If you’ve been following the NDIS changes, you’ve probably heard the word “navigators” mentioned more and more. And if you’re wondering what it means for your support coordinator — and for you — you’re not alone.
The NDIS Review Final Report, released in December 2023, recommended replacing support coordinators, specialist support coordinators, psychosocial recovery coaches, and Local Area Coordinators (LACs) with a new role called NDIS navigators. It’s one of the biggest proposed changes to how NDIS participants receive support — and understandably, it’s causing a lot of questions and concern.
In this guide, we’ll cut through the confusion and explain exactly what NDIS navigators are, how they differ from your current support coordinator, what the timeline looks like, and — most importantly — what it all means for you.
What Are NDIS Navigators?
NDIS navigators are a proposed new role designed to help people with disability navigate not just the NDIS, but the entire support system — including mainstream services, community supports, and the new foundational supports being rolled out by the government.
The NDIS Review identified a core problem: there are too many different players involved in helping people navigate the NDIS. Support coordinators, specialist support coordinators, psychosocial recovery coaches, LACs, and early childhood partners all play overlapping roles — creating gaps, confusion, and inconsistency.
The navigator model aims to fix this by creating one unified system with different levels of support, matched to your needs.
Here’s the key difference: while your current support coordinator is funded from your NDIS plan budget, navigators would be funded by the NDIA outside of your plan. That means navigation support wouldn’t eat into your funding — it would be available on top of it.
The 6 Types of NDIS Navigators
The NDIS Review didn’t propose a one-size-fits-all navigator. Instead, it recommended six specialist roles, each designed for different situations and needs.
1. General Navigator
General navigators would support all people with disability under 65 — whether they’re NDIS participants or not. Their role includes helping you understand what mainstream, foundational, or NDIS supports are right for your needs, developing an action plan for using your budget, and doing regular check-ins.
Think of them as your first point of contact — a guide who helps you figure out where to start and what’s available.
2. Specialist Navigator
Specialist navigators would provide more intensive support for participants with complex needs — similar to what current Level 3 specialist support coordinators do today. They’d work with you if you’re interacting with multiple service systems (health, justice, child protection, housing) and need someone with deep expertise to coordinate across all of them.
The Review recommends specialist navigators hold qualifications in allied health or social work, with smaller caseloads of around 1:24 — meaning more time and attention for each person they support.
3. Psychosocial Recovery Navigator
This role replaces the current psychosocial recovery coach. Psychosocial recovery navigators would support people living with severe and complex mental health conditions — both NDIS participants and non-participants — through a recovery-enabling, coordinated support model.
They’d provide active outreach, help with NDIS applications, goal-setting, and connections to mental health and housing services. The Review expects much of the current psychosocial recovery coaching workforce to transition into these roles.
4. Housing and Living Navigator
A dedicated specialist who helps NDIS participants identify, trial, and negotiate housing options. This role recognises that housing is one of the most complex and important parts of the NDIS — and that participants deserve someone with deep expertise in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), Supported Independent Living (SIL), and innovative housing models.
5. Shared Support Facilitator
This is a specialist role for people living in shared housing arrangements. The shared support facilitator would ensure every resident has meaningful input into their living arrangements, remaining independent from providers and property managers. It’s about making sure your voice is heard, even in shared settings.
6. Lead Practitioner
Lead practitioners would work with children and families, identifying developmental needs early and coordinating foundational, mainstream, and NDIS-funded supports. They’d use a family-centred, transdisciplinary approach — working across education, health, and early childhood services.
How Do Navigators Differ from Support Coordinators?
If you currently have a support coordinator, you might be wondering: “Isn’t this basically the same thing?” There are similarities — but also some important differences.
| Feature | Current Support Coordinators | Proposed NDIS Navigators |
|---|---|---|
| Who can access | Only NDIS participants with SC in their plan | All people with disability under 65 |
| Funding source | Comes from your NDIS plan budget | Funded by NDIA outside your plan |
| Scope | Primarily NDIS-focused | NDIS + mainstream + community supports |
| Independence | Can work for providers who deliver other NDIS services | Must be fully independent — cannot provide other NDIS services |
| Caseload | Often high caseloads, variable quality | Smaller caseloads (recommended 1:24) |
| Consistency | Varies by provider | Nationally consistent governance, training, and branding |
In short, the navigator role looks a lot like the current support coordinator function — but with a broader scope, stronger independence requirements, and funding that doesn’t come out of your plan.
