NDIS Support Coordination: How It Works and What’s Changing in 2028
NDIS Support Coordination helps eligible participants understand and use their NDIS plan, connect with suitable providers and community or mainstream services, coordinate different supports, and build the skills and confidence to manage those supports more independently.
It is not included in every NDIS plan. Where Support Coordination is funded, the type and amount of support depend on the participant’s circumstances, goals, needs and approved plan.
There are currently three levels: Support Connection, Support Coordination and Specialist Support Coordination. They serve different coordination needs, and a higher level is not automatically better or appropriate for every participant.
There is also an important change ahead. The Australian Government has announced that the current plan-funded Support Coordination model is scheduled to be replaced from 1 July 2028 by a commissioned Support Coordination and Connection service. That reform has not started yet. In 2026, participants with Support Coordination in their plans can continue using the current service and choosing providers under the existing arrangements.
This guide explains how NDIS Support Coordination works today, the three levels, funding and current price limits, how to choose or change a coordinator, conflicts of interest, participant rights, and what is confirmed – and still undecided – about the 2028 reform.
What is NDIS Support Coordination?
A Support Coordinator helps you use your NDIS plan effectively.
Current NDIS guidance describes the role around three broad purposes:
- helping you understand and use the supports in your plan
- connecting you with NDIS providers, community services and mainstream services
- building your confidence and skills so you can increasingly coordinate your own supports
The role should help you make informed decisions rather than make those decisions for you.
A coordinator might help you understand which parts of your plan can be used for particular supports, research providers, compare options, get services started, work through gaps or disruptions and understand what providers can charge.
They may also help you think about how several supports need to work together.
You can read the current NDIS explanation of Support Coordination for the official participant guidance.
What does a Support Coordinator actually do?
What a coordinator does with you depends on your goals, circumstances, plan and funded level of Support Coordination.
Practical work may include:
- helping you understand your NDIS plan and support budgets
- discussing your goals and priorities
- researching suitable providers and other support options
- helping you compare providers rather than simply directing you to one organisation
- connecting you with community, mainstream and government services where appropriate
- helping establish services and service agreements
- coordinating communication between multiple providers with your consent
- identifying gaps or duplication in your supports
- planning for disruptions or changes in support
- helping you understand provider charges and how your Support Coordination funding is being used
- checking whether services are continuing to meet your needs
- helping you change providers when a service is not working
- building your confidence to make and implement support decisions yourself
Support Coordinators also have NDIA reporting responsibilities in relevant circumstances. Current NDIA guidance includes implementation and progress reporting across the life of a participant’s plan. The coordinator should work with the participant when preparing reports so the participant understands what information is being provided.
A practical example
Imagine you have Occupational Therapy, disability support workers and community participation supports in your plan, but your current support worker arrangement has broken down.
A Support Coordinator might help you understand the funding available, identify alternative support providers, compare options, communicate with your other providers about the change and put contingency arrangements in place.
They should not simply decide which provider you must use. The purpose is to give you useful information and coordination support so you can make the decision.
The three levels of NDIS Support Coordination
Current NDIA guidance describes three levels of Support Coordination.
| Level | Current NDIS purpose | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 – Support Connection | Helps you understand your plan, connect with NDIS, community and mainstream supports, and build confidence managing your plan. | Focused on connection and developing your ability to manage supports more independently. |
| Level 2 – Support Coordination | Helps put a mix of supports in place and builds skills to direct your life, maintain relationships, manage tasks, live more independently and participate in the community. | More active coordination of providers, services and support arrangements. |
| Level 3 – Specialist Support Coordination | Provides a higher level of coordination for participants whose situations are more complex and who require specialist support. | Addresses complex barriers, risks and challenges affecting the participant’s support environment and continuity of services. |
These are not three quality grades.
Level 3 is not “better Support Coordination”. It is a different level of support intended for circumstances where more specialised coordination is required.
