Who specialist support coordination is for
The NDIA funds specialist support coordination when there are high or complex needs in your situation that ordinary coordination cannot manage. That usually means several things are going on at once, for example:
- Frequent crises, hospital admissions or risk to your safety
- Contact with the justice system, or leaving custody
- Housing that has broken down, or risk of homelessness
- Complex health or mental health needs that involve several services
- Barriers in your support environment that stop your plan from being put into action
What a specialist support coordinator does
The aim is to reduce the complexity around you so your supports can actually work. A specialist support coordinator typically:
- Designs a plan for how all your funded and unfunded supports will work together
- Sets up clear ways for your providers, health services and others to communicate and cooperate
- Helps you, your family and carers resolve problems and unexpected situations
- Makes sure you can still get the support you need in a crisis or unplanned event
- Works across other systems, such as health, housing, education or justice services
Who can be a specialist support coordinator
Specialist support coordination is generally delivered by an appropriately qualified and experienced practitioner, such as a psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker or mental health nurse. Experience with your kind of situation matters as much as the qualification.
Registered providers of specialist support coordination must meet the NDIS Practice Standards, including a supplementary module just for specialist support coordination. One part of that module is about conflicts of interest: you should get transparent, factual advice about your options, be told if the provider has an interest in any service they suggest, and your choice of other providers must not affect the coordination you receive.
How much it costs
The 2026/27 price limit for specialist support coordination is $190.54 an hour, the same as the previous year because support coordination prices were held. It is paid from the support coordination funding in your plan, and coordinators bill for the time they spend working for you, including calls, meetings and reports.
Because the hourly rate is high, funding runs out faster than people expect. Ask your coordinator for a regular update on hours used and what is left.
It is meant to be time limited
Specialist support coordination is usually funded to stabilise a situation, not forever. Once things are more settled, many people move to level 2 coordination of supports at their next reassessment. A good specialist coordinator plans for that from the start and builds the network you will rely on after they step back.
What changes from 1 July 2028
From 1 July 2028 support coordination, including the specialist level, moves to a new support coordination and connection service that is funded directly rather than from your plan. Until then, specialist support coordination works as described here. Mandatory registration for support coordinators has been paused while the new service is designed.