From mid-2026, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) intends to roll out a novel support needs assessment as part of its updated planning framework. This move marks a significant step toward a more consistent, evidence-based approach for determining disability support funding, streamlining the planning process, and alleviating burdens on participants.
In collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies, the NDIS is developing this assessment tool to better capture the support needs of participants, families, and carers.
Why a New Assessment?
At present, participants frequently need to submit supporting evidence—such as medical reports or independent assessments—as part of the planning process. This requirement can be onerous, time-consuming, and inconsistent in how needs are interpreted.
The new support needs assessment aims to:
Reduce evidence burden on participants, families and carers;
Provide consistency and reliability in how support needs are understood across participants;
Improve fairness in how budgets are allocated;
Ensure that planning is data-driven rather than relying solely on ad hoc or variable evidence.
By standardizing how information about disability support needs is collected, the NDIS seeks to improve both transparency and equity in its planning processes.
What the Assessment Will Cover
The support needs assessment will gather input from participants, families, and carers about a participant’s functional capacity, support requirements, and living circumstances. This is intended to give the NDIS a more holistic and accurate picture of a person’s support needs.
A key component of this new model is the use of a validated tool known as I-CAN (Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs) version 6, developed by the Centre for Disability Studies. I-CAN has been refined through extensive research over two decades in the Australian context and tested among diverse disability groups. It aligns with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework.
I-CAN is strength-based, meaning it emphasizes a participant’s capacities and supports, rather than solely focusing on deficits. The NDIS will use a customized version tailored to its planning needs. Notably, a variant of I-CAN already operates within the Disability Support for Older Australians (DSOA) program, having been in use for over four years.
How the Assessment Is Being Developed
Before implementation, the NDIS is engaging in broad consultation with the disability community to define the content and structure of the assessment. This ensures that the voices of participants, families, carers, and service providers shape the final design.
Key development steps include:
Community consultation: Gathering input on what should be included, how questions are framed, and how outcomes should be interpreted.
Collaboration with research partners: Partnering with the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies to adapt I-CAN and embed it in the planning process.
Piloting and validation: Testing the assessment tool in real settings to ensure it works reliably across diverse populations.
Implementation planning: Rolling out the assessment in phases from mid-2026, with support and guidance to participants, families, carers, and planners for its adoption.
Consultation outcomes will help refine item selection, scaling, and the linkages between assessment scores and funding recommendations.
Benefits for Participants and the Scheme
The shift to a formal support needs assessment offers multiple advantages:
Less burden, more consistency: Freed from having to collect varied evidence, participants can rely more on assessment results.
Fairer budgets: Decisions will be underpinned by comparable data, reducing variability from jurisdiction to jurisdiction or from case to case.
Transparent decision-making: Participants and carers will better understand how support levels are determined.
Continuous improvement: As more data is gathered, the NDIS can refine allocations, detect gaps, and ensure value.
For the NDIS itself, such assessments enhance the integrity, fairness, and sustainability of planning, while enabling better benchmarking and evaluation of participant outcomes over time.
What Will Change for Participants
When the new assessments become active, participants, families, or carers will be notified before their assessment is due. The NDIS will provide guidance and support during this transition to help people prepare, understand what to expect, and provide necessary information.
While these assessments will become a component of the new planning process, participants will still retain opportunities to engage with planners, request reviews, or submit additional information where warranted.
Timeline & Next Steps
The new support needs assessments are scheduled to be rolled out from mid-2026.
Before then, the NDIS will continue to share updates and guidance on how it will work in practice.
Stakeholders will be regularly informed about design decisions, pilot feedback, and the way assessments connect to budgeting.
The NDIS encourages all in the disability community to stay engaged and provide input.
More detailed information about this reform is available via the NDIS site’s Improvement to the NDIS page.