Current NDIA provider guidance says a Specialist Support Coordinator should have appropriate qualifications and experience for the participant’s complex support needs and risks. Level 3 also needs to be included in the participant’s plan before that level of service can be delivered.
Who receives Support Coordination funding?
Support Coordination is not automatically included in every NDIS plan.
NDIS plans are based on individual circumstances and disability-related support needs. A person may receive Support Coordination where the NDIA determines it is an appropriate NDIS support for them.
You can ask for Support Coordination to be considered if you believe you need help implementing your plan or coordinating your supports. Your my NDIS contact can discuss your circumstances and the type of assistance you need.
There is no simple rule such as:
- having a particular diagnosis automatically qualifies you
- having several providers automatically qualifies you
- being new to the NDIS automatically qualifies you
- having complex needs automatically gives you Specialist Support Coordination
If Support Coordination is not currently in your plan and your circumstances have changed, discuss the support need with your my NDIS contact. Asking for Support Coordination does not itself guarantee that funding will be added.
How Support Coordination funding works in 2026
Under the current NDIS arrangements, Support Coordination is a Capacity Building support.
Current NDIS guidance says Support Coordination is usually included as a time-limited support because one purpose is to build your confidence and capacity to coordinate your own supports.
Capacity Building support categories are stated supports. This means funding needs to be used for the support described in the plan rather than transferred freely into unrelated support categories.
You can read more about the broader structure in Aligned Assist’s guide to understanding NDIS funding.
Current Support Coordination price limits
The current NDIS Pricing Schedule, effective from 24 September 2026, lists these national maximum prices:
| Support | National maximum price |
|---|---|
| Level 1 – Support Connection | $80.06 per hour |
| Level 2 – Coordination of Supports | $100.14 per hour |
| Level 3 – Specialist Support Coordination | $190.54 per hour |
These are NDIS national maximum price limits under the current schedule, not a statement of Aligned Assist’s actual fees. Remote and very remote price limits are higher.
The amount a participant has available for Support Coordination is also not determined simply by multiplying one of these rates by a standard number of hours. Individual plan funding differs.
Before starting with a provider, ask about their rate, what activities they charge for and how the available funding is expected to be used over the plan period.
Current prices can be checked through the NDIS pricing arrangements.
What if Support Coordination funding is running low?
Do not wait until the budget has been exhausted to ask what is happening.
A useful conversation may include:
- how much Support Coordination funding remains
- what work has been completed
- what coordination needs remain
- whether the frequency or priorities of coordination need to change
- whether there is an upcoming plan reassessment or other relevant change
A Support Coordinator can help you understand your plan and spending, but they cannot create additional NDIS funding or guarantee that the NDIA will increase a budget.
What Support Coordination does not do
A Support Coordinator can be involved across many parts of someone’s support system, but coordination should not be confused with the services being coordinated.
Support Coordination is not the same as:
- disability support work: providing hands-on assistance with personal care, household tasks or community activities
- plan management: processing provider invoices, making NDIS claims and administering plan funds
- clinical therapy: providing Occupational Therapy, physiotherapy, psychology or another clinical intervention
- NDIA decision-making: approving NDIS access, budgets or individual supports
- housing provision: owning or allocating a home
- legal representation or independent advocacy: although a coordinator may help you identify appropriate advocacy or legal services
- emergency response: Support Coordination is not a substitute for emergency or crisis services
There can be situations where roles interact. The important point is to understand which professional or service is responsible for each task.
Support Coordinator vs Plan Manager
These roles are commonly confused because both can help you use your NDIS plan.
| Support Coordinator | Plan Manager |
|---|---|
| Helps you understand and coordinate your supports. | Helps administer the financial side of your plan. |
| Helps find and compare providers. | Processes provider invoices and NDIS claims. |
| Helps establish and coordinate services. | Tracks spending and provides financial information about the plan. |
| Builds your ability to make and implement support decisions. | Helps manage the administration of plan-managed funding. |
A participant can have both where the relevant supports are included in their plan.
For a deeper explanation of the financial side, see Aligned Assist’s NDIS Plan Management guide.
