Quality supports program

The Quality supports program is part of the NDIA commitment to strengthen the NDIS pricing model ensuring NDIS participants can access quality services that deliver value for money.

The program started in mid-2025 and is focused on three targeted pilots that explore what quality service delivery looks like across different NDIS support types. The Government has invested $45 million in grant funding to support 68 selected NDIS providers of therapy supports, supported independent living, and support coordination to participant in three 12-month pilots.

The pilot findings will be considered alongside broader evidence, including Annual Price Review submissions, administrative and utilisation data, external benchmarks, and targeted engagement to inform future pricing reviews as part of the NDIA’s Three-Year Pricing Workplan (2025–28).

The Three-Year Pricing Workplan outlines the NDIA’s commitment to transparent, staged pricing improvements that respond to emerging market pressures while maintaining participant choice and provider sustainability. Visit the Pricing Workplan page to learn more.

Supported Independent Living (SIL) pilot

The data collection phase of the SIL pilot has now ended. Over the 12-month pilot, 44 participating providers have shared detailed financial and operational information about the cost of delivering SIL supports.

Providers have shared examples of key challenges and their commitment to delivering quality supports as they work with participants, their families, and the broader service system to ensure that participants receive the support that they need.

Participant voice has also played an important role in the SIL pilot. Throughout the pilot, we heard from over 100 participants and families. We have heard that choice, control, and autonomy to live well makes a real and positive difference for participants. We also heard that having a suitable home, familiar support workers and support tailored to their needs directly impact their experience and wellbeing.

Learnings from the pilot will contribute to the Agency’s review of current NDIS pricing models. This is part of our commitment to revised pricing approaches that ensure every NDIS participant can access quality and value for money services.

The pilot data will also provide a foundational evidence base to help inform possible commissioning approaches for part of the SIL market. Insights on service costs, operating models, quality service delivery, workforce considerations, and participant outcomes will complement the consultation, research and market analysis being undertaken by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA). Together, this evidence will help inform the design of potential future SIL commissioning approaches. Learn more about SIL commissioning at DHDA’s Citizen Space website.

Table 1: SIL pilot providers

*Grantee delivery state information is provided in accordance with grantee SIL Pilot Grant Opportunity information as at March 2025.

More information about the providers participating in the SIL pilot can be found by searching their GA number on GrantConnect .

For further information about the SIL pilot email [email protected].

Support coordination (SC) pilot

The 12-month Quality Supports Support Coordination (SC) Pilot has now ended.

The SC Pilot was established under the NDIA Quality Supports Program to improve the Agency’s understanding of the characteristics, and costs associated with the delivery of high-quality SC. The pilot started in July 2025, finished in June 2026 and involved three registered SC providers operating across Victoria and Tasmania.

The pilot objectives were to:

• define what constitutes quality SC
• better understand how support coordinators deliver services in practice
• identify the factors that drive the cost of delivering quality services
• generate insights to inform the future design of NDIS SC services.

The pilot evaluation drew on multiple sources of information, including participant focus groups, support coordinator surveys, workshops, operational and financial data provided by participating SC providers, and a targeted review of academic and grey literature.

While the small number of SC providers who participated in the pilot limited the extent findings can be applied across the broader SC market, the pilot generated insights into SC practice and participant experiences that will be utilised to inform future reforms.

For further information email [email protected]

Therapy pilot

The Therapy pilot started in early 2026 with 27 registered providers across Australia. Selected providers will share up to $20 million in grant funding to work with the NDIA over 12-months to identify features of quality service provision and the costs associated with delivery of these services.

Pilot providers have completed a range of project deliverables in the first 6 months of the pilot, including financial reports, provider questionnaires, case studies, and a participant survey. Together, these activities provide financial insights with operational service delivery information and participant experience.

The second half of the pilot will collect information on service quality, governance, innovation, research, and continuous improvement practices. This work will help strengthen the NDIA’s understanding of the costs and requirements associated with delivering safe, effective, and high-quality therapy supports to NDIS participants.

The Therapy pilot will contribute to the NDIA’s future pricing reform, ensuring price settings reflect the service delivery, workforce mix, and participant outcomes associated with delivering high-quality therapy supports.

For further information about the Quality Supports Therapy pilot email [email protected].