With the New Framework Planning and Support Needs Assessments set to begin in mid-2026, providers and boards have a narrowing window to prepare for the most significant shift in NDIS planning since the Scheme began. The Federal Government has deliberately slowed the rollout to give the sector time to prepare, but that time will disappear quickly.
1. Understand the Shift to Support‑Needs–Based Planning
The new framework moves away from diagnosis-driven and functional-impairment models and toward a person-centred, strengths-based assessment of actual daily‑living support needs.
This includes the use of I CAN v6, which will become the standard assessment tool underpinning support needs assessments. Providers need to be confident that their teams understand how this tool works, how it is applied, and what evidence it draws upon.
It’s true that I-CAN brings clear strengths as the foundation for support‑needs assessments, it is a well-established, person-centred, strengths-based tool that offers a more consistent and objective view of participants’ daily‑living support needs. However, its reliance on structured assessor-led conversations may feel intensive for some participants, especially those with communication barriers. Applying the tool consistently will require significant workforce training, and for participants with complex needs, additional clinician reports may still be required, meaning I‑CAN v6 doesn’t entirely remove the burden of evidence for everyone.
2. Prepare for longer plans and more flexible budgets
Plans under the new framework will generally run for longer periods, and participants will see more flexible funding arrangements replacing the old Core/Capacity Building/Capital categories.
Boards should consider what this means for revenue predictability, rostering and service mix, especially for those organisations that rely heavily on short review cycles. For these organisations, this shift matters because organisations that have built operating models around frequent plan renewals, with resulting fluctuations in participant hours, rostering needs, and revenue peaks/troughs, will need to adjust to a steadier, more predictable multi-year planning cycle where funding changes occur less often and require more strategic forecasting.
3. Strengthen governance and compliance settings
With mandatory registration expanding to SIL providers, support coordinators and digital platforms, governance maturity will be non-negotiable (which I would argue is a good thing).
New penalties, stricter rules, and clearer definitions of allowable supports mean boards must ensure internal controls, audit pathways, and quality systems are already being tightened now, not in 2026.
4. Invest in Workforce capability and transition
NDIA assessors will apply a new, standardised process, and participants will increasingly expect providers to understand how their support needs assessments inform the creation of budgets. The Government has outlined a staged introduction from early 2026, including public consultations and transition preparation.
Providers should prioritise workforce upskilling, scenario testing and direct engagement with participants to support them through the transition. And yes, I know funding for worker training is inadequate, but can you achieve economies of scale by partnering with other providers in your region to train your teams together?
5. Communicate Early and Often
Participants, families, and frontline teams will be relying on providers for clarity. With reforms explicitly designed to create a fairer, more consistent, and sustainable NDIS, organisations that communicate early and transparently will build confidence and trust through the transition.
Mid-2026: the light at the end of the tunnel or a train for your organisation?
Providers and their boards that start preparing now, by strengthening governance, building workforce capability, and aligning practice to a genuinely needs-based planning model, will navigate the shift smoothly and be positioned to thrive under the new framework.
David Moody, Head of Strategic Relationships, MGA Group