Support Coordinator vs Psychosocial Recovery Coach
There is overlap, but the roles are not identical.
A Psychosocial Recovery Coach works specifically with participants who have psychosocial disability and support needs.
Current NDIS guidance describes Recovery Coaching as helping participants build capacity and resilience, organise supports, maintain engagement during periods when more support is needed and connect with community, health and mental health services.
A Support Coordinator can work with participants with many different disability-related needs. A Recovery Coach brings a specific psychosocial recovery focus.
Recovery Coaching is not clinical mental health therapy, and having psychosocial disability does not automatically mean someone will receive Recovery Coaching funding.
The funded support in the participant’s plan and their individual needs determine the appropriate pathway.
Support Coordinator vs my NDIS contact or Local Area Coordinator
A Support Coordinator is an NDIS provider delivering a funded support.
A my NDIS contact is the participant’s contact within the NDIS system. Depending on the participant, that contact may be an NDIS partner, an early childhood partner or someone at the NDIA.
A Local Area Coordinator may therefore be someone’s my NDIS contact, but a Local Area Coordinator is not the same thing as the participant’s funded Support Coordinator.
Your my NDIS contact can assist with matters such as understanding your plan, finding or changing providers, plan changes and what information may be needed for a reassessment.
Your Support Coordinator focuses on helping you implement and coordinate the supports in your plan.
How do you find an NDIS Support Coordinator?
If Support Coordination is funded in your plan, start by understanding what level you have and what you actually want help with.
Current NDIA guidance suggests researching providers, asking people you trust, using the NDIS Provider Finder and speaking with prospective coordinators before making a decision.
Under the current model, you choose your preferred Support Coordinator.
The NDIA may also send a request for service to a provider through its system. Current guidance says a request for service can be sent when you first choose a coordinator, change providers or receive a new plan and want to continue with the same provider.
You can read the official NDIS guide to finding a Support Coordinator.
What should you look for when choosing a Support Coordinator?
Finding someone who is available is only one part of the decision.
Useful considerations include:
- Relevant experience: Do they understand support needs and systems relevant to your circumstances?
- Understanding of your goals: Are they listening to what you want, rather than starting with the services their organisation sells?
- Provider knowledge: Can they give you meaningful options and explain the differences?
- Communication: How will they communicate with you, and does that suit your preferences?
- Availability and responsiveness: Who will actually work with you and how are urgent coordination problems handled?
- Funding transparency: Can they clearly explain their rate, charges and how your coordination budget is being used?
- Service agreements: Are expectations, cancellation terms, responsibilities and notice arrangements clear?
- Conflicts of interest: If the organisation also provides other NDIS services, how will they ensure you are given genuine alternatives?
- Participant capacity building: Are they helping you understand and direct your supports, rather than making you permanently dependent on them?
Aligned Assist’s broader guide to choosing an NDIS provider covers additional provider-selection questions.
Questions to ask before choosing a coordinator
- Which level of Support Coordination do you provide?
- Do you have experience relevant to my support needs and circumstances?
- Who will work with me directly?
- How will we communicate and how often?
- What do you charge, and what types of work are billable?
- How will you help me monitor my Support Coordination funding?
- How will you give me options from different providers?
- Does your organisation also provide other NDIS supports?
- How do you identify, disclose and manage conflicts of interest?
- How will you involve my family, carer or other people if I want them involved?
- What happens if I am unhappy with the service?
- What notice applies if I want to change Support Coordinators?
- How will you help me build my own skills and confidence over time?
Can you change your Support Coordinator?
Yes, under the current arrangements.
Current NDIA guidance says participants choose their Support Coordinator and can change coordinators without waiting for the end of their current plan.
Before changing, check your service agreement for any notice or cancellation arrangements you have agreed to.
A transition may also involve:
- ending the existing service agreement correctly
- choosing the new provider
- a new request for service where applicable
- agreeing what information can be shared with the new coordinator
- making sure important support issues are not lost during the handover
You decide whether and what personal information can be shared, subject to any lawful requirements that apply.
