Guide to working as a support coordinator

Roles and responsibilities of working as a support coordinator

A support coordinator helps participants make the best use of supports in their plan.

As a support coordinator, you’re responsible for helping participants to:

You also provide regular progress reports to let us know if a participant’s plan is meeting their needs.

Different kinds of support coordinators

There are 3 levels of support coordination that can be included in a participant’s plan, depending on their circumstances. There are different kinds of support coordinators who provide these levels of support.

Levels of support coordination

Level 1: support connection

Support to help a participant understand their plan, and connect with providers, their community and mainstream supports and services to get the most out of their NDIS plan.

Level 2: support coordination

Support to put in place a mix of supports to increase a participant’s capacity to maintain relationships, manage tasks, live more independently and be included in their community.

Level 3: specialist support coordination

A high level of support for participants with complex needs and who need specialist support.

What a registered support coordinator is

As a registered support coordinator it means you have:

  • applied for registration with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
  • been audited against the relevant NDIS Practice Standards and been assessed as meeting them
  • undergone a suitability assessment by the NDIS Commission (as both a provider and your key staff)
  • been issued a certificate of registration.

You’re generally registered for 3 years as a support coordinator.

You must be registered if providing support to NDIA-managed participants.

You can apply to be a registered provider on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website

What an unregistered support coordinator is

You can deliver supports and services to participants as an unregistered support coordinator. Registration with the NDIS Commission isn’t mandatory.

You can only work with participants who self-manage or plan-manage their NDIS funding if you’re an unregistered support coordinator. You can’t work with participants whose plan is NDIA-managed.

What a specialist support coordinator is

A specialist support coordinator provides a higher level of support to participants whose situations are more complex.

They help participants:

  • address complex barriers that affect their access to supports
  • design a service plan for their support needs, where appropriate.

A specialist support coordinator should be appropriately qualified and experienced to deliver the expert approach needed to address a participant’s complex support needs and risks in their environment.

Level 3 specialist support coordination needs to be included in a participant’s plan to deliver this level of service.

What a psychosocial recovery coach is

A psychosocial recovery coach (or recovery coach) helps a participant in the same way you do as a support coordinator, but they specifically support people with their psychosocial disability.

They can help a participant to take more control of their life and manage complex challenges of daily living. A recovery coach works with participants to:

  • increase independence
  • build involvement in their community, employment or education.

Learn more about recovery coaches.

Access provider portals

You need access to the my NDIS provider portal and the myplace provider portal.

You’ll need to use the provider portals to:

Find out how to get paid

To learn more about how to get paid.

Indicates required field
Was this page useful?*
Why?
Why not?