The NDIS is changing how plans get built. Instead of collecting expensive reports to prove what you cannot do, a trained assessor will sit down and have a structured conversation with you about your daily life. Here is what that involves, who is allowed in the room, and how to prepare so the conversation reflects a real week rather than a good day.
Why the NDIS is changing how plans are made
Thousands of people told the Independent Review of the NDIS the same thing: planning was inconsistent, it cost too much in reports, and two people with similar needs could end up with very different budgets depending on who assessed them and how well they could argue.
Changes to the NDIS Act in October 2024 opened the door to a different approach, described by the NDIA as new framework planning. The stated aims are a fairer and more consistent budget, less reliance on expensive reports, and simpler plans with more flexibility in how you spend them.
Rollout is phased, and it is being introduced gradually rather than switched on for everyone at once. Many participants will not see any change for some time. If you hear a single confident date for when this applies to you, treat it carefully, because the staging has already shifted once and the rules were still being consulted on.
What the assessment actually is
A trained assessor meets with you at a time and place that suits you. They have a structured conversation about your daily life to work out what kinds of support you need. Afterwards they write a support needs assessment report, and that report is used to build the budget in your plan.
Two things are worth knowing straight away.
- You can bring people. Family, a support person, or your carer can be with you. You do not have to do this alone.
- A person still approves the plan. Plans are approved by trained NDIS staff, not by the tool. The NDIA has said staff will spend more time with participants under this approach, not less.
The assessors are not random. They complete a training and accreditation program developed with the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies.
What the I-CAN v6 tool is
The assessment is built on a tool called the I-CAN v6, short for the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs. It was developed by the Centre for Disability Studies and has been used in the care sector for over twenty years, so it is not something invented for this reform.
It is described as person based and strengths based, which in practice means it asks what support you need to do the things you want to do, rather than scoring how impaired you are. Alongside it sits a personal and environmental circumstances questionnaire, which picks up the things a functional conversation misses: where you live, who is around you, what is available nearby.
If your support needs are more complex, you may still be asked for reports from the health professionals who treat you. The reform reduces the reliance on reports; it does not abolish them.
How to prepare, honestly
The single biggest mistake people make in any NDIS conversation is describing their best day. It is a very human instinct, especially in front of a stranger, and it produces a budget built for a week that does not exist.
Some things that genuinely help:
- Keep a two week diary before the meeting. Note what took longer than it should, what you skipped, what someone else did for you, and what a bad day looked like. Not a medical record, just what happened.
- Describe function, not diagnosis. Not "I have a spinal cord injury" but "I cannot transfer to the shower without someone there, so on days when nobody is available I do not shower".
- Include the invisible work. Prompting, planning, managing appointments, calming, supervising. Families routinely leave this out because it does not feel like support, and it is often the largest part of the week.
- Say what you want to do, not just what you struggle with. The tool is strengths based, so goals matter. Getting to a job, a class, a mosque or church, a soccer game.
- Bring someone who sees you on the hard days. Their memory of the bad week will be more accurate than yours.
What changes about your budget
Under the new approach, funding comes in two forms: stated supports, which must be used for a particular purpose, and a flexible budget you can spend across NDIS supports as you need.
Plans are also expected to cover longer periods with fewer scheduled reviews. The intention is more certainty and less time spent re-justifying yourself. If your circumstances change, you can still request a reassessment or variation.
Your review rights are unchanged. You can request an internal review of a plan decision, and if you are not satisfied, an external review through the Administrative Review Tribunal.
If English is not your first language
A planning process built around a conversation is better for most people. It can be worse for you if the conversation happens in a language you are still working in, because everything now rests on how well you can describe a hard morning under pressure.
Free interpreters are available for your dealings with the NDIA, and asking for one is not a weakness or an inconvenience. A relative translating for you is not the same thing: they will soften what you say, because they love you, and softening is exactly what you cannot afford in this meeting.
If you want help preparing, a good support coordinator can work through the conversation with you beforehand so nothing important gets left out. Our team in Liverpool does this in English and Arabic, and arranges interpreters for other languages. You can also read our guide to choosing an NDIS provider in Western Sydney if you are weighing up who to have in your corner.
Before you go in
Check the current state of the rollout on the official NDIS planning update before your meeting, because the staging is still moving. Then prepare the way you would for anything that matters: write things down, bring someone, and describe the week you actually had.
If you would like a hand getting ready, our Liverpool team is happy to talk it through with you.
Ready to take the next step?
Our Liverpool team is here to listen and help, in your language, at your pace.
