Last month was Nacre Consulting’s Quarterly Accelerator Conference. This time around we had an NDIS focus. In an exciting twist, for the first time, we invited external guests to join and we were delighted with the responses. Today we are sharing the key points and some of the strategies that were discussed for Allied Health Business Owners and professionals to consider as we navigate through the next evolution of the NDIS.
The NDIS Amendment
Our day was underpinned by our interview with Todd Winther from Disability Services Consulting. Todd’s ability to break down the legislation in comprehensible terms and relate it directly to Allied Health was completely on the mark. The long and the short of it is, that while there is every chance that referrals of people with NDIS Plans are likely to reduce, especially with respect to young children, there is likely to be an increase in the need for assessment and reporting to link support needs with the eligible impairment. Todd spoke to some very specific reporting changes that may need to be made to meet the new rules. We also should keep a lookout for the Rules that will accompany the legislation which are due by October 3rd – especially the transitional arrangements for Early Childhood and the list of approved NDIS Supports. There was so much more in this interview.
Strategies: Upskill yourself on what this legislation means for Allied Health, for your clients and how your reporting methods may need to be tweaked to ensure that Participants are approved to access the support that they need.
Foundational Supports
There is a huge amount of chatter but so little information available about Foundational Supports. Nacre Consulting is involved in the Early Childhood component working with a group of national stakeholders to present a unified response to government about what these supports might look like.
We know that there are General Foundational Supports and Targeted Foundational Supports. We also know that they are designed to provide more universal support to people with disabilities across a range of domains including housing, justice, education etc and across a range of disability groups.
We do not have a definition of what Foundational Supports are; what the eligibility will be to access them; whether they can be used alongside an NDIS Plan; a framework for how they will be funded; clear desired outcomes for their use. As you can see, there is a lot that isn’t known.
In the Early Childhood space we can assume that the numbers of children with NDIS Plans are going to drop which will affect how referrals currently operate. We are yet to see how Foundational Supports will be funded so there is no way of knowing whether children who access this pathway will be able to choose providers. We also don’t know at this time what their support will look like.
It is important to note that the Commonwealth government have been highly focused on work in the Early Childhood area – across all children not just those needing intervention. This has included the Early Years Strategy and the Early Years Learning Framework and the very recently reported Productivity Commission report ‘A Path to Universal Early Education and Care’. I am making some assumptions that there will be an attempt to pull them all together to encompass the Early Childhood component of both Foundational Supports and the delivery of Early Childhood within the NDIS which we will cover in the next section.
Strategies: If you are relying on Early Childhood referrals, it may be time to start contingency planning for a reduction in referrals and therefore revenue on this line and planning for alternative streams or pivoting the business into other areas. Have this plan in your pocket, but continue as usual for now as who knows what the end result will be.
Early Childhood (NDIS)
The NDIA have pulled together a Childrens Expert Advisory Group to inform the future of Early Childhood Service Delivery into the future.
The Professionals and Researchers in Early Childhood Intervention team are completing a consultation into Best Practice in Early Childhood and are aiming to present a framework that can be used flexibly across all demographics and geographical areas. This is due around March 2005.
We are still awaiting the new rules (see above) that will tell us which children will move through to an NDIS Plan and who will be steered towards Foundational Supports instead (and what they can access through this stream and how).
All in all, we still have more questions than answers about what the expectation will be for service delivery within the NDIS for our littlies and their families. However, we could make a few assumptions based on previous
- Key worker / Lead Practitioner model is likely to be the preferred model.
- Interventions to occur within natural environments is likely to be the preferred model.
- The Early Childhood module of the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators is a great place to start preparing.
Strategies: Study up on Key Worker / Lead Practitioner service delivery models. There are some free training options via the ECIA Vic / Tas website to get you started. Review possible changes that you would need to make if you were to change your model to an outreach model. Consider how you can start to work more closely with other disciplines to improve your understanding of how other goals are interacting with your own.
AI and Allied Health
Everbility popped in to demonstrate their rather impressive products in the AI space that have specifically been built for Allied Health professionals (rather than some others that have been built with medical professionals more in mind). The product is in constant motion in terms of additions and improvements but already boasts a really solid offer that can significantly reduce the time spent on reports and note taking just to name a couple of possible tasks.
