In the wake of proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, you may have heard stories that the NDIS is getting rid of Support Coordinators. The short answer is, not yet, and not the way the rumours suggest. There are genuine changes on the horizon, but they're still years from being finalised, and your current support coordination arrangement isn't going anywhere in the meantime.
The NDIS has been supporting Australians with disability since 2013, growing from a handful of trial sites into a national scheme that today backs hundreds of thousands of participants across the country. In this article, we'll unpack where the confusion comes from, what's actually confirmed, and what it all means for you or your family member right now.
Under proposed NDIS reforms, individual funding for support coordination inside participant plans will eventually end, replaced instead by commission-based or directly appointed local service providers.
An independent NDIS review, which started in October of 2022, and was published in December of 2023, had 26 main recommendations and 139 supporting actions. One of those recommendations was to replace traditional support coordinators, Local Area Coordinators and Psychosocial Recovery Coaches, with one, unified ‘navigator’ role. This would be a wide ranging role designed to help people with disability find and connect with community and NDIS services, rather than just managing NDIS plans.
The funding for this role would shift from individual participant plan budgets to one that is directly funded and commissioned by the NDIA. They will directly appoint, and contract, providers via a merit-based selection process, rather than leaving the choice to the open market.
The government is trying to remove perceived conflicts of interest. They want strict, evidence-based definitions of who qualifies for individual NDIS budgets, and they want to give oversight bodies more powers to stop financial abuse within provider networks.
The new ‘Navigator’ role is scheduled to launch on the 1st of July, 2028. Current support coordination arrangements and plan funding remain active at Interaction and unchanged while the new system undergoes co-design and testing.
What Is Confirmed
What Is Still a Proposal or Under Design
For now, at Interaction, support coordination arrangements continue as normal. You won’t suddenly lose your support coordinator or have your funding abruptly cancelled. You continue to work with your current NDIS provider as per your active NDIS plan.
When it comes time to transition into this new structure, the NDIS will provide support and coordination to do so.
Under the proposal, a single Navigator role would eventually take over from Support Coordinators, Specialist Support Coordinators and Local Area Coordinators.
The guiding function stays much the same, but two key differences set it apart: funding sits outside your individual NDIS plan, coming from the government directly and Navigators are expected to operate with a firmer separation from service providers than the current model allows.
Key Similarities: What Stays the Same
Key Differences: What Changes
Support coordination remains an active, funded part of current NDIS plans, with the shift to a government-commissioned "Navigator" model and approved provider panels not slated to formally commence until 1 July 2028. You can prepare yourself, however, so when the time comes, you don't feel overwhelmed with change.
Practical Steps for Participants and Families Right Now
Change to a system as important as the NDIS can feel unsettling, especially when the details are still being worked out. That's exactly why our team is here: to help you make sense of what's confirmed, what's still on the drawing board, and what it actually means for your plan.
If you are currently working with one of our Support Coordinators, rest assured that nothing changes for you today. We'll keep you informed as the Navigator model takes shape, and we'll be right beside you when the time comes to transition.
In the meantime, it's worth thinking about the full picture of support available to you. Many of our participants pair support coordination with Community Access and Self Care to build everyday living skills and stay connected with their community, or with our Behaviour and Allied Health Services for therapeutic support tailored to individual goals.
Got questions about how these changes might affect you or your family member? Get in touch with our team today. We've been supporting Sydney families living with disability since 1979, well before the NDIS existed, and we'll be here to guide you through whatever comes next.
In the wake of proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, you may have heard stories that the NDIS is getting rid of Support Coordinators. The short answer is, not yet, and not the way the rumours suggest. There are genuine changes on the horizon, but they’re still years from being finalised, and your […]
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