Conflicts of interest in Support Coordination
Support Coordination can involve significant influence over which providers a participant considers. That makes conflicts of interest particularly important.
A conflict may arise where a Support Coordinator recommends another service provided by their own organisation, has a financial or organisational interest in a provider, or could benefit from a particular participant decision.
Having Support Coordination and another NDIS support delivered by the same organisation is not automatically prohibited under the current model.
But the conflict must be properly identified and managed.
Current NDIA and NDIS Commission guidance emphasises that providers should:
- tell participants about actual, potential or perceived conflicts
- avoid pressuring participants towards services that benefit the provider
- give participants appropriate alternative provider options
- support informed choice
- avoid financial incentives or practices that distort recommendations
- document and manage referrals and conflicts appropriately
All registered and unregistered NDIS providers must comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct. Registered providers also have obligations under applicable NDIS Practice Standards.
If your coordinator recommends another service from the same organisation, useful questions include:
- What other providers could deliver this support?
- Why are you recommending your organisation?
- Will choosing another provider affect my Support Coordination service?
- How has this conflict been recorded and managed?
You can read the NDIA’s current guidance on conflicts of interest.
Participant rights, consent and privacy
A Support Coordinator works with you, not above you.
You should be involved in decisions about your supports and have information explained in a way you can understand.
You can decide who you want involved in discussions, including family members, carers, advocates or other professionals. Being close to the participant does not automatically give another person authority to make decisions for them.
Your coordinator should also obtain appropriate consent before sharing information with other providers or supporters.
If you have concerns about service quality, privacy, pressure, conflicts of interest or the way you are being treated, you can raise those concerns with the provider. Depending on the issue, you may also contact the NDIA or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Support Coordination when the support situation is complex
Coordination can become particularly important where several services, systems or transitions need to work together.
Examples may include:
- multiple disability and allied health providers
- complex nursing or high intensity supports
- Positive Behaviour Support
- hospital discharge and transition back into the community
- changes in living arrangements
- breakdowns in essential supports
- complex psychosocial circumstances
- significant barriers to finding suitable providers
A coordinator’s job is to help connect and organise the relevant supports. They do not become the nurse, therapist, behaviour practitioner or support worker simply because those services need coordination.
Complex circumstances also do not automatically establish that someone should receive Specialist Support Coordination. The funded level remains an NDIS decision based on the participant’s circumstances and plan.
Can a Support Coordinator help with SIL or Individualised Living Options?
Yes, a Support Coordinator may help someone explore home and living supports, connect with providers, coordinate information and understand different options.
For example, they may assist a participant investigating Supported Independent Living or Individualised Living Options.
But a Support Coordinator does not approve SIL, ILO or another home and living support, and they cannot guarantee a vacancy or funding outcome.
The participant’s preferred way of living and their actual support needs should remain central to the discussion.
What does good Support Coordination look like?
There is no single measure that proves a Support Coordinator is doing a good job, because participants have different needs and goals.
Practical signs of a constructive service may include:
- you understand your plan better than you did before
- you know why different provider options are being suggested
- you are offered meaningful choices rather than being directed to one provider
- there is a clear plan for what happens next
- providers communicate effectively where coordination is needed and you have consented
- problems are identified before they become larger service gaps where possible
- you understand how your Support Coordination funding is being used
- you are becoming more confident making support decisions
- required reports and follow-up are completed appropriately
The goal is not to make the participant dependent on a coordinator indefinitely. Capacity building is a central part of the current Support Coordination model.
What if Support Coordination is not working?
Start by identifying the actual problem.
Is communication poor? Are agreed actions not happening? Are charges unclear? Are you being directed towards providers you do not want? Is there a conflict of interest? Or is the underlying issue actually about insufficient NDIS funding rather than the coordinator’s service?