Why Is This Change Being Proposed?
The NDIS Review identified several problems with the current system that the navigator model aims to solve.
Too many overlapping roles
Support coordinators, specialist support coordinators, psychosocial recovery coaches, LACs, and early childhood partners all play slightly different roles — but participants often don’t understand who does what, or who to turn to. The Review found this creates confusion and gaps in support.
Conflict of interest concerns
Under the current system, many support coordinators work for organisations that also deliver other NDIS services. The Review identified this as a potential conflict of interest — a coordinator employed by a therapy provider might be more likely to recommend that provider’s services, even if other options might suit you better.
The navigator model addresses this by requiring navigators to be fully independent. Navigator organisations would be barred from offering other NDIS-funded services altogether.
Inconsistent quality
The quality of support coordination varies significantly across the sector. The Review found that some participants receive excellent, proactive coordination, while others get very little for their funding. Navigators would operate under nationally consistent standards, with standardised training, governance, monitoring, and accountability.
Navigation funding comes from your plan
Currently, if you want a support coordinator, the funding comes from your NDIS plan — meaning every dollar spent on coordination is a dollar you can’t spend on other supports. The navigator model removes this trade-off by funding navigation outside of participant plans.
What’s the Timeline? When Does This Happen?
This is the question we hear most often. Here’s what we know as of March 2026.
The NDIS Review recommended a five-year implementation period to allow for proper design, testing, and transition. The Review was explicit: changes should be gradual, co-designed with people with disability, and must prioritise continuity of support.
Here’s the current timeline:
- December 2023 — NDIS Review Final Report released with navigator recommendation
- 2024–2025 — Government consultation on navigator design; the 2024–2025 Federal Budget included $20 million over two years for preliminary Navigator consultation and design work; $45 million Quality Supports Program launched, including a support coordination pilot to evaluate quality service delivery
- July 2025 – July 2026 — Foundational Supports Strategy being developed with federal-state coordination
- Mid-2026 onwards — New framework planning commences, with gradual rollout
- 2026–2028 (estimated) — Navigator model expected to be co-designed, piloted, and gradually rolled out
The bottom line: navigators are not replacing your support coordinator tomorrow, next month, or even this year. The government has committed to a careful, phased transition — and your current support coordination arrangement stays in place until the new model is fully operational in your area.
What This Means for You Right Now
Let’s address the concerns we hear from participants and families every day.
“Will I lose my support coordinator?”
Not any time soon. Your current support coordination arrangement continues as normal. The navigator transition has not started, and the government has made clear that changes will be gradual with no sudden disruptions.
When the transition does happen, the Review expects much of the current support coordination workforce to become navigators. Many of the people who support you today will likely continue supporting you in a navigator role — with enhanced training and a broader scope.
“Will I still have choice and control?”
Yes. The navigator model is designed to be directed by you, not by the NDIS or the navigator. You’ll still set your goals, choose your providers, and make decisions about your life. The Review was clear: navigators work for you, not the other way around.
“Will navigation cost me funding?”
Actually, the opposite. Under the current system, support coordination comes out of your plan budget. Under the proposed navigator model, navigation support would be funded outside your plan — meaning you’d get navigation support on top of your regular funding, not instead of it.
“What if I don’t want to change?”
Change can feel unsettling — especially when you have a support coordinator you trust. That’s completely valid. The Review acknowledged this and recommended prioritising continuity of support during the transition. The five-year timeline exists specifically to avoid rushed or disruptive changes.
What Stays the Same?
With all the talk about what’s changing, it’s important to highlight what isn’t changing.
- ✅ Your right to choose your providers and services
- ✅ Your NDIS plan and current supports continue
- ✅ Your appeal rights if you disagree with a decision
- ✅ Your goals remain at the centre of everything
- ✅ Self-managed, plan-managed, and NDIA-managed options stay
- ✅ Support coordination as a funded support in your plan — right now, nothing has changed
The fundamentals of the NDIS — choice, control, and person-centred support — are not changing. The navigator model is about how coordination support is delivered, not whether you receive it.
The Potential Benefits of the Navigator Model
While change can feel scary, there are some genuinely positive elements in the proposed navigator model that could improve outcomes for participants.
No more funding trade-offs. Navigation support funded outside your plan means you keep more of your budget for the supports that matter most — therapy, employment support, community access, and daily living.
