This article is based on an NDIA Easy Read Document about working with providers dated October 2024.
Participants should always check the current NDIS website for the latest official guidance.
NDIS providers support people with disability by delivering services, supports, or products that relate to a participant’s NDIS plan. A provider may be an individual, business, or organisation, depending on the type of support being delivered.
A participant works with providers to use the funded supports in their NDIS plan. The plan explains how the NDIS will support you, and you choose which providers you want to work with.
Find out more about your NDIS plan
Choosing the right provider matters because providers should be able to deliver the support you need and help you work towards your goals. A good provider relationship should be clear, respectful, and focused on your needs, preferences, and plan.
All NDIS providers and workers must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct sets out rules about how providers and workers should behave, including expectations around respect, safety, quality, honesty, and participant rights.
What is a Provider?
A provider is a person, business, or organisation that delivers NDIS supports to participants. Providers can include sole traders, large companies, charities, not-for-profits, and other types of businesses or organisations.
Providers may deliver many different kinds of support. Examples of NDIS providers:
Physiotherapist
Occupational Therapist
Support Worker
Plan Manager
Support Coordinator
Recovery Coach
Behaviour Support
Assistive Technology supplier
Home and Living Provider
Participants can usually choose which provides they want to work with once they have an NDIS plan and funding. However, there are some situations where you must use a registered provider or a particular type of provider.
Registered VS Unregistered Providers
There are two main types of providers:
Registered providers
Unregistered providers
Registered providers are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and must meet specific conditions for quality and safety.
Registered providers are on an official list and must follow registration requirements, including NDIS Practice Standards. These standards help set expectations for safe and quality services.
Unregistered providers are not registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. They don’t have the same registration requirements as registered providers, but both registered and unregistered providers must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct when delivering NDIS supports.
Participants must use registered providers when their funding is NDIA-managed.
Some supports must also be delivered by registered providers, regardless of how the participant’s funding is managed. This includes plan management, regulated services, such as behaviour support, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), and Supported Independent Living (SIL).
Behaviour supports are supports that help understand and respond to behaviours of concern. SDA is housing for participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, and SIL is support with daily tasks at home to help participants build skills and independence.
Participants who self-manage their funding or use a registered plan manager can typically choose registered or unregistered providers for many supports. This can increase choice, but participants still need to make sure the provider is appropriate, safe, and able to deliver the support needed.
How to Choose a Provider
You should get to know a provider before choosing to work with them. It can help to ask what supports the provider delivers, how much they charge, how they communicate, whether they have availability, and whether they have experience supporting people with similar needs.
There are several ways to find a provider. You can search online, ask friends and family, speak with support groups, contact disability organisations, or ask your my NDIS contact, support coordinator or recovery coach for help.
You can also use the NDIS Provider Finder tool to find registered providers. Provider Finder allows participants to search for registered providers and then find out more about service agreements and service bookings.
Before starting with a provider, it’s a good idea to meet or speak with them. This gives you a chance to ask questions, explain your support needs, discuss costs, and decide whether the provider is a good fit.
Changing Providers
You can change providers at any time. You may choose to change providers because your needs have changed, the provider isn’t the right fit, there are concerns about service quality, or you want to work with someone else.
If you are unhappy with a provider, you may choose to speak with the provider first if you feel comfortable doing so. You can ask for changes, explain what isn’t working and refer back to the service agreement if there is one.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the provider directly, you can ask someone you trust for support. This may include a family member, friend, advocate, support coordinator, recovery coach, or plan manager.
Before leaving a provider, you should check your service agreement. The agreement may explain notice periods, cancellation periods, fees, final payments, and what needs to happen before the service ends.
It’s also a good idea to find a new provider before finishing with the current provider, where possible. This can help reduce gaps in supports or services.
The NDIS Commission can take complaints about providers and workers. Participants can contact the NDIS Commission if they don’t feel comfortable raising a concern with the provider, or if they aren’t happy with how the provider responds.
Working with providers is a central part of using an NDIS plan. You can choose the providers you want to work with, but it’s important to understand when providers must be registered, how pricing works, what service agreements should include, how to change providers, and when the NDIA needs provider details recorded aas my providers.
Understanding provider relationships can also help you use your funding more confidently, reduce confusion around invoices and claims, and make clearer decisions about who delivers their supports.
Get the Support You Need with Purple Leopard Plan Management
At Purple Leopard, we’re here to help participants to navigate the complexities of the NDIS. Contact us today to learn how we can support you in getting the most out of your NDIS plan!
For more information visit: ndis.gov.au
Or Call the NDIS
For Participants: 1800 800 110
For Providers: 1300 311 675