Depending on the situation, you can:
- raise the concern directly with the coordinator
- review what your service agreement says
- ask for clarification about charges or agreed responsibilities
- use the provider’s feedback or complaints process
- consider another Support Coordinator under the current provider-choice arrangements
- contact your my NDIS contact if the issue relates to your plan or funding
- contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission where the concern relates to provider quality, safety, conduct or your rights
If there is an immediate danger or emergency, use the appropriate emergency service rather than relying on the Support Coordination complaints process.
Is NDIS Support Coordination being phased out in 2028?
The current funding and delivery model is scheduled to be replaced, but the coordination function itself is not simply disappearing.
As at October 2026, the Australian Government has announced a new commissioned Support Coordination and Connection (SCC) service commencing from 1 July 2028.
Under the announced future model, Support Coordination will no longer be individually funded in participant plans in the same way it is today. Instead, the NDIA will directly appoint providers to deliver the new SCC service.
The government says participants will choose from a list of providers funded to deliver the service.
Providers wanting to deliver SCC will need to apply, with successful providers selected through a merit-based commissioning process.
Current Support Coordination vs the announced 2028 model
| Area | Current model in 2026 | Announced model from 1 July 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| How the service is funded | Support Coordination funding can be included in the participant’s NDIS plan. | The NDIA is expected to fund commissioned SCC providers directly rather than funding Support Coordination individually in participant plans. |
| Choosing a provider | The participant chooses their preferred Support Coordinator subject to current plan and provider rules. | The government says participants will choose from a list of commissioned providers. |
| Provider market | Registered and, depending on plan management, unregistered Support Coordinators can currently provide services. | The NDIA will appoint successful SCC providers through a merit-based process. |
| Transition | Current Support Coordination arrangements continue. | The government says participants will be supported to transition. Detailed transition arrangements are not yet finalised. |
| Detailed service design | Current NDIA Support Coordination rules and processes apply. | Not yet finalised. |
Why is the government changing the model?
The Australian Government says the reform is intended to improve quality and consistency, strengthen safeguarding, encourage innovation and make coordination more responsive to participant needs.
The government has also identified a need for clearer roles and stronger quality arrangements within Support Coordination.
That is the policy direction. It does not mean every proposed feature discussed during consultation has been approved.
What has actually been decided?
As at October 2026, the government has confirmed:
- a new commissioned Support Coordination and Connection service
- a scheduled commencement date of 1 July 2028
- Support Coordination will no longer be funded individually through participant plans in the same way
- the NDIA will appoint providers directly
- providers will be able to apply through a merit-based selection process
- participants will choose from a list of commissioned providers
- participants will be supported through the transition
What is not yet finalised?
The public consultation on the SCC design closed on 2 October 2026. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the NDIA are currently considering feedback to inform advice to government.
Detailed aspects of the future service remain subject to government decisions.
That means consultation ideas about areas such as exact service design, provider arrangements, demand management, quality mechanisms and transition implementation should not yet be treated as final rules.
The official Australian Government summary of the NDIS changes provides the confirmed policy position, while the SCC consultation page makes clear that the detailed final design is still to be decided.
What does the 2028 change mean for participants today?
Can I still use Support Coordination in 2026?
Yes. Current Support Coordination arrangements remain in place. If Support Coordination is funded in your plan, you can continue using that support under the current rules.
Can I still choose a Support Coordinator?
Yes. Current NDIA guidance says participants choose their preferred Support Coordinator and can change providers.
Should I stop using my current coordinator because of the reform?
No government guidance says participants should stop using currently funded Support Coordination because of the 2028 reform.
Use your current plan according to the arrangements that apply now.
Can I still ask for Support Coordination funding?
Yes. Under the current model, participants can discuss a need for Support Coordination with their my NDIS contact. Funding remains an individual NDIA decision.
Do I need to change providers now?
No transition requirement has been announced that requires participants to change Support Coordinators now simply because the SCC service is scheduled for 2028.
More detailed transition information is expected as the government finalises the service design.
Is the 2028 SCC reform the same as mandatory registration for Support Coordinators?
