Understand your plan
We explain budgets, stated supports, flexibility, plan management and what different funding categories can be used for—without drowning you in jargon.
NDIS Support Coordination
Make your plan work for your life.
Support Coordination helps you understand your NDIS plan, connect the right supports and build the confidence to direct them. We stay alongside you through decisions, changes and the moments when the system feels hard to navigate.
YOUR CHOICEYou choose your coordinator, providers and priorities.
PLAIN LANGUAGEWe explain budgets, agreements and options clearly.
LOCAL CONNECTIONSSupport across Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, the Hunter and Central Coast.
What it is
Coordination is about capacity—not taking control away.
Support Coordination is a Capacity Building support. Its purpose is to help you understand and use your NDIS plan, connect with funded providers and with community, mainstream and government services, and develop the skills to coordinate supports more independently over time.
A support coordinator is different from a plan manager. A plan manager pays provider invoices and helps track the financial administration of your plan. A support coordinator helps you decide how supports should work together, identify options, establish services and respond when circumstances change.
Your plan needs to include funding for support coordination before it can be delivered. The level included depends on your circumstances and what the NDIA considers reasonable and necessary in relation to your goals.
Based on current official guidance from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
How Empowerment Supports can help
From a plan on paper to support that works day to day.
Clarify goals and priorities
We help turn broad goals into practical next steps, including what needs attention now, what can wait and what a successful support arrangement would look like to you.
Explore providers and options
We help identify suitable providers, prepare questions, compare fit and availability, and understand service agreements before you decide. The final choice remains yours.
Set up supports
We coordinate introductions, referrals, assessments and service schedules so each provider knows their role and your supports work together rather than in isolation.
Navigate life transitions
Leaving school, moving home, returning from hospital, starting work or responding to family changes can involve many systems. We help plan the sequence and keep communication moving.
Respond to barriers and risk
When services break down or circumstances change, we help identify the problem, develop practical contingencies and reconnect the right people while respecting your choices.
Build confidence and independence
We work with you, not around you—sharing information, decision tools and skills so you can take greater control of coordination where that is your goal.
Prepare for reassessment
We help gather provider information, reflect on progress and clarify what is working, what is not and what evidence may be useful for conversations with the NDIA.
The three funded levels
What level is written in your plan?
The NDIS can fund three levels. Each has a different purpose and scope. Your plan or my NDIS contact can help confirm which level applies.
Support Connection
Helps you understand your plan, make connections with providers, community and mainstream services, and grow confidence in managing supports.
A lighter-touch level focused on connection and plan use.
Support Coordination
Helps establish a mix of supports and build the skills to manage service delivery, maintain relationships, live more independently and participate in community.
Often called “Coordination of Supports” in plans and service information.
Specialist Support Coordination
A higher level for complex situations, focused on significant barriers, risks and maintaining consistent services within a challenging support environment.
It requires appropriately qualified and experienced specialist practitioners and must be specifically included in the plan.
Official level descriptions: NDIS guide to working as a support coordinator.
You stay in the lead
Choice, transparency and independence.
A good coordinator provides options and advice without steering you toward a provider for someone else’s benefit. If the same organisation offers coordination and other supports, any actual or potential conflict of interest should be explained and managed transparently.
- You can choose and change your support coordinator.
- You should receive information in a way you understand.
- You decide which providers to engage.
- Service agreements and charges should be clear before supports begin.
- Concerns and complaints should be answered without affecting your supports.
Read the NDIS guidance on conflicts of interest.
A common point of confusion
Support coordinator or plan manager?
| Support coordinator | Plan manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Main role | Helps you understand, organise and use supports to pursue your goals. | Manages provider invoices, claims and financial administration. |
| Choosing providers | Helps you explore and compare options; you make the decision. | Can help check whether a provider’s charge aligns with your funding and process invoices. |
| Coordinating services | Helps providers, mainstream services and informal supports work together. | Does not ordinarily design or coordinate your support arrangements. |
| Funding | Requires support coordination funding in your plan. | Requires plan-management funding or inclusion in your plan-management arrangements. |
Getting started
A clear first month.
We begin with understanding, not paperwork for its own sake.
Initial conversation
Tell us about your plan, goals, current services and what feels urgent.
Plan and priorities
We review available information with your consent and agree what to work on first.
Options and connections
We research, compare and establish supports based on your preferences.
Review and build capacity
We check what is working, adjust where needed and share tools and knowledge with you.
Questions people ask
Before you choose a coordinator.
Do I need Support Coordination funding in my plan?
Yes. Support Coordination is a funded Capacity Building support. If it is not included and you believe it would help, talk with your my NDIS contact about your circumstances and goals.
Can my family or support coordinator contact you for me?
Yes. Families, nominees and professionals can make an initial enquiry. We will still confirm your consent and preferences before accessing or sharing personal information.
Can I change support coordinators?
Yes. The NDIS states that you choose your coordinator and can change without waiting for your current plan to end. Check your service agreement for notice arrangements.
Will you choose all my providers?
No. We can identify options, explain differences and help ask questions, but the choice belongs to you. We should not make decisions for you or limit reasonable alternatives.
How much does Support Coordination cost?
Charges depend on the support item and current NDIS pricing schedule. We explain applicable rates and service-agreement terms before work begins and discuss any changes with you.
Can you help when services have broken down?
Yes. Depending on the coordination level in your plan, we can help map what happened, identify immediate priorities, reconnect services and build a more sustainable arrangement. Emergencies should always go to the relevant emergency service.
Let’s make the next step clearer.
Send us the support coordination level in your plan, what you want help with and your preferred way to talk. We’ll reply with a straight answer about capacity and fit.