Why this matters for your practice
Support coordination is one of the most conflict-prone supports in the NDIS, because a support coordinator often sits between a participant and the providers (sometimes including their own organisation) who deliver the participant's other supports. That makes conflict of interest management central to compliance. The regulatory framework for support coordination has also been in flux, with proposed mandatory registration for standard support coordinators paused while a new commissioned model is developed, so providers need to track where the rules currently sit.
Whether or not you are registered, the NDIS Code of Conduct still applies to how you deliver support coordination.
The three levels
Support coordination is delivered at three levels of increasing intensity:
- Support connection: short-term help to build a participant's ability to connect with informal, community, and funded supports.
- Support coordination (coordination of supports): building the skills a participant needs to understand, implement, and use their plan.
- Specialist support coordination: a higher-intensity service for participants with more complex situations, often involving high risk or multiple services.
The registration position
Mandatory registration for standard support coordinators (registration group 0106) has been paused while a separate commissioned model is developed, whereas specialist support coordination (registration group 0132) sits on the certification pathway with its own standards. The key point for providers is that the obligations do not disappear with the pause: the Code of Conduct and conflict-of-interest duties apply either way.
Conflict of interest
Support coordinators must actively identify and manage conflicts of interest, particularly where the same organisation both coordinates and delivers supports. That means transparent choice for participants, documented disclosures, and not steering participants toward in-house services.
Common mistakes
- Treating the registration pause as a removal of obligations. The Code of Conduct still applies.
- Unmanaged conflicts of interest where coordination and delivery sit in the same organisation.
- Blurring the levels, billing specialist support coordination without meeting its requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three levels of support coordination?
The three levels are support connection (short-term help to connect with supports), support coordination (building a participant's ability to use their plan), and specialist support coordination (a higher-intensity service for participants in complex or high-risk situations).
Do support coordinators have to be registered?
Mandatory registration for standard support coordinators has been paused while a new commissioned model is developed. Specialist support coordination remains on the certification pathway. Either way, support coordinators must comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct and manage conflicts of interest.
Why is conflict of interest important in support coordination?
Because a support coordinator influences which providers a participant uses, there is a risk of steering participants toward in-house or related services. Providers must identify and manage these conflicts, give participants genuine choice, and document disclosures.
Related terms
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