Support coordinator is one of the most misunderstood roles in the NDIS. Some people expect a personal assistant who handles everything. Others are not sure what a coordinator does at all. The truth sits somewhere in between, and understanding it helps you get far more from the hours in your plan.

The short answer

A support coordinator helps you understand your NDIS plan, connect with the right providers, and use your funding to work towards your goals. Just as importantly, they help you build the skills and confidence to manage more of this yourself over time. Support coordination is a Capacity Building support, which means the aim is growth, not dependence.

What it looks like day to day

No two weeks are the same, but most of a coordinator's work falls into a few areas.

Understanding your plan

At the start of a plan, a coordinator sits down with you and goes through it line by line: what is funded, how flexible each budget is, and how the funding connects to your goals. If you are new to the scheme, our guide to NDIS funding categories covers the basics.

Finding and connecting providers

This is the part most people picture. A coordinator researches providers who suit your needs, location and preferences, checks their availability, and helps set up service agreements and service bookings. You make the choice. The coordinator does the legwork.

Keeping supports working together

When you have a support worker, an occupational therapist, a psychologist and a behaviour support practitioner, someone needs to make sure they are all pulling in the same direction. Coordinators organise case conferences, share information with your consent and follow up when things fall through the cracks.

Budget monitoring

A coordinator keeps an eye on how your funding is tracking, so you do not run out early or find large amounts unspent at the end of the plan.

Building evidence

Throughout the plan, a good coordinator is gathering evidence of what is working and what is still needed. This is what makes a strong plan reassessment possible. We explain this in detail in how to prepare for your NDIS plan review.

Crisis response

When a support worker quits, a placement breaks down or a hospital admission changes everything, a coordinator helps stabilise the situation, finds interim supports and, where needed, requests a plan change.

How coordination hours are used

Support coordination is funded as a set number of hours across your plan, charged at an hourly rate. It is worth understanding how those hours are spent, because they are easy to use up early. Most coordinators bill for phone calls, emails, meetings, research, report writing and travel where it applies. Ask for a clear breakdown in your service agreement and a regular summary of what has been billed.

A good coordinator plans the hours across the whole plan period. Expect heavier use at the start, when supports are being set up, and again before reassessment, when evidence is being pulled together. The months in between should be steadier.

What a coordinator does not do

Deliver hands on care or therapy.
Make decisions for you. You stay in control of your choices.
Manage your funds or pay invoices. That is the role of a plan manager, if you have one.
Guarantee funding outcomes. They build the case, and the NDIA makes the decision.
Act as a 24 hour emergency service.

The three levels of coordination

Your plan will fund one of three levels, depending on your situation.

Level 1: Support Connection

A shorter term, lighter touch support to help you connect with informal, community and funded supports, and build the ability to manage your plan yourself.

Level 2: Coordination of Supports

The most common level. Ongoing help to understand and use your plan, coordinate multiple providers, and build independence in managing supports.

Level 3: Specialist Support Coordination

For people with more complex needs or high risk situations, often where several systems are involved, such as health, mental health, housing, child protection or justice. Specialist coordinators usually hold a relevant tertiary qualification and focus on reducing complexity and stabilising supports. This is often where behaviour support and coordination work most closely together.

When do you need one?

Support coordination is usually funded when:

You are new to the NDIS and need help getting started.
You have several providers who need to work together.
Your situation is complex, unstable or changing.
You or your family do not have the time, capacity or confidence to coordinate supports yourselves.
You are going through a big transition, such as leaving school, moving house or leaving hospital.

If coordination is not in your plan and you think you need it, you can ask for it at your next reassessment, or sooner if your circumstances have changed. Evidence of why you need it helps.

Choosing a coordinator

If you have coordination in your plan, you choose who delivers it. Our guide on how to choose an NDIS support coordinator covers the questions to ask and the red flags to watch for.

Talk to Savora Collective

We provide NDIS Support Coordination, Specialist Support Coordination and Behaviour Support across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and Western Australia, in person in South East Queensland and remotely everywhere else. If this article raised questions about your own plan, we are happy to talk it through.