If youโve been following the NDIS changes, youโve probably heard the word “navigators” and wondered what it means for your support coordinator, and for you. The short answer has changed in 2026. The NDIS Review recommended NDIS navigators in December 2023. In the 2026-27 Budget, the government announced something more specific: a new commissioned Support Coordination and Connection (SCC) service from 1 July 2028, which the NDIA says will replace the way participants currently receive support coordination.
This guide explains what NDIS navigators were, what the government is now proposing instead, the timeline, what it means for you, and how to have your say before consultation closes on 2 October 2026. Everything below comes from government sources, with dates.
NDIS Navigators and the New SCC Service: Quick Summary
- From 1 July 2028: a new commissioned Support Coordination and Connection service starts, replacing the way participants currently receive support coordination.
- Funding moves out of your plan: you would no longer get support coordination funding in your plan. If you are eligible, the NDIA would pay for the SCC service directly.
- Not everyone will be eligible: the NDIA would decide eligibility using criteria the government agrees.
- Two levels instead of three: SCC and SCC+, replacing the three levels of support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaching.
- Fewer providers: the NDIA would contract organisations by region, and its preferred early model is one lead organisation per region.
- Until then, nothing changes: all participants keep support coordination under existing arrangements until 1 July 2028.
- Nothing is final: these are early ideas. Consultation closes 2 October 2026, and the government decides the final design.
What Were NDIS Navigators?
In its Final Report of December 2023, the Independent Review of the NDIS recommended a new role called a navigator. According to the Reviewโs navigator fact sheet, navigators would have good local knowledge and help people with disability understand, find and use mainstream, community and foundational supports. They would also help NDIS participants find, use and pay for NDIS-funded services from their budgets, “similar to the role of support coordinators currently”.
The Review found that many people are supposed to help participants, including LACs, early childhood partners, support coordinators, plan managers and recovery coaches, and that their roles sometimes overlap, with gaps in between. It proposed six kinds of navigator:
| Proposed navigator type | Who it was for, according to the Review |
|---|---|
| General navigator | All people with disability: information, access to mainstream and foundational supports, and for participants, an action plan to use their budget |
| Specialist navigator | Participants with more complex support needs, including those dealing with several service systems |
| Psychosocial recovery navigator | People with psychosocial disability, both participants and non-participants |
| Housing and living navigator | Participants identifying, trialling and negotiating housing and living options |
| Shared support facilitator | People who share housing and living supports, independent of the provider and property manager |
| Lead practitioner | Children and families |
The Review also recommended that people with disability be closely involved in designing these changes, and that they be introduced gradually. That was a recommendation, not a decision. What the government has now proposed for support coordination is the SCC service below.
The New Support Coordination and Connection (SCC) Service
In the 2026-27 Budget, the government announced that the NDIA would establish a new commissioned SCC service by 1 July 2028. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the NDIA published their early ideas in a consultation paper (September 2026). The paper says the reform responds to poor and inconsistent service quality, conflicts of interest and fraudulent practices in how support coordination is delivered today.
What “commissioned” means
Today, participants use funding in their plans to buy support coordination from one of about 11,000 support coordinators. Under the proposed model, the NDIA would directly commission providers, meaning it plans, funds, selects and oversees the organisations that deliver SCC services within defined geographic areas.
What the SCC service would do
The paper describes three functions: collaboration (understanding you and your goals), connection (building your links to community, mainstream, foundational and NDIS supports) and coordination (making supports work together, addressing barriers and escalating issues to the NDIA). It says SCC would not make decisions on your behalf, provide advocacy, determine NDIS eligibility, manage your finances, provide crisis response, or routinely provide other NDIS-funded supports.
