How do I find providers?

Finding the right providers is one of the biggest parts of making your plan work and you've got several ways to do it:

The NDIS Provider Finder in the myplace portal lists registered providers near you.
Support coordinators: if support coordination is in your plan, finding and connecting with providers is a core part of their job.
Your community: other participants, family networks and local disability groups are often the best source of honest recommendations.

Remember: if you're plan-managed or self-managed, you're not limited to registered providers, your options are much wider.

What providers can I choose from?

It depends on how your plan is managed and this is one of the biggest practical differences between the options:

Self-managed or plan-managed: you can use any provider you choose, registered with the NDIS or not. That opens up your local physio, cleaner, gardener or therapist, not just NDIS-registered businesses.
Agency-managed (NDIA-managed): you can only use NDIS-registered providers (businesses that have passed the NDIS quality and safeguard requirements).

Registered providers offer that extra layer of assurance but unregistered providers offer a much bigger pool of choice. With plan management you get the wider choice while we handle the payment rules in the background.

Can I choose the services I want?

Yes, choice and control is the whole point of the NDIS.

You choose the supports in your plan, as long as they're reasonable and necessary (fair, related to your disability and something you need to work towards your goals). You choose who delivers them and how, when and where they're delivered.

Your planning meeting is where those choices get built into your plan, which is why going in with clear goals matters so much.

If you want help working out what supports to ask for, email hello@providerchoice.com.au. Turning "what I need" into "what to ask the planner for" is something we do every day.

How do I change my service provider?

If you're not happy with your supports, you can change your service provider.

When you made your service agreement you would've decided on a notice period. This is the time you have to give them to finish up. This will also give you time to find a new provider and make a new service agreement.

But if you have a serious reason you can end the agreement straight away.

How do I create a service agreement with providers?

Once you've chosen a provider, a written service agreement makes sure you both know exactly what's been agreed. The key things to cover:

Cost - if you're plan-managed or agency-managed, prices must be at or under the NDIS price limits
Start date and end date
How often you'll receive the support
Cancellation terms - how much notice and whether fees apply
How you'll resolve issues if they come up

Keep it in plain language and don't sign anything you don't understand. A good provider will happily take the time to talk it through.

We've made a simple service agreement explainer you can use as a starting guide. Email hello@providerchoice.com.au for a copy.

Are NDIS service agreements mandatory?

Only in some situations. Service agreements are required for:

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Providers claiming an establishment fee
Agreed cancellation terms

For many everyday supports (like support workers, occupational therapists, personal trainers) a written agreement isn't compulsory. It's your call whether one suits your situation.

That said, even when optional, an agreement can work in your favour: it fixes prices for a period, sets expectations on both sides and gives you something to point to if things go wrong.

Want our simple service agreement checklist? Email hello@providerchoice.com.au.

What is support coordination?

Support coordination is funding in your plan for someone whose job is helping you make your plan work - understanding it, connecting with providers and building your confidence to manage your supports over time.

A support coordinator helps you:

Understand your plan and what your funding can do
Find and connect with providers and set up your supports
Link with mainstream and community supports beyond the NDIS, like health, education and Centrelink services
Build your capacity, so you need less help coordinating over time

There are three levels, matched to how much help you need:

Support connection: lighter-touch help to connect with supports and get going
Support coordination: ongoing help to coordinate your supports and participate in your community
Specialist support coordination: for more complex situations, delivered by a specialist practitioner

Worth knowing: under the NDIS reforms, a new "navigator" role is being introduced over the coming years, which will gradually change how this kind of help is delivered. Nothing changes for your current plan, if support coordination is funded in it, use it.

Support coordination has to be funded in your plan, so if you'd benefit, raise it at your planning meeting. Want help to check if it's included in your current plan? Email hello@providerchoice.com.au.

Does the NDIS fund case management?

Not under that name but it funds something close, with an important difference in philosophy.

Traditional case management involves someone managing your services for you, ongoing. The NDIS instead funds support coordination: help that's designed to build your own capacity, so that over time you're coordinating your supports yourself. It's often funded for the first couple of years of your plan or during big life transitions, then stepped down as your confidence grows.

The shift is deliberate. The NDIS is built on choice and control, so the goal is you in the driver's seat, with support to get there.

For what support coordination covers and the three levels available, see our FAQ: What is support coordination?

How is the NDIS helping people find the right assistive technology?

Finding the right assistive technology usually starts with the right advice and the NDIS funds exactly that: assessments from AT advisors like occupational therapists, who match equipment to your needs and goals. For most mid and high-cost items, that assessment is part of the funding process anyway.

Beyond the formal advice:

Trial before you buy where you can: many suppliers and AT services offer equipment trials
Talk to people who use it: other participants' real-world experience is worth a lot
Check what's claimable before purchasing: especially for lower-cost items you buy yourself

If you're weighing up an AT purchase and want a sense-check on the process or whether it's claimable, email hello@providerchoice.com.au.

Finding NDIS Providers & Support Coordination