Why I Believe NDIS Support Coordination Should Be Delivered as a Standalone Service

Anita Mansfield
Jul 23
5 min read

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has announced that mandatory registration for all Support Coordinators is imminent ndiscommission.gov.au. While exact timeframes are still unclear the principle is clear: create a level playing field for all providers, ensuring consistent quality and accountability across the board.

Support Coordinators (SC) play a vital role guiding participants through one of Australia’s most complex support systems. For many people with disability , especially those without informal supports, the NDIS can feel like an ever-changing maze of policies and paperwork. Skilled SC bring tenacity, expertise, and hope, helping participants navigate the system and choose the services they want, assisting them to live the life they want.

The Vision:

When the NDIS was legislated in 2013 (and rolled out nationally by 2016), a core goal was freedom of choice for participants. Under the old block-funded model, people were often locked into a single provider or service for years. The NDIS changed that by introducing individualised budgets and a market-based model, allowing people to select from a diverse marketplace of services. This shift has enabled participants to exercise much greater choice and control over the providers they work with and the supports they access ndisreview.gov.au. I saw a similar model in action during a 2012 visit to the UK, where my partner’s cousin Michael, then in his late twenties and living with an intellectual disability, proudly described his life in a supported independent living arrangement. Michael told us about fishing trips, and social outings with peers, each facilitated by different support workers around his age. I remember thinking: “I hope our system can give Australians the same array of opportunities and choice.” The NDIS was designed with that vision of choice and control at its heart.

Why Standalone, Independent Support Coordination Matters

Unfortunately, when a support coordinator’s organisation also delivers other NDIS-funded supports (such as therapy, SIL accommodation, personal care, community access, etc.) there is a real risk of “client capture.” In these situations, Support Coordinators may feel subtle (or not-so-subtle) pressure to recommend their own organization’s in-house services, limiting the participant’s exposure to the full market of options.

A recent NDIS Commission inquiry revealed that 43% of complaints about support coordinators since 2022 involved integrity concerns – including conflicts of interest, denying choice and control, coercion, and other sharp practices ndiscommission.gov.au. The independent NDIS Review Final Report likewise flagged “strong concerns about conflict of interest and client capture” when support coordination is provided by organizations that also deliver other services ndis.gov.au. In contrast, true independence in support coordination removes those competing incentives and inherent biases.

Why I think a standalone service model matters / The why:

Upholds Choice & Control: Free from any competing service lines, an independent SC can canvass all available options and genuinely base their recommendations on each participant’s goals and needs , without bias. Participants get a broader view of what the market offers, reinforcing their NDIS right to choice and control.

Eliminates Covert Pressure: I hear frequently from SC working in multi‑service organisations about the constant pressure to ‘recommend’ their own in‑house supports. In a standalone model, there’s no competing service line, so no commercial incentive to steer participants toward any particular provider. That removes hidden influences and ensures every recommendation is made purely in the participant’s best interests, not to feed a business pipeline.

Ethical practice: Transparency about any potential conflicts, combined with the practice of offering multiple provider options for every support need, fosters confidence and satisfaction. Participants trust that recommendations are unbiased and solely aimed at their benefit. (In fact, NDIS guidance for providers emphasizes being transparent when offering services from your own organization, including always presenting alternative options outside your organization so the participant’s decision is free from influence ndis.gov.au.) Over time, this honest, participant-centered approach builds a strong trust relationship between the participant and their support coordinator.

I often recall Michael’s excitement about having choice in his UK supports. In my own support coordination practice, which is purposefully a standalone service, I’ve witnessed many similar moments of empowerment through independence and choice:

A young woman who transitioned from living with her aging parents is now thriving in a shared SIL home, rediscovering her independence and community life with housemates.
A woman living with a disability who had been placed in an aged care facility (far too young for that environment) now has weekly age-appropriate community access supports. With the right support coordination, she’s once again able to stroll along the beach where she used to surf in her youth, instead of being confined to the aged care facility
A participant who received a new racing-car-red wheelchair that has opened up weekly outings and social activities, giving her a level of freedom and social connection she hadn’t experienced in years.

Navigating the NDIS can sometimes feel like you’re an extra on the ABC TV Utopia’s “Nation Building Authority,” tangled in red‑tape that practically begs for our team’s dark humour ! But I can remember Michael’s excitement over choosing his own supports, and seeing many others here in Australia be supported by the right services, reminds me exactly what matters: real choice and impartial support.

Why I Support Mandatory Registration for SC

Requiring all support coordinators to be registered with the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission is I believe is a positive step in the progression of our evolving NDIS system. Why:

Consistent Accountability: Mandatory registration means every support coordinator (whether large or small, new or experienced) must meet the NDIS Practice Standards and be subject to the Commission’s oversight and audit regime. This creates uniform safeguards and quality benchmarks across the sector. In other words, everyone has to play by the same rules when it comes to quality service, no exceptions.
Managing Conflicts of Interest: A universal registration framework gives regulators stronger tools to monitor and enforce conflict-of-interest policies. The NDIS Commission can more readily ensure that support coordinators (and their employing providers) are not favoring their own services at the expense of participant choice. Clear rules and oversight make it easier to prevent the kind of self-interest and “client capture” that currently exists. Coordinators who do not separate their roles or who pressure participants toward in-house services will face regulatory consequences.

As the sector moves to mandatory registration for both Support Coordination and SIL providers, we continue to champion the standalone model for Support Coordination and remain committed and hopeful about the NDIS’s original purpose and vision : empowering people with disability to lead their own lives, make their own choices about the services they want delivered , guided by advisors who put their interests first.

References

NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission – Mandatory Registration Reforms for Support Coordination: NDIS Commission Reform Hub – Announcement of mandatory registration of all support coordinators (16 Sept 2024)ndiscommission.gov.au.
NDIS Commission Inquiry (2023) – Integrity Issues & Conflict of Interest Findings: Own Motion Inquiry into Support Coordination and Plan Management (Part 1 Report) – Identified that 43% of complaints about support coordinators raised integrity concerns (conflicts of interest, coercion, etc.)ndiscommission.gov.au.
NDIS Review Final Report (2023) – Client Capture Concerns in Support Coordination: “Working Together to Deliver the NDIS” (Independent Review Final Report) – Highlighted widespread concerns about conflicts of interest and “client capture” when providers also act as support coordinators ndis.gov.au.