What is a support coordinator? Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), it is the person who helps you turn your plan into actual supports. They help you understand what your plan funds, find providers, set up agreements and sort out problems when something stops working. This guide explains what a support coordinator does, the three levels of support coordination, and how to tell whether you need one.
What a support coordinator does
A support coordinator helps you use your plan well. In practice, that usually means:
- going through your plan with you so you know what each budget can pay for
- helping you find and choose providers, and set up service agreements
- linking you with community, mainstream and other government services
- helping you deal with problems, such as a provider who is not delivering what was agreed
- building your confidence and skills so you can manage more of this yourself over time
A support coordinator under the NDIS does not make decisions for you. The choices stay yours.
The three levels of support coordination
The NDIS funds support coordination at three levels, depending on how much help you need.
Support connection
This is the lightest level. It helps you build the ability to connect with informal, community and funded supports, so you can get more out of your plan with less outside help.
Support coordination
The middle level is what most people mean by the term. A support coordinator helps you understand your plan, choose providers and keep your supports running.
Specialist support coordination
Specialist support coordination is the third level, for people in more complex situations who need a specialist to help keep their supports in place.
Support coordinator, plan manager or local area coordinator: who does what
These three roles get mixed up all the time.
- A support coordinator helps you with your supports: finding them, setting them up and keeping them working.
- A plan manager pays your providers and tracks your funding if your plan is plan-managed. They deal with invoices and budgets, not with arranging your supports. You can compare Plan Management providers separately.
- A local area coordinator works for an NDIS partner, helps with access and your plan, and links you with community services. The guide to what an NDIS local area coordinator can and cannot do explains the role in full.
Some participants have all three. Others have none and manage everything themselves.
How support coordination gets into your plan
Support coordination is funded in your plan where the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) decides it is reasonable and necessary for you. You can ask for it. Raise it when your plan is being developed or reviewed, and explain why you need it. Concrete examples help, such as trouble finding providers, supports that keep falling through, or several services that need to work together.
Support coordination continues to be funded in plans where it is reasonable and necessary. How it is delivered is under review; check ndis.gov.au for the current position.
Registered or unregistered support coordinators
Support coordinators can be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or unregistered. If your plan is NDIA-managed, you can only use registered providers. If it is self-managed or plan-managed, you can use either. Every provider must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct, registered or not.
How to tell if your support coordination is working
A good arrangement is usually quiet. Things get done, and you know what is happening. Signs that it is working:
- you know who your coordinator is and how to reach them
- they return calls and emails within the time they told you to expect
- your supports are in place, or you know what is holding them up
- they explain options rather than steering you to particular providers
- you feel more able to manage your plan than you did at the start
If those are missing, ask direct questions. What have you done on my plan this month? Which providers did you contact for me, and what did they say? How are you tracking the hours you bill against my budget? Clear answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth noting.
Changing support coordinator
You can change your support coordinator, as with any other provider. Start by raising the problem with them, since some issues are fixed in one conversation. If it does not improve, check the notice period in your service agreement, give notice in writing, and line up your new coordinator so there is no gap. The NDIS explains how to change providers step by step. The guide on how to choose an NDIS provider covers what to ask the next one.
Compare support coordinators
When you are looking for a coordinator, you can view NDIS support coordination providers listed on Provider24 by state, or broaden the search to the coordination and planning category. Provider24 does not check or endorse listed providers, so confirm registration on the NDIS Commission’s register yourself where your plan requires it.
This article is general information, not advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does an NDIS support coordinator do?
An NDIS support coordinator helps you understand your plan, choose and connect with providers, link with community and mainstream services, and resolve problems with your supports. The aim is also to build your own ability to manage your plan.
Is support coordination being phased out in NDIS?
Support coordination continues to be funded in plans where it is reasonable and necessary. How it is delivered is under review, so check ndis.gov.au for the current position before you plan around it.
How do I change my support coordinator?
Raise the issue with your coordinator first. If you still want to change, check your service agreement for the notice period, give notice in writing and arrange a new coordinator before the current one stops. The NDIS website sets out the steps for changing providers.