Join our community forum on December 12 to share your thoughts on the new Support Needs Assessment and what needs to change before it’s rolled out. Register here.

Following last year’s legislation changes, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is planning to introduce a new Support Needs Assessment (SNA). These assessments will be for all NDIS participants, and are likely to start from mid 2026. The assessment will help decide what supports participants receive. We have been told that one of the assessment tools is called the ‘I-CAN’ assessment, but many important details are still not known. People with disability, families, carers, and professionals are telling us they are worried because the changes are big, and the information released so far raises more questions than answers.

This blog explains what the big questions are and why we urgently need clear communication, real co-design, and a safe, more transparent process.

❗ 1. People have not been involved in designing the new assessment

There has not been an open, public co-design of the new SNA. People with disability, families, carers, and allied health professionals have not had a real chance to help shape the assessment.

This is worrying because the assessment is supposed to start soon, mid-2026. Past reviews have said co-design is essential for safety. When people are not included, systems often fail the communities they are meant to support.

🔍 2. There has been no transparent testing or trial

Good systems are tested before they are used. International evidence shows that disability assessments must be trialled in real-world settings to check they are safe.

But the NDIA appears to be planning internal testing only. There has been:

• no public trial
• no independent evaluation
• no way for the community to give feedback

Rolling out a major new assessment without proper testing, is not the best way forward. 

🧑 3. We still don’t know who will be doing the assessments

A major concern is the lack of information about the new assessor workforce. We do not know:

• 🎓 what qualifications and skills assessors will have
• 🧠 how the assessors will be overseen
• 🧭 how the assessors will make decisions 
• 🩺 if and how allied health expertise will be included
• 🛡️ how quality and safety will be monitored
• 👥 what the “train-the-trainer” model means for accuracy

Around the world, disability needs assessments usually include allied health experts or multidisciplinary teams. Australia appears to be moving in the opposite direction.

This creates fear that expert evidence may be removed or replaced with less skilled and consistent assessment.

📚 4. Assessments must include more than a test or checklist

Good assessments need information from many sources, such as:

• lived experience
• family or carer insights
• cultural knowledge
• existing reports
• allied health or medical evidence

A single tool or checklist cannot show the whole picture of a person’s needs.

📄 5. Participants need their Impairment Notices before the SNA starts

People have not yet received their Impairment Notices. These notices tell participants what impairments the NDIA has recorded for them.

This is important because impairment categories will shape how needs are assessed. Without this information, people may only discover errors after their funding is changed.

The Disability Royal Commission and NDIS Review both said that all support needs must be funded to keep people safe. Wrong impairment information can lead to wrong funding.

🤖 6. Appeals pathways must exist; and algorithms must be transparent and tested

The NDIA has suggested that algorithms or automated tools may help make decisions in the new assessment.

But the community does not know:

• how they work
• what assumptions they use
• whether they have been tested
• whether people can challenge automated decisions

Algorithms can create unfair or unsafe outcomes if not carefully designed and monitored. This, combined with an unclear appeal process for the outcome of the SNA, raises questions about what a participant can do if the plan funding does not meet their disability support needs. 

🌱 7. People with complex needs need safer, flexible pathways

Not everyone can safely complete a standardised assessment. People with trauma histories, complex disability, communication needs, or complex life situations may need a flexible alternative.

There are alternatives. The question is whether the NDIS will offer these pathways, or push everyone through one rigid process.

💔 8. Assessments can cause harm – and the risks are real

International and Australian research shows that disability assessments can cause harm when they are rushed, rigid, or not trauma-informed. Studies have shown:

• worsening mental health
• increased distress and trauma
• higher medication use
• poor health outcomes

This is why the new SNA must be co-designed and built around safety.

A better way forward

People understand there needs to be better ways to make decisions, within the NDIS. Assessments can be part of this process. Every Australian Counts are asking for:

• transparency
• honesty
• safety
• Participant involvement in decisions that affect lives

A co-designed, trauma-informed system could build trust and confidence in the system. 

Right now, too much remains unknown. Until the community is welcomed into the design process, the new SNA will continue to raise more questions than answers.

Every Australian Counts will hold a community forum on December 12th. We want to hear your views on the new support needs assessments and what needs to happen to make them work for you, and for all NDIS participants. Register here to attend.