Broader scope of support. Navigators would help you access all supports — not just NDIS-funded ones. That includes mainstream services (health, education, housing), community supports, and the new foundational supports. Currently, support coordinators are primarily focused on NDIS services.
Greater independence. Navigators can’t also be service providers. That means the person helping you choose services has no financial interest in which services you choose. This is a significant improvement for trust and transparency.
More consistent quality. National standards for training, governance, and monitoring mean less variation in the quality of support you receive — no matter where you live.
Smaller caseloads. The Review recommended a caseload of around 1:24 for specialist navigators, with an average of five hours per month per participant. That’s more time and attention than many participants currently receive from their support coordinator.
Flexible support that adapts to your needs. Under the current system, your support coordination budget is fixed — even if your circumstances change mid-plan. The navigator model proposes caseloads that can flex up or down as your needs change, meaning more support during crises and life transitions, without waiting for a plan review.
Available to more people. Navigators would be available to all people with disability under 65 — not just NDIS participants. This means people waiting for NDIS access, or those who don’t qualify for the NDIS, would still be able to get help navigating the system.
The Concerns Worth Watching
No reform is perfect, and there are legitimate concerns about the navigator transition that are worth keeping an eye on.
Loss of trusted relationships. Many participants have built strong, trusting relationships with their support coordinators. Even if coordinators transition to navigator roles, there’s no guarantee you’ll keep the same person — especially if the organisation they work for doesn’t meet the new independence requirements.
Implementation complexity. Moving from the current system to six types of navigators with nationally consistent governance is a massive undertaking. The quality of the transition will depend on how well it’s co-designed with people with disability and the sector.
Rural and regional access. Ensuring navigator coverage in rural and remote areas — where support coordination is already thin — will be a major challenge.
Independence vs local knowledge. Requiring navigators to be independent from service providers is good for reducing conflicts of interest. But in smaller communities, the organisations that know the local landscape best are often the ones also delivering services. NDS has suggested that navigators could potentially sit within existing community services — such as community health organisations or Aboriginal community-controlled organisations — with strong local connections. Balancing independence with local expertise will be important.
Will you be able to choose your navigator? Under the current system, you can choose your support coordinator. But it’s not yet clear whether participants will have the same choice over who their navigator is. The NDIS Review calls for continuity of support during the transition, but how navigator allocation will actually work hasn’t been confirmed. This is something to watch closely.
Workforce uncertainty. NDS has reported that some experienced support coordinators are already leaving the industry due to the uncertain environment. Retaining skilled workers during a multi-year transition will be critical — and NDS has urged targeted support and appropriate pricing to prevent further workforce erosion.
Risk of a “LAC reboot.” There’s concern in the sector that navigator contracts could be tendered only to large organisations — similar to how LAC contracts were awarded — potentially shutting out smaller, independent support coordinators who currently provide highly personalised services. Industry voices have been clear: independent operators must have the opportunity to transition into navigator roles.
Foundational supports need to come first. Navigators are designed to help people access mainstream, community, and foundational supports — but many of those foundational supports are still being developed. NDS has stressed that foundational supports should ideally be established before the navigator model is fully rolled out, so navigators actually have services to connect people with.
What’s Already Happening Behind the Scenes
While the full navigator model is still being designed, important groundwork is already underway.
The $45 Million Quality Supports Program
The NDIA has launched a $45 million Quality Supports Program that includes a dedicated support coordination pilot. This pilot, running from April 2025 to April 2026, is working with selected support coordination providers to evaluate what quality service delivery looks like — including the costs and outcomes of providing genuinely good support coordination.
The findings from this pilot will directly inform how navigators are designed and what standards they’ll need to meet.
The DANA and NDS Navigator Principles
In April 2025, the Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) and National Disability Services (NDS) released a joint report — Guiding the Way: Building Common Principles for Navigators — based on direct input from their members. The report identifies 11 key principles for the navigator role, including:
- Navigators must be independent — separate from the NDIA, from service providers, and from advocacy organisations
- Navigators must be connected to their communities with genuine local knowledge
- Navigators must be trauma-informed and person-centred
- Navigators must prioritise choice and control, including supported decision-making
- People with disability must be employed as navigators
- Navigators must be accountable and continuously improving
These principles are now helping shape the policy discussions around how navigators will actually work in practice.