No. They are separate reforms.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission previously considered mandatory registration for Support Coordination. That mandatory-registration work was paused in December 2025 while further reform is considered.
Under the current model, Support Coordinators can still be registered or unregistered. A provider must currently be registered to deliver Support Coordination to an NDIA-managed participant. Unregistered Support Coordinators can work with participants whose relevant funding is self-managed or plan-managed, subject to current NDIS rules.
The 2028 Support Coordination and Connection reform is different. It changes how the coordination service itself is expected to be funded and commissioned.
NDIS Support Coordination in Melbourne
For Melbourne participants, provider choice is not only about finding someone whose website says “Melbourne”.
Consider whether the coordinator understands the services and systems relevant to your area, has suitable capacity for your needs and can work effectively with the providers already involved in your support.
For people with multiple supports, local knowledge can be useful when connecting allied health, disability support, community services and home and living providers across different parts of Melbourne.
The primary question should still be whether the coordinator is a good fit for the participant, not whether they are simply the nearest provider.
Exploring Support Coordination with Aligned Assist
Aligned Assist is a registered NDIS provider in Melbourne and offers NDIS Support Coordination in Melbourne alongside a broader range of disability supports.
Because Aligned Assist provides Support Coordination as well as other NDIS services, participant choice and transparent management of any potential conflict of interest remain important. A participant should be able to consider appropriate external providers as well as Aligned Assist services.
If Support Coordination is included in your plan and you would like to discuss whether Aligned Assist may be a suitable provider, contact the team to discuss your needs and current service capacity.
- Call: 1300 927 248
- Email: info@alignedassist.com.au
- Enquire: Contact Aligned Assist
- Professional referral: Submit an NDIS referral
Frequently asked questions about NDIS Support Coordination
What does NDIS Support Coordination do?
Support Coordination helps eligible participants understand and use their NDIS plan, connect with providers and community or mainstream services, coordinate supports and build the skills to manage their supports more independently.
Is Support Coordination included in every NDIS plan?
No. Support Coordination is included where the NDIA determines it is an appropriate support for the participant’s individual circumstances and plan. Participants can discuss a need for Support Coordination with their my NDIS contact.
What are the three levels of Support Coordination?
The current levels are Level 1 Support Connection, Level 2 Support Coordination and Level 3 Specialist Support Coordination. They provide different levels and types of coordination support rather than representing different quality grades.
How much does a Support Coordinator cost?
Under the NDIS Pricing Schedule effective 24 September 2026, the national maximum price limits are $80.06 per hour for Level 1, $100.14 per hour for Level 2 and $190.54 per hour for Level 3. These are maximum price limits, not necessarily the amount a particular provider charges.
Can I choose my Support Coordinator?
Yes, under the current arrangements. NDIA guidance says participants choose their preferred Support Coordinator. The provider also needs to be suitable for the participant’s plan management arrangements.
Can I change my Support Coordinator?
Yes. Current NDIS guidance says you can change your Support Coordinator without waiting for your plan to end. Check any notice requirements in your service agreement and arrange an appropriate transition of information and supports.
Is a Support Coordinator the same as a Plan Manager?
No. A Support Coordinator helps organise and connect your supports. A Plan Manager administers the financial side of plan-managed NDIS funding, including claims, provider invoices and budget tracking.
Can a Support Coordinator also provide other NDIS services?
An organisation can currently provide Support Coordination and other NDIS services, but any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest needs to be identified and managed appropriately. Participants should receive transparent information and meaningful provider choices.
Is NDIS Support Coordination being abolished?
The current plan-funded delivery model is scheduled to be replaced from 1 July 2028 by a commissioned Support Coordination and Connection service. Coordination functions are intended to continue, but they will be funded and delivered differently.
What should I do about the 2028 Support Coordination reform now?
Continue using your current plan and funded supports under the rules that apply today. The government has not told participants to stop using Support Coordination or change providers now. Detailed transition arrangements will be provided as the future SCC service is finalised.