SCC and SCC+
| Level | Who it is for, according to the consultation paper |
|---|---|
| SCC | Participants who need ongoing support to connect with and coordinate supports and services |
| SCC+ | A small proportion of participants with very complex circumstances, such as intensive coordination needs, significant safety considerations or several interacting service systems |
Who would be eligible
The paper says not every participant will need or be eligible for SCC. Factors under consideration include decision-making capacity, safety risk, the stability of your formal and informal supports and of your support needs, your understanding of the NDIS and other systems, involvement with several support systems, and risk of disengagement. The government will agree the criteria, and the NDIA will apply them. Participants who are not eligible may be able to use other coordination supports, such as local area coordinators and early childhood partners.
How NDIS Navigators, Todayโs Support Coordination and SCC Compare
| Feature | Today | Proposed SCC service (from 1 July 2028) |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Funding in your NDIS plan | The NDIA funds the service; no support coordination funding in your plan |
| Levels | Three levels of support coordination, plus psychosocial recovery coaching | Two: SCC and SCC+ |
| Providers | Many providers; you choose | Organisations contracted by region, so fewer providers |
| Other NDIS supports | Support coordinators can also provide other NDIS supports | SCC services and workers cannot provide other NDIS supports |
| Standards | No consistent standards for support coordination | The same standards for all SCC services |
| Payment to providers | An hourly rate (fee for service) | A new payment model, still being designed |
Source: Table 3 and the pricing section of the consultation paper (September 2026). The Reviewโs navigator model was broader, covering people outside the NDIS and roles such as housing navigators and lead practitioners. The SCC paper is about replacing support coordination for NDIS participants.
Whatโs the Timeline?
The consultation paper gives an indicative timeline:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| December 2023 | NDIS Review Final Report recommends navigators |
| Mid to late 2026 | Designing the SCC service model with participants and the sector |
| 7 September to 2 October 2026 | Public consultation on the SCC consultation paper |
| 2027 | Commissioning (procurement) of new SCC providers |
| Early 2028 | Supporting participants and providers before the transition |
| From 1 July 2028 | The new SCC service starts |
Other reforms run alongside it. The NDIAโs page on the new NDIS laws (current as of 23 September 2026) says it will begin introducing a new way of planning from April 2027. See our guide to NDIS planning changes.
What This Means for You Right Now
“Will I lose my support coordinator?”
Not before 1 July 2028. The paper says all participants will continue to access support coordination under existing arrangements until then. After that date, it says there may be changes in who you work with, if your current support coordinator isnโt part of the SCC organisation in your area.
“Will support coordination still be in my plan?”
Until 1 July 2028, yes, if it is funded now. From that date, the paper says you will no longer be given funding in your plan for a support coordinator. If you are found eligible for SCC, the NDIA would pay for it and an SCC provider would deliver it directly.
“Will I still have choice and control?”
Choice and control is one of the five objectives in the paper, and “preservation of participant choice and control in a potentially commissioned model” is something people raised in earlier consultations. How choice will work with one lead organisation per region is one of the questions the consultation asks, so this is a good point to raise in a submission.
“What about psychosocial recovery coaching?”
The paper says the SCC model replaces the three levels of support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaching with two levels, and that the recovery coaching workforce will potentially transition to provide SCC services for participants with psychosocial disability. See our recovery coach guide for how recovery coaching works today.
What Stays the Same Until 1 July 2028
- Support coordination funded in your current plan continues as it is
- You choose your support coordinator, and the NDIA says you can change your support coordinator at any time
- The three current levels of support coordination, explained in our support coordination levels guide
- Your right to ask for an internal review of an NDIA decision, and then the Administrative Review Tribunal
How to Have Your Say (Closes 2 October 2026)
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the NDIA want to hear from participants, families, carers and kin, advocates, disability support workers and providers. The paper asks, for example:
- What is working well in support coordination today that you would like to keep?
- What experience, skills and knowledge do you look for in an SCC worker?
- When should SCC be face to face, and when virtual?
- What would help you feel safe receiving SCC services, and speak up if something is wrong?
- What transition arrangements would minimise disruption?
You can upload a written or video submission (including in Auslan) on the Support Coordination and Connection consultation page, which also has an Easy Read version of the paper. Submissions close on 2 October 2026. Questions go to SCCreform@health.gov.au. The NDIAโs news item of 7 September 2026 announced the consultation.
