CFA makes a submission to NDIS consultation on support coordination

An animation of a hand holding a megaphone
An animation of a hand holding a megaphone

CFA is represented on the NDIS industry reference group and has made a submission to a consultation paper on support coordination. Support coordination is a type of funded intermediary that can assist NDIS participants access other services funded by the NDIS.

This submission argues:

  • There needs to be a stronger conceptual foundation for the role of support coordinators that goes further than them facilitating choice—what matters is the outcomes of those choices, i.e. contribute to independence and social and economic participation of participants;
  • Policy development needs to recognise the limits of contestability and competition in human service markets, particularly in relation to regulating quality of services;
  • There is an urgent need to improve the quality of support coordination, including through minimum qualifications & professional standards;
  • Professionalism in support coordination or any intermediary role needs to eliminate, rather than seek to manage, conflicts of interest that arise; and
  • It would be better if intermediaries in the disability services marketplace were styled as advocates with a duty to the participant.

The National Disability Insurance Agency will publish a findings report about support coordination later this year.

View the submission here.