Gold Coast Support Coordinator Spotlight: How Daffodil Therapy & Care Helps NDIS Participants Thrive

Meet Kelly, a passionate Support Coordinator working with NDIS participants on the Gold Coast. Kelly owns and operates Daffodil Therapy & Care. With a genuine love for helping others and a deep understanding of the NDIS, Kelly and her team play a vital role in helping people access the right supports — and get the most out of their plans.

In today’s spotlight interview, we dive into what drives Kelly, the ins and outs of her role, and what she wants every participant and family to know....

🌟 Support Coordinator Spotlight: Questions

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role?

(A bit about your background, how long you’ve been in the sector, what you do in your current role.)

I have been in the NDIS sector since 2022, when I founded Daffodil Recovery Support, which would later become Daffodil Therapy and Care. I’m also a registered mental health nurse with 16 years’ experience across the UK and Australia.

My career in nursing began in Wales, where I progressed to Clinical Lead for crisis services before becoming Nurse Manager of a nurse-led, stand-alone Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. This six-bed unit served 14 mental health wards across the capital city of Wales, where I'm from.

When I moved to Queensland in 2019, I worked as a Clinical Nurse in the Continuing Care Team before taking on a Clinical Nurse Consultant role where I developed and ran a therapeutic, recovery-based program, supporting individuals in the public health system to regain independence and improve their wellbeing.

I have grown Daffodil from being just myself, to a small organisation with individualised care at the heart of everything we do. In my role at Daffodil Therapy and Care, I draw on my clinical and leadership experience to ensure our services are evidence-based, holistic, and truly tailored to each participant’s goals. My focus is on empowering people, breaking away from the “one-size-fits-all” approach, and building a team culture that values compassion, professionalism, and innovation. 

🧭 What does a typical day look like for you?(We know there’s no such thing as a “typical day” — but give us a snapshot!)

I usually arrive at the office by 8.30am, and after my morning cuppa, because nothing starts until that's done!. I review my emails - on a Monday morning its not unusual to open my emails to at least 60 unread! 

I take time to chat to the team, in a group and individually. A lot of my day is spent perfecting our processes, ensuring that our clients are getting the service we have promised them. I also have a small caseload myself, of 6 people. These are clients that I have worked with since I started the company. So I do some support coordination  work during my days as well. 

💬 What’s one thing you wish every participant or family knew?

Just one?!

That they do have free choice, and they should be at the center of their care, making decisions about how their services are provided, and by who. 

🤝 What do you look for in a good support provider?

I built Daffodil built on ethis and integrity. The first thing I look for, is integrity.

There are a few specific things;

• How long have they been in the sector?

• Do they ask to talk about the participant before they ask about financial, this shows they are interested in providing the right care 

• staff retention - if staff retention is good then it demonstrates care and good leadership. This is important for consistency for the clients. 

• A general 'feel' - I trust my instinct. 

🌱 Can you share a moment where you saw a participant really thrive?(No need to name names — just a short story or moment that stayed with you.)

I knew a man in his 40s who felt he had nothing, he had a serious suicide attempt and due to his deep depression and other psychosocial disabilities he ended up on the NDIS. I worked closely with him and together we found the perfect support worker, fantastic therapists, and made sure his team truly understood him. At that time he was drinking heavily, out of work, living with a family member, no social connections to speak of. Fast forward 3 years. He lives in his own home, he is working full time, has a wonderful partner, attends social groups and gathering, no longer drinks alcohol and is truly happy. 

📍 What do you love about working as a Support Coordinator on the Gold Coast?

The success stories. Seeing people thrive. I get sent pictures of clients who weren't leaving the house smiling on the beach, or fishing, attending events. These make me smile and I know as part of a wider team, we are making someone's life better. 

💼 What’s something you used to believe about Support Coordination that you now know isn’t true?

That it was about connecting people with supports, monitoring the budget and dealing with the NDIS. In real life - it's knowing the participant, understanding their life, their support networks, their short and long term goals. When done right, support coordination is an intricate, complicated role. It can only really be done well when done holistically. 

🌿 What keeps you doing this work, even on the hard days?

The fact that if I walked away, people could be left with unethical providers (not all, but we know there are some providers who don't do the right thing). Also, it goes back to the wins, big and small. Seeing smiling participants, all because we connected them with the right services and people to progress their lives. 

💖 Has a participant ever changed your life?

Many of them have. Seeing the struggles that people have and the bravery they have to keep showing up. 

I have one participant who has schizophrenia and an eating disorder. She is one of the most anxious people I have ever met, and one of the sweetest, kindest people. She doesn't attend family gatherings, because her family members around the same age have families and jobs and lives that she sees as 'together'. She feels inadequate. I have to remind her that they may have that, but what she is has is no less important - she has the courage to keep going. She gets out of bed every morning despite knowing her OCD will define her day. She will take 3 hours to make a sandwich. She will go grocery shopping and exhaust herself reading use by dates 10 times for everything, and be scared of catching an illness from being in public. Yet she does it. She shows up. This is most certainly no less successful that someone who has a family and job. 

😊 What’s a small moment of joy from work that’s stayed with you?

One of my participants was a shining light in the world. He would call me at least once a week to say hello, and each time he would say thank you for his life. When we met, he lived with his family, drinking alcohol as his only form of socialisation with family. Within a year he was living out of the family home in a shared supported home. He was socialising, meeting people, had a job. He was so thankful for the life I helped build for him. He sadly passed away of natural causes at age 26, but he stays with me. There is a picture of him in my office, he reminds me of the joy he found in his life from things other people would take for granted. 

🪄 You’ve got a magic wand: What one thing would you fix about the NDIS system today?

Regulation. There are too many sole traders and companies that don't do right by people, and cause so much harm and damages peoples trust in others. 

⚡ Fast & Fun Round

(Just for fun — feel free to add your own flair!)

Question	Your Answer
First coffee of the day?	8.30am
Your superhero support power?	Persistence
Email folder chaos level: 1–10?	10++++
Favourite part of your job?	Smiling faces

🗺️ If someone reading this is just starting their NDIS journey, what’s your best advice?

Never show your NDIS plan to anyone other than your plan manager or support coordinator. Know that you don't have to settle, there are excellent providers out there, so if one doesn't fit, another will. Research your support coordinator and make sure you pick well. 

💡 Final Thoughts

(A closing message, reflection, or piece of encouragement for families, participants, or fellow professionals.)

We have a unique opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. 'People may not remember your name, but they will remember how you made them feel'. As a mental health nurse, I have always had this quote stay in my mind, and proof of it - people have come back to the wards I've worked at and said, 'I couldn't remember your name, but I remember you were nice to me'.

Make sure that you leave a good impression, don't underestimate small acts of kindness.

A Big Thank You

Big thanks to Kelly from Daffodil Therapy & Care for letting us step inside her world as a Support Coordinator on the Gold Coast.

If you’ve read her answers, you’ll know she’s got a knack for keeping it real — no sugar-coating, just genuine care, integrity, and a deep understanding of how the NDIS can actually work for people when it’s done right.

What stood out most was how much she values the human side of support coordination. Sure, there’s budgets, processes, and all the NDIS red tape… but at the end of the day, it’s about people feeling heard, supported, and able to live the life they choose.

Gold Coast participants are lucky to have coordinators like Kelly out there — the ones who celebrate the small wins, stick around for the long haul, and never forget that behind every plan is a real person with real dreams!

If you'd like to get in Contact with Kelly, you can click here to check out her website.