Whatโs Already Happening Behind the Scenes
The NDIAโs Quality Supports Program shares more than $45 million in grant funding across three pilots that started in 2025, including a support coordination pilot. The NDIA says the support coordination pilot runs for 12 months with three registered providers, to identify features of quality service provision and the costs of delivering quality support coordination.
From December 2024 to December 2025, the consultation paper says the NDIA consulted more than 370 stakeholders across more than 20 activities on intermediary supports. People consistently asked for clearer roles, stronger quality standards and safeguards, a capable workforce, continuity of trusted relationships, better support for complex needs and thin markets, and choice and control.
5 Steps You Can Take Right Now
1. Understand the support coordination you have now
Know which level of support coordination is in your plan, and what your coordinator does for you. It helps you judge any future change against what you receive.
2. Have your say before 2 October 2026
If you use support coordination or recovery coaching, your experience is exactly what the consultation asks for.
3. Keep a record of the coordination support you rely on
Appointments, connecting with services, managing crises and preparing for plan reassessments. This helps you explain your needs in any future eligibility decision.
4. Stay informed through official channels
Follow NDIA news and the departmentโs consultation hub. The paper says the NDIA will work closely with participants to explain the changes once the government has made its decisions.
5. Talk to your support coordinator
Ask what they know and how they are preparing. A good coordinator will be open about what is known and what is still uncertain.
Centre of Hopeโs Position: Honest and Transparent
Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider, and support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaching are among the services we deliver. So this reform directly affects our own services, and we think you deserve a straight account of it.
- Nothing changes for your current support coordination before 1 July 2028, and we will keep supporting you as we do now
- The design is not final. We are following the consultation closely and will update this guide when the government decides
- Whatever the service is called, what matters stays the same: your goals lead, you get honest advice, and your supports work together
Your goals. Your plan. Our support.
๐ Call us: 0432 250 900
๐ Visit: centreofhope.com.au
๐ Refer: Submit a referral
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an NDIS navigator?
It is a role the NDIS Review recommended in December 2023, to help people with disability find and use mainstream, community, foundational and NDIS supports. The Review proposed six types, from general navigators to lead practitioners for children. For support coordination, the government is now proposing a new Support Coordination and Connection service from 1 July 2028.
Will NDIS navigators replace support coordinators?
The navigator model itself has not been adopted as proposed. What the government has announced is a commissioned SCC service from 1 July 2028 that will replace the way participants currently receive support coordination. Its design is under consultation until 2 October 2026.
Will support coordination come out of my NDIS plan after 2028?
No. Under the proposed model, you would no longer get support coordination funding in your plan. If you are eligible for SCC, the NDIA would fund it directly.
Will everyone get the new SCC service?
No. The paper says not every participant will need or be eligible for it. The government will agree eligibility criteria and the NDIA will apply them.
Will I keep my current support coordinator?
Until 1 July 2028, yes, under existing arrangements. After that, the paper says you may work with someone different if your current coordinator isnโt part of the SCC organisation in your area. Continuity of trusted relationships is one of the priorities it lists for the transition.
What happens to psychosocial recovery coaching?
The paper proposes replacing both the three support coordination levels and psychosocial recovery coaching with two SCC levels, and says the recovery coaching workforce will potentially transition to provide SCC for participants with psychosocial disability.
How do I have my say?
Make a written or video submission on the departmentโs Support Coordination and Connection consultation page before 2 October 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and does not replace advice about your own situation. It is current as at 25 September 2026, and reflects the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and NDIA consultation paper NDIS Support Coordination and Connection Reform (September 2026), the consultation page (open 7 September to 2 October 2026), NDIA news of 7 September 2026, the NDIA new NDIS laws page (current as of 23 September 2026), the NDIA Quality Supports Program page, and the NDIS Review navigator fact sheet. The SCC service is a proposal: its eligibility, levels, providers and timing are early ideas, and the final design is a decision for the government. Confirm the latest at ndis.gov.au. This content is not legal, financial or professional advice.
