The way NDIS participants access Support Coordination is set to change.
The Australian Government has confirmed that a new Support Coordination and Connection (SCC) service will begin from 1 July 2028. The new commissioned service will replace the way NDIS participants currently receive Support Coordination.
While the change itself has been announced, the detailed design of the new service is not yet final. The Government is currently consulting with people with disability, families, carers, providers and the wider disability community about how the future service should work.
Here is what we know so far.
What is changing with NDIS Support Coordination?
Currently, participants who have Support Coordination included in their NDIS plan can use that funding to engage a Support Coordinator.
From 1 July 2028, Support Coordination will no longer be funded individually through participant plans. Instead, participants will choose from a list of providers funded directly to deliver the new Support Coordination and Connection service. Participants will also be supported to transition to the new service.
The NDIA will appoint providers directly to deliver SCC services. Providers will be able to apply to deliver the service, with successful providers selected through a merit-based process.
This represents a significant change to how Support Coordination is funded and delivered within the NDIS.
However, it is important to be clear: Support Coordination is not simply “ending”.
The Government has acknowledged the valuable role Support Coordinators play in helping participants understand, access and coordinate their supports. The reform is focused on changing how these services are delivered, with the stated aims of improving quality, consistency, safeguarding and responsiveness to participant needs.
What will the new Support Coordination and Connection service look like?
This is where consultation comes in.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the NDIA have developed early ideas for how the future service could operate. However, the final design will be a decision for the Australian Government following consultation.
Feedback is being sought on areas including:
- what the new SCC service should do
- quality and safeguarding arrangements
- how services could be delivered
- how participants will be supported to understand, access and coordinate their supports.
This means important details about how the service will operate in practice are still being worked through.
What does this mean for NDIS participants?
For now, participants can continue using their current plans and supports as usual. The new SCC service does not begin until July 2028.
Once the new model begins, participants will no longer use funding from their individual NDIS plans to pay for Support Coordination. Instead, they will choose from providers directly funded to deliver the service and will be supported through the transition.
There is still considerable design work to happen before then, which is why participant, family and carer involvement in the current consultation is important.
What does this mean for Support Coordinators?
For Support Coordinators and organisations currently delivering Support Coordination, this could represent a significant change to how they participate in the NDIS market.
The Government is transitioning some NDIS supports towards a commissioning model, where a smaller number of providers may be contracted to deliver particular supports rather than operating through an open market with an unlimited number of providers.
For Support Coordination specifically, providers will be able to apply to deliver the new SCC service, and successful providers will be selected through a merit-based process.
Exactly what the commissioning process and future service requirements will look like is still being developed.
For existing Support Coordinators, this makes the current consultation particularly important. Their experience working directly with participants can help inform how the future system addresses quality, safeguarding, service delivery and participant needs.
Why is the Government changing Support Coordination?
According to the Government, Support Coordinators play an important role in helping participants navigate the NDIS and coordinate their supports, but there are opportunities to improve consistency, quality, safeguarding and clarity around provider roles.
The proposed SCC model is intended to address these areas while creating a service that is more consistent and responsive to participant needs.
Whether the final model achieves those objectives will depend heavily on its eventual design and implementation.
Have your say before 2 October 2026
Consultation on the new Support Coordination and Connection service opened on 7 September 2026 and closes on 2 October 2026. The NDIS specifies a closing time of 11:59 pm AEST.
The Government is seeking feedback from:
- people with disability, including NDIS participants
- families, carers and kin
- disability representative organisations and advocates
- disability support workers
- disability service providers and associations
- organisations that may wish to deliver the future SCC service.
Have your say on the Support Coordination and Connection consultation
What happens next?
Feedback received through the consultation will help inform the design of the new service and advice to the Australian Government, which will make decisions about the final design.
For participants, families and Support Coordinators, the key points right now are:
- Existing Support Coordination arrangements continue for now.
- A new commissioned Support Coordination and Connection service is scheduled to begin 1 July 2028.
- Support Coordination will no longer be individually funded through participant plans under the new model.
- Participants will instead choose from providers directly funded to deliver the service.
- Providers will be able to apply to deliver SCC services through a merit-based selection process.
- The detailed design of the new service is still being developed.
- Consultation closes 2 October 2026.
At DisabilityCo, we will continue monitoring NDIS reforms and sharing important updates as further details about the Support Coordination and Connection service become available.