Keeping Up with the Changes: Considerations when advocating for psychosocial disability support needs with some of the recent NDIS changes.
Let’s just take a moment to recognise and validate that responding to change is hard.
And there has been a lot of changes in the NDIS space of late.
Not all of which feels like a positive outcome for participant’s accessing NDIS funding, particularly those seeking support for their psychosocial disability.
Within the process of change, a person is required to employ motivation and volition, complete planning, and then engage in behavioural adaptations. All of which typically require quite a high level of executive functioning, psychological flexibility, energy, and effort – skills and resources that people living with a psychosocial disability often are limited to or completely void of.
Yet, the recent NDIS changes will directly impact the way they can access and utilise their funding and supports, therefore, change is inevitable (NDIS, 2025) .
Whilst it is not a comprehensive list, here are some considerations for participants and their supports who are accessing the NDIS for their psychosocial disability:
Funding periods
As of May 2025, all new NDIS plans have allocated funds within predetermined funding periods. So far it seems that typically the funding approved for a 12-month period has been divided quarterly, meaning that they can only access ¼ of the total funding across a 3-month period unless otherwise determined by the planner when setting up the plan.
This results in limitations across all areas within the disability sector, especially those with a psychosocial disability due to the fluctuating nature of mental health conditions. A person and their supports are unable to predict when they will be well and maintain their skills with reduced support, or when they may have a mental health decline requiring an intensive increase in services and supports due to associated risks to themselves or others. Restricting access to funds outside of the current plan funding periods means that a person may go without or with reduced support during challenging or crisis periods where supports are most required.
Participants and supports can advocate for funding periods to be divided up monthly (rather than quarterly) to reduce the risk of long periods of time without funding (i.e., if a monthly period’s funds are exhausted, will only need to wait a matter of days/weeks before next periods funds become available).
Participants and supports may also consider advocating for specific amounts or increases and decreases at certain times of the plan period. This could look increased funding in every second period to allow for fluctuations in presentation, decrease in funding during times of year where the participant has other supports available and increase in funding where they have historically experienced difficulties (i.e., holiday periods, seasonal changes, anticipated transitions, etc.).
Travel
In-home and community-based support is vital for those living with a psychosocial disability to access supports that assist with developing skills and structures that enable them to manage their self-care, improve social and relationship skills and achieve broader quality of life via physical health, social connectedness, housing, education and employment (Victorian Government Department of Health, 2022). With NDIS service providers only able to invoice at a 50% hourly rate for travel associated with services delivered, participants are at risk of providers delivering reduced frequency of support, setting minimum session/shift lengths where they weren’t previously, or ceasing support all together . This is likely to particularly impact already regional or remote areas whereby available services are already limited.
If service providers are communicating that changes to service delivery methods are changing because of reduced travel, participants and supports may need to consider what services are most essential for face-to-face support requiring providers to invoice for travel, and what sessions can be delivered via telehealth where resources are available. Where participants are unable to access telehealth resources, participants may need to explore services that are close to home, could offer longer sessions with reduced frequency (where clinically relevant and appropriate), or consider focussing on community-based goals where the service provider can meet them at a closer location (i.e., a library, shopping centre, or park).
Upskilling supports
The capacity building approach of the NDIS has always focused on the upskilling of the participant’s and their support network to reduce the reliance on therapeutic intervention. This is a sustainable approach as it enables the participant to be practicing the skills within and outside of therapy sessions, builds both the participant’s and support’s confidence and independence in implementing the strategy and/or recommendations without reliance on the therapist, and reduces the cost for ongoing support in the long-term.
It does however put the reliance and expectation on the participant and/or their supports to be able to engage, recall, and resource the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the strategies and recommendations. Additionally, accessing and maintaining appropriate and resilient supports can be challenging, particularly those confident and competent to support a person with a psychosocial disability.
Consideration of how therapy services are provided could be discussed and advocated with service providers to ensure funding utilised includes how the participant will be resourced and supported between sessions. This could mean that session time is used to create resources that the participant can keep, always ensure there is a second and familiar person present within the session to help with recalling and implementing the recommendations outside of sessions (where possible), or therapy focusses on building the social supports so that long-term, they are able to reduce their reliance on therapy services being available and having the funding to provide intensive supports.
In summary, these are just a few ideas to enable participants with a psychosocial disability and their support network on ways they can advocate for and adapt to the most recent NDIS changes.
References
https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/how-ndis-works/psychosocial-disability/accessing-mental-health-supports
https://www.health.vic.gov.au/mental-health-services/mental-health-community-support-services
https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements
About the author
Jenna Noonan is KEO’s Clinical Quality Lead, with clinical specialities in mental health occupational therapy and positive behaviour support. Having worked for 10 years within the disability sector and more specifically within mental health over the last 5 years, Jenna has supported many participants.
Jenna’s core values are curiosity, connection and supportiveness – which is what enticed her to work as an occupational therapist given the vastness of the role. Jenna finds joy in identifying someone’s values, advocating for and enabling them to live a life of their choosing.
