What to expect from us

Your support coordinator will work with you to help you understand your NDIS plan, including:

• your support budgets and the kinds of things you can use your funding for

• how your funding is managed

• what other requirements need to be met to access these supports such as when quotes might be required, what can or cannot be claimed, how much can be claimed, and when service bookings required.

Plan and coordinate your supports

Your support coordinator should help you find providers, services and supports that work together to help you pursue your goals. The mix of services and supports that you use should be based on your circumstances, needs and preferences. 

You and your support coordinator should talk about the community, government and funded supports that you can use to pursue your goals. 

You can work with your support coordinator to:

• decide how you would like your supports and services to be delivered

• arrange a schedule of services which reflects your goals, needs and how you want to use your plan, and fits in your NDIS plan budget.

• find providers who can meet your needs

• try different providers and new supports to see if they suit you 

• work with multiple providers.

Connect you with supports and services

Your support coordinator should know about services in your local community. You can work with your support coordinator to:

• find NDIS, community and other government services you can access

• choose the right supports and services for you

• connect you to providers and services that will help you pursue your goals, including advocacy services if required.

Your support coordinator can help you understand:

• when you must choose NDIS registered providers – for example, when you are NDIA-managing supports or for certain supports as identified by the NDIS Commission

• when you can choose unregistered providers – for example, when you are self-managing or plan-managing supports

• quality and safeguards arrangements – including making sure the provider hasn’t been banned by the NDIS Commission

• if you need any quotes, assessments or need follow any processes – for example, where need modifications to your home or car.

You and your support coordinator should also talk about how your family, friends and community can help you pursue your goals. If you need other government or community services, your support coordinator should help you connect with these supports.

Establish and maintain your supports

To set up your supports, you can get help from your support coordinator to:

• set up service agreements and service bookings which reflect what supports you need – for example, your support coordinator can help you to understand and negotiate what supports and services you want, how you want these to be delivered and what you pay for these supports and services

• understand what providers can and cannot charge – including travel and cancellation policies

• find any problems that might stop you using your plan and how these can be fixed.  

To maintain your supports, you can get help from your support coordinator to:

• check how your current supports are working for you

• create a plan for what to do when something goes wrong, like with a provider cancels or when you are not happy with the service 

• find new providers or change providers to make sure you continue to get the supports you need.

If you are not satisfied with the quality or safety of NDIS supports and services, your support coordinator can also help you make a complaint to the NDIS Commission. 

Coach, refine and reflect

Your support coordinator can help you build your confidence and skills to implement your plan yourself, by showing you how to: 

• use NDIS systems and processes

• set up your supports and negotiate with providers

• get the most out of your NDIS plan. 

You can work with your support coordinator to change how you use your NDIS plan. Your support coordinator can help you:

• evaluate how well your current supports are working for you

• track how you are going with using your plan and pursuing your goals

• think about if your supports still meet your needs and if you want to try different things 

• change what supports you need or how they are delivered.

When preparing for your plan review, you can talk to your support coordinator about: 

• what worked well for you, including what outcomes were achieved

• what you would like to try, change or improve in your next plan, including what evidence you need to bring you with to your plan review.

Report to the NDIA

Your support coordinator will need to provide the NDIA with reports on how they have helped you use your plan and pursue your goals. 

These reports include:

• An initial plan implementation report which outlines what you and your support coordinator have done after starting your new plan.

• A mid-term implementation report which looks at how you are going with using your plan and includes what you and your support coordinator will be doing next.

• Plan review report which reflects on how your plan has been implemented and includes recommendations for your next plan. 

Learn more about how support coordinators should monitor plan budgets and support effectiveness  

Your request for service will outline which reports your support coordinator need to do and when. 

When setting up your service agreement, you and your support coordinator should discuss what reports need to be provided to the NDIA and how your support coordinator should claim for report writing time.

Your support coordinator can claim report writing time for an NDIA-requested report if all the conditions in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits are met. 

Capacity building for independence

You can work with your support coordinator to build your confidence and skills so you can choose and control your supports. Your support coordinator should work with you, your family and carers to:

• explore different ways you can exercise your choice and control

• help you communicate about how you prefer your supports to be delivered

• find providers who can meet your needs

• create opportunities for you to do these activities more independently.

When doing this, your support coordinator should provide information to you in your preferred language and method of communication to help you make decisions about your supports. 

Your support coordinator should not make decisions for you. Instead, your support coordinator should support you to make your own decisions and have the right to take risks.

Prepare for unexpected events

You can work with your support coordinator to help you prepare for unexpected events. You can work with your support coordinator to:

• understand your circumstances and environment

• plan for changes like:

  • how much your family can help you at home

  • moving house

  • if you suddenly need to go hospital

  • how much support your service provider can give you

• work out what might stop you from using your plan

• work out what you can do when these situations occur

• put supports in place to work through these challenges.

When doing this, your support coordinator should also help you to build your confidence and skills to do this yourself.

Crisis situations – plan, prevent, mitigate and act

Preparing you for unexpected events includes assisting you to access the right crisis services, where needed.

You and your support coordinator should also make sure that a plan is in place to prepare you for these situations. Your support coordinator can help you take action should a crisis situation occur. 

Where appropriate, your support coordinator may connect you with crisis services such as the justice, education, child and family protection systems.

Based on your individual circumstances, your support coordinator may also help you to submit a request for a plan review. 

Acting in your best interest 

Your support coordinator must act in your best interests. 

To do this, your support coordinator must:

• recommend and provide supports and services that would best suit your needs

• declare and avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest

• avoid engaging in, participating in or promoting sharp practices.

All registered and non-registered NDIS providers, including your support coordinator, must comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct .

You should raise your concerns with the NDIS Commission for further investigation if:

• you have concerns about the quality and safety of your support coordination or other services

• you feel unsafe because the same provider delivers both your support coordination and other services

You can choose to connect with a support coordination provider who does not also provide your other NDIS funded supports.