Victorian Schools Navigator Initiative
A navigator initiative is already being implemented in Victorian government specialist schools, where navigators are helping parents and carers understand, navigate, and access the supports available to their children under the NDIS. NDS has suggested these navigators could expand their scope to include advice on foundational supports and early childhood services — offering a real-world glimpse of what the broader navigator model could look like.
5 Steps You Can Take Right Now
You don’t need to do anything urgent. But if you want to feel prepared, here are five practical steps.
1. Understand how your current support coordination works. Know what level of support coordination you have (Level 2 or Level 3), how much funding is allocated, and what your coordinator does for you. This helps you assess any future changes against what you currently receive.
2. Build a strong relationship with your support coordinator. The Review expects most support coordinators to become navigators. A coordinator who knows you well and is invested in your goals will likely continue supporting you — whatever their title changes to.
3. Stay informed — but don’t panic. Follow updates from the NDIA and the NDIS Review resources. Changes will be gradual, and there will be plenty of notice before anything affects your plan.
4. Document your support needs. Keep a record of what coordination support you rely on — attending appointments, connecting with services, managing crises, preparing for plan reviews. This evidence will help during any transition assessment.
5. Talk to your support coordinator. Ask them what they know about the navigator changes and how their organisation is preparing. A good coordinator will be transparent about what they know and what’s still uncertain.
What COH’s Position Is — Honest and Transparent
At Centre of Hope, we believe you deserve honesty — even when the topic is one that directly affects our own services.
Yes, the navigator recommendation means the role of support coordination as we know it will eventually evolve. We don’t shy away from that. But here’s what we also know:
- The skills, relationships, and values that make great support coordination are the same ones that will make great navigation
- Our team is already independent — we don’t provide other NDIS services, so we have no conflicts of interest when connecting you to providers
- The work we do today — coordinating across justice, health, housing, and community systems — is exactly the broader scope the navigator model envisions
- Whatever the role is called, our mission stays the same: empowering you to achieve your goals with the right support
Your goals. Your plan. Our support — today and into the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an NDIS navigator?
An NDIS navigator is a proposed new role that would replace support coordinators, specialist support coordinators, psychosocial recovery coaches, and Local Area Coordinators. Navigators would help people with disability access NDIS supports, mainstream services, and community supports through one unified system. The NDIS Review recommended six types of navigators to match different levels of need.
When will NDIS navigators replace support coordinators?
There is no confirmed start date for the navigator transition. The NDIS Review recommended a five-year implementation period from 2023, with gradual rollout after proper design and testing. As of March 2026, support coordination continues as normal. Changes will be phased and well-communicated before they affect your plan.
Will I lose my current support coordinator?
Not in the near future. Your current support coordination arrangement continues unchanged. When the transition does happen, the NDIS Review expects much of the support coordination workforce to become navigators — meaning many current coordinators will likely continue in the new role with additional training and a broader scope.
Will navigators cost money from my NDIS plan?
No. Under the proposed model, navigators would be funded by the NDIA outside of your NDIS plan budget. This means you’d receive navigation support without it reducing your plan funding — a significant improvement over the current system where support coordination comes from your plan.
Can I still choose my own providers under the navigator model?
Yes. The navigator model is built on the same NDIS principles of choice and control. You’ll continue to choose your own providers, set your own goals, and make your own decisions. Navigators are there to help you — not to make decisions for you.
Will I be able to choose my own navigator?
This hasn’t been confirmed yet. Under the current system, you choose your own support coordinator. The NDIS Review calls for continuity of support during the transition, and industry bodies like DANA have emphasised that choice and control must remain central. However, exactly how navigator allocation will work — whether it’s participant-led or assigned — is still being designed. This is an important detail to watch as the model develops.
What’s the difference between a navigator and a support coordinator?
The main differences are: navigators would be funded outside your plan (not from your budget), they’d be fully independent from service providers (reducing conflicts of interest), they’d have a broader scope covering mainstream and community supports (not just NDIS), and they’d operate under nationally consistent standards. The day-to-day function — helping you navigate supports and achieve your goals — remains similar.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and reflects what is publicly known as of March 2026. The NDIS navigator model is a recommendation from the NDIS Review and has not yet been implemented. Details may change as the government progresses with design, consultation, and rollout. For the latest official information, visit ndis.gov.au or speak with your support coordinator. This content does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice.
