.

  • Spoken / Signed Help

    The learner requires verbal or sign language prompts to complete tasks.

  • Gestural Help

    The learner is assisted through gestures, pointing, or hand signals.

  • Physical Help

    The learner requires physical guidance, such as hand-over-hand, to complete the activity.

  • Sensory Experience

    The learner is exposed to the activity through sight, sound, smell, or touch.

  • Experience Recorded

    The learner is present for the activity but cannot actively participate, yet their experience is documented.

WHO GRT IS FOR

Is GRT the right fit?

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.

GRT is suitable for young people who:
Are aged 15+ and in or approaching the transition from high school, or who have recently exited school
Have complex support needs and attend with a support worker (TNWA can provide one if needed)
Are working on daily living, community participation, or personal development goals, with or without employment on the horizon

Young people can join GRT while still at school.

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.

Employment isn't the default goal at GRT, and there's no pressure toward it.

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.

Tinned tomatoes, baking mixes, and labelled tubs. The starting point for most cooking sessions.
Quiet desks, computers, and a calm space for the kind of work that needs focus.
A proper coffee machine and a mural on the wall. The kind of setup that turns a skill into a CV line.
A pool table, big windows, and four flags on the glass. The kind of room a young person might want to be in.

A TYPICAL SESSION

What a day looks like at GRT.

Tuesday and Thursday | 8:30am to 2:00pm

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.

Optional: Afternoon Drop-In

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.

Typical Session Day

Tuesday & Thursday

8:30 am Arrivals and settling in. Support workers assist with the morning transition.
9:00 am Group activities begin. Structured ASDAN-aligned skill building.
11:00 am Community participation. Library, shops, Swan Active, or public transport practice.
12:30 pm Lunch. Cooking sessions, shared meals, or community outings.
1:00 pm Afternoon skill blocks. Personal development, creative, or independent living focus.
2:00 pm
Wrap-up and departures.
Optional
Stay on for Kids First Australia afternoon drop-in. All welcome.

FOR REFERRERS

Referring a young person to GRT?

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 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.

Ready to start the conversation?

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.

Fill out the referral form
Talk to us first
Sign up to our mailing list

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.