Working with providers

You have choice and control about:

• who provides your services
• how they provide those services.

Providers support people who take part in the NDIS by delivering a service.

Providers can be:

• a person
• a business or organisation.

Providers can support you in different areas of your life. 

They should help you work towards the goals in your NDIS plan. 

Your NDIS plan is a document that has information about: 

• you and your goals
• the supports you need 
• the funding the NDIS will give you.

Funding is the money from your plan that pays for the supports you need.

Once you have your plan, you can find providers that can support you.

Your providers need your consent to look at parts of your plan.

When you give your consent, you say it is ok for someone to do something.

You can decide if you want to give consent to your providers to look at parts of your plan.

You can find out about consent on our page about Consent for your providers to see your plan.

You can find out more on our page about What is a provider.

You can also download our fact sheet to find out about working with providers. 

You can find out more on our page about Booklets and factsheets.

Registered providers:

• are on a list we look after
• have to follow strict rules.

You can choose to get support from registered providers if:

• you manage your own plan
• someone else manages your plan, like a provider or a family member. 

You can also get support from providers that are not registered.

Your plan might be ‘Agency-managed’.

This is when you ask the NDIA to manage the funding in your plan for you.

You can only choose registered providers for the Agency-managed parts of your plan.

We can help you find the right providers.

You can ask your my NDIS contact to help you. 

Your my NDIS contact is a support person who you have a lot of contact with.

This may be a local area coordinator. 

A local area coordinator is a person who helps people with disability find and use supports.

Your my NDIS contact may be an early childhood partner.

An early childhood partner is a person who supports children with disability and their families.

You can research providers on the internet. 

It is a good idea to check what other people have said about their services. 

You should ask your family and friends what they think about different providers.

You can also meet with providers before you start working with them. 

That way you can find out if you would like them to support you.

You can use the Provider finder page on the NDIS website to find registered providers. 

We also have Guides and tip sheets on the NDIS website to help you find providers that are right for you.

It is a good idea to make a service agreement with the providers you want to work with.

A service agreement is a plan for how you and your provider will work together. 
It explains: 

• what supports you will use 
• how your provider will give you those supports.

Once you have a service agreement you will be ready to start working with your provider to:

• get support
• reach your goals.

You can find out more on our page about Making a service agreement.

You will need to contact us if your plan includes support coordination services.

Support coordination services help you manage the supports in your plan.

They can also help you find providers.

You will also need to contact us if your plan includes a psychosocial recovery coach.

A psychosocial recovery coach is someone who helps participants with psychosocial disability. 

A psychosocial recovery coach: 

• knows about mental health 
• helps you do more things for yourself 
• helps you make the most of your plan.

If you choose one of these providers, we need to check if they can work with you. 

We call this a ‘request for service’.

We do not need to send a request for service to other providers. 

We need to send a request for service if you:

• have never had these types of support before
• want to change the provider you have
• want to put the provider you have now in your new plan.

You can tell us which providers you want at the next meeting we have with you.

For example, your plan meeting or check-in.

You can also call us. 

1800 800 110

We will use our new computer system to send a request for service to the provider.

Each provider will have 4 days to accept your request for service.

If they are not able to work with you, your request for service will go to the next provider you chose.

Your provider will need to accept the request for service to get paid. 

After they accept your request for service, we will include them in your plan.

You can find out more about what providers we put in your plan on our page about My providers.