Privacy Law and security has been heavily considered and was discussed.
Considering the possibility that Allied Health professionals are going to be relied upon more and more for NDIS evidence with very specific reporting requirements to ensure best outcomes for recommendations then these options may offer us excellent efficiencies.
Strategies: Check out Everbility’s website and have a chat with them. Consider how you can make your business more efficient with the use of AI.
NDIS Registration
The NDIS Registration Taskforce provided its report to government mid – year for what NDIS registration might look like moving forward. While we are yet to hear from government regarding which of the recommendations they are going to accept, the appointment of Taskforce report author Natalie Wade to the NDIS Commission with responsibilities for Registration and Reform implies that man of these changes are likely to be enacted.
This means that it is looking positive that Allied Health Professionals may be able to register using the AHPRA (or equivalent) registration status (cue collective sighs of relief). We are yet to see whether this will be the case for professionals supporting early childhood though – I do expect that there may be something more rigorous expected here but hopefully nothing as exhaustive or expensive as we have seen in the past.
The recent announcement to enforce mandatory registration for SIL, Platform and Support Coordination providers as the first cabs off the rank tells us that they are ready to move – but remember please that all of this is legislated and will take time to have the relevant changes made via Parliament.
Strategies: As a starting place you can get NDIS Worker Screening underway. Unregistered providers can apply for access to the Worker Screening database via the NDIS Commission and then you can have your teams start to get their checks done. Cost and time for this varies from state to state. If you are a provider of Early Childhood you may also decide to take a look at the NDIS Practice Standard module for Early Childhood and start building some compliance documentation and embedding these practices into your own, there’s every chance that these won’t change too much as they are based on evidence based best practice.
Advocacy
Our final session of the day was in relation to advocacy as a process. The exceptionally experienced Jim Simpson from the Council for Intellectual Disability provided a great framework for approaching advocacy which we can all use when trying to get best outcomes for our clients. This included identifying WHO we need to be talking to, noting that the initial decision maker is unlikely to be in a position to make any huge changes; ensure meticulous preparation; base requests on law or Rights Conventions where possible, have your evidence at the ready; be prepared to bring conversations back on track (politicians are very good at talking us away from the subject) and try to make a personal connection wherever possible – check out the persons socials etc prior to the visit.
Strategies: Have a plan when you are advocating, whether it’s to government around NDIS changes, or even just to a referral partner about what you can provide!
Goal Setting
We also facilitated a goal setting process which we do with our own members every quarter and we hope that our guests can take this process forward into their own businesses into the future.
Strategies: Setting goals is as important for your business as it is for your clients. Take the time to set small goals for the week, goals for the quarter and goals for the year ahead.
Giving Back
Massive thank you to all of our fee-paying guests. We were able to make a significant contribution to our September B1G1 chosen cause, which is supporting Women with a whole month’s worth of business training in Guatemala from your entry fee.
Last words ..
The changes are toppling from the NDIS tree faster than we can all keep up with at the moment. We are doing our very best to remain vigilant so that our members are up to date and can make the relevant changes to their businesses which gives them the best chance of pivoting whenever they need to. If you’re looking for the support you need to navigate the turbulence of 2025 and 2026, now’s the time to join us. And don’t worry, we’ll continue sharing updates with the broader community through our socials to keep everyone in the loop.
We are so grateful to everyone who came along last week, for your attendance, your contributions to the chat box and the off-mic discussions where we were all able to also do some peer learning.
And as a Nacre Consulting member, you’ll never miss a beat. Our members enjoy early access to the latest industry updates, regular training sessions on NDIS changes, and expert-led workshops. With a wealth of resources at your fingertips, you’ll have everything you need to stay ahead of the curve and steer your business towards continued success. Being a Nacre Consulting member means you’re always one step ahead as we ensure that our members are fully equipped to adapt, pivot, and thrive in an evolving industry that is Allied Health.
If you’re ready to stay informed, gain access to exclusive content, and accelerate your business growth with unparalleled support, consider joining us. Our community of highly driven Allied Health Business Owners benefits from our support and the tools needed to succeed, no matter what changes come their way.
Ready to take your business to the next level? Schedule a complimentary Power Call with us today, and let’s chat about how we can support your journey.
