An NDIS plan can include a lot of moving parts: providers, budgets, service agreements and reassessment dates. Support Coordination is funded help to bring it all together. Here’s what it is, the different levels, and what’s changing.
What does a support coordinator do?
A support coordinator helps you use your plan well. That can include:
- explaining your budgets and what your funding can be used for
- finding providers and setting up service agreements
- making sure your supports work together
- helping you respond when things change or go wrong
- helping you prepare for check-ins and reassessments
- building your confidence to manage more of this yourself over time
Support coordinators don’t pay invoices. That’s a plan manager’s role. And they don’t make decisions about your plan. The NDIA does.
The three levels
- Support Connection: help to connect with informal, community and funded supports, and build your ability to use your plan.
- Coordination of Supports: help to organise and manage a mix of supports across your plan, and build your ability to coordinate them yourself.
- Specialist Support Coordination: a higher level of support for participants with complex situations, for example involving health, housing or justice systems, or where supports are at risk of breaking down.
Want help making your plan work? Speak with a Care Navigator →
How is it funded?
Support Coordination is funded in the Capacity Building budget. It’s a stated support, so the funding can only be used for Support Coordination. It’s usually time-limited, with the aim of building your own skills over time.
What’s changing?
The Australian Government has announced a new model for support coordination from July 2028. The NDIA will share more details as they’re confirmed.
Do I need Support Coordination?
It can help if you:
- are new to the NDIS and don’t know where to start
- have several providers to manage
- are going through a big change, like leaving hospital, moving home or turning 18
- have supports that keep falling through
- find it hard to manage your plan because of your disability or circumstances
You can ask for Support Coordination to be included in your plan by talking to your NDIS contact (my NDIS contact), especially at your check-in or reassessment.
Support Coordination vs Care Navigator: what’s the difference?
Support Coordination is a funded NDIS support that appears in your plan.
Care Navigator is our name for your main contact, whichever of our services you use. It’s separate from funded Support Coordination.
How to Choose a Support Coordinator
When you’re choosing a support coordinator, it can help to think about:
- how clearly they communicate and explain information
- their knowledge of local providers and services
- whether they offer ongoing support, not just initial setup
- how responsive they are, and how they adjust as your needs change
Your Choice of Providers
Participants always choose their own providers. A support coordinator should help you explore a range of options, not just their own organisation’s services. If you receive Support Coordination from Aus Care Community Services, you’re free to use other providers for your supports, and using our other services is never a condition of Support Coordination.
How Aus Care Community Services can help
Our NDIS Support Coordination team works with participants across Sydney and NSW. We have experience with complex situations, including hospital discharge and community reintegration.
Want help making your plan work?
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a support coordinator and a plan manager?
A support coordinator helps you find and organise your supports. A plan manager pays your providers and helps track your budget.
Can I change support coordinators?
Yes. Your Support Coordination funding stays in your plan and can be used with a new support coordinator.
Is Support Coordination funded in every plan?
No. It’s included where the NDIA decides it’s reasonable and necessary.
Do I have to use your other services if you’re my support coordinator?
No. Participants always choose their own providers, and using our other services is never a condition of Support Coordination.
Reviewed by the Aus Care Community Services Care Navigator team. Last reviewed: 16 September 2026.
Sources
- NDIA: Securing the NDIS for future generations
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Securing the NDIS for future generations
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Reform timeline
This information is general in nature and reflects NDIS information available at the time of writing on 16 September 2026. The NDIS is changing, and rules, dates and processes may be updated after this article is published. It is not legal, financial or individual NDIS advice and should not be relied on for decisions about your plan. What the NDIS funds, and decisions about access, plans and reassessments, are made by the NDIA. For the latest information, visit ndis.gov.au or call the NDIS on 1800 800 110. For help understanding your own situation, Speak with a